George H.W. Bushs' Legacy

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/01/asia/george-h-w-bush-china-intl/index.html

The President of China Xi Jinping praised George H.W. Bush for bettering the relationship between the United States and China who died on Saturday at the age of 94. Bush is remembered by being the US unofficial ambassador to China in the 70's. His experience in being the unofficial ambassadors helped influence Bush's attitude towards US and China relations. During his time in China Bush met with several leaders of the government like Mao Zedong, and Deng Xiaoping. Bush was known for always trying to keep the peace between the two countries.

Pakistan and India: Peace Talk?

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/28/asia/india-pakistan-road-link-intl/index.html



In the picture Indian Sikh devotees offer prayers towards the Kartarpur Temple which is located in Pakistan from the Indian side of the outskirts of Amritsar on November 25. India and Pakistan have agreed to build a corridor going from one place to the other to make it easier for religious-devotees to travel. It is said to be 3.1 miles long and will connect two Sikh temples, one being in India and the other in Pakistan. The temple that is located in Kartarpur is said to be among the holiest of temples for the Sikhs.

University Crackdown

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/13/asia/china-student-marxist-missing-intl/index.html
The government is cracking down on left wing student activists in elite universities. The student activists are campaigning for better working conditions and rights for workers. The police or people who are undercover beat up students then drag them into cars. The students call themselves Marxists and they have been becoming a problem for the Chinese government hence why they have been going to different universities to pick up the students. Under the current president the government has been cracking down on all forms of dissent from human rights activists to labour groups and religious organizations.

Monkey and Baby

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/14/asia/india-monkey-baby-intl/index.html

A 12 day old baby was snatched from her mothers lap  by a monkey and as a consequence the baby died. Neighbors came to help when they heard the mother screaming. They threw rocks at the monkey but by the time the monkey let the baby go it had attacked it really bad on the face. When the baby's body was recovered from the next door house the injuries indicated that the baby had been bitten in the face.
Apparently monkey attacks are a common thing in India. In the capital of New Delhi government offices are surrounded by monkeys just chilling or swinging around. 268 reports of monkey bites are reported a year. The Indian government passed a law to control the animal population within the cities.

Thailand, Rap, & Elections

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/03/asia/thai-rap-junta-intl/index.html

There is a new music video that basically criticizing the government of Thailand which is under military rule. The video has become so popular that it shows how frustrated the people of Thailand are with its government. The video was made by a rap group thats raps against dictatorship has gotten more than 24 million views since its been released. One of the members of the group told CNN that they want to send people a message with their message, and it has been a very powerful message since so many people have watched it. There is a current investigation as to if the lyrics of the song break the laws of Thailand or not. There are many new versions of underground rap coming out in Thailand and a lot of them are addressing the different problems that are going on in Thailand.

China, Tigers, Rhinos

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/29/asia/china-tiger-rhino-intl/index.html

The Chinese government has legalized the use of endangered tiger and rhino products for medical purposes. This new law reverses a 1993 ban put on Beijing by the international trade in tiger bones and rhino horns. Both of these animal parts are valued for their use in traditional Chinese medicine. The Chinese government said that they could only be used if the animals are coming from farmed animals and only "qualified" doctors are allowed to use these animal bones. The World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies in 20110 found that there is no evidence for the claimed medical benefits of tiger bone or rhino horn.

India and Rape Cont...

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/22/asia/india-nun-rape-witness-intl/index.html

According to police a witness in the trial of Indian catholic bishop accused of raping a nun has died. Father Kuriakose Kattuthara was 62 years old when he died and he died just weeks after giving his testimony at the trial of the Bishop Franco Mulakkal. Bishop Franco Mulakkal has been accused of raping a nun multiple times for 2 years.
The nun accusing Mulakkal has not been named but she made the police report in June claiming that the bishop raped her 13 times between 2014-2016. The bishop raped this woman on his visits to the city of Kerala on "church business". The Catholic church has been fighting allegations of rape for some time now but it has been mainly towards minors. Kerala is home to a sizeable Christian community that dates back to hundreds of years. It is a sad reality that even in the Catholic church these horrible events are still taking place. 

Sexual Violence in Bihar India

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/08/asia/indian-schoolgirls-beaten-up-by-boys-and-their-parents-intl/index.html

Thirty girls are recovering after being beaten by boys at their government run school in the eastern Bihar state. The girls that are between the ages of 11 to 16 confronted the boys over some disrespectful comments that were made. At first there were about 60 girls which overpowered the boys. The boys then left and came back with reinforcements, their parents. The boys along with their parents beat up the girls. 38 girls are being treated for pulled out hair and external injuries due to them being punched but no one has broken bones. 7 boys and 3 adult women have been arrested.

