PEACE
CURRENT EVENTS
Military
February 29, 2016
Discussions over THAAD in South Korea will continue despite China’s objection
-
Preliminary talks between Seoul and Washington have already started to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea.
-
THAAD is a recent addition to the U.S’ anti-ballistic missile toolkit. It is particularly well-suited to intercept and destroy short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase.
-
U.S and South Korea hope that THAAD would strengthen both countries’ defenses against the possibility of North Korean ballistic missile attacks.
-
China has expressed strong opposition to the THAAD deployment as it impairs China's security interests directly.
Politics
February 29, 2016
Student activist leaders go to trial for their roles in the 2014 Hong Kong Umbrella Movement
-
The 79-day Umbrella Movement demonstrations was a pro-democracy political movement that began on 28 September 2014. The name, Umbrella Movement, derives from the recognition of the umbrellas used for defense against tear gas and pepper spray used by the Hong Kong police.
-
Mr. Chris Smith, the chairman of the U.S Congressional - Executive Commission on China, expressed concern of the trial. He believed that the trial was “nothing more than political muscle flexing, targeting those who dared to stand up for freedom and democracy."
-
The Hong Kong government responded that the commission’s remarks were inappropriate, and asked that no foreign governments should intervene in Hong Kong trials.
Economy
February 29, 2016
China attempts to boost economy with cash injection
-
The People’s Bank of China has loosened rules on banks’ cash reserves for the fifth time in a year in the hope that they will offer cheaper loans
-
Experts believed that the bank can inject $105 billion of long-term cash into the Chinese economy by cutting the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) – the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves
-
The bank hopes that its cut can increase liquidity in the financial sector, given the continued slowdown of the Chinese economy
Culture
February 29, 2016
Drink and drive? No. Cook rice and drive? Now available in Japan
-
Audi’s Japan Debuts Special Edition A8 With Built-In Rice Cooker
-
The A8 5.5 is equipped with a cooking pot called ‘Hagama’ that is native of Japan. The pot delivers heat directly to the core, thus making the rice cook perfectly well.
-
The A8 5.5 can be seen as something of a tribute to the rice-eating culture in Japan.