Global Voices

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The world is talking, are you listening?

Peter from China Whisper recommends 10 coolest novels about modern China.

Alec Ash from LARB talks with Chinese science fiction writer Fei Dao about science fiction in China.

A visually impaired lady from Singapore wrote about the lack of public awareness on the helpfulness of guide dogs as a taxi driver refused to let in her guide dog saying “Dogs are not allowed” on taxis.

Would Singaporeans only accept blind people with their guide dogs when there is a protective Law with penalties?

South Korean state prosecutors raided the National Intelligence Service headquarter amid allegations that the agency hired bloggers and used its agents to manipulate public opinion before the presidential election. The Daum Agora site posted [ko] a snippet of data on the agency's electioneering which was collected by the Lawyers for a Democratic Society.

Chengdu Living has an interesting post on the potential disappearance of relatively free weed smoking atmosphere in China as the police has recently started to crack down on Marijuana trade.

Hong Kong based inmediahk.net's Facebook page shared an image circulated widely on Chinese social media which shows spells written on money, that says, “This is a donation for a Ya'an earthquake victim, those who dare to misuse this money will go to hell.”
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The web was abuzz over the photo of 20 of South Korean pageant contestants who all look uncannily alike, and jeering comments were made against South Korean women's beauty standards. However, some Korean net users, pointing out some media coverage can be misleading, posted another photos of contestants which people can tell them apart and explained that it is more of the ‘photoshop’ issue- the overuse of airbrushing.

While Chinese people still remember Red Cross China's corruption scandal during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a new scandal has exposed, this time it also involves Guo Meimei, a then “manager at China Red Cross”, showed off her fancy sports cars and luxury handbags on Sina Weibo in 2011. This time it involves a sex tape showing someone who looks like Guo having sex with a few high-ranking China Red Cross officials. More from Offbeat China.

Seeing Red in China has translated current affair commentator, Jia Jia's Chinese dream. Nowadays, most Chinese middle class want to see their daughters and sons going to the U.S and become Americans.

Adrian Vickers introduces the latest issue of the online journal ‘Inside Indonesia’ which features articles about contemporary Indonesian art.

While politics has dominated the foreground of Indonesian art, the country’s contemporary art world faces a struggle between art’s engagement with society and the forces of commercialisation.

Sahabat Anak is a non-profit Indonesian NGO which helps Jakarta's street children by conducting tutorial programs and providing an activity center for street teens, kindergarten for street toddlers, and transit house for street kids.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has sparked controversy for his single-handed handshake when meeting with the South Korean president. Gates’ left hand was jammed into his pants pocket during the handshake, which is considered disrespectful in South Korea. An extensive photo compilation of Gates’ handshake [ko] was viewed more than 76,000 times in less than a day.

ChinaFile and TeaLeafNation analyzed the important role social media has played in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake that has killed 208 people. Social media's instant reactions to the quake has made a difference when compared to the coverage of the 2008 earthquake dominated by China's state media.

Hackathon in Tokyo for the International Space Apps Challenge. Photo by ISAC Tokyo Bureau CC BY 2.0

Japan participated in NASA's International Space Apps Challenge 2013 with a hackathon in Tokyo on April 21 and 22, 2013. Eighteen project teams developed apps with the aim of improving life on Earth and in space, including an app to create dishes in a shape of celestial bodies [ja] such as the moons of Mars using 3D printers, and a location finder app to suggest less cloudy places for installing solar panels.

North Korea Tech blogs about Google Chairman Eric Schmidt's visit to North Korea and his views on the limitation and potential of internet technology in the North Korea.

Bangkok's Metropolitan Police has posted photos of drunk drivers on the public Facebook page of its deputy chief. The move is an apparent effort to show the seriousness of the police in apprehending drunk drivers but some are skeptical about its effectiveness and even its legality.

There are four monarchies in Southeast Asia: Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. The March 2013 issue of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia discussed the history and prospects of these monarchies. In Brunei, the absolute monarchy is able to consolidate its rule by implementing generous welfare programs.

The wife of jailed Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo has been seen in public for the first time on April 23 after years under house arrest.On her way to the trial of her brother who has been accused of real estate fraud, she shouted to the public: “Tell everyone I'm not free”. Shanghaiist has more details.

As the price of gold drops worldwide, mainland Chinese Tourists travel cross the border to Hong Kong to clear local banks and jewellery shops. See Hong Wrong for story detail.

Is Your Company Bribing Anyone?  The United States vigorously enforces its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which penalizes improper payments to foreign officials by US companies.  In certain situations, US companies can be liable under the FCPA for payments made by their Chinese partner.  Canada and most European countries have their own somewhat similar corrupt practices acts, as does China.

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Hong Wrong blogs about an upcoming protest on April 27 among refugees, tortured survivors and NGOs against the government’s treatment of torture victims and to call for an urgent review of the screening system for assessing protection claims.

Offbeat China looks into the distribution and discussion on China's social media on the recent 7.0 earthquake in Sichuan Ya'an:

Unlike many of China’s typical disaster reporting from traditional media that focuses more on government officials’ whereabouts and works, these netizens who are at the front line of disaster relief are reporting on what’s needed and what’s not in real time.

The latest police investigation found that at least two agents from the South Korean National Intelligence Service have illegally posted online comments to influence the presidential election. An online petition was posted [ko] on Daum Agora site in support of one police woman who bravely revealed that she has been pressured to remain silent on this illegal electioneering case.

Filipino student leader Cleve Arguelles has listed a comprehensive matrix of Philippine education-related social media accounts. The directory features the country's leading universities, student councils and publications, government agencies and education officials

Art Harun gives a primer on Malaysia's 13th General Elections by listing and explaining some keywords that define Malaysian politics. For example, letter A refers to Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the Opposition; while letter N refers to Najib Razak, the incumbent Prime Minister

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Lushan county of Ya'an city in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 8:02 AM local time today. The Red Cross Society in China posted in its official micro-blog [zh] expressing its concern over the disaster. However, many Chinese netizens who still remember the organization's corruption scandal reacted in the comment section with the word “get lost” （滾） and a thumb down gesture. Screen capture by Sun Affair in Facebook.

Feng Xiaogang, one of the most famous movie directors in China, when giving a speech when he accepted the honor of Director of Year from the China Film Directors Guild on 12 April, criticized the censorship system in Chinese movie industry. However, in the video showing his speech, the word “censorship” was covered by a beep sound. Tea Leaf Nation has the full story.

The China in Africa Podcast discusses how social media is influencing China's engagement in Africa.

South Korean rapper Psy's new single, Gentleman, has already surpassed 120 million views on YouTube within four days of release, despite unfavorable reviews and worries that Psy could wind up one-hit wonder after his ridiculously successful Gangnam Style. Read more about the new music video from K-pop blog.

Offbeat China translated an interesting online conversation on why a terrorist attack won't work in China after the Boston Marathon Explosions. The answer lies in the difference between the U.S and China in their media environments.