The Persian Gulf is abuzz over what giant Saudi Arabia will be like under the rule of the new heir Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, according to the Gulf News, a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai. The future of Saudi Arabia seems as enigmatic as the man who will lead it.
Author: Asia Media Staff
JAPAN: Okinawan Newspaper Puts It All on the Record
The relocation of the U.S. Futenma airbase in Okinawa continues to be a pressing issue in Japan’s political discourse. The government has been criticized for its sluggish pace and lack of definitive decisions…
SOUTH KOREA: Launch of 5 TV Channels to Shake Up Nation’s Media
On December 1st, five television channels will be launched simultaneously, beggining what some hail a new chapter in Korea’s media landscape. Four are general broadcasting networks; JoongAng Ilbo’s JTBC, Dong-A Ilbo’s Channel A, Chosun Ilbo’s TV Chosun and Maeil Business’ MBN. And the fifth is an all-news channel, Yonhap News Agency’s news Y.
PAKISTAN: Well, It’s Worth a Try, Anyway!
A surprising article in The News, a top English-language newspaper in Pakistan, showed the country’s upscale newspaper enmeshed in a very good cause: anti-corruption.
INDIA: Legendary Bollywood Filmmaker Dev Anand Expires
Last Sunday was a sad day for India as Bollywood Superstar Dev Anand passed away at the age of 88 from a heart attack. The film star and producer took his last breaths on December 3rd while in London for a medical exam.
NORTH KOREA: College Students Get Third Degree on Hurry-up Construction Sites
Pictures taken in North Korea by an American tourist purport to show that the country is mobilizing college students to help finish massive construction projects in time for the nation’s centennial birthday celebration of its late founder Kim Il-Sung, according to Yonhap News Agency, the leading news agency of South Korea.
CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE TAIWAN ART WORLD: AT THE TAIPEI WORLD TRADE CENTER
China Blog Blotter – Issue #4: Nudity is Not Porn…On the Internet
Ai Weiwei, the sensational Chinese artist who often criticizes China’s government, is in trouble again. Last time, he was detained for three months for “tax evasion.” This time, an artistic photo of him and four women, all nude, titled “One Tiger, Eight Breasts” is deemed pornography. The government is now…
PAKISTAN: Is It Military Vs Civilians– Or ‘The News’ Vs ‘The Dawn’
A widely publicized but supposedly secret memo appears to show the country’s civilian leaders all but begging Washington to protect them from a punitive military coup. The scandal is now being called “Memogate” in the press.
SINGAPORE: Social Media Impacts Parliamentary General Elections
According to a recent panel, the Singaporean parliament’s General Elections this May were heavily influenced by the country’s proliferating use of social media.
INDIA: Bollywood Horror-Film Ads Shocks a Catholic Organization
Upcoming Bollywood horror film “Kaun Hai Waha” has been spooked by an unanticipated reproach from the organization Catholic Secular Forum (CSF), which claims the film is filled with anti-Catholic imagery and symbols.
INDONESIA: Not So Greenpeace
Tensions between the international NGO Greenpeace and the government of Indonesia have continued to escalate in recent weeks over increasing deforestation practices across the country.
SOUTH KOREA: Kim In-suk’s Expat Odyssey The Long Road is Now Available in English
Kim In-Suk’s award winning 1995 novel, The Long Road, is the lone work of Korean expatriate fiction that has been translated into English.
VIETNAM: ‘Reporters Without Borders’ Calling for Support of Blogger
“We request the immediate and unconditional release of de Nguyen Tien Trung. The accusations made against him are a total fabrication,” says the press freedom organization.
THAILAND: Thai ‘Yes or No’ Will Open Gay Film Festival
The film “Yes or No” — Thailand’s first lesbian film — has been chosen to open the 22nd Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film festival in Hong Kong alongside the Vietnamese film “Lost in Paradise.”
CHINA: Confucius Institute Prospers as China Attempts to Change Foreign Misconceptions
The Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) has recently joined with seventeen other foreign universities to set up Confucius Institutes, non-profit institutions that promote Chinese language and culture internationally, in fourteen countries overseas.