The board of the Grameen Bank is meeting today in Dhaka to decide the future of its founder, Muhammad Yunus. Revered as one of the founders of microfinance, Yunus won a Nobel Prize in 2006 for his work in bringing credit to the world’s poor, beginning in his home country of Bangladesh. He is now caught in a political maelstrom and could …
Asia
India’s Cricket World Cup Ticket Woes
The closely watched cricket World Cup matchup between India and England ended in a draw yesterday — the English batsmen, led by a dominant Andrew Strauss, almost got the better of the lackluster Indian bowlers — but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the stands. I wanted to know, who were those lucky people who managed to get …
China’s ‘Jasmine’ Crackdown, Animated Edition
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxd9J1MqkXw]
Taiwan’s Next Media Animation has a satirical take on China’s heavy-handed response to calls for anti-government protests. Keep an eye out for the panda goons, who you may recognize from their previous roles in ‘Hu Jintao Goes to Washington‘ and ‘Tiger Moms.’
Tomb Robbers Rejoice! The Death Penalty No Longer Applies in China
Convicted in China of tax fraud, grave-robbing or fossil-smuggling? Good news. In a country that reportedly executes more people than the rest of the world combined, these crimes will no longer merit the death penalty. As of May 1, China will decrease the number of crimes punishable by execution to a mere 55, down from 68. Those offenses …
Washing Away a Call to Protest in Beijing
Any hint of “jasmine revolution” in Beijing was swept away Sunday, first by legions of police, then by trucks spraying water onto a shopping street in the center of the Chinese capital. There was no sign of protest, and once again the turnout was largely security forces, foreign reporters and curious tourists.
Anonymous organizers …
Online and on the Streets, China Still Fears Its Own”Jasmine Revolution”
The call to meet with the police came at about 5 p.m. on Friday. I suggested that as it was getting late, perhaps we could meet next week. The caller declined, and instead she gave me a rapid-fire review of China’s reporting rules, namely that reporters must get subjects’ permission before conducting interviews. The reason for the …
Why Pakistan Is in No Mood to Back Down in U.S. Showdown
Raymond Davis, meet Aaron DeHaven. Davis is the U.S. diplomat — or alleged CIA contractor, depending on which account you believe — arraigned on murder charges in Lahore, with Pakistan thus far unmoved by his claim of diplomatic immunity following a shooting incident that left two Pakistanis dead. DeHaven is a security contractor …
How America Overestimates China’s Rise
Here are my quick two cents from a trip back to the U.S. from China. Two years ago when I was last here, I felt like the smart, educated people I talked to underestimated China’s rise. Yes, the Olympics had shown the world that Beijing was a big city full of modern buildings and amazingly talented athletes. But there was still this …
Libya, China and the Myth of ‘No-Strings’ Investment
Beijing is scrambling to get tens of thousands of people out of Libya after a wave of attacks on Chinese oilfields, construction sites and work camps. As the state-run China Daily reported prominently this morning, about 12,000 Chinese nationals were evacuated by charter plane, ocean liner and bus. State media area playing up the …
How India Views the Raymond Davis Case
It has been fascinating to watch New Delhi’s reaction to the Raymond Davis case. For all the unknowns about the CIA’s contracted spy detained in Lahore on murder charges, Davis’ arrest, the U.S. reaction and the furious Pakistani backlash seem to have made it plain that the relationship between the CIA and ISI is broken, as Kathy …
What to Expect When Sarah Palin Goes to India
Sarah Palin is going to India next month to speak at the 10th annual India Today Conclave, a high profile talk shop of “global thought leaders” hosted in the Indian capital by one of the country’s leading magazines (its cover design is conspicuously similar to another newsweekly with a red border). Palin will be speaking alongside …
Broken Promises: How We Failed Afghanistan’s Girls
Imagine that nine years ago, a rich philanthropist decided that your community needed an elementary school. He constructed a nice building, furnished it with desks and blackboards, and maybe even gave you a playground. Now imagine that the school was right in the middle of a vicious turf war between two rival gangs. The teachers at the …
China: On Literary Censorship and ‘Castrated Writing’
In December 2010, Murong Xuecun won the People’s Literature Prize. To mark the occasion, the young writer prepared some remarks on literature and free expression. But, before he reached the podium, he was stopped. His speech on censorship had been censored.
This week, he traveled to Hong Kong to deliver that speech. In a talk that …