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• MiMIC Journal

China launches first mobile telecoms satellite from Beijing

China has launched its first mobile telecommunications satellite. The Tiantong-01 satellite will establish a mobile network serving China, the Middle East, Africa and other areas. The ground service will be operated by China Telecom, which is owned by the Chinese state.
The country is also preparing for the next round of its manned space mission as they prepare a second module of the country's planned space station. The country's space program is led by the military.

UN rights experts urge China to end mistreatment of human rights defender

A group of UN independent human rights experts expressed concern Thursday for the condition of Chinese human rights defender Yang Maodong, also known as Guo Feixiong, who has been detained by the Chinese government. Noting reports of degrading and humiliating treatment endured by Guo at the hands of both prison guards and other inmates, the experts called on the Chinese government to provide Guo with specialized medical care and stop all forms of mistreatment.

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• Brief News

Federal court dismisses lawsuit requesting third party presence at presidential debates

The US District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by third party presidential candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein against the Commission on Presidential Debates requesting that third party candidates be included in the presidential debate this year. The candidates did not receive invitations to the debates and sought court intervention claiming a violation of antitrust law. The court held that "because Plaintiffs have no standing and because antitrust laws govern commercial markets and not political activity those claims fail as a matter of well established law." In response to the contention that their First Amendment rights had been violated, the court held that those claims also failed because the First Amendment protects the rights of citizens not to be infringed upon by government action, not private action. An appeal is possible.

Erdogan backs return of death penalti

Erdogan has told a vast rally in Istanbul that he would approve the return of the death penalty if it was backed by parliament and the public. He was speaking to a crowd of at least a million who had gathered in Turkey's biggest city. The rally followed last month's failed military coup. Erdogan also said the state would be cleansed of all supporters of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric is blamed by the Turkish government for the attempted uprising. He denies any involvement. "Of course we have to uncover all members of this organisation and eradicate them within the framework of the law, but if we content ourselves with just that, then we as a state and a nation will leave weak our defence against similar viruses," Erdogan said. Western nations have been critical of the government's response to the coup. The European Union - which Turkey has applied to join - refuses to accept capital punishment in member states.

Serious Fraud Office opens Airbus corruption investigation

The UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched an investigation into allegations of "fraud, bribery and corruption" in the civil aviation business of Airbus. The allegations relate to irregularities concerning third party consultants. The France-based aircraft manufacturer said it was co-operating with the probe, which was launched last month. In April, UK authorities froze export credit applications by Airbus. Export credits are used by many governments to support exporters, often by underwriting bank loans offered to overseas buyers of UK products.

Thailand passes new Constitution via referendum

A clear majority of Thai referendum voters have backed a draft constitution written by an army-appointed committee. Unofficial tallies show that 61.45% voted in favor. The military threw out the old constitution when it took power in 2014, after months of political instability and sporadic violence. Supporters of the new document say it will restore stability, but critics say it will entrench military control. Voters also supported a second measure on the ballot, which proposes that the appointed senate should be involved in selecting a prime minister.

Panama Papers: Pieth says officials are in denial as he quits

The Swiss anti-corruption expert, Mark Pieth, said he resigned from the Panama Papers commission because of government interference. Pieth said officials told him that they would have final say on whether to publish the panel's findings on the offshore tax evasion scandal. Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, also resigned. The seven-person panel was set up by Panama's government in April 2016 to improve transparency. Stiglitz also said he was concerned that the panel's final report would not be published. "We can only infer that the government is facing pressure from those who are making profits from the current non-transparent financial system in Panama," he said. Panama's Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to "internal differences" and said it had a "strong and real commitment to transparency and international cooperation".

Sao Tome and Principe president boycotts own run-off vote

In an unusual move, the president of the west African state of Sao Tome and Principe has boycotted his own run-off election, handing victory to his rival. Manuel Pinto da Costa withdrew from Sunday's poll, alleging fraud in the first round held on 17 July. His rival Evaristo Carvalho, a former prime minister, is now certain to win the race.

