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November 28, 2024

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COMMENTARY / World

Aug 16, 2004

Sun rapidly setting on German paradise

By Michael R. Czinkota

WASHINGTON -- My summertime in Germany with family and friends gave me the warmth and many pleasures of the visitor. On the level of the economy, unfortunately, my visit provided me with the pains of the outside spectator who sees things unfold with the distinct impression that the prognosis is not good....

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Aug 15, 2004

Life in a Russian namesake

By Constantine Pleshakov

MOSCOW -- To be a namesake of a celebrity is a curse. A person who bears the same name as a baseball star or a TV anchorman invariably finds himself a target of countless unkind comments that demean his intellect, looks and savings account, and even make fun of the car he drives. No matter how hard he...

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 14, 2004

Rowdy Chinese fans raise some Olympic-size questions

By Richard Halloran

HONOLULU -- Nasty outbursts against a Japanese sports team in China have raised worrisome questions about Beijing's fitness to host the 2008 Olympic Games, which China's rulers intend to be a showcase for the progress of their nation, much as the Games were for Japan in 1964 and for South Korea in 1988....

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 14, 2004

Rape now taking the form of genocide

By Cesar Chelala

NEW YORK -- Although rape as a weapon of war has existed for as long as war itself, it is taking a particularly heavy toll on women's lives in today's conflicts around the world. A high proportion of the women who are victims of rape end up infected with sexually transmitted diseases and infections,...

COMMENTARY

Aug 13, 2004

An uphill battle for women

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- Morgan Stanley last month agreed to a $54 million out-of-court settlement to ensure that serious allegations of sexual discrimination against it did not come to trial in the United States. The bank proclaimed its innocence, but if it really had nothing to hide, why didn't it let the evidence...

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 11, 2004

Pariah regime doesn't deserve ADB aid

By David Wall

SUSSEX, England -- Bombers have been out again in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital. The bombs that went off at the U.S. and Israeli embassies and the prosecutor general's office on July 30 marked the opening of the trial of 15 men charged with setting off bombs that rocked Tashkent a year ago. The government...

COMMENTARY

Aug 11, 2004

U.S. changes challenge Japan

By Keizo Nabeshima

The transformation of U.S. forces overseas, which is now under way, will have a profound effect on Japan's security policies.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 10, 2004

Asian currency zone beckons

By Mamoru Ishida

There is no doubt that the stable renminbi (RMB) exchange rate, pegged at about 8.25 yuan to the U.S. dollar, has helped China's economic development. It has brought about enormous production capacity in the export industries. Meanwhile, the sharp increase in exports to the United States has prompted...

COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE

Aug 8, 2004

Happy Democrats suffer some nostalgia

By Bob Keefe

WASHINGTON -- A lot of Democrats arrived home from the 44th national convention of their party happy that the performance of their new nominee exceeded their expectations and that the entire presentation was positive and error-free.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 8, 2004

Where have all the angry fathers gone?

By Shumon Miura

First of all, let me make it clear that I certainly do not consider myself to have been a perfect father. At the same time, though, I can also say that I did not bring tears to my family through domestic violence, and I did not bring my family to the verge of breakup through debauchery. I was, I would...

COMMENTARY

Aug 7, 2004

Creating a more caring China

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- China under President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji astounded the world with its economic growth, reflected by a substantial increase in gross domestic product year after year. Yet the current leadership of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao are making it clear that they have...

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 7, 2004

High expectations await Lee Hsien Loong

By Eric Teo Chu Cheow

SINGAPORE -- After nearly 14 years at the country's helm, Goh Chok Tong has announced that he will step down as Singapore's prime minister on Aug. 12. Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will become the nation's third prime minister since it gained independence in 1965. It is believed that Goh will...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.

Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat

By Greg Dvorak

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

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