Word: regional
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Realistically, it could take many years to form an E.U.-style trading bloc in the region - if such a body can be formed at all. Historical enmities simmering between nations like China and Japan could make close cooperation impossible, as could divergent economic interests of poor developing countries like Vietnam and those of advancing industrial economies like South Korea. Another commonly cited impediment is cultural diversity. "Europe is in a sense a single civilization; Asia is not," says Ravi Menon, Permanent Secretary of Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry. Others question whether Asia's institutions are robust enough...
...There are other reasons Asia may not be ready. One of the central goals of an Asian bloc would be to make it easier for China to buy a greater proportion of the region's output as the U.S. fades as an engine of global consumption and growth. But, while China's per capita GDP now stands at about $3,200, up nearly fourfold since 1997, it's still a far cry from U.S. per capita GDP of about $46,000. Moreover, conservative Chinese financial habits are deeply ingrained and driven by the need for "precautionary savings" for medical care...
Pacquiao is certainly thinking of the day after boxing. In 2007 he ran for a congressional seat in General Santos City but was beaten by the incumbent, Darlene Antonino-Custodio, who hails from a wealthy family long rooted in the politics of the region. But he is almost sure to run again in the 2010 national elections, though not in the same district. (Pacquiao has his own political organization - the People's Champ Movement - but has been aligning himself with President Gloria Arroyo, who needs his popularity.) Most people say they'd rather he stay a boxer and win more...
While Khalaf lauded the increase in primary and secondary schools over the past 40 years, she said that the region continues to struggle with literacy...
...order for Arab nations to move forward in the modern world, countries in the region must work to reform their education systems, foreign relationships, and the structure of their governments, according to Rima Khalaf, a former United Nations assistant secretary-general and the keynote speaker at last weekend’s third annual Harvard Arab Weekend Conference...