We have your mixed bag of good news and bad news; trying to include more good than bad. Please know that this week’s edition carries trigger warnings for violence against women and rape.
China
So, first some bad news. China is now third in weapons production and will soon flood the arms market with cheap aircraft and ships. The U.S is still number one because FREEDOM y’all.
China’s economic slowdown may fall faster than first anticipated.
This interview with feminist activist Zhao Sile discusses the arrest of five feminist activists in Beijing on International Women’s Day.
Afghanistan
You know how President Obama touted the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in his State of the Union address? Well, the troop withdrawal looks like it will be slowed down significantly.
Trigger warning on this next piece: an Afghan woman was lynched by a mob of hundreds of people for reportedly burning a copy of the Koran. The woman has not been identified, but her family has spoken out, saying she suffered from mental illness and didn’t mean to burn the book.
Thailand
Former Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been ordered to stand trial for corruption. She could face up to 10 years in prison.
Pakistan
Some 16,000 families have refused to vaccinate their children against polio.
India
After attacks on Christian churches and the rape of an elderly nun, Indian Christians are very anxious. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stated he was “deeply concerned” about the violence. Indian Christians are not exactly comforted by that statement.
With India’s economy growing, there’s hope for increased job growth and educational opportunities in rural India.
Myanmar
Cross-border fighting with rebels has intensified.
South Korea
This week, the government told China to mind its own business in regards to a missile defense system.
That one obnoxious movie is still in the news: North Korea warned against airdropping DVD copies of The Interview.
57 dogs were rescued from a dog meat farm.
2 replies on “News in Asia”
Oh wow. That’s a lot of difficult news. But thank you for sharing.
My siblings and I went to school in Jordan, and my younger siblings (between 2 and 6 years old) were given the polio vaccine at school. No one talked to my parents about it, and therefore no one took any medical history or allergy information. My parents vaccinated all of us, and they were still very upset that the school and local government would allow that to happen. I think Western-led initiatives to vaccinate other populations are great in theory, but in practice, you have extremely invasive and somewhat dangerous bullshit like my family experienced.
I don’t think parents should choose not to vaccinate in the absence of a medical reason, but I can’t blame rural Pakistani communities for being distrusting. And that’s before pointing out that the US is basically at war within Pakistan’s borders.