Politics

The town of Huntsville, especially during a Canadian summer, is normally known for its low-key residents decked out in cut-off jeans tossing another hot dog on the backyard patio grill - and smilingly offering it to a visitor.

During the June 26-27th weekend, however, this once obscure, now better known town played host to dozens of world leaders who gathered there for the annual G-20 summit of major world economies. It co-hosted the event along side Toronto, a successful city popular for its ethnic mix, civility and economic activity on the shore of sparkling Lake Ontario.

Before the Kuomintang government reclaimed the podium of power in Taiwan two years ago, relations with China were tense and there was at least one move for the international exit among the foreign diplomatic corp. in favor of the carrots dangled by Beijing.

As carbon becomes synonymous with cash, more and more carbon emissions related projects are launched and announced. As you might expect, disputes over carbon emissions projects are also growing.

Recently, there was a very significant case in Korea. It was the first arbitration case about carbon emissions trade and caught the attention of lawyers and business people alike. As of February 2010, there were no cases in litigation in Korea.

You would have to believe in miracles to think that North Korea would ever give up its nuclear weapons program. That’s the view of a distinguished professor from China who talks with an air of authority that seems to reflect an insider’s understanding of what’s really going on in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

Kim Jeong-sook, a 31- year-old homemaker in Seoul, buys groceries through the Internet shopping mall with her co-workers. The Internet shopping mall is operated by a group of farmers from her hometown.

“There are many advantages to buying vegetables, rice and honey directly from a farmer and a beekeeper,” she says. “The price is somewhere between the wholesale price and the retail price because I place a large order with my colleagues. I feel I get ripped off whenever I see the retail price in a supermarket or a department store.”

The officials and experts and journalists who flocked to the 15th United Nations Climate Conference in the Danish capital of Copenhagen in December were probably in no mood to sing the Frank Loesser song from the 1952 movie “Hans Christian Andersen.” They may have appreciated the welcoming Little Mermaid statue in the harbor, but by the time the talking and arguing was all over they were more likely to be badmouthing and complaining than clinking glasses.

Climate change has been a major concern since man started to make life easier and it’s a known and oft stressed concept in most of the conventions and protocols. It is known to have brought widespread misery and huge economic loss worldwide, severely disturbing public health, agriculture and natural resources. This scenario might reach a stratospheric height if we maintain our current lifestyles and propel greenhouse gases into the air. As our mother earth fumes further, we may face days of drastic weather changes thus affecting agriculture and causing water scarcity and pandemics.

The Korean president’s visit to India is full of symbolism. Since both countries established diplomatic ties in 1973, this will be the first time the Indian government has invited a Korean president to be a state guest at India’s Republic Day functions in New Delhi, which takes place on Jan 26.

The doors of opportunity in education and business have been opened for the women of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to a degree unprecedented as part of the drive to make the Kingdom a modern knowledge economy spearheaded by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.