NORTH KOREA: Students Allowed Rare Access to Internet
In isolated and government-controlled North Korea, students are being given a surprisingly liberal opportunity. According to The Korea Times, a widely circulated English-language daily newspaper in South Korea, some students at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) are accessing the Internet, albeit for purely research-oriented purposes. PUST is a…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: Students Allowed Rare Access to InternetINDIA: Israeli Author Overstaying Her Welcome?
What happens when your visa expires and you refuse to leave India? Ask Susan Nathan, a British-born Israeli writer who recently faced this problem head-on. After the expiration of her paperwork, Nathan was issued a deportation notice for violating visa rules by extending her stay in India. However, the author’s…
Full Article INDIA: Israeli Author Overstaying Her Welcome?CHINA: People’s Blogs Push Authorities to Police Tourism Industry
The Chinese city of Sanya, in Hainan province, is catching heat from bloggers and critics alike due to the price-gouging occurring within its tourism market. Sanya received more than 500,000 tourists for this year’s Spring Festival. Tourists complained that they were overcharged “extremely irrationally” during the traditional Chinese holiday. Beijing-based…
Full Article CHINA: People’s Blogs Push Authorities to Police Tourism IndustryBAHRAIN: The Elite Ten List You Don’t Want to Be On
Our favorite media watchdog – Reporters Without Borders –famously publishes an elite list on which few people would want to be included. It’s a list of “Enemies of the Internet:” Countries whose governments are uncomfortable with the information flows that come from this history-altering technology. What’s particularly interesting to Internet…
Full Article BAHRAIN: The Elite Ten List You Don’t Want to Be OnJAPAN: A Grateful Prime Minister Takes Out Some Ads
Following the pair of natural disasters and resulting nuclear disaster that ravaged Japan last year, the nation is still making efforts to rebuild the affected areas. On March 9th, Yoshihiko Noda, the Prime Minister of Japan, appeared in an ad on the Washington Post’s online edition, vowing to continue…
Full Article JAPAN: A Grateful Prime Minister Takes Out Some AdsSINGAPORE: Magazine pulled Off Shelves for Anti-Christian Content
The March issue of FHM Singapore, a monthly magazine targeted towards men, has been pulled off the shelves for containing two articles deemed offensive to Christianity. One of which, titled “Which of These Celebs Might Secretly Be Jesus?”, “evaluates“ the possibility that celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Magazine pulled Off Shelves for Anti-Christian ContentAUSTRALIA: Erotic eBook Excites International Markets
International acclaim for the erotic novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E. L. James and published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop, has landed the book on The New York Times Best seller list. There has also been a $1 million dollar sale to the publisher Random House, according to recent reports by…
Full Article AUSTRALIA: Erotic eBook Excites International MarketsBANGLADESH: Newspaper Campaigns for Open Election
The capital of Bangladesh is “virtually under siege”. The Daily Star reported earlier this month that in an attempt to prevent opposition activists and supporters of the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) from attending the BNP’s rally, the government shut down all railroads and water ways leading to Dhaka, the capital…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Newspaper Campaigns for Open ElectionTHAILAND: Offering the Tourist a Warm Techie Hug
The Thai National Science and Technology Development Agency’s (NSTDA) goals are to support research in science and technology and their applications in the Thai economy. To promote this goal, the NSTDA, in unison with Samart Corporation, launched the Samart Innovation Awards under the theme of Tourism Software Development. The so-called…
Full Article THAILAND: Offering the Tourist a Warm Techie HugQATAR: Journalism Students Fight Obesity—Fat Chance?
Journalism students at Northwestern University, Qatar, have created a website to combat the alarming rate of obesity plaguing the country, as well as the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The website, Sweet Epidemic (http://qatarsweetepidemic.org), aims to raise awareness of the cause of obesity, using a mix of media…
Full Article QATAR: Journalism Students Fight Obesity—Fat Chance?MALAYSIA: Orchestrating a Movement to Aid Struggling Artists
Malaysia’s lively urban culture is well-known throughout Asia for its enthusiasm for music. This June 1st through 3rd, a concert will take place for the cause of promoting veteran musicians. Datuk Irwan Shah Abdullah, 64, better known as DJ Dave, is a veteran entertainer in Malaysia who is hoping to…
Full Article MALAYSIA: Orchestrating a Movement to Aid Struggling ArtistsSOUTH KOREA: Korean Film of Japanese Novel Hits Home Run
South Korean director Byeon Young-joo is well-known for socially-critical films. Her latest, Helpless, is based on Japanese writer Miyuki Miyabe’s 1996 novel of the same name. The story addresses the “ills of contemporary society,” such as private loans, bankruptcy, and credit ratings – all of which are still relevant issues…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Korean Film of Japanese Novel Hits Home RunCHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Netizens Noodle Around Obama
Chinese Netizens are blocked from using Facebook. What else is new? But now there is another (albeit less popular) American social networking website that the Great Firewall does not block: Google+. Ever since February 20, 2012, the Chinese government lifted its censorship of Google+. Ever since, Chinese Netizens have been…
Full Article CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Netizens Noodle Around Obama