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Ukraine: Euromaidan’s godmother engages Kremlin grey cardinal
Economic monitor: South Korea’s tense securities standoff
Modi’s spluttering China policies
TOP NEWS
New US curbs propaganda, says Iran as IAEA head arrives
(From dpa)
New sanctions imposed on Iran's ballistic missile program by the United States are mere "propaganda," Foreign Ministry spokesman Jaber Ansari said Monday in Tehran.
The measures introduced at the weekend by Washington are aimed at mollifying the critics -- both inside and outside of the United States -- to a nuclear deal hammered out by Iran and a group of ...
ASIA UNHEDGED
China orders foreign banks to hold yuan
(From AFP)
China will require foreign financial institutions in the country to hold yuan in reserve, the central bank said Monday as it seeks to stabilise the currency, which has been hit by capital flight.
Until now, overseas banks in China have ...
China’s home prices continued to rise in December
(From Xinhua/China Daily)
China's real estate sector warmed up further in December, with more major cities reporting month-on-month rises in new home prices.
Of the 70 large and medium-sized cities surveyed in December, new home prices climbed month on month in 39, ...
China Railway says it’s spending $121.5 billion on infrastructure this year
(From Caixin Online)
The operator of China's railroads says it plans to spend 800 billion yuan ($121.5 billion) on infrastructure in 2016, about what it spent in each of the last two years.
China Railway Corp. (CRC) announced the spending plan for ...
China’s chief stock regulator has offered to resign — sources
(From Reuters)
Xiao Gang, the embattled head of China's securities regulator, has offered to resign, sources said, after perceived mismanagement wiped more than $5 trillion off the value of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets since they peaked last June.
The 57-year-old ...
ASIA TIMES NEWS & FEATURES
US Navy’s plans for a huge ballistic missile defense ship
(From the National Interest)
By Dave Majumdar
The U.S. Navy has been in discussions with shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls about the possibility of building a missile defense variant ...
Islamic State hacks top Chinese university: Report
(From AFP)
A hacker proclaiming allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group infiltrated the internal network of one of China's top universities to display images of ...
Japan’s Abe seeks western rapprochement with Putin: Nikkei-FT
(From AFP)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, currently chair of the G7, has said he wants to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the fold ...
Even Chinese students can’t beat Indians at squeezing out the most from a US education
(From Quartz/India)
The number of Indian students enrolled for higher education in the US has surged by 71% in just two years.
In January 2014, there were ...
‘Peace’ artists plan statue to commemorate victims of Korean atrocities during Vietnam War
(From Korea JoonAng Daily)
The creators of the famous Peace Monument in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul are now planning a new project to ...
Post-election analysis: Pro-independence victory due to stronger identity as ‘Taiwanese’
(From Nikkei Asian Review)
TAIPEI--Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party, currently the largest opposition bloc in Taiwan, scored a landslide victory in the presidential and ...
Asia Times Top Writers
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China under fire for not reining in North Korea: Gertz
on in
North Korea’s fourth underground nuclear test last week set off more than seismic tremors that reached the northeastern Chinese border. A test of what US intelligence believes was a partial blast of a developmental thermonuclear bomb has sharpened political differences… Read More ›
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H-bomb or not, don’t underestimate North Korean militarism
on in
I leave it to the weapons experts to decide whether it was or it wasn’t. What jumps out in any case is that the North Koreans CLAIMED that what they tested Wednesday was a hydrogen bomb. True or not, why… Read More ›
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Latest China stock crash spotlights urgent need for financial reform: Sisci
on in
The crash of the Chinese stock market on the first day of trading in 2016 is a stark reminder of the urgent need for reform in China’s financial system in particular and its economy in general. Initial reaction from commentators… Read More ›
Fashion, Lifestyle, Sports, Travel
(From Kstylick)
South Korean fashion and K-Pop style blog Kstylick writes:
Cut from the softest cotton, this Oversized Rib Knit Turtleneck Top embodies casual sportswear with its unique turtleneck and dropped shoulders. It also comes with long sleeves and a loose fit ... Read More
(From Anime News Network)
Directors Guillermo del Toro and Ang Lee announced on Thursday that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated Studio Ghibli's When Marnie Was There for the Animated Feature Film category of the 88th Academy Awards ... Read More
(From dpa)
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) supremo Chris Kermode made a spirited defence of the integrity of world tennis Monday, after charges of match-fixing over the past decade were floated by Britain's BBC and the Buzzfeed news website.
Speaking as the ... Read More
(From Japan Today)
Coming from the high-rise neon madness of Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood just one train stop away, simply walking through the neighborhood of Daikanyama may feel almost like being in a Zen temple. But stroll past the upscale boutiques and ... Read More