Worthwhile reading from other sites – 2019

Year 4 of the not so new look rascott.com – and here are some of the articles, features and reports that I am reading and that you might also find interesting:

December 2019

Thai reporter sentenced to jail in Thammakaset libel case Prachatai

The Tipping Point: Chiang Mai on life support Chiang Mai CityLife

In Bangkok’s Fragrant Street Food, City Planners See a Mess to Clean NYT

How China Persuaded One Muslim Nation to Keep Silent on Xinjiang Camps WSJ

Hong Kong’s Protest Movement and the Fight for the City’s Soul The New Yorker

Why Britain cannot claim moral high ground after London 2012 Guardian

Anti-politics & the last gasp of British Labourism Left Flank

The UAE talks a big game on promoting peace. Its recent behavior tells a different story. Washington Post

Why Britain cannot claim moral high ground after London 2012 Guardian

Anti-politics & the last gasp of British Labourism Left Flank

WHITE HOUSE VETERANS HELPED GULF MONARCHY BUILD SECRET SURVEILLANCE UNIT Reuters

Blocked in China Reuters

Dictating the Internet: Curtailing Free Expression, Opinion and Information Online in Southeast Asia ICJ

Stop Infantilizing Greta Thunberg With Claims of ‘Abuse’ Psychology Today

Middle-age is getting longer—and giving us a chance of a better world Prospect

FLAWED MODELS Implementation of international standards in Thailand’s ‘model’ prisons for women FIDH Report

Britain’s nightmare before Christmas Economist

Leader: Britain deserves better New Statesman

Britain’s Secret War With Russia The Atlantic

The changing art of cricket commentary Guardian

The Oddly Autocratic Roots of Pad Thai AtlasObscura

November 2019

‘Show no mercy’: leaked documents reveal details of China’s Xinjiang detentions Guardian

The Thai Constitutional Court’s war on freedom of expression New Mandala

‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims New York Times

Behrouz Boochani, voice of Manus Island refugees, is free in New Zealand Guardian

The Guardian view on Hong Kong: policing the crisis – Editorial Guardian

Emergency Warning: Multiple Signs Point to Imminent, Hardline Crackdown in Hong Kong – SinoInsider

The Case against Boeing The New Yorker

The fall of the Berlin Wall – November 1989  Guardian archive

October 2019

Reuters investigates: Hong Kong unmasked – Below Lion Rock

From bubble tea to disaster: How one Vietnamese dreamer apparently met her fate Reuters

‘No Regrets’: Hong Kong’s Protesters Test China’s Limits NYT

Final Report Lion Air 737Max crash report  Indonesia: Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT)

Lion Air crash report ‘criticises design, maintenance and pilot error’ Guardian

To Speak Out is Dangerous HRW Thailand report 2019

Absurd and meaningless AFP

Newsmaker: Thailand’s ousted ‘royal consort’ had swift rise and fall Reuters

The astonishing and violent rise of the East India Company Economist

Inside the battle for Hong Kong FT magazine

John Barnes: ‘I was seen as the voice of reason on race. I haven’t changed’ Guardian

Hope and desperation inspired Hong Kong’s ‘national anthem’, says incognito composer Guardian

Myths from a small island: the dangers of a buccaneering view of British history New Satatesman

Thai army chief decries opposition, hints at threat to monarchy Reuters

Thai King’s Absolute Reign Asia Sentinel

September 2019

Trump’s calls with foreign leaders have long worried aides, leaving some ‘genuinely horrified’ Washington Post

‘Eventually I knew she was no longer safe alone’: how do we care for family with dementia? Guardian

What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max? The New York Times magazine

Hard right: Political divide deepens in Thailand Reuters

Thailand Women live up to lofty expectations CricBuzz

The most likely outcome for HK webb-site.com

August 2019

HK leader would ‘quit’ if she could Reuters

The High School Course Beijing Accuses of Radicalizing Hong Kong The New York Times

In Hong Kong, Playing Tennis With Tear-Gas Grenades The New York Times

Bravery and Nihilism on the Streets of Hong Kong The New Yorker

China’s Prisons Swell After Deluge of Arrests Engulfs Muslims New York Times

Hong Kong for International Business: Stick a Fork in It China Law Blog

Joshua Wong and Alex Chow: The People of Hong Kong Will Not Be Cowed by China New York Times

MAGICAL REALISM: “NORTHERN EXPOