Institut Kajian Dasar (IKD) is pleased to announce its Second project with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), for the year 2007/2008, “Asian Renaissance: Capacity Building for Future Leaders in Southeast Asia - Year II, December 2-7, 2007, Kota Kinabalu.

Keynote Speech of Dr Surin Pitsuwan at the Opening Ceremony of the “2nd Building A Better Asia: Future Leaders’ Dialogue”, 10 September 2007, Peking University, Beijing, China. Organized by Peking University and the Information & Resource Center, Singapore. Sponsored by The Nippon Foundation, Japan.

By Prangtip Daorueng

JAKARTA - The barring of the distribution here of the US magazine Newsweek for carrying images of the Prophet Mohammed may at first appear to be a press-freedom issue, but analysts here say it is a matter of balancing society's sensitivities with media space.

By Dhruba Adhilkary

KATHMANDU - All things being equal, as many as 17.6 million Nepali voters could conceivably to go the polls on November 22 to elect a Constituent Assembly to draw up a new constitution. An  prevailing indicators show that country's major political forces are in favor of abolishing the  monarchy to pave the way for a republican federation.

The inclusion of China in the globalization movement and the gradual capitalistic trajectory of the Communist Party's sclerotic communication system is most evident through television broadcasting and the spectacular rise of the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV Channel, headed by a well-connected former Chinese colonel. Its appealing and innovative InfoNews 24-hour news channel is a stellar example of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) undertakes a delicate balancing act between market forces and control of the media.