The controversy over Joseph Lelyveld’s new book on Mahatma Gandhi has at least had the salutary effect of illuminating both the virtues and vices of the Indian polity.
The controversy over Joseph Lelyveld’s new book on Mahatma Gandhi has at least had the salutary effect of illuminating both the virtues and vices of the Indian polity.
A recent BBC article highlights an increasing shortage of low-skilled labor in Malaysia after the government imposed stricter policies for legal immigration. The situation is similar to that in many Western countries where governments have reduced the inflow of foreign labor by instituting minimum education requirements for immigrants, making visa application processes longer and more […]
The Awami League government has sped ahead to put together a working International Tribunal to try individuals accused of committing war crimes during the conflict-ridden events of 1971. So far the procedures though seemingly smooth haven’t measured up to international legal norms and values- values that one might suppose stands behind the “International-ness” of the […]
Radiation leaking into the ocean from the faulting Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant following the Mar. 11 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami has apparently been stopped. Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Naoki Tsunoda announced the company’s injection of 1500 liters of sodium silicate into a seaside pit that has been leaking radioactive iodine into the ocean […]
Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, a constant source of material for this blog, has asked citizens to avoid holding cherry blossom viewing parties, known as hanami, such as the one I mentioned in Sunday’s post. Amidst the rolling blackouts in Tokyo caused by power shortages resulting from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant, […]
The Japanese Red Cross Society and the Central Community Chest of Japan have received 115.5 billion yen ($1.37 billion) in relief funds for the victims of the Mar. 11 earthquake and tsunami as of Saturday. While the central government has no say in how the funds are to be distributed, the government is drawing up […]
Readers of this blog will find there is little new to be discussed in the much anticipated China Military Policy White Paper [Full English Text here.] The paper was released 2 months late because military experts in Beijing wanted to take the time to add additional nationalist spin to give additional consideration to specific issues […]
My small town of Seto in the suburbs of Okayama held a cherry blossom viewing festival today. In Japan’s collective society, even viewing the ethereal cherry blossoms is a community activity. For one week in the early spring, the scraggly trees littering the hillsides burst to life in bright tints before their blossoms fall away […]
Dr. Md. Yunus has friends in high places. Everyone knows that. Under scrutiny following a Norwegian documentary that alleged financial malfeasance, Dr. Yunus was cleared of any accusations but remains squarely a target for the Awami League’s recrimination. Under the aegis of an ad hoc rule that Grameen Bank needed the central bank’s permission to […]
The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce stood out against the Islami Oikya Jote’s calls for a nationwide protest and strike. A hard rightist party associated with the opposition BNP, the IOJ had called for a widespread “hartal” to protest a national women’s development policy it claimed countervailed accepted dogma in teh Koran. The policy […]
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said Japan is trying to prevent excessive import restrictions on Japanese products abroad over fears of radiation contamination Friday. Fears of contamination arose following the crisis caused by the Mar. 11 earthquake and tsunami at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Matsumoto said, “We will fully inform other countries of the […]
As the attention of the Indian cricket fans moves away from Mohali to Mumbai, the India-Pakistan game earlier this week entered the Hall of Fame of Indo-Pak cricket diplomacy encounters. The unique reverence for the game in the sub-continent has been often used as diplomatic ice-breaker in the past. The special place accorded to cricket […]
The Japanese government decided this week not to renew its eco-points subsidy program, which ended Thursday. The ostensible purpose of the program was to encourage consumers to upgrade to energy-saving appliances and electronics. Consumer demand fell sharply following the Mar. 11 earthquake and tsunami, which crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, leading to power […]
About the Stock Market crash and the lurking housing bubble in Bangladesh. Part 1 of a series of articles on the subject.
Japan was struck by a massive earthquake on March 11, followed by a devastating tsunami that deluged many parts of Japan. Not only was the disaster colossal in terms of the human casualties (more than 10000 at last count), but it also damaged Japan’s nuclear reactors causing radiation leakage. As of this writing, the Fukushima […]
