Nepal Earthquake: Official Mourning Declared for Victims

Just recently, Nepal had experienced a terrible 7.8 magnitude earthquake killing about five thousand people and injuring ten thousand. There is a lot of issues with bring aid to remote Himalayan areas but they are doing the best they can. The government is overwhelmed but try their best as well to save those affected by this terrible catastrophe. The UN states that about eight million people, more than a quarter of the population, have been affected by the earthquake. Rescue teams are currently helping those in mountainous areas which experienced the aftershock and landslips caused by the quake. Many of the residents want to leave, afraid if another quake will occur or just the fact that their home was destroyed that they wish to move on. With the terrible effects of the earthquake, Nepal has declared to mourn three days for the victims. Unfortunately Nepal has experienced a terrible catastrophe that has affected everyone in that area. With the help and aid of many supporters we hope that Nepal will be able to overcome from this incident.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32502944

Dehli's First Woman Bus Driver Takes the Wheel

A woman by the name of Vankadarath Saritha is now the first woman bus driver in Dehli, India's capital. She had worked as a private chauffeur to provide for her family and hopes that with the income she is now earning as a bus driver she can help even more. Officials hope that Saritha will inspire other women to take on the transportation business. Saritha unfortunately was hired in a time where there are numerous cases involving women being raped on public transportations and they hope that with more women drivers, the transportation environment will be safer. Specifically in Dehli where a woman was gang raped in a bus just in 2012 and another woman raped as well in an uber last December. There have been women driver's in India but this is the first time Dehli has had hired one. Saritha is receiving a lot of good attention and hopes to provide a less threatening and dangerous transportation for women. By hiring Saritha, one can hope that there will be changes to protect the lives of women who need to take public transportation for work, their home, etc. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32380152 

Singapore Is Keeping An Eye On Its Migrant Workers

The Tuas View Dormitory is a new complex in Singapore's industrial far west. Living in the dormitories are thousands of migrant workers. The article states that the dormitory have 16,800 beds for men which may mean that the dormitories are only offered to male workers. Along with beds and lockers, the dormitories include a small market, food court, and a medical clinic. With such resources being available close by, there is not much need for these workers to go into the city. The living standards may be comfortable but the privacy is not. For instance each time a worker arrives to the dormitory, they must give a fingerprint right away. There are a lot of surveillance cameras throughout the dormitory in case a crime were to occur, there is evidence to provide to the police. Some say that the reason why these dormitories are located far from society is to be able to contain as much violence as possible if an outbreak were to occur. Because they are migrant workers, Singaporeans are not very welcoming which can lead to outbreaks that will eventually corrupt their society. Privacy may seem as a problem, but surprisingly the workers do not complain much if any about it. About twelve beds are in each room along with paying about $220 a month. They can leave whenever they decide to. Since the monthly cost may be too expensive for some workers which is why their dormitory is less than half full. The dormitories are essentially beneficial for migrant workers and along with the resources they are provided, it wouldn't be surprising if they began to fill up very quickly in the next months.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32297860

China Corruption: Nanjing Mayor Jailed for 15 Years

Just recently, the former mayor of Nanjing, Ji Jianye,  was found guilty for accepting 11.3 yuan in bribes when he was dismissed. So far he is the highest official to be arrested under President Xi Jingping's to corruption crackdown. The president had launched his anti-corruption drive in 2012 which helped catch Jianye for the corruption he caused.  The former mayor has earned the nickname the "bulldozer" for reconstructing and redeveloping Nanjing, the home of about seven million people. In 2013, the mayor was investigated for because of suspicion of "severe violations of disciplines and laws." He had received a lot of money in return for favorable deals and contracts. The court was held in Shandong, far from his support base and home. He admitted his faults and showed repentance in the court which is why he received a lenient punishment, even though fifteen years doesn't seem so lenient. The Presdient will not stop with just Jianye, there are other powerful people being investigated and imprisoned for their secrets and corruption in China.

Thousands On Strike In Vietnam Over Insurance Law

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's largest city had thousands of shoe factory workers protesting over this new insurance law that will take place next year. The strike is currently on its sixth day and happens to be the longest strike that has ever taken place in Vietnam. The government in Vietnam doesn't tolerate protesting because of its threat to national security but so far the protest has been peaceful although there is fear that it could possibly get out of control for its large amount of people involved. It is quite rare that the reason why these people are protesting is for the labour policy rather than their working conditions or pay. The insurance law will have workers receive payouts until their retirement rather than unemployment. And the amount will be given monthly instead of all at once as the old policy had it. A small minority will be the only ones able for unemployment payouts but people prefer to receive money when unemployed because they will still be able to survive while looking for another job. It is good to see that so far the protest has been peaceful and efficient but with low tolerance from the government, there can possibly be some altercations if the protest is still ongoing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32142635

Big Lives, Small Feet: Photographing China's Bound Women

A photographer by the name of Jo Farrell will be publishing a book in Hong Kong some of the last women who had followed the practices of foot binding in China. Farrell was able to meet about 50 women and one by the name of Su Xi Rong had been renowned for her beautiful small feet. Foot binding was a tradition that empowered women and showed their ability to tolerate pain and be a good wife who will not complain. What was very interesting was that about 40 percent of the women were not forced to bind their feet as a young girl, instead they wanted to. They felt outcasted if not and most knew how to do it themselves since it was so common to see. Foot binding happened over a period of the bones in the toes breaking beneath the weight causing the arch to lift high and the heel will then touch the metatarsals. It wasn't until 1949, Communist power would scorn the foot binding method leading some of the women feeling ashamed. Now some of the women agree that if they could go back in time, they would not bind their feet since there isn't much worth to it anymore. The book will tell the remarkable stories these women had and their courage to share them. It will be interesting to learn about the last few who had practiced this method and their experiences doing so.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-31964279

Myanmar Court Finds Trio Guilty of Insulting Religion

Three men were arrested in December and just recently found guilty for insulting Buddhism in Myanmar. The men are two Burmese and a New Zealander who work at a bar in Yangon and promoted a poster that advertised cheap drinks night with Buddha surrounded by psychedelic colors and headphones. Philip Blackwood was said to be the actual one who posted this advertisement on Facebook and the other two colleagues had nothing to do with it. Blackwood had apologized numerous times but was still sentences along with the other men, two and a half years in prison which is the maximum sentence. Since Burmese law make it illegal to insult or damage any religion, it will be difficult for these mean to appeal and win the case. Although free speech is in Myanmar, Buddhist nationalism is on the rise which targets the minority of the population who are not following Buddhism. Ninety percent of the population are Buddhist while others such as Muslims within Myanmar are constantly being target which make living standards difficult for minorities. Blackwood will be appealing but it will be interesting how successful it will actually be. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31918269

Riot Police Surround Protesting Myanmar Students

Students in Myanmar have been protesting against an education bill which curbs academic freedom, since January. About 300 students are camping out in a monastery located in Letpadan, the country's main city. Although authorities have promised to make some adjustments to the bill, students are still protesting because it is seen as undemocratic. They believe that the bill "centralizes control over higher education institutes." They are asking "for greater freedom in universities, the freedom to set up student and teacher unions, more government spending on education and more say in education policies and laws." Then on Monday morning the students woke up to more than a dozen police cars parked right outside the monastery they are camping in. A activist participating in this protest shares that all the entrances and exists are closed within the monastery and that the tension continues to grow. Although authorities promise to make some changes in the bill, it is inspiring to see students take action and stick to what they know is right. Education is not only good for individual but overall the country. More educated people mean a better life and economy which is why schools and university costs should be a main priority. Most country's struggle with this concept but it is nonetheless very important to fight for. Best of luck to those protesting and may they receive the changes for better education.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31690520

Joko Widodo: No Foreign Interference on Death Penalty

Eleven people in Indonesia are facing death penalty because of drug trafficking. Countries such as Brazil, France, and Australia are pressuring the President to change his decision of the death penalty. They are concerned of these harsh penalties partly because some of the traffickers tried to smuggle drugs to their countries such as Australia. The president completely disagrees and argues that they have every right to exercise this law. Indonesia is well-known for having harsh penalties when handling drug trafficking, and the current president, Joko Widodo is all for them. Just recently, six traffickers were executed and now eleven will be killed as well by a firing squad. Two men within the eleven people facing death penalty who tried to smuggle Heroin, will try to appeal the decision although it is very difficult to change the presidents jurisdiction. Although it will be difficult to do, it is worth a shot for these people to appeal the decision to save their lives. The charges do seem very intense but the president has reasons to why drug trafficking is seen as a terrible crime. What is interesting is that since Indonesia is known for their harsh ruling over drug trafficking why has there been so many people violating it. There are many people who have been executed for smuggling drugs so why try to even do so. Most get caught and is it really worth losing your life over. Whatever the case may be, death penalty is a very rough charge but it will be interesting if those two men appealing will be able to get out of it.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31598763

