EXCLUSIVE TO KHALEEJ TIMES It was quite the educational experience. On an early June afternoon in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak al Nahayan sat down with a few students in the spacious Majlis room of his palace in Abu Dhabi. The lucky but nervous young women were enrolled at United Arab Emirates University, where the three [...]
Archive | June, 2012
HONG KONG: Asia Society Gets “Leadership’ Briefing
Earlier this month a lunchtime assemblage of committed Asiaphiles (policy wonk division) convened to Tom Plate’s views on what makes leadership special and how Asia has sometimes benefited from exceptional leadership. Plate, who is a syndicated columnist and the Distinguished Scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies at Loyola Marymount University, drew on examples from the [...]
BANGLADESH: Media Brawl Spotlights a Murder
It remains a dangerous time for journalists in Bangladesh, as violence against them continues. Only in the latest chapter, it was not a fight between police and journalists, but rather, amongst the journalists themselves. The Daily Star reported on Monday, June 25th, 2012 that newsmen from ATN Bangla, a private TV channel, attacked Jahangir Alam Prodhan, a journalist for the Bangla daily Kaler Kantha. Prodhan, along with [...]
SINGAPORE: Three Diplomats Send Malaysian Bloggers Into Frenzy
How close is too close? Malaysian blogs claim that neighboring Singapore has crossed the line – yet again! While the two states are separated by only a short bridge, both insist on steering clear of meddling in each other’s domestic politics. However, several online blogs have accused Singapore of breaching this mutual, even if unspoken, agreement. Three Singaporean [...]
PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES: BULLETIN: ASIAN STUDENTS ROCK – SO THIS IS BIG NEWS?
Los Angeles – High up in the category of news that’s too familiar to be newsworthy is the latest poll that finds Asians are the most-educated and highest-earning population in the United States. OMG – I didn’t know that, did you??!! Yeah, right: And so the good people at the Pew Research Center pretty much [...]
IN REVIEW: In the United Arab Emirates — All Eyes are on O … B … E ….Y — the Envelope, Please!
Despite the hectic weeks of the final examination period, the auditorium was quite full. The audience members were handed small brown envelopes as they entered the theater venue, the purpose of which was to be discovered at the end of the play. And so the night of June 13 started with a mystery. The play [...]
VIETNAM: Mounting Demand for Freedom For Activist Blogger Ho Thi Bich Khuong
On May 30, 2012, Human Rights Watch (HRW) joined hands with The Global Network For Freedom Expression (IFEX) to publicly voice concern regarding the conviction of , condemning the actions of the Vietnamese government. Khuong was convicted on December 29, 2011 for violating article 88 of the penal code forbidding any individual from “conducting propaganda against [...]
IRAN and IRAQ: Media Try to Smooth Over Historic Divide
Iran and Iraq have not shared the friendliest of histories but recently both countries seem more willing to set aside their differences in order to collaborate within the media field. Ezzatollah Zargham, Director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), initiated talks with several Iraqi officials as a means of strengthening the two nations’ [...]
SOUTH KOREA: Cyber Kitty Attacks Major Newspapers
Just days after North Korea threatened South Korean media outlets with retaliation for critical coverage, the databases of two of South Korea’s major newspapers, The JoongAng Ilbo and its sister paper The Korea JoongAng Daily, were hacked into by username IsOne, whose identity is still a mystery. The Korea JoongAng Daily reported that both papers lost article and [...]
AUSTRALIA: You may not believe how tasteless this story is….!!!
According to reports by the Canberra Times, on-air comments by Radio 2cc’s Jorian Gardner have prompted swift responses by management to contain the embarrassing situation. During a show last week – believe it or not — the on-air host stated jokingly that Communications Minister Stephen Conroy should wear a ‘penis cam’ during cabinet meetings so that [...]
CHINA: Pollution Quarrel Fueled by Social Media
On June 5th, Chinese officials made clear that foreign embassies had better cease publishing their ownreports and estimates on the air quality of China. Beijing has been especially irritated by the increasingly high-profile U.S. Embassy Twitter feed, which tracks pollution in Beijing and has accumulated more than 19,000 followers. Such numbers have garnered much official attention, and the account is currently [...]
IN REVIEW: Media Asia Explains Bangladesh’s Complex Media
Bangladesh is only recently a democratically-elected country, and is therefore still feeling the growing pains of development. The nation’s plight can be illustrated through an inspection of remaining political oppression of the media. But understanding that country’s media system is difficult, at best. Now, at last, comes a new media study that clears away a [...]
THAILAND: UN Gets Applause – and Help from Media and Rights Workers
Those with a guilty conscience often attempt to go unnoticed on judgment day. Unfortunately for Thailand however, the United Nations is not waiting that long and is pointing a reprimanding finger right now. Every year, the UN Secretary-General – currently Ban Ki-Moon — publishes a report with individual countries’ records of violations committed against children [...]
ASIA INSIGHT VIDEO NO. FOUR: STEPHANIE GARCIA AND HER VIEW ON AMERICAN JOURNALISM AND SINGAPORE
Professor Tom Plate meets with South-South News
Professor Tom Plate Goes Live With South-South News to discuss his book on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Professor Plate reveals why he decided to write a book on Ban Ki-Moon -- and how the Western media stereotypes the Korean diplomat.
