China bans construction of opulent government buildings for five years — not because it has built enough — but because it feels the move will lower corruption and excesses among officials. Read Here – The Atlantic
In April, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, at the age of 75, abdicated, followed this week by the 79-year-old King Albert II of Belgium, who declared he was too old. At 87, Queen Elizabeth II shows no sign of stepping down, and polls show the British people aren’t asking her to. Read Here – The New York Times
The United States and India are headed for a trade war over protectionism and immigration laws. Can the two countries stop themselves before it gets too late? Read Here – Foreign Policy
China’s economy has shown signs of not working since the fall of 2011, but most economists and analysts chose to ignore them. Now, just about everyone is commenting on Chinese economic weakness. Expert opinion never seemed more synchronized. Read Here – WorldAffairsJournal
Russia’s security differences with NATO countries have been encouraging Moscow to strengthen ties with Asian countries, above all China. These differences range from concerns over U.S. missile defense programs to unease about NATO’s increasingly capable conventional weapons to dissatisfaction with Moscow’s minimal influence on European security issues due to Russia’s non-membership in NATO. Read Here […]
Iran’s strategic ambitions are not limited to looking West into the Arab world and the war in Syria. It is also looking East, where it has an active alliance with China and a working relationship with India, but closer to its borders, Iran is working hard to build its influence in Afghanistan. Read Here – […]
In a commentary, Xinhua says that the sensational reports about and the Indian media hype about Chinese border intrusions are harmful to the China–India relationship. Read Here – Xinhua
In a little over a decade, Sana’a, Yemen, might become the world’s first capital to run out of water, turning its millions of citizens into water refugees. A major cause: the cultivation of qat, a mild narcotic plant that takes unusually large amounts of water to farm and to which much of Yemen’s population is […]
China must deepen reforms in major areas with “ever more political courage and wisdom” to surmount the institutional barriers that are restraining growth, President Xi Jinping has stressed. Read Here – Xinhua
Despite overtaking Japan as the third-largest economy, India has lost its leadership role in the continent because, unlike its eastern neighbours, it has ignored is poor Read Here – The Hindu
