News in Asia

We’ve got a bunch to cover, so let’s go.

While this Tumblr post shows other locations than Asian cities, it’s nice to see people standing in solidarity with those protesting the non-indictments in Ferguson and NYC.

While we’re on the subject of protests, Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong has ended a hunger strike and this article talks about how protest leaders are contemplating their next steps. The street demonstrations have gone on for two months and the Beijing government doesn’t look like it’s going to budge. The choices seem to be change tactics or retreat altogether.

Borrowing the title from the favorite phrase of the Borg, this article discusses how Beijing is probably thrilled with how the protests in Hong Kong have disintegrated.

The Australian parliament at least takes a step in the right direction: Legislation is being introduced that will grant temporary visas to refugees, allowing them to work in the country for 3-5 years; however, they do not receive permanent protection from deportation.

In case you hadn’t heard, hackers released a slew of Sony Pictures films onto the Internets. While the North Korean government denies involvement, they declared the cyber attack a “righteous deed,” since one of the films prematurely was The Interview. The film stars James Franco and Seth Rogan and the plot involves a plan to assassinate North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un. The hack not only leaked upcoming films, it also exposed the personal info of Sony employees and how much Rogan and Franco were paid for a probably terrible movie.

In what could be considered trolling on a big scale, the South Korean government is allowing a Christian group to erect a 30 foot tower shaped like a Christmas tree near the border between North and South Korea. Let’s ignore the fact that the Christmas tree is a symbol of the pagan origins of the holiday.

Typhoon Hagupit has torn through the Philippines, but it didn’t cause as much damage as previously feared.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places for aid workers, charities and NGOs; this story highlights what happened to one doctor and her family (spoiler alert: it’s horrible.)

A second Vietnamese blogger has been arrested over charges of writing anti-communist sentiments.

India’s new minister of yoga has announced he’s launching a campaign to reclaim the ancient practice from the West. Yoga has become a multi-billion dollar industry with Westerners shelling out big money to practice (full disclosure: I practice yoga). The new minister, Shripad Yesso Naik wants to introduce yoga back into civic life: schools, hospitals and police training centers.

Finally, have some music from Japanese rock band One OK Rock. they’ve been popping up on my Tumblr dashboard lately.