Democracy & Civics

Black and White and Read All Over … in Asia, Anyway

By |

Newspapers in the United States may be shrinking, losing circulation and laying off employees at an alarming rate, but times have never been better for the daily press in Asia. Seven of the 10 best-selling daily newspapers worldwide are in Asia, according to a Yahoo News story, and circulation there rose 3.6 percent in 2006, compared to a two percent drop in the United States. “The media has never been as powerful, or as pervasive, as it is in Asia right now,” said Shelia Coronel, director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University. Rising literacy and economic expansion have created strong demand for news in the region, experts say. And, while online readership is growing rapidly in advanced countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, demand for print is growing in the industry’s three biggest markets, China, India and even tech-savvy Japan.

Democracy & Civics

Russia Sends Opposition To Psych Wards

By |

A Russian opposition activist was forced into a mental hospital in one of many signs of the Russian government’s crackdown ahead of elections next month. Roman Nikolaichik, a 27-year-old lawyer and member of Garry Kasparov’s Other Russia Coalition, was detained by authorities on Friday, questioned about his political activities and sent to a psychiatric hospital, the Moscow Times reported. Human rights groups have documented several similar incidents in recent years:
– Andrei Novikov, a reporter for a news service connected to the Chechen separatist government, spent nine months in a psychiatric hospital before being released in December. – Larisa Arap, a journalist and Other Russia member, was confined to a mental clinic for six weeks last summer. – Another journalist and member of Other Russia was granted political asylum in Ukraine after allegedly being persecuted by police for his coverage of local corruption.

Democracy & Civics

Specter of Fraud Haunts Pakistan Election

By |

The majority of Pakistan’s voters expect the upcoming February 18 election to be rigged, reports McClatchy Newspapers. Doubts are widespread, with only 15 percent of voters expecting the poll to be fair. Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, told reporters that he expects the election to be a “farce,” but predicted extremely low results for Pervez Musharraf, his longtime rival and the military-backed incumbent. Musharraf, meanwhile, insisted that the elections would be fair, but said that there would be problems if political parties don’t accept the outcome. Although analysts predict a strong “sympathy vote” for the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, campaigning has been low-key due to fears of political violence and terrorism.

Democracy & Civics

Sea Cow Stymies Navy’s Okinawa Plan

By |

The endangered dugong, a type of “sea cow” similar to Florida’s manatee, threatens to put the brakes on a huge military construction project in Japan. A federal court in San Francisco ruled that Navy plans to build a new base in Okinawa would violate the National Historic Preservation Act by threatening dugong habitat. The Christian Science Monitor reports that protecting the dugong could cut into related construction and service jobs, exacting a steep economic toll on economically depressed northern Okinawa. U.S. military facilities in Okinawa have a long and controversial history, with resentment lingering over the rape of a schoolgirl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995. Plans for the new base were approved in the late 1990s, following Tokyo’s commitment of more than $900 million in tax breaks and stimulus programs for Okinawa.

Democracy & Civics

Death After Pepper Spray Raises Questions

By |

A mentally ill man died not long after being pepper sprayed, the New Zealand Herald reported, prompting criticism of a “cavalier approach to using incapacitating weapons.” Henry Bailey was confronted by police responding to an emergency call by his roommate, who said that Bailey had assaulted him. The New Zealand Herald reports that Bailey fought briefly with the officers, who tried to handcuff him, then carried out a threat to use pepper spray to subdue him. A neighbor said Bailey, who was in his 40s, had been released from mental health services about a year ago, and was well- behaved. Bailey is the fourth mentally ill person to die following pepper- spray use in New Zealand in nine years, though the spray itself was not always blamed for those deaths.

Democracy & Civics

Erosion Takes a Toxic Toll in Alaska

By |

It has been widely reported that global warming threatens to sweep scores of coastal Alaskan towns into the sea. Now, the Anchorage Daily News reports that severe erosion is also threatening the ocean by dumping toxins from landfills and garbage dumps into the water. “A (dump) is kind of like a Pandora’s box of surprises,” said Tamar Stephens of the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, the Daily News reported. Among the materials of concern are heavy metals and biological contaminants. The U.S. military has spent millions of dollars to try to halt the erosion at Cold War-era landfills, but funding is in short supply for many small town dumps and some former military bases.

Democracy & Civics

Uzbek Strongman Has Powerful Friends Again

By |

Western nations are once again making diplomatic overtures to Uzbekistan, despite the former Soviet republic’s dismal human rights record. Admiral William Fallon, of the U.S. Central Command, visited the Central Asian nation’s capital last week, and European officials have also made the trip in recent weeks. The Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe congratulated President Islam Kamirov on his victory in last month’s elections, despite the fact that it said the vote was unfair. Uzbekistan’s location bordering Afghanistan makes it an important player in the United States’ war on terrorism, but Western nations pulled away from Kamirov’s government in 2005 after troops fired on peaceful protestors in the Uzbek city of Andijon. Hundreds of people were reportedly killed in that incident.

Democracy & Civics

Canada Acknowledges Afghan Torture

By |

Canada’s defense minister acknowledged that the military knew prisoners they transferred to Afghan jails were being tortured. Although the military stopped such transfers last year, the decision was kept secret, and publicly Canada’s government denied any knowledge of torture of Taliban prisoners by Afghan jailers, according to the Globe and Mail. Radio Netherlands reports that the government initially “ridiculed” allegations by the political opposition that torture was happening. One law professor in Ottowa said the revelation makes him doubt Canadians are being told the truth about prisoners and torture in Afghanistan. Amnesty International is suing to have prisoner transfers banned altogether, claiming that Canada risks violating the Geneva Conventions by handing prisoners over to potential torturers.

Democracy & Civics

California Marijuana Law Takes a Hit

By |

The California State Supreme Court found that employers can fire workers for using doctor-approved marijuana, despite a voter-approved state law permitting such use of the drug. Plaintiff Gary Ross, an Air Force veteran with painful back injuries from his military career, was advised to use marijuana by his doctor. He was drug tested at a telecommunications job despite having a note from his doctor, and fired not longer after. According to the Los Angeles Times, the majority in the 5-2 decision found that nothing in the law prevented employers from firing employees who use drugs. The dissenting justices said the court would have sided with Ross if he had been using legal drugs that nevertheless affect job performance, such as Valium, Vicodin or Ritalin.

Democracy & Civics

War Crimes Trial Spurs Threat Claim

By |

A witness in the war crimes trial of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, said a group of men stormed his family compound and said they would “all be killed,” reports the BBC. The witness — Vamba Sherif, a former aide to Taylor — claims that the ex-president provided shelter in Liberia to rebels from neighboring Sierra Leone. The trial is currently underway in the Netherlands. Prosecutors say that Taylor backed rebels in Sierra Leone, provoking border-crossing violence, extrajudicial killings, sexual slavery and looting. Source:
“‘Death threats’ over Taylor trial”
BBC, January 25, 2008