North Korea tops Abe’s agenda Many foreign policy challenges lie ahead for Japan’s new PM, Shinzo Abe, but his most pressing concern is much closer at hand: North Korea, especially in the wake of its declaration of a nuclear test on October 9. Since then, Japan has been lobbying... 26 Oct, 2006
TOPICS: N Korea’s ‘happy bomb’ is US opportunity North Korea’s nuclear test and its rumoured preparations for a sequel have set a chill wind blowing across Asia that shows no sign of abating. Pyongyang has taken no notice of the storm of international condemnation. It characterised the UN’s... 19 Oct, 2006
IN OTHER WORDS: Engage North There is little chance that the sanctions on North Korea approved by the UN Security Council last Saturday can compel the so-called hermit kingdom to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. But there is too great a chance that the resolution’s call... 19 Oct, 2006
TOPICS: Japan flexes foreign-policy muscle Even before North Korea jolted the world with its nuclear test last week, it was clear that the September 26 election of Shinzo Abe as postwar-Japan’s youngest PM meant more than a change at the helm. Abe’s ascension not only symbolises the... 17 Oct, 2006
Iran awaits UNSC reaction to Korea In a first reaction to North Korea conducting nuclear tests, Iran has said that the best way to stop proliferation was for the big powers to begin disarmament themselves. “The best solution to combat nuclear weapons is for the big powers to start by... 15 Oct, 2006
No war, no talks, more pressure In its initial reaction to Monday’s North Korean nuclear test, the Bush administration indicated it will seek the strongest possible sanctions against Pyongyang at the UN Security Council but was not considering taking military action on its own, at... 11 Oct, 2006
Time running out for South Korea-US FTA Seoul, September 25:Time is running out for South Korea and the United States to reach agreement on a free trade deal, a former top aide to US President George W Bush said on Monday.The two sides began negotiating in June on what would be the largest... 25 Sep, 2006
BIZ BRIEFS Oil prices below $60 LONDON: World oil prices dived under $60 per barrel on Monday, striking the lowest levels for more than six months, as supply tensions continued to ease, dealers said. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in... 25 Sep, 2006
Indo-US deal tests Japan’s policies Japan’s nuclear power industry is under the spotlight again as the world debates the nuclear proliferation controversy in Iran and North Korea and Tokyo comes under pressure from the US to support its own nuclear cooperation pact with India. “There... 18 Sep, 2006
China becomes world’s third biggest donor Beijing, July 20:After 26 years of receiving food aid, China has emerged as the world’s third largest food donor, according to a report released today by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).China donated 577,000 tonnes of food to more than a dozen... 20 Jul, 2006
TOPICS : Why China will not pressure Pyongyang China might be North Korea’s largest trade and economic partner but hopes that Beijing would exert influence over the reclusive regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and succeed in persuading him to abandon its nuclear ambitions are misplaced,... 16 Jul, 2006
Gift of sight Kathmandu:For those bestowed with the blessings of sight, the world is a tempting place to live, if only just to behold. However, for those bereft of sight, the prodigious gift makes little difference even if nature showered its largesse with all its... Travel Abroad 15 Jul, 2006
