November 2013 ~ Nguồn tin tiếng Anh

Thursday, 28 November 2013

Banyan: Crossing a line in the sky

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Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.com ACUTELY conscious that the emergence of new powers on the world stage has more often than not led to war, China’s leaders make much of their plans for a “peaceful rise”. But they often have an odd way of showing it. Take China’s declaration on November 23rd of an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) above a stretch of the East China Sea that includes the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands, which it disputes with Japan. This was bound to create alarm in China’s own neighbourhood and tension in its relations with the incumbent superpower. So it calls into question the priority China really places on maintaining peace; or, perhaps, its skill in managing its rise without sparking conflict.The declaration seemed contrary to...

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Protests in Thailand: Power grab

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Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.comNo fans of the Shinawatras, they THE finance ministry in Bangkok is no longer a calm haven of fiduciary responsibility. Since being stormed by protesters on November 25th it has become the headquarters of a would-be revolution. Its leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, has held court there, surrounded by the accessories of Thai-style street protests: crates of bottled water, mounds of free food and endless stalls selling everything the dedicated protester might need, from hand clappers to plastic matting for sleeping on.And lots of T-shirts. They are colour-coded to show that this is the Thai establishment on the streets rather than their erstwhile “red shirt” opponents, the supporters of the prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra,...

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The East China Sea: Regional turbulence

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Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.com IT CAME out of a clear blue sky. On November 23rd China declared a huge swathe of mainly international airspace above the East China Sea to be part of a new Chinese “Air Defence Identification Zone”, or ADIZ: all aircraft intending to enter the zone had to file flight plans with the Chinese authorities, maintain radio communications and follow the instructions of Chinese controllers—or face “defensive emergency measures”.Japan’s two main airlines rushed to comply with the new rules. But then it was America’s turn to surprise, with two B-52 bombers sent over the Senkaku islands inside the zone on November 26th, on what was claimed to be a regular exercise. They had, the Pentagon said, followed “normal procedures”,...

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Freedom of information in Japan: Secreted away

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Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.com ONE of the arguments against Japan’s new secrecy law, which the lower house of the Diet passed on November 26th, came from the chief of a company helping to decommission the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Tighter control of information, said Yukiteru Naka, could frighten nuclear-plant workers into keeping quiet about safety risks. Strong objections also came from the public via the internet, from newspapers afraid of being muzzled and from freedom-of-information advocates.None of this stopped the government passing the controversial law pretty much intact. Efforts have been made in the past to enact secrecy legislation, but until now the malign memory of the wartime secret police has blocked serious...

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Pakistan’s armed forces: Out of the driving seat

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Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.comNawat Sharif (left) and the quiet Kayani IT IS said that the army chief is the most powerful man in Pakistan. Even so, the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, made a point of keeping the new head waiting for as long as possible. Breaking with the convention that gives the new chief a month or two to prepare, Mr Sharif named a successor just two days before the outgoing chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, a former spymaster turned double-term army chief, was due to retire. Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif (no relation to the prime minister) will now control not only a vast army and the world’s fastest-growing nuclear arsenal, but a business empire ranging from cornflakes to luxury housing.So why the delay? The prime minister...

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New Zealand: Standing firm

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Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.comTHE New Zealand government, facing a general election next year, is confronting a referendum opposing asset sales and protests over drilling for oil. It is unlikely to be swayed by either. Government leaders say the sale of assets will contribute to returning the budget to surplus, and any oil discovery has the potential to transform the economy.The referendum is being held because more than 10% of enrolled voters presented a petition to parliament calling for one, a provision made into law in 1993. The government is not bound by the result and it will take little heed of this one.The referendum paper that New Zealand’s 3m enrolled voters received on November 22nd asked whether they supported the government selling...

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