US jobs growth beats forecasts in July

The US economy added a stronger-than-expected 255,000 jobs in July, fuelling speculation that interest rates could rise before the end of the year. The US unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.9%. July's figure reveals a "strong but not spectacular US economy; the number represents more of a return to the form of the first six months of the year. The US Fed recently signaled that it was on course to increase interest rates this year as "near-term risks" such slowing employment receded. However, subsequent data revealed that the US economy grew at a slower pace than expected in the second quarter of the year.

Phillippines president names government officials connected to illegal drug trade

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday identified approximately 150 serving and former state officials who are allegedly involved in the nation's illegal drug trade. Duterte stated that all named officials, which includes mayors, judges, legislators, policeman and military personnel, have been relieved of duty and have 24 hours to surrender to their respective authorities before being hunted down. While Duterte's recent war on drugs has drawn major criticism from international human rights groups due to his extreme methods, Duterte claims that he must fulfill his duty to end the "pandemic" of drug abuse despite the risk of violating human rights.

Should overhead lockers be centrally locked?

Passengers who stopped to get their hand luggage put 300 lives at risk last week, after a fire broke out on an Emirates airliner in Dubai. Luckily, the plane was consumed by flames only after everyone had escaped - but it could have been different. Passengers are told not to waste time getting luggage, but they just don't listen. Often they don't appreciate the absolute urgency of their situation. They don't realize that every second can literally make the difference between life and death. Fire safety expert Prof Ed Galea of London's Greenwich University suggested an answer to this problem more than 20 years ago - a central-locking system for overhead storage. "On approach to land, the overhead bins should be locked by the flight deck," he says.

Venezuela media freedom eroding

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right of freedom of opinion and expression David Kaye and the Inter-American (IACHR) Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression Edison Lanza expressed concern on Thursday over the deterioration of media freedom in Venezuela. Saying they were "deeply disturbed by the recent reports of attacks against journalists and independent media groups," Kaye and Lanza stressed the need for these individuals' protection, as any such attack or threat violate not only the right of those harmed, but "the ability of Venezuelans and others elsewhere to be informed on events of critical importance."

When every company is a tech company, does the label matter?

Technology is now so pervasive in business that it might be time to call G.E. and Johnson & Johnson tech stocks, not just the Silicon Valley stars.

A surreal life on the precipice in Puerto Rico

Swimming pools pop up in slums, horses graze in schoolhouses, and public housing tenants pay negative rent on an island whose government has effectively gone broke.

Keeping the 'darlings' out of the courtroom

The American Bar Association will vote on Monday on whether to prohibit harassment and discrimination by lawyers in the course of practicing law. (Click here)

Repeal of old anti-gay law urged in Germany

Greens parliamentarians Katja Keul and Volker Beck said Monday they had sent a compensatory draft law to all parliamentary groups in the Bundestag, urging them to remove this "monstrous disgrace" in Germany's legal history. Homosexual acts were criminalized from 1871 under Paragraph 175 in the penal code of the then German empire and sharpened under Hitler from 1935. The paragraph was retained in post-war Germany's law books. It was abolished in former communist East Germany in 1968. Not until 1994 was it abolished in unified Germany, including what had been West Germany. In May, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) welcomed an expert report, saying his ministry would draft legislation to quash convictions and provide compensatory arrangements. "An end must be put to the continuing scandal that men in the Federal Republic of Germany have to live with the stigma of having been convicted because they were homosexual," the Bundestag deputies wrote in a preamble to their draft law.

US Judge dismisses parts of lawsuit against Alibaba

• Weekly Magazine Review

Time
The games changer (Olympics)

Newsweek
The Isis Hostage: My Torturers Were Not Evil

Business Week
Bloomberg Businessweek Interview Issue 2016

The Economist
After the Arab spring: The ruining of Egypt

Der Spiegel
Legt doch mal das Ding weg! (Smartphone)

L'Espresso
Referendum all'italiana

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