BANGLADESH: Tweets for Change
KIARA BRAMASCO WRITES – Internet technology and Twitter join forces to spread awareness of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. The Accord is an independent, legally-binging agreement signed by over 100 apparel corporations, several Bangladeshi Unions, two global trade unions, and nineteen countries from Europe, North America,…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Tweets for ChangeTAIWAN: Local Media Enthralled by Film Shoot in Taipei
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES — CUT! It out local Taiwnese news media! French director Luc Besson has had enough and wrapped up location shooting in Taipei ahead of schedule. This is due to the intrusion of local media on the sets of Besson’s upcoming film, Lucy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scarlet Johansson…
Full Article TAIWAN: Local Media Enthralled by Film Shoot in TaipeiVIETNAM: The Article 258 and Human Rights War
YVONNE EPPS WRITES- It’s Throwback Thursday and, while other people are throwing back to their embarrassing baby pictures, one mother throws back to the summer where she lost her two sons to Article 258. The mother of arrested blogger, Dinh Nhat Uy, is urging several media outlets, including Voice of…
Full Article VIETNAM: The Article 258 and Human Rights WarSINGAPORE: Anonymous Hacktivists Strike
STEPHANIE GARCIA WRITES – The online vigilante group Anonymous is at it again, with media giant Straits Times as its newest victim. After threatening to wage cyber warfare with the Singapore government in a YouTube video on October 30, the international hacking organization executed attacks, not on the government, but…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Anonymous Hacktivists Strike
JAPAN: THE CAREERING OF A GREAT ARTIST
Japan continues to dazzle on the international art scene. The latest splash of intelligent innovation arrives courtesy of a stunning, splashy exhibition at the Japan Society on east 47th in Manhattan (japansociety.org). The Japanese star this time is Mariko Mori, who a decade ago was showcasing (almost Asian Warhol-like) the…
Full Article JAPAN: THE CAREERING OF A GREAT ARTISTPHILIPPINES: AQUINO NEEDS TO BE MORE PRESIDENTIAL
TREVOR ISBELL WRITES – Talk of a possible impeachment of President Benigno S. Aquino is making the rounds among the Philippines citizenry. It stems from allegations that Aquino mishandled funds from a controversial government works project known as the Disbursement Acceleration Program, or DAP. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago set tongues wagging…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: AQUINO NEEDS TO BE MORE PRESIDENTIALVIETNAM: Good Night Giap, Wake Up Vietnam!
YVONNE EPPS WRITES – If Ho Chi Minh was Vietnam’s superhero, then General Vo Nguyen Giap was his trustee sidekick. Befitting such a person of honor, Vietnamese turned out in the thousands for a two-day national funeral to help send the the general to his final resting place. General Giap, a…
Full Article VIETNAM: Good Night Giap, Wake Up Vietnam!CHINA: Utilize Diverse Cultural Traits to Expand Soft Power
BY A ‘CHINA DAILY’ STAFF WRITER FROM BEIJING — Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes? Do you think the Arthur Conan Doyle-created character can take on Edward Snowden, the former US National Security Agency operative who exposed Washington’s controversial global surveillance program? If “yes”, how about a cat-and-mouse game…
Full Article CHINA: Utilize Diverse Cultural Traits to Expand Soft PowerBEIJING: Daily Agrees — More Cautious Than Bold
CHINA DAILY, the official English language daily newspaper of the world’s most populated country, is careful about what is published, whether in the actual newspaper or online as the official e-paper. So it is probably significant that it recently ran an op-ed with the headline: “It Pays to Be Caution…
Full Article BEIJING: Daily Agrees — More Cautious Than BoldPAKISTAN: American Media Silent On Malala’s Stance Against Capitalism
AUSTIN SZABO WRITES – Media darling or not, the Western press has largely ignored Malala Yousafzai’s stance against U.S. drone strikes — and capitalism. Malala has been praised for her efforts to raise awareness of the importance of education in Pakistan, particularly for girls, but her voice against drone strikes…
Full Article PAKISTAN: American Media Silent On Malala’s Stance Against CapitalismBAHRAIN: The Bahraini Spring
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Protests continue in Bahrain as the authorities prepared for the Muslim holiday on October 15. The recent unrest has caused several serious injuries to civilians. One such case is Abdullah Yassin, who was hospitalized after suffering a shotgun wound from the authorities. The recent demonstrations, which started on…
Full Article BAHRAIN: The Bahraini SpringCAMBODIA: Moving Friction Along the Media and Government Fault
ARACELI PALAFOX WRITES – Hashtags let Twitter users teleport between the realm of zombie apocalypses and the fury of angry political protests. All the dishes you can imagine are served at this vast digital buffet. These days, anything can become a trend on Twitter by simply inserting a hash tag before…
Full Article CAMBODIA: Moving Friction Along the Media and Government FaultSOUTH KOREA: Overregulation of Technology Coming to an End?
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – South Korea enjoys some of the world’s most advanced technology. In addition, the country enoys nearly ubiquitous and extremely fast broadband. Still, one thing keeps South Korea from realizing its full online potential: Heavy-handed government regulation. This may be about to change. In South Korea, the…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Overregulation of Technology Coming to an End?MIDDLE EAST: Arab Business Women are the True Face of an Evolving Region
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – According to most U.S. media, Arab women live in pretty miserable conditions — uneducated, denied basic freedoms, and the slaves of their husbands. In fact, Arab women are rising and becoming strong assets to the Middle East’s philanthropic, economic and political future. Last week, the Financial…
Full Article MIDDLE EAST: Arab Business Women are the True Face of an Evolving RegionJAPAN: New Komeito Party Hopes to Safeguard Media Freedom
JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – Amid the battering winds of Typhoon Wipha, the Japanese government has publicized a refreshing piece of legislature, hoping to broaden the media’s freedom of speech. The bill, referred to as the “Secrets Protection Bill,” aims at “protecting national security secrets to ensure freedom of the media…
Full Article JAPAN: New Komeito Party Hopes to Safeguard Media FreedomHONG KONG: Hong Kong Journalists Association Awaits Apology
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – After being told it was not only rude, but a security threat to shout questions at a recent economic summit, Hong Kong journalists in Bali, Indonesia refused to keep quiet and had their credentials yanked. According to ABC News, the reporters from Now TV, Radio Television Hong Kong and Commercial…
Full Article HONG KONG: Hong Kong Journalists Association Awaits Apology