DIEGO GARCIA WRITES– The latest trade figures show Chinese exports facing a steep fall for the second time in two years. With a 4.4% downturn from last year, this dip in the world’s second-largest economy is of great concern. Another worry is the decline in imports. While analysts had expected…
ROBERT BORN WRITES– Sunday, March 3, marked a national holiday in Japan called Hinamatsuri, otherwise known as Girls’ Day or Dolls’ Day. The holiday serves to hope for the health and happiness of young girls. Yet in reality, Japanese culture still shows a brazen unwillingness to support women in the…
MUHAMAD ALOTHMAN WRITES– Kuwait and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November of 2018, in Beijing. This non- binding agreement gives Kuwait the opportunity to expand and even become a leading global financial hub in the Gulf. Oil prices, Kuwait’s main source of income, have been declining over the…
ASIA MEDIA WRITES — Hua Hsu, one of the hottest writers on the U.S. East Coast, is to discuss the issues and opportunities of writing about race and culture this Wednesday at 1pm on campus. The event is sponsored by LMU’s Journalism Dept. and the Asia Media Center (asiamedia.lmu.edu). The…
ROBERT BORN WRITES– Sunday, March 24, marked the first time in five years that the Thai government allowed an election years after promising one. In 2014, a military coup removed the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s party–then headed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Since then, the military junta…
ASIA MEDIA INTERNATIONAL AND PACIFIC CENTURY INSTITUTE WRITE — March First, 2019, marks the one hundred year anniversary of the Sam-il movement in Korea. We interviewed artist Maureen Wolfson from Calabasas, California, who was recently inspired by the storied life of one of the movement organizers, Ryu Gwan-Soon (1902 – 1920), to…
ABDULMOHSAN ALMUTAIRI WRITES– What do football and a sociopolitical blockade in the Middle East have in common? Many of us would say, “not much.” Tensions between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar were apparent during the 2019 Asia Cup, held between January 5 and February 1, when the UAE…
OLIVIA AMEZCUA WRITES — Ongoing attacks against environmental activists have been on the rise throughout Asia, attacks that are increasingly violent and range from death threats, arrests, intimidation, cyber attacks, sexual assault, and lawsuits, the Global Witness reports. The Philippines is by far the largest hotspot for such foul play. Still,…
MARGARET RAY WRITES– Rumors that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, intends to buy Premier League football club Manchester United were quelled by the Kingdom’s Media Minister, Turki Al-Shabanah, who stated on Monday that the rumors were “completely false.” “Manchester United held a meeting with the Public Investment Fund…
ANTONIA HORLICK WRITES– Alexander Wang, one of the most notable fashion designers of the twenty-first century, showcases his Taiwanese roots in his unique Spring 2019 show that makes a political statement about immigration. The collection, named “Immigrant Americana,” is a form of commentary on the current anti-immigrant climate sweeping the…
Despite the positive effects of online social communities, easy access has led to a spread of so-called “fake news,” where false stories are forwarded among family members and friends. To manage such abuse, WhatsApp, a messaging platform, has launched a campaign in India to filter out such messages by deleting…
ALEXANDRA RADILALEH WRITES– Thirty-one years after an unlikely relationship, Pham Ngoc Canh, a Vietnamese man, and Ru Yong Hui, a North Korean woman, were finally married in 2002, when North Korea allowed Ru to marry a foreigner. Now, almost two decades later, the couple sees hope that their two countries’…
MICHELLE DOR WRITES — An unemployed 45-year old man in Singapore by the name of Joseph Murugan allegedly attempted to steal free roti, a native Indian dish, by knifing a store clerk. Assisted by two others, Murugan slashed the chef with a knife after he was turned down, leaving a…
Indonesia, which has long prided itself on being a secular nation, is now seeing a rise in the voices and power of Islamists. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (BTP), the Chinese-Indonesian politician and former governor of Jakarta, was convicted of blasphemy for insulting the Quran when he suggested that practicing Muslims…
FAHAD ALSUDAIS WRITES– Vision 2030: this ambitious socio-economic reform plan is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s brainchild. It has two primary goals: To foster growth in privately owned enterprises in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and to steer away from dependence on non-renewable, environmentally toxic oil. Launched in…
TALAL BUKHAMSEEN WRITES — Every February, locals and tourists gather in Sapporo, Japan for a week of festivities celebrating the Sapporo Snow Festival. This year’s event, running from February 4th to the 11th, will mark the 70th anniversary of the festival. For its 70th Anniversary, the Snow Festival featured over 200…
