17 June 2007

Stories from 17 June 2007

More on iSummit Dubrovnik 2007

Global Voices author Renata Avila adds another timely update to proceedings at the iCommons Summit in Croatia. There is commentary from non-English speaking sources, which has helped close the information gap for those whose first language is not English.

17 June 2007

Singapore: Ancient Scripts of South East Asia

Noelbynature recommends an exhibition on Malay scripts current being hosted at the National Library in Singapore. “this is indeed a rare opportunity to see the epigraphy of ancient Southeast Asia...

17 June 2007

Vietnam: Food Safety

Saigon Nezumi wonders about the safety of the food in Vietnam. Local newspapers have been reporting on the investigations by authorities on local and import food products.

17 June 2007

The English language debate in the Philippines

The government wants English to be the medium of instruction in schools. A group of educators is opposed to this policy, and in fact has petitioned the issue in the Supreme Court. What ensues is a lively debate as to what language should be used in Philippine schools.

17 June 2007

Ukraine: Want an “A”? Pay $30!

When Ukrainian news site Korrespondent.net reported last week that Kyiv street cleaners would be receiving $400 a month beginning this June, a number of readers confessed that they were earning less working as college lecturers or medical doctors. How some skilled Ukrainians manage to survive on their meager salaries was highlighted five days later, when Korrespondent.net ran a piece about a college lecturer who had told her students they were to pay her to pass their exams. To the readers who have commented on the story, corruption at Ukrainian colleges appears to be a familiar subject: hardly anyone was shocked by the lecturer's crime, but many found it surprising that the woman was charging very little.

17 June 2007

Korea: Labor Law and E-Land

Last November, the Korean government finally changed the law for irregular workers. To fight discrimination against irregular workers and despotism of companies, the most significant change was to force companies...

17 June 2007