Global Briefs
May 25, 2007
Pollution Turns Taj Mahal Yellow
AGRA, India — Iconic 17th century mausoleum, Taj Mahal, is renowned for its shimmering white marble, but air pollution is causing it to be encrusted with granules of dirt and soot.
Treatment to clean up takes about two months, costs $230,000 and will need to be repeated every two or three years.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It houses their graves and a mosque, as well as several other graves of lesser Mogul royalty.
To prevent pollution, visitors must park nearly two miles away and take battery-run buses or horse-drawn carriages to the site. Some 3 million tourists visit the mausoleum every year.
Unmarried Women Having Abortions in China
QINGDAO, China — More unmarried women of all kinds — teenagers, migrant workers, urban professionals, students and prostitutes — are having abortions.
While the government has focused on policing the reproductive lives of married women, it has paid less attention to educating single women about sex, partly because of cultural resistance.
Many single women lack an understanding about reproductive health and contraception.
A single, pregnant woman faces enormous social stigma and shame. Unmarried pregnant women rarely carry a pregnancy to term, placing a child up for adoption.
In Shanghai 69% of single women had premarital sex. In various cities 20 to 55% surveyed had undergone at least one abortion.
Some operating rooms in public hospitals perform more than one procedure at once, and abortions average $65.
—The New York Times
Foreign Wives Find Korea a Bad Fit
A recent study released by the office of the president in Korea noted that the majority of women in interracial marriages often suffer physical abuse and racial discrimination. They also live below the poverty line, and receive little or no health care.
The study also pointed out that children of these marriages often struggle with issues of self-esteem and identity, isolated from their peers because of their mixed ethnicity and low socio-economic background.
The rising number of incidents involving domestic abuse of foreign spouses has reached the ears of the government. Over a thousand phone lines have been installed to help report cases of domestic violence.
For these non-Korean women, their inability to speak the language prevents them from seeking work, while their ignorance with local culture further isolates them from society.
—New America Media
China Uses Chips in Dog Crackdown
BEIJING — In a bid to cut down on the number of unregistered dogs, chips the size of a rice grain are being injected into the necks of dogs in a pilot project in the Xicheng district.
These chips contain details of the dog’s breed, birth, inoculations and owner. The campaign is part of the Chinese government’s “one-dog” policy and aims to tackle a surge in rabies cases.
The chip, with its 30-year lifespan, would help identify lost and homeless dogs, make it easier for owners to take their dogs abroad and help curb the spread of rabies.
Rabies has become the biggest cause of death among infectious diseases in China. As many as 2,000 people are reported to have died from the disease in 2006 alone.
—BBC News
Japan’s Criminal Justice Needs Reform
Calls for reforms in Japan’s criminal justice system have increased, even as it is to adopt a jury-style system in 2009 and is considering allowing victims and their relatives to question defendants in court.
Japan’s criminal justice system has long relied on confessions to take suspects to court, instead of building cases based on solid evidence. But this practice has earned a lot of criticisms from human rights groups since it leads to abuses and convictions of innocent people.
“Traditionally in Japan, confessions have been known as the king of evidence,” said Kenzo Akiyama, a former judge. “Even if the accused hasn’t done anything, the authorities will seek a confession through psychological torture.”
The law allows the police to detain suspects for up to 23 days without an indictment.
—New York Times
Call for Hospital Police in China
BEIJING—China’s health ministry is calling for police to be stationed in hospitals, in order to protect medical workers from attacks by angry patients and their relatives.
The Chinese government says last year there were more than 9,000 attacks on medical workers and facilities, causing more than $25m of damage. In one well-publicized incident, staff at a southern Chinese hospital had to wear safety helmets for protection.
Poor regulation has led to rampant corruption, including overcharging and use of fake medicines, and since the introduction of market reforms, many patients have found the cost of medical care unaffordable.
—BBC News
Nearly 2,500 Workers Go on Strike
HANOI, Vietnam — About 2,500 workers have walked off the job at a South Korean-owned garment factory in Long An in southern Vietnam, demanding better pay.
Workers want the company to increase their monthly salary from $55 to $69.
The company is already paying higher salaries than most other foreign employers in the province, said Nguyen Van Thua, an official with the provincial trade union. And it is paying 22% more than the minimum wage for workers at foreign-owned firms in Vietnam.
“The workers are asking for too much,” Thua said.
A wave of strikes last year hit companies across southern Vietnam, with tens of thousands of workers at foreign-owned factories stopping work.
In response, the government increased the minimum wage at foreign firms by at least 25%.
Japan Child Numbers at Record Low
The number of children under the age of 15 in Japan has fallen to a record low. There are 17.38 million children aged 14 or below in the country — down 140,000 from last year.
The number of children under 15 makes up just 13.6% of Japan’s population - a record low. That figure is estimated to fall to 12.3% —roughly half that of the elderly population — by 2015. This is the 26th straight year of decline in numbers of under-15s.
Japan has the world’s highest ratio of elderly to young people, raising serious concerns about future economic growth and the funding of pensions.
Correspondents say the current trend is caused by women marrying later in life and having fewer children.
—BBC News
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