Chinese Home Prices Fall For Ninth Month

Government data has shown that home prices within seventy major cities in China such as Beijing and Shanghai have fallen about .4%. This has marked the ninth consecutive decline partly because of a slow economy and oversupply problems. Since homes are not worth much, there is now more business within stock markets for better investments. Although there had been a surprise cut interest rate in China's central bank, the prices continue to fall. It is interesting to see China struggling with this issue because China has been known to have a growing economy do to their production rates but yet still have to deal with these issues. Housing finances is a large part of an economy. It is one of the main reasons why the US dealt with our recent recession. If China can somehow improve this falling rate and have homes become an investment, their economy can grow much more. It is hard to say if this change will happen any time soon but so far it has continued to decline. Although it is hard to say if it will change any time soon, there is acknowledgment of the issue and there's hope that the government will be able to make adjustments such as having banks hold less reserved money which can boost lending in order to help property sector.  Whether it may help or not, no one is sure but at least there is acton being done to take care of the issue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31498557

Hong Kong Woman Found Guilty of Abusing Indonesian Maid

A woman by the name of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih from Indonesia, worked as a maid in Hong Kong. She had worked for Law Wan-tung who had repeatedly abused her. Erwiana suffered with malnutrition and physical abuse such as being punched or hit with different objects including a vacuum which had injured her lips. She was unable to tell anyone about the abuse because Law Wan-tung had threatened to kill her family if she did. The case drew in a lot of attention when Erwiana returned to Indonesia in need of medical attention. Hong Kong employs about 300,000 maids from other parts of Asia which brought upon intense scrutiny to this case because there are laws to protect maids and keep them safe but this clearly isn't working. Law Wan-tung constantly denied the abuse and even her attorney accused Erwiana as a liar. They argued that Erwiana was bruised up because of her clumsiness instead. Nonetheless, Law was found guilty of 18 out of 20 charges. Migrant workers are now protesting in Hong Kong because abuse towards maids has always been an issue but never given the proper attention. It is very important that Hong Kong authorities take action and realize the amount of abuse maids or other migrant workers may experience that need to be stopped. As for now Erwiana is very pleased with the charges Law received and is now recuperating with her family in Indonesia. 
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-31340638

Mummified Monk in Mogolia 'not dead', Say Buddhists

A Mongolian mummified monk was recently discovered after being stolen by a man hoping to sell it in the black market. The Mongolian police have arrested him and placed the monk at the National Centre of Forensic Expertise. During examinations, they have found that the monk was wrapped in cattle skin in north-central Mongolia. Due to the cold weather in Mongolia, scientist assume this is a major reason why the monk was able to stay well-preserved. Buddhists claim that the monk found in a lotus position, is not dead but in a deep meditative trance or in a rare state of meditation known as 'tukdam'.  If he continues to stay in this trance he can then become a Buddha. The identity of this monk is not yet found but some say he was the teacher of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov who is was also mummified, found in a lotus position, and well preserved in a Buddhist temple to be worshipped.  It is so interesting how these monks were able to meditate and die in the same position and still found preserved after many years. It is fascinating that their mind was able to control their position and not allow the suffering of death affect them in anyway.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31125338

China Blocks Virtual Private Network Use

Three of the most important providers of Virtual Private Network (VPN),  have been censored. These providers are used by citizens to surf the internet for websites that are outside of China. Without these providers individuals are limited to a restricted amount of websites. Twitter, Facebook and Google operate certain website which have now been banned. These are some of the major websites used constantly on cellphones and to have it be taken away feels very controlling. China is known for having a well-run censorship system which restricts what can be viewed online but it is said to be for safety reasons. Whether this may be true or not, there is a variety of information that individuals are unaware of due to their lack of research ability. It is claimed to preserve China's 'cyberspace sovereignty' brought by the long ruling Communist Part. This restriction have not yet been set for larger corporations but it wouldn't be that surprising if it were.  Strong VPN are trying very hard to restore the censored websites but I am sure it will be an ongoing conflict between regaining access and dismantling it. The idea of having such websites taken from me seems unimaginable because of the amount of freedom we all have to research anything we want. Using Twitter or Google seems harmless but it is obvious that China thinks differently. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30982198

Bangladesh Arrests 7,000 Opposition Activists

The start of a nation wide protest began about two weeks ago and ever since then about 7,000 or more activists have been arrested. The current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has had an ongoing feud with another woman by the name of Khaleda Zia for 20 years. Zia called the protest to begin on the anniversary of last year's election. Activist were arrested because many of them have bombed vehicles and have killed about 29 people. Hasina argued the activists are not practicing politics rather they are acting as terrorist. Rewards have been offered of about 100,00 taka which is equivalent to 1,300 dollars for any information of protest leaders. The acts of violence committed by the activists are so extreme that authorities are now having a shoot-on-site policy for anyone involved in such dangerous and violence practices. Since such issues have occurred, Zia has been put on house arrest but was recently freed. The matter as to why such protests are occurring is not quite clear but these people are clearly in oppositions with their authorities but the way these people are handling it isn't right. Instead of having their voice be heard they are just making things worst by causing disturbing violence within their nation.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30917345