The article also talks about how India is the most dangerous place to be a women due to the high risk of sexual violence and the fact that women are at times used as slaves. Especially in Bihar gender-based violence has reached a brand new high. At a girls home it was reported that 30 girls were sexually assaulted and tortured by male staff on a regular basis. The report states that the male staff members would come into their rooms at night and hit them in their private parts.

Despite introducing new laws, increasing penalties for sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse, there still is around 100 rape cases being reported to police a day.

Puppers for Peace: North Korea and South Korea

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/30/asia/north-korea-moon-kim-dogs-intl/index.html

North Korea gave the president of South Korea two new Pungsan hunting dogs. The names of the dogs are Gomi (on the left) and Songgang (on the right). The dogs were transferred through the truce village at Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea. They were sent along with 3 Kilos of food to help the pups adapt to their new home. It is significant because dogs have been known for solving problems between the Koreas. The two dogs will live in the Blue House along with the other pets that the first family has which includes a rescue dog and cat named Tory and Jing-Jing.

Beijing and the Vatican

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/24/asia/china-vatican-bishops-opposition-intl/index.html

The original agreement between the Chinese government and the Vatican was that the Vatican recognize legitimacy of the bishops appointed by the Chinese government. The deal is part of Pope Francis's plan to expand Catholic Church's following all across the world. This deal also allows the church to gain for followers all throughout China. There are many disagreements with this because people believe that the Vatican has betrayed its followers by making deals with one of the worlds most oppressive governments. This provisional agreement comes at a time when there have been many reports of the Chinese police cracking down on what they believe to be "illegal religions". There have also been reports of Bishops going missing due to them being disappeared by the police.

China, Taiwan, Sex

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/18/asia/china-taiwan-spying-allegations-intl/index.html

China and Taiwan are in a dispute right now about Chinese allegations that Taiwan has been using honey traps to recruit university exchange students as spies to sabotage activities. In one example there is an 18 year-old girl who is turned into an informer for the Taiwanese government due to her romantic involvement with an Taiwanese spy. According to the article this girl gave the Taiwanese government 100 pieces of information ranging from technological advances to matters of national security and she was compensated 45,000 yuan which is around $6,550.50 USD.

All of these allegations come at a very bad time because Beijing and Taiwan have been feuding due to the election of the Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Weng. Tsai Ing-Weng wants an independent Taiwan and the Beijing government does not want that to happen.

First Female Pilot and Top Gun

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/24/asia/japan-first-woman-fighter-pilot-intl/index.html

Japan has appointed their first female pilot as they strive to make a greater attempt to get gender equality. The government is trying to gain more equality in a male dominated nation. She is 1st Lt Misa Matsushima who is 26 and joined the the Japan Air Defense Force after graduating from the National Defense Academy in 2014. In Japan 13,707 women serve making up 6.1% of the Japanese forces. The JASDF did not accept women into their ranks until 1993 but women were not allowed to fly fighter pilots until the ban on them was lifted in 2015. The Prime Minister decided that they would focus more to empower women and decided to call it the "womenomics" approach. Japan is modernizing and it is amazing!

Typhoon Jebi

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/04/asia/japan-typhoon-jebi-intl/index.html

Typhoon Jebi has been the strongest to hit Japan in 25 years. It has caused the closure of one of Japans airports causing millions of flights to be canceled. It has been reported that 6 people have died in the wreckage and it is estimated that 160 have been injured. The typhoon landed in Tokushima prefecture just this Tuesday afternoon. The strong winds caused a tanker boat to ram into a bridge that connected Kansai airport to the mainland. 

It has been reported that 11 crew members were on the ship but no one has been injured. Since Japan is 12 hours ahead of the United States the bridge is now open and people have now been allowed to fly. The Kansai airport has been flooded with sand because of the Typhoon. Due to the intense winds of the Typhoon 53 cities have been issued non-compulsory evacuation orders. Around 14,000 residents have been evacuated to town halls or school gyms. 

Christians in Chinas Heartland

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2018/0807/Christians-in-China-s-heartland-face-government-suppression

Religious freedom has been part of the Chinese Constitution since 1982 so you may ask yourselves, why is President Xi Jinping cracking down on Christians in China? China's current president has been seen as the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. The president and the Communist party have been seen as being atheist even in the time when the country is undergoing a religious revival. many people believe that this is due to the fact that the president is trying to incorporate Chinese characteristics into all of the religions within China itself.

This is an example of what Chinese police officers did to an at home church. The main reason as to which President Xi is doing this is because he is scared that Christians are changing the thought process and instead of worshipping him they are going to be worshipping God.