EMILY ROCHA WRITES – Back in September, a robot called Dreamwriter published a near 1,000 word article in nearly a minute. The business finance report was written in Chinese and entirely understandable, leaving readers to assume it was written by a human. Dreamwriter, developed by “gaming giant” Tencent, has led…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the governing body for international soccer, continues to face hard times; Qatar is still dealing with controversy over the World Cup, and it continues to do what it can to defend its bid. The problem is that Qatar cannot control…
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – How is it that a North Korean refugee, who just five years ago did not know what the Internet was, is now learning how to code? Thanks to a new partnership between Coding Dojo and Link (Liberty in North Korea), there is renewed hope that North…
LAMIYA SHABBIR WRITES – At least four media reporters were shot in less than 24 hours, leaving two dead and two injured. M Ilyas Khan, a reporter for BBC in Islamabad, reports, “Police said the motives behind the shootings were not immediately clear.” On September 9th, Aftab Alam, a former…
SABRINA VERDUZCO WRITES – In recent months, relations between North and South Korea have consisted of artillery fire exchanges and confrontations. Tension has abated to a certain extent since then – thanks to Red Cross officials that no doubt mediated the talks from both sides of the North-South spectrum. As…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES– With the second highest number of internet users in the world, the Indian government’s new flagship program, ‘Digital India,’ has potential to become a great success. With Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Silicon Valley in early September, hype over this new government initiative has wooed the CEOs…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Vietnamese journalist Ha Huy Hoang was arrested and convicted on the grounds of being an alleged spy for China earlier this month. Hoang, who worked for a Foreign Ministry-affiliated publication, will serve a six-year jail term. Hoang’s lawyer, Ha Huy Son, revealed that “[Hoang] was found guilty…
During the week of 5 October, Asia Media International’s sponsoring university inaugurated its 16th president with a series of gala events. Joining in the warm welcome of new president Dr. Timothy Law Snyder was United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who delivered a gracious video message of congratulations. Ban’s message…
EMILY ROCHA WRITES: During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first state visit to the United States in late Sept., forty-four writers from the PEN American center spoiled the dinner party with a demand for the release of Chinese journalists and writers who are state captives for nothing more criminally offensive than…
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – Since the end of World War II, Japan has successfully avoided war as a way to settle international conflicts. The country’s constitution intentionally promotes peace by de-emphasizing its military. That may no longer work. Early Saturday morning, September 19, the upper house of Japan’s parliament passed…
KELCEY LORENZO WRITES – In the past year, livestreaming has become a hot trend in pop culture. The ability for fans to watch their favorite singers and bands talk and answer questions in realtime is obviously appealing. But while it can create positive interactions between artists and fans, it can…
PEYTON CROSS WRITES – With its attractive cityscapes and strong economy, Saudi Arabia can give the impression of being an advanced desert nation. Then it announces plans to crucify and behead a young political dissident, and the world goes, Hmmmm. Priya Joshi of the International Business Times reports that on September 7,…
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – Way to rain on the parade, Chito Narvasa! Invited to speak at an awards dinner for journalists covering Philippines basketball, the new b-ball commissioner chose to dress down reporters, warning them to practice “responsible journalism” or else. It seems Narvasa wanted to ensure that all Philippine…
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – Qatar reinforced their cybercrime law when the government approved an amendment that criminalizes photographing those who are injured or killed in accidents and posting them on social media. The amendment was added to the 2004 penal law code, and according to the state-run organization Qatar News agency, it…
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – In early September, as if the international community needed to be reminded about the alleged capabilities of the North Korean armed forces, the country said that it was prepared to carry out a nuclear attack against (big shocker) the United States and “other hostile forces” for…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES – Online crime is on the rise in India and the nation’s cyber cops say beware digital extortion. As this continues to become a major issue, India has ranked as the world’s sixth most targeted country (second in Asia), in terms of financial institutions that are hacked. Internet hackers have…
