Decrying a rising death toll and an escalation of violence, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly called yet again for progress towards a political transition to defuse Syria's civil war, now in its third year. Though the resolution strongly condemns the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad for its increased use of heavy weapons, it equally condemns “widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” on all sides.

During the four years I spent in the Philippines in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I developed a healthy distaste for the ruling elite, exemplified by the inept leadership of President Corazon Aquino, who dragged her feet on key reforms and left us without power for 10 hours a day.

The suggestion of compulsory mediation for warring neighbors unable to resolve their differences signals the difficulty faced by community peacemakers caught between a rock and a hard place.

Japan's rightwing political leaders, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have raised the ire of neighboring countries with acts and remarks denying Tokyo's pre-1945 wartime atrocities.

The 9-3 result of last Monday's Senate elections proclaims a no-change outcome. It locks the country into the iron grip of a status quo — continuity of political sterility in the second half of President Benigno Aquino III's administration, which has been hamstrung from delivering economic benefits to the Filipino masses by slogans on good governance.

A string of serious cyberattacks and cyberterrorism incidents have occurred around the world. The government should promote extensive cooperation with the United States and reinforce its countermeasures against such attacks.

The questioning of Japanese sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, by Chinese scholars appears to reflect a new Beijing approach towards antagonistic foreign governments.

The day before the start of the official campaign period, we proposed the following reading of the 2013 elections: “The fate of reform hangs in the balance.” The mandate from 2010 was clear: Clean up the mess left behind by the previous administration.

Any Thai who marks the anniversaries of the May 1992 “mobile phone mob” uprising and May 2010 red-shirt uprising with the same solemn sincerity should be commended. From a general observation, it's unlikely that there are many such people. The country's political divide has run deep and the two bloody events do not share many crucial things in common.

On Thursday, May 9, Hung Shih-cheng died from gunfire while hiding in the cabin of the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, a Taiwanese fishing vessel plying its trade in the South China Sea.