Monthly Archives: August 2015

Religion + Belief

China News | Catholic Christians

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China prepares to recognize second Vatican-backed bishop ordination
  • Cosmos Ji Chengyi will join Joseph Zhang Yinlin, ordained last week, in becoming the first bishops ordained in China in three years.
  • The government-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the underground Vatican-allied church have divided China’s 8-12 million Catholics.
  • China has previously required all ordinations to be approved by the government and has gone so far as to appoint bishops itself, which has riled the Holy See, with whom it has had no diplomatic relations since 1949.

“Catholics are thrilled because this is the first time since the founding of Henan province that there has been an ordination ceremony recognized by both sides.”

Read the full story at Reuters.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Australia News | LGB

Australia’s ruling coalition blocks free vote for same-sex marriage, effectively quashing chances in Parliament
  • Without a sanctioned free vote, party members are not allowed to cast votes that depart from the party line without threat of severe consequences leading up to expulsion.
  • Despite a poll from 2014 indicating 72% of Australians support same-sex marriage, socially conservative PM Tony Abbott has blocked multiple attempts to pass a marriage equality bill in Parliament.
  • After a rare full-coalition vote that saw Abbott’s Liberal Party outnumbered two to one against allowing a free vote, Abbott indicated that the coalition is open to a public referendum on same-sex marriage rights.

“If you support the existing definition of marriage between a man and a woman, the coalition is absolutely on your side but if you would like to see change at some time in the future, the coalition is prepared to make that potentially possible.”

Read the full story at Reuters.

Age

Pakistan News | Children

At least 12 men arrested in widespread child abuse scandal in Pakistan
  • The men are accused of sexually abusing 280 children and blackmailing their families.
  • Charges detail how the abuse was captured on film, which was then used to extort money from parents.
  • Families accuse the police of failing to act on information they had received, with some alleging a cover up.

Watch the Euronews report on YouTube.

Ideology + Affiliation

Kazakhstan News | Dissident Workers

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Kazakhstan police detain protesters attempting to launch an anti-corruption demonstration
  • Around 10 protesters were rounded up in the street and carried away to detention by police.
  • The demonstrators identified themselves as construction workers protesting the exclusion of construction firms from the market by the government.
  • Rights watchdogs have criticized the country for widespread corruption and intolerance of dissent

Watch the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report on YouTube.

Ideology + Affiliation

Germany News | Journalists & Dissidents

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Germany drops treason investigation against website
  • Germany’s former top prosecutor had been pursuing charges against Netzpolitik.org for allegedly leaking state secrets.
  • That prosecutor was recently replaced, and his acting replacement determined that the site’s posting of documents detailing government plans to ramp up surveillance of online communities did not constitute state secrets.
  • The case prompted worldwide response from journalists, who argued the investigation stifled press freedom in the democratic country.

Read the full story at Reuters.

Nationality + Migration

Greece News | Migrants

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Migrants clash with police on Greek island of Kos
  • Police used fire extinguishers and batons against the migrants after hundreds began protesting in the streets of the small island just off the coast of Turkey.
  • More than a thousand migrants had gathered at a stadium to await immigration papers and grew frustrated by the slow process.
  • The tensions followed a Greek police officer’s suspension the previous day for assaulting a Pakistani migrant.

Read the full story at Al Jazeera America and Reuters.

Race + Color + Ethnicity

China News | Tibetans

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China permanently resettles Tibetan nomads in controversial program
  • The government argues the resettlement program is an attempt to bring the benefits of development–education, healthcare, and economic opportunity–to Tibetans, who have had a historically pastoralist culture.
  • While some young Tibetans expressed hope at the move to new regions like Ngaba, activists argue that Tibetans were given little choice in the move and that the government is using the resettlements to control the Tibetan population more closely.
  • Despite claiming it has no interest in suppressing Tibetan religious beliefs, China continues to outlaw expressed allegiance to the Dalai Lama, considered a terrorist.

“It’s much easier to enforce administrative control over settled communities than over nomads in the grasslands, and also the Chinese authorities have aligned the policy with specific political objectives of eliminating separatism and eliminating expressions of Tibetan nationalism.”

Read the full story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Natalie Thomas/Reuters)

Nationality + Migration

U.K. News | Polish Immigrants

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Polish immigrants in the U.K. launch #PolishBlood blood donation campaign to combat anti-immigrant sentiment
  • Andrzej Rygielski developed the idea as a productive protest against rising anti-immigrant activity in the U.K.
  • The protest is promoted as a positive demonstration in contrast to the planned workers’ strike next week.
  • More than 1,000 have pledged to donate blood on August 20, which the National Health Service says will begin helping to address the more than 200,000 donors who still need to be recruited this year.

“It seems that thousands of Poles and other people have joined the Polish blood campaign, not just in opposition to the strike but to show that Polish and migrant energy can be harnessed to achieve positive and extraordinary things – and that is what we should be aiming for. Not for division, not for hatred, not for inequality – but for inclusiveness, positivity and tolerance.”

Read the full story at the Independent.

(Image Credit: Getty Images, via The Independent)

Ideology + Affiliation, Race + Color + Ethnicity

U.S. News | African Americans & Journalists

Protests and arrests in Ferguson, Missouri, mark the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death
  • Police have arrested more than 30 over two nights (including reporters) as hundreds of protesters have marched, stopped highway traffic, and clashed with police in memory of the events that transpired last summer.
  • Nearly 60 more were arrested for a sit-in outside of the St. Louis federal courthouse.
  • The county executive declared a state of emergency following the outbreak of gunfire and police response during demonstrations that led to the critical wounding of an 18-year-old male.

“Charging a reporter with trespassing and interfering with a police officer when he was just doing his job is outrageous. … You’d have thought law enforcement authorities would have come to their senses about this incident.”

Read the full story at BuzzFeed News.

(Image Credit: Jeff Roberson/AP, via BuzzFeed News)

Nationality + Migration

Europe News | Migrants & Refugees

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European Commission announces €2.4 billion in funding support as transregional migration surge continues
  • The aid will be disbursed over six years, with the two countries most acutely affected to receive the largest share: €560 million for Italy and €473 million for Greece.
  • France will receive €27 million later in the month, and the U.K. already received €20 million in emergency aid in March.
  • France and the U.K. are expected to use the funding they have received to address the situation in Calais, the departure point for many migrants looking to cross into Britain.

Read the full story at Reuters.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Nepal News | Transgender

Nepal issues its first trans-friendly passport
  • Monica Shahi, a trans LGBT activist, was awarded the passport, which includes a third category for gender minorities.
  • The issuance follows the amendment of Nepal’s passport regulations earlier in the year.
  • Nepal joins Australia and New Zealand in designating a third gender option on passports.

“Today is an important day in my life and I hope the younger generation is encouraged by the move.”

Read the full story at Firstpost.

Other, Sexual + Gender Minorities

U.S. News | Transgender

California grants first gender reassignment surgery to trans inmate
  • Following extensive medical review and testimony, the state agreed to pay for the surgery for trans woman Shiloh Quine, who will be transferred after surgery to a women’s prison.
  • However, the decision did not resolve the question of whether such surgeries are constitutionally guaranteed for prisoners, including the 400 in California alone who are receiving hormonal treatments.
  • In April, another prisoner, Michelle Norsworthy, won a court order to undergo reassignment surgery but was paroled before the procedure was carried out.

“Sex reassignment surgery is medically necessary to prevent Ms. Quine from suffering significant illness or disability, and to alleviate severe pain caused by her gender dysphoria.”

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times.

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Myanmar Feature | Rohingya Women

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A Forked Path for Rohingya Women, with Both Roads Leading to Hell

Trapped in a desperate situation compounded by their gender, Rohingya women–already facing persecution as a Muslim ethnic group in Myanmar–find themselves forced into either marriage or prostitution by human traffickers in Southeast Asia. The New York Times profiles one of their stories and the efforts of one advocate to bring light to the issue.

View the New York Times feature on YouTube.

Health + Ability

U.K. Feature | Autism

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The Autistix

Led by three members with disabilities along the autism spectrum, The Autistix are a U.K. indie band putting a spotlight on some of the great musical talent in the autism community. The Guardian profiles the group, their supportive families, and their sound.

View the video from the Guardian on YouTube.

Nationality + Migration

France Feature | Refugees

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Daily Life in the Calais Jungle

Image Credit: The Guardian
Image Credit: The Guardian

The Guardian trains its cameras on daily life the Calais Jungle refugee camp, where all-consuming existential worries and attempts to cross the border into the U.K. live alongside basic activities like food preparation, grabbing a shower, playing soccer, and attending religious services. Among these everyday activities, the Guardian traces some of the personal stories that brought individuals to Calais.

View the photo essay at the Guardian.