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E.J. Dionne
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Flickr / Michell Zappa
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The world’s second-largest economy is back in the black. Japan’s economic growth is positive for the first time in over a year, beating expectations. The good news comes as the economies of Germany and France are also growing and China is in full boom. Kanpai!
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rferl.org
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Russia has announced it will take “concrete steps” to hinder any attempt by Georgia to rebuild its military capability, claiming it is “deeply worried” that its small neighbor might be preparing for yet another conflict. The stern words come as Vice President Joe Biden pays a visit to Georgia just ahead of the first anniversary of its war with Russia over South Ossetia.
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rwor.org
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The Nepalese government has stirred up a hornet’s nest of criticism with a plan to pay men to marry Nepalese women who were widowed in the country’s 10-year civil war. Women’s groups are calling the plan humiliating and contrary to human rights.
Posted on Jul 20, 2009
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Xinhua
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Chinese state media are reporting more than 150 people dead and more than 800 injured in what the China Daily describes as a riot on the part of Uighur “outlaws.” Those figures and the nature of the protests are fiercely disputed by Uighur groups abroad, which say police fired on peaceful demonstrators.
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theusdaily.com
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A new theory puts the origin of the H1N1 virus not in Mexico, where right-wing anti-immigrant groups want it, but in Asia. Scientists explain that there has been no evidence demonstrating the virus in North American pigs, but plenty of evidence of a “sister virus” circulating in Asia.
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flickr.com
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For only $5 a month, you too can undermine a developing country’s health infrastructure. Since 1990, foreign funding for “development assistance” has quadrupled, offering medical resources to the poor but also luring local health care workers away from government hospitals and toward more lucrative private companies.
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Petar Pismestrovic, Kleine Zeitung, Austria —
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By William Pfaff — Except for the brief NATO intervention in Kosovo and Serbia, all of the significant U.S. military expeditions since the Cold War have been fought against Asians, and we have lost nearly all of them.
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There’s a revolution underway in Chinese culture as young women flock from villages to factory employment in the cities, leaving traditional values behind.
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Wikimedia Commons / Hk1992
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Stock traders in Asia and Europe seemed to like the news that European governments will coordinate with one another as they throw cash at troubled banks. The euro zone plan was announced on the heels of similar British and American schemes.
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While Americans from the president on down were preoccupied with the financial meltdown, the disarmament deal with North Korea was quietly falling apart. Actually, talks with the nuclear hermit state have been on the rocks for some time, and have only grown more complicated since Kim Jong Il went MIA.
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Flickr.com / sfthqphotos
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Probably in an effort to calm tensions before the Olympic torch runs through Tibet’s capital city of Lhasa, the Chinese government released over 1,100 people alleged to have been involved in March’s unrest, which brought the world’s attention to the country and left several dozen people dead.
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China held a national moment of silence on Monday to mark the one-week anniversary of the massive earthquake that may have killed more than 71,000 people. According to government reports, more than 34,000 people already have been confirmed dead while estimates of the total number of casualties have been continually revised upward. The three-minute moment of silence marked the beginning of a three-day period of mourning.
Posted on May 19, 2008
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AP photo / Ng Han Guan
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Chinese state media are reporting that more than 50,000 people could be found dead as a result of the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Monday. That’s substantially higher than earlier estimates. The government has already confirmed close to 20,000 deaths.
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The Burmese government prepared for an influx of international aid Monday as the death toll from Saturday’s cyclone passed 10,000, according to Foreign Minister Nyan Win. That number suggested a far greater disaster than the 351 deaths reported earlier that same day.
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AP Photo
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Thousands of Buddhist monks and supporters have taken to the streets of Yangon (Rangoon) and elsewhere, as the biggest demonstration against Burma’s brutal military government in nearly 20 years continues to gain momentum. (Updated)
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Floodwaters are threatening the lives of millions in South Asia, drenching parts of northern India as well as Bangladesh and Nepal, where aid organizations are scrambling to bring in food and other assistance before hunger and disease claim more lives.
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Even though the sense of urgency about HIV/AIDS appears to have dropped off in mainstream media and culture in recent years, the latest news about infection rates is far from favorable. President Bush’s adviser on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Anthony Fauci, for one, reports that we’re “losing ... the numbers game” with respect to new infections around the globe.
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news.bbc.co.uk
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More than 200 people have died in Karachi, Pakistan, as a result of storms that ravaged the city. Heavy rain, gale-force winds and flooding obliterated many homes, while falling trees, billboards and power lines wreaked further havoc. At least 45 people have also died in southern India.
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A South Korean newspaper has quoted CIA Director Michael Hayden as saying “the United States does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear weapons state. ... It’s because the nuclear test last year was a failure.” Hayden reportedly made the comment while speaking with a South Korean defense official. The administration has said in the past it was uncertain of the test’s success.
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By Ellen Goodman — During World War II, the Japanese army enslaved and raped 100,000 to 200,000 young women. By denying this atrocity, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and others have brought shame back to Japan.
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wikipedia.org
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India and Pakistan have agreed to a deal meant to limit the possibility of inadvertent nuclear war. The two nuclear states have gone to war several times and frequently rattle sabers at each other.
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North Korea has agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor within 60 days in exchange for either energy or economic aid. The U.S. has also promised to drop North Korea from a list of terrorist states and normalize relations.
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The U.S. envoy to the six-party North Korea talks says all parties have reached tentative agreement on a deal, which would, according to previous reports, provide North Korea with energy assistance in exchange for an end to its nuclear program. A final text of the proposal has been distributed for review, and the delegates will meet again Tuesday to consider approving the agreement.
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news.bbc.co.uk
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Much of the capital of Indonesia is under 10 feet of muddy water after days of torrential rain caused devastating floods. Hundreds of thousands of people already have been displaced, and experts warn that the situation may worsen, with another week of heavy rain on the way.
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ecanadanow.com
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A woman in Cambodia walked out of the jungle a week ago, making odd grunting noises and walking like a monkey. From a scar on her arm, one family has claimed her as its own, saying she ran away 19 years ago. But skeptics abound, and her inability to speak is no help in solving the mystery.
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The U.S. and North Korea may meet for a second and possibly even a third round of talks following a surprise meeting. The White House had steadfastly refused to give in to Pyongyang’s desire for direct discussions outside of the six-party talks, but the recent rendezvous between the two countries suggests there may be more flexibility in Washington these days.
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washingtonpost.com
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When Qin Zhongfei took 10 minutes to scribble down a satirical poem about local bureaucrats, he had no idea it would land him a month in jail—a sign that free expression still languishes in China, despite hopes that President Hu Jintao’s economic reforms would translate to a more open society.
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At least six small bombs exploded in Bangkok on Sunday, killing two and injuring at least 30. Many believe opponents of Thailand’s military regime are to blame in what appears to be the world’s second major case of domestic terrorism in two days, following an explosion at an airport in Madrid on Saturday.
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rottentomatoes.com
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The Japanese daily Sankei says it has obtained an internal government report outlining the requirements for building a nuclear weapon. The Japanese government denies that it intends to build such a device. However, public pressure has mounted following North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.
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The N.Y. Times says that Bush, on his Asia trip, not only squandered a fine opportunity to shore up alliances and generate goodwill, but probably made things much worse by embarrassing Pakistan’s leader.
Posted on Mar 7, 2006
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Greenland’s Great Melt Is Pinned On Climate Change
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