In The News

Media Under Attack in Philippines: Rappler

Ryan Macasero June 16, 2020
Numerous non-profit organizations in the Philippines accuse the Duterte administration of using the Covid-19 pandemic to attack the press freedoms and block scrutiny of corruption and human rights abuses. A Manila court convicted Rappler’s CEO Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. of cyber libel for a 2012 report. One group said “the verdict delivers a ‘chilling effect’ to other...

Mining Firm Set to Destroy Artifacts: The Age

Charlotte Grieve June 16, 2020
The economic slowdowns imposed to contain Covid-19 contribute to a glut in energy markets. “China Shenhua Energy, the world's largest thermal coalminer, is planning to construct an open-cut mine next to the Liverpool plains near Gunnedah in the ‘food bowl’ of the state,” reports Charlotte Grieve for the Age. The Gomeroi people maintain the project will ruin Aboriginal sites and artifacts...

North Korea Makes Millions Selling Sand: CNN

Joshua Berlinger June 10, 2020
North Korea is under UN sanctions for its nuclear-weapon programs, yet researchers with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies noticed heavy ship traffic near Haeju. North Korea typically evades sanctions by transferring commodities on the high seas. Relying on satellite imagery, the researchers determined more than 250 ships – lacking required International Maritime Organization identifiers –...

China-ASEAN Trade Strengthens: Business Times

June 10, 2020
With a trade war and rising tensions between China and the United States, ASEAN members offer substitute markets for both nations. To date in 2020, ASEAN members account for about 15 percent of China’s trade volume, compared with about 14 percent with Europe and 11 percent with the US, reports DBS Group Research. ASEAN accounted for more than 15 percent of Chinese exports and the US share...

K-Pop Fans Use Internet for Black Lives Matter: Vox

Aja Romano June 8, 2020
The video of George Floyd, pleading for his life, handcuffed and his neck under a police officer’s knee, has moved the world to denounce unequal justice and police abuses. “Across the internet, supporters of Black Lives Matter are weaponizing tweets, posts, and hashtags to spread information, protect protesters, and derail racist rhetoric,” reports Aja Romano for Vox. Originating in South Korea...

Tiananmen Vigil in Hong Kong: SCMP

June 5, 2020
Thousands gathered in a Hong Kong park and other locations to mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, reports South China Morning Post. Authorities had banned mass gatherings to prevent the spread of Covid-19, but police did not stop the vigil. “The show of defiance came on a politically charged day as the legislature passed a law criminalising disrespect for the national...

UK Collision Course With China: Bloomberg

Alan Crawford June 4, 2020
The United Kingdom stands up to China on multiple fronts even while negotiating Brexit. “Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has criticized Beijing’s planned imposition of a security law on the former British territory of Hong Kong, and is taking steps to exclude Huawei from its fifth-generation mobile networks by lining up potential replacements,” reports Alan Crawford for Bloomberg. The...