Asia – News Behind The News

New Zealand’s New Flag

Joshua David Craddock Stoneham / December 16, 2015 / Asia

New Zealand’s flag has been a talking point among kiwis for quite a few years. It’s colonial roots are heavily reflected in designand some often complain about its similar style to Australia. Recently a referendum has been proposed, with a new preliminary winner announced for a replacement flag. In March a referendum will be held on whether they should keep the existing flag, or change to a new one. But what is the history behind the flag and is Australia likely to change theirs as well?

New Zealand used to have a different flag, the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, this was adopted in the 1830’s. After the British conolised New Zealand in 1840, the British Union flag was used instead. This later was adapted into the current flag, which was designed for use on colonial ships. It became New Zealand’s national flag in 1902.

The original, pre-colony New Zealand flag

However the flag has often been a bone of contention amongst kiwis. Some argue it doesn’t reflect the native Maori population. The inlusion of the Union Jack has been ciricisted for not reflecting New Zealand’s independent status, with Canada as an example of a ex-colony who removed the Union Jack ensignia from its flag.

Internationally, the flags similarly to Australia’s flag has been the biggest issue. in 1984, the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke was greeted in Ottowa with New Zealand flags. Current New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says that he has frequently been seated under the Australian flag at international meetings.

These factors have led to a referendum that could see New Zealand’s flag reflect their country more accurately and clearly.

Australia has no current desires to change their flag, although strong campaigns from the 90’s could make a comeback if New Zealanders ditch the Union Jack. A flag that primarily consists of the ‘crux’ of the Austrlian flag (the stars featured on their current flag) is what would likely replace their current design.

Whether Oceania is due for a makeover is something may well be decided this March.

Photos by Greentubing. Other images listed under Public Domain.

Beijing Pollution Red Alerts

Natasha Taylor / December 15, 2015January 2, 2016 / Asia, Uncategorized

The authorities in Beijing, China have issued their second red alert warning following heavy smog covering the city.

The city issued it’s first-ever such warning earlier in December and have just issued their second warning for this weekend, and it is expected that the pollution index will probably exceed 500. At levels higher than 300, residents are encouraged to remain indoors, according to government guidelines.

The red alerts are usually issued after three days of extremely high levels of air pollution. When these alerts are issued vehicles are forced off the roads, factories and construction sites shut down and schools and nurseries advised to close.

But how serious actually is the air pollution in China, and what does it mean for it’s residents?

Recent research has shown that the pollution is the cause of over 1.6 millions deaths in China every year. This equates to around 4,400 people every single day.

According to Time, Researchers from Berkeley Earth, a non-profit climate research organization, published an online study Thursday that finds that pollution causes about 17% of deaths in China. Researchers came to their conclusions after analyzing four months of data taken at 1,500 locations across China, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The study found that the most deadly pollutant, comes in the form of tiny particles derived from places like electric power plants and fossil fuels used in homes and factories for heating. These particles can enter the lungs and bloodstream and cause illnesses ranging from asthma to heart disease.

However, a top economic planner has said that the way to get around this problem, China needs 10 more megacities. The planner has said that all of these new cities must include top schools, hospitals, and corporate headquarters to ease the strain on Beijing.

However, it seems that some businesses are making the most of the red alerts in China. Vanity Air, a Canadian company that sells bottled air, have found a lucrative market and are selling and shipping cans in high quantities over to China to help citizens with the high levels of pollution that they’re facing.

Photo by: Getty Images via The Independent

Explained: China And Media Censorship

Natasha Taylor / December 15, 2015January 2, 2016 / Asia

The BBC have reported that China are making further moves to curb their internet use after calls for more regulation of the internet.

The president, Xi Jinping, has said that he wants a global system to help fight online crime and terrorism, but campaigners for free speech complain it would end in more censorship and surveillance.

But why does China already have so much censorship over internet and the media in the country?

The media censorship that is in place in China is seen as a way of the Communist Party of China keeping their reign in the county. One way of doing this has been to censor all media and internet usage so that they can prevent any unapproved reformist ideas or ideologies that could potentially make people want to change the way the country is run.

The censorship also prevents Chinese citizens from discovering or learning more about the past and/or current failures of the Communist Party that could potentially create or inflame any anti-government sentiment.

China has also blocked any access to foreign governments’ websites. It is though that this has been done in order to prevent citizens from discovering and learning about other systems of governance that are in place around the world, which they may demand for themselves.

There are two ways in which China have implemented media censorship. The first way is known as ‘The Great FireWall’ which is the government simply blocking citizen’s access to foreign websites. The second way is known as the ‘Golden Shield’ and is a system for domestic surveillance which was set up in 1998 by the Ministry of Public Security

Because the Chinese government are so keen to keep out Western media and have banned popular social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. and have replaced them with their own sites YouKu and WeChat.

However, in recent years the Chinese government have introduced technology that doesn’t block a whole website, but instead restricts access to specific pages in addition to certain searches on sites such as Google.

According to The Economist, The “Freedom on the Net 2012” report, issued by Freedom House, an American organisation that tracks global trends in political freedom, ranked China as the third most restrictive country in the world when it comes to internet access and that overall, there are thought to be around 100,000 people, employed both by the state and by private companies, policing China’s internet around the clock.

Photo by: MinimalMo

Why The Conviction Rate In Japan Is 99%

Rachel Gascoigne / December 14, 2015December 16, 2015 / Asia

By most measurements, Japan is a very safe society. The rates for crime and incarceration are low, compared to other rich countries. However, court conviction rates are extremely high, 99% according to this video from The Economist.

In Japan, 48 per 100,000 citizens are in prison, a staggering amount when compared to that of Britain and America.

Conviction ‘guaranteed’

It is quite often said that Japanese criminal courts never acquit anyone, when a person is accused of a crime, they are almost always convicted.

However, the puzzle is what to make of this.

Perhaps Japanese judges convict because Japanese prosecutors bring only true criminals into the courtrooms?

Or perhaps Japanese judges convict because they further their careers by convicting?

It could also have something to do with the interrogation process in which those accused are put under – an interrogation for them to sign a confession of guilt. Where those in question can be interrogated for up to 23 days, with limited access to a defence lawyer.
Guilt confessions underpin 89% of all criminal prosecutions in the country…

In the courts

Japan court does not have a jury, instead a panel of judges who decide the fate of those accused of crime. 98% of appeals in serious cases fail because they are either dismissed, the requests of retrial are retracted, or the accused pass away.

Japanese prosecutors might do very well at keeping innocent defendants out of the court system, but this could be to do with budget constraints. Perhaps rational prosecutors prosecute only the most obviously and gruesomely guilty, due to lack of funds or time.

With Japanese prisons being draconian, the life of a convict is not one to envy, so perhaps scaremongering its people could be Japan’s answer to reduce crime.

There are many reasons to suggest why Japan’s conviction rate is so high, yet not a solid answer yet, however interesting it might be.

Photos by: Victor, Moyan Brenn.

How Mobile Technology Is Improving Global Disaster Relief

Rachel Gascoigne / December 11, 2015December 16, 2015 / Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, UK

When a war or natural disaster causes disaster around the world and tons of people are displaced or forced to become homeless, communications and power infrastructures are quite often too badly damaged or non-existent.

Dispensing food, finding shelter and administering medical aid is made even harder for aid agencies and non-governmental organisations without proper communications, and people are frantic to let their loved ones know they’re safe and to find out what’s going on.

In order to help solve the communication problem, telecoms companies have been helpfully engaging in larger-scale communications projects in disaster areas around the world.

Mobile Phones

For example, Vodafone Foundation, have created “instant network mini”, an 11kg backpack containing a 2G mobile network that can offer a coverage radius of up to 1km, a six-hour battery and a small solar panel. The instant network mini kit was deployed in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal, with the hope it would help restore communications following the earthquake there earlier this year. Larger versions of its instant network kits have been used in South Sudan and the Philippines.

Crisis Apps

A number of organisations, such as Google and Medecins du Monde, are currently working on mobile phone apps that have the power to act as single information points, connecting doctors in developed countries with health workers in the field, or with other aid agencies, so each can know what the other is providing.

Flowminder, a Swedish company, use data from mobile operators to track the movements of populations – or their mobile phones – in disaster situations, which can help governments and aid agencies understand people’s behaviour and give them a better idea of where to dispense and channel resources.

Unfortunately technology alone cannot prevent the suffering following natural and man-made disasters, however its better use can at least improve the response of governments and aid agencies.

Photos by: BBC, Center for Neighborhood Technology.