| World |
China’s no more synonymous with cheap as incomes double -
Bloomberg
China’s demand for cheap home appliances is waning as the government phases out subsidies. In response, domestic companies are entering Royal Philips Electronics’ market with high-end devices, including a red washing machine that sterilises shoes and can cost eight months of a family’s disposable income. |
US bills will curb free speech: Online biggies -
Chidanand Rajghatta, Times of India
Protesting against internet regulations proposed by the US Congress,Google,Wikipedia and Craigs List on Wednesday enforced a 24-hour blackout on their home pages. Clicking on the redacted logo took one to a petition beneath the slogan,End piracy,not liberty,in which Google outlined its opposition to the proposed legislation.
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Web giants take stand against US anti-piracy bills -
Jenna Wortham, New York Times
With a Web-wide protest on Wednesday that includes a 24-hour shutdown of the English-language Wikipedia, the legislative battle over two Internet piracy bills has reached an extraordinary moment — a political coming of age for a relatively young and disorganised industry that has largely steered clear of lobbying and other political games in Washington. |
How China is advancing its military reach -
BBC
As the US shifts its focus to Asia, Alexander Neill, head of the Asia Security Programme at the Royal United Services Institute, sets out the Chinese military advances challenging the regional balance. At the Pentagon recently, US President Barack Obama announced deep cuts to the US military and set out a shift in attention towards the Asia-Pacific region, in a thinly-veiled message to China.
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Iran, the US and the Strait of Hormuz Crisis -
George Friedman, Stratfor
The United States reportedly sent a letter to Iran via multiple intermediaries last week warning Tehran that any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz constituted a red line for Washington. The same week, a chemist associated with Iran's nuclear program was killed in Tehran. In Ankara, Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani met with Turkish officials and has been floating hints of flexibility in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. |
China's growth engine declines -
Tom Orlik & Bob Davis, WSJ
China posted GDP growth of 8.9% in the last quarter of 2011, compared with a year earlier, a number that came in higher than had been expected but one that nevertheless showed that the world's fastest engine of growth is downshifting. |
US, Pak relations paper thin -
Karen DeYoung & Karin Brulliard, Washington Post
In a call to her Pakistani counterpart this month, secretary of state Hillary Clinton reiterated the Obama administration's counterterrorism "red line": The US reserved the right to attack anyone who it determined posed a direct threat to US national security. |
America’s next CEO? -
Economist
THE Republican primaries are meant to last six months, allowing all 50 states to have their say in the nomination of a candidate to take on Barack Obama in November. Amazingly, they may be all over only days after they started. On January 10th, a week after his victory in conservative Iowa, Mitt Romney trounced his six opponents in liberal New Hampshire, winning nearly twice the share of his nearest rival (see article). The polls predict a victory for him in South Carolina on January 21st, and another in Florida on the 31st. |
Reshaping Tomorrow: What will India look like in 2025? -
Ejaz Ghani, Voxeu
What will India and other South Asian countries look like in 2025? The optimistic view is that India will achieve double digit growth rates but the pessimistic view is that growth will be derailed by several transformational challenges. This column introduces a new book asking what the story between now and 2025 might involve, and what can be done to reshape tomorrow. |
Iran oil sanctions divide Asia's four largest economies -
Puneet Pal Singh, BBC
Oil has been one of the most politically sensitive commodities over the years. And now Asia's four largest economies are finding out how difficult it is to balance political will with economic reality. As the US and European Union move to cut Iran's oil exports, China, Japan, India and South Korea are having to tread the fine line between international relations and national needs. |
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