Stories from 5 July 2011
The North Korea Food Aid Dilemma
On July 4, the European Commission pledged USD 14.5 million in emergency food aid to help impoverished North Koreans. The Opening Up North Korea blog posted an analysis on the timeless dilemma in aiding North Korea.
China: Security Problem of the World's Longest Bridge
China opened the world's longest bridge in Qingdao on June 30, 2011. However, local media found out that the crash barriers haven't been fixed yet. Hundreds of Weibo users criticized[zh] the local government's negligence in quality check.
Malaysia: More Arrested Before Planned Rally
More people have now been arrested in Malaysia for supporting the Bersih 2.0 rally that is planned to happen on the 9 July, 2011. Some were arrested merely for wearing Bersih T-shirts. The Bersih rally, which has been declared illegal by the government, is organized to demand transparent and clean elections.
Poland: Citizen Initiative for Complete Abortion Ban
Some 600,000 people have signed a petition in support of the draft amendment to Poland's abortion law intending to ban abortion in Poland without exceptions – even when the life of a woman is threatened. Katarzyna Odrozek reviews online reactions of the supporters and opponents of the complete ban on abortion in Poland.
