MANILA, Philippines (ViaNews) – With a president that changes his mind quite too often, a looming dictatorship in the Philippines is likely in the offing. The mere mention of “dictatorship” and “martial law” is considered obnoxious in the Philippine political landscape. After all, the conjugal dictatorship and martial law rule of former Philippine President Ferdinand…
Dhaka, Bangladesh (ViaNews) – Pope Francis concluded his visit to Asia on Saturday as he headed to the Vatican with a flight from Biman, the flagship Bangladeshi airline. Though the desperate plight of the Rohingya refugees has dominated Pope’s landmark visits to both Bangladesh and Myanmar, the visits carry significance beyond the Rohingya angle. During…
On November 13 and 14, 2017, delegates from countries all over the world arrived in the Philippines for the 31st ASEAN Summit. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was inaugurated in 1976, and since then has met semiannually to discuss both regional and global initiatives. This year’s theme was “Partnering for Change and Engaging…
MANILA, Philippines (ViaNews) – US president Donald Trump’s raising a glass of wine with Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte may seem like everything is fine and splendid here at the 31st summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But in the streets of Manila, the atmosphere was quite fiery and tense as Filipino activists…
MANILA, Philippines (ViaNews) – “Please stop. Please stop. I have a test tomorrow.” These were among the last words heard from Grade 12 student Kian delos Santos as he was being manhandled by the police one August evening. Later, he was found dead, with an autopsy report revealing he was shot twice in the head….
NEW DELHI, India (ViaNews) – During Richard Nixon’s Beijing visit in 1972, Zhou Enlai, the Chinese premier was asked about the effect of the French Revolution on South East Asia. Even though the event in mention happened nearly two centuries back, Zhou’s answer was amusing -‘it’s too early to say’. This witticism is often cited…
ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) – Zeynep Tufekci is a Turkish writer and a self-described “Techno-sociologist” writing about the influence of technology on politics and society. In April this year, the Yale University Press published her book entitled: Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest. She describes the book as a “quasi-historical account…
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (ViaNews) – The U.S. and Pakistan relations may face many geostrategic and geoeconomic challenges, but one, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), stands above all else. The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure to modernize and strengthen the Pakistan economy by the construction of transportation networks and energy projects. Pakistan is a…
New Delhi, India (VIAnews) – For centuries, the majority of the world’s trade has been under the influence of India and China in the Eastern world, and Europe to the west. Back in the 16th century, the maritime technology power of the Europeans and trade supremacy lead to an eventual colonization of the east. Going…
ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) – On Wednesday, nearly 200 human rights activists gathered outside the courthouse in Istanbul to protest against the lack of press freedom in Turkey. The activists were holding signs saying “Free rights defenders”, “Freedom for journalists”, and “Independent press cannot be silenced.” According to the Turkish Journalists’ Association, around 160 journalists are…
