Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
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Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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[David Ignatius] Winging it regarding Ukraine
WASHINGTON ― In the chess game that is the Ukraine crisis, it’s increasingly clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t thought his way through to the endgame. He’s aggressive in his moves, but also calculating. He wants success, but not at any cost. This complex picture of Putin is emerging as analysts study his latest contradictory moves in eastern Ukraine. After several weeks of encouraging Russian-speaking separatists there, Putin said Wednesday that he wanted them to delay a referen
May 12, 2014
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[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Forward-thinking cities are a beacon of hope
NEW YORK ― Last month, a remarkable gathering occurred in Medellin, Colombia. Some 22,000 people came together to attend the World Urban Forum and discuss the future of cities. The focus was on creating “cities for life” ― that is, on promoting equitable development in the urban environments in which a majority of the world’s citizens already live, and in which two thirds will reside by the year 2050.The location itself was symbolic: Once notorious for its drug gangs, Medellin now has a well-des
May 12, 2014
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America’s enduring global leadership
WASHINGTON ― Many observers have cited the crisis in Ukraine as yet another example of American retrenchment and declining global influence. Some have also interpreted it as evidence of a Russian-led effort to mobilize the major emerging economies ― Brazil, India, and China ― against the West. While there is a kernel of truth in both narratives, each is a gross exaggeration, as is the notion that America’s capacity to shape a secure and prosperous international system is in decline.The U.S. has
May 12, 2014
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Republicans replay 1998 on Benghazi
With political indicators and historical cycles in their favor, Republicans are pushing the envelope to further energize their base with a full assault on the head of the opposition.It’s 1998, and House Republicans have moved to charge President Bill Clinton with an impeachable high crime for lying about sex.Parties that don’t control the White House invariably gain in midterm elections. But the anti-Clinton drive energized Democrats. That year, Republicans failed to gain congressional seats in
May 12, 2014
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[Robert Reich] Right-wing lies about inequality
Even though French economist Thomas Piketty has made an airtight case that we’re heading toward levels of inequality not seen since the days of the 19th-century robber barons, right-wing conservatives haven’t stopped lying about what’s happening and what to do about it.Herewith, the four biggest right-wing lies about inequality, followed by the truth.Lie No. 1: The rich and CEOs are America’s job creators. So we dare not tax them.The truth is, the middle class and poor are the job creators throu
May 11, 2014
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Australia does not need a Tea Party
America’s Tea Party might be excited to see that its tactics are being replicated as far away as Australia. Australian voters shouldn’t be.None other than failed U.S. presidential candidate Rick Santorum has congratulated Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for his scaremongering about government debt. Santorum calls Abbott a “hard-liner” ― high praise indeed ― who is forcing his conservative vision on a nation that doesn’t know what’s good for it. Yet the more Abbott and his team indulge in T
May 11, 2014
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In parts of Europe, far right rises again
BUDAPEST, Hungary ― As Europe marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, the war that destroyed Old Europe, far-right parties are gaining ground across New Europe.Most of the far-right parties are pro-Russia, opposing U.S. and European Union efforts to isolate President Vladimir Putin for his intervention in Ukraine. They are expected to do well in the May 25 European Parliament elections.Last month, I traveled to Hungary and Greece, where the neo-fascist movements are strongest
May 11, 2014
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[Yu Kun-ha] Adoption policy should focus on unwed moms
May 11 is Adoption Day in Korea. Since 2006, the Korean government has marked this day as part of its efforts to create a sound culture of adoption and encourage domestic adoptions.This year, however, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has canceled the annual ceremony, which was slated for today, in consideration of the mournful atmosphere pervading the nation since the sinking of the Sewol ferry on April 16.May 11 is also Single Moms’ Day in Korea. The event was launched in 2011 by a group of p
May 11, 2014
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What is Monica Lewinsky’s legacy in American life?
Just as Hillary Clinton appears to be preparing a run for president in 2016, well, here comes Monica Lewinsky again. She emerged this week from more than a decade of relative silence to tell Vanity Fair how the affair with Bill Clinton ― and its aftermath ― had affected her life.“It’s time to burn the beret and bury the blue dress,” she says.With a Clinton campaign in the offing, are we doomed to more discussion of Bill Clinton’s peccadilloes? Is it time, after nearly two decades, to move on? Jo
May 11, 2014
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[David Ignatius] Obama’s self-inflicted damage
WASHINGTON ― It’s painful watching the YouTube video of President Obama in Manila last week talking about hitting singles and doubles in foreign policy. Everything he says is measured, and most of it is correct. But he acts as if he’s talking to a rational world, as opposed to one inhabited by leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin. In the realm of power politics, American presidents don’t get points for being right but for being (or appearing) strong. Presidents either say they’re going to kno
May 9, 2014
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Trans-Pacific Partnership a bad deal for America
PARIS ― The good news is that the Obama administration plans to create a lot of new jobs. The bad news is that those jobs will mostly be in Asia.President Obama’s recent trip to Asia revived debate about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the cornerstone of this administration’s so-called pivot to Asia. The controversial agreement ― not likely to be finalized anytime soon ― currently involves the U.S., Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, M
May 9, 2014
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[Peter Singer] Is citizenship a human right?
MELBOURNE ― Should your government be able to take away your citizenship?In the United Kingdom, the government has had the legal authority to revoke naturalized Britons’ citizenship since 1918. But, until the terrorist bombings on the London transport system in 2005, this power was rarely exercised. Since then, the British government has revoked the citizenship of 42 people, including 20 cases in 2013. British Home Secretary Theresa May has said that citizenship is “a privilege, not a right.”Mos
May 8, 2014
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U.S. efforts may tip scales on campus rape
WASHINGTON ― Well, I guess if you can’t solve issues like immigration, or tax reform or how to make the Affordable Care Act work like it was envisioned or resolve stagnate growth, you can at least take on the problems of sex on campus ― the unwanted kind, of course, even though the chances of pulling that off may be slimmer than solving all the other problems we face.The ultimate solution may be a federally administered forced saltpeter program aimed at all male students but especially those who
May 8, 2014
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ASEAN must raise its voice over Thai crisis
The region’s leaders must do more than just whisper among themselves when Thai delegates to the ASEAN summit in Nay Pyi Taw next weekend update them on our political conflict. The truth is that Thais need advice on how to solve their deadlocked crisis.It is rare for Thai politicians to admit in front of their Southeast Asian peers that they have political difficulties at home, and even more rare for them to ask for advice.Thais are proud of their political development and democracy. Over the dec
May 8, 2014
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Enjoy ― but mind that extra portion
Food waste continues to be a global indictment. On one end of the scale, it exposes the indifference in rich countries towards discarding surplus fresh food. On the other end is the failure in less advanced agrarian nations to conserve produce through better post-harvest storage and distribution. Countless studies by United Nations agencies and international charities have concluded that hunger and malnutrition will never be eradicated although, on a per capita basis, there is ample supply of gr
May 8, 2014
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[Karim Raslan] Obama in Kuala Lumpur
In the Asia-Pacific, diplomatic power play is elegant with commercial and political interests intertwining effortlessly.I watched Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia last week from my sick-bed in Jakarta.I wasn’t the only one a little worse for wear.Malaysians are still enduring the terrible, unresolved tragedy of MH370.The unprecedented global media scrutiny and whiplash-like anger of the Chinese public left much of Putrajaya worried about how future bilateral relations could develop.I suspect our
May 8, 2014
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India’s bourgeois revolution through elections
NEW DELHI ― In 2009, when I competed in India’s last parliamentary election, I was something of a rarity. I was not a professional politician. By contrast, all of the other candidates in my constituency ― indeed, most of the contenders across the country ― had devoted their entire lives to politics, many since their student days.I was not born into a political family; I had no seat or political fiefdom to inherit; and I had entered the race without a political “godfather.” I had not even lived i
May 8, 2014
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Learning lessons from Mount Everest disaster
“There were many, many fine reasons not to go, but attempting to climb Mount Everest is an intrinsically irrational act ― a triumph of desire over sensibility. Any person who would seriously consider it is almost by definition beyond the sway of reasoned argument.”― Jon Krakauer, “Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster,” 1997We never have been seized with a desire to climb Mount Everest. But we can understand the obsession to push into the thinnest air, to test your cour
May 7, 2014
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[Park Sang-seek] Why is Korea accident-prone?
The Sewol ferry disaster has brought the whole country into a pandemonium as well as a grand debate on the causes and remedies of manmade disasters. The insatiable materialistic drive of the business world, the highly incompetent and irresponsible government agencies, the immoral and illegal behavior of the crew, and the irrational and immoral behavior and rumor-mongering of some people have been most frequently mentioned as the major causes of the incident. For disaster prevention, on the other
May 7, 2014
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[Jeffrey Frankel] China’s weight is still second in global economy
CAMBRIDGE ― Headlines around the world last week trumpeted a watershed moment for the global economy. As the Financial Times put it, “China poised to pass U.S. as world’s leading economic power this year.” This is a startling development ― or it would be if the claim were not essentially wrong. In fact, the United States remains the world’s largest national economy by a substantial margin.The story was based on the April 29 release of a report from the World Bank’s International Comparison Progr
May 7, 2014