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South Asia
Saudi Raif Badawi wins EU Sakharov rights prize
Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for insulting Islam, was awarded the European Parliament’s prestigious Sakharov human rights prize on Thursday 29th October. The 31-year-old blogger, who was arrested in 2012, is an advocate of free speech whose public flogging in…
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Society
Seoul awards 17 foreigners with honorary citizenship
On Wednesday 28th October, Seoul awarded 17 foreigners with honorary citizenship as an appreciation for their efforts. Among them was the billionaire Nicolas Berggruen, famously known as “the homeless billionaire”. The government said that Berggruen, the investor who’s known to live in hotels with no home to go to, was awarded the…
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Society
South Korean prefer Jeju and Gangwon for internal flights
A new study shows that South Korean women prefer travelling to Jeju island, while men prefer Gangwon province for internal flights. The “Cheil” report shows that 25% of South Korean women have searched for info on travelling to Jeju island, in the farthest Southern part of the country. On the…
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West Asia
Right activists dismiss Qatar labor reforms
Rights groups on Wednesday criticized reforms of Qatar’s “kafala” labor system for foreign workers, which critics have likened to modern-day slavery, as an AFP report shows. Qatar’s prince, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, approved on Tuesday a new law overseeing the sponsorship “kafala” system – which currently only allows workers to…
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South Asia
Nepal elects first female president
Nepal’s parliament, on Wednesday, elected communist lawmaker Bidhya Bhandari as the country’s first female president after the adoption of a landmark constitution last month. The former defense minister and the vice-chair of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) defeated her opponent Kul Bahadur Gurung by 327 to…
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West Asia
Animate Dubai festival offers more opportunities to the region
Animate Dubai launches this December and the team are proudly announcing the festival schedule and new initiatives which are set to engage with their global following. A wonderful addition to the program of events is the ‘Works in Progress’ (WiP) component of the festival, a section that is now open for…
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Culture
Gonzo: the legacy of the Doctor of Journalism
If Raoul Duke and yours truly (Rahul Duke?) share one similarity, it is that we have run away from journalism most of our lives. I used to consider journalism a mediocre, sucker-for-money, sensationalist, borderline sociopathic occupation. Now I am a journalist (Talk about becoming what you hate!). Being a film…
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South Asia
A way for change in blasphemy law of Pakistan
The Supreme Court in Pakistan on Tuesday urged the state to ensure that no one is forced to endure an investigation or trial on the basis of false blasphemy allegations. The court also rejected the appeal against death sentence of Mumtaz Qadri, who has received death sentence for killing the…
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South Asia
Unspeakable taboo: alcohol in Middle East
Alcohol or liquors are one of the unspeakable taboos around the Middle Eastern countries, with their Muslim majority. Quran prohibits Muslims from drinking alcohol or being intoxicated in any way, but has it always been that way? And does that ever stop them? And who says what’s considered intoxicated and…
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Society
South and North Korea discuss communication between separated families
Kim Seoung Go, head of South Korea’s Red Cross, said that she had discussions with her North Korean counterpart to ensure that the remaining family members of separated families are still alive. They also discussed the possibility of enabling them to exchange letters and video calls. She added in an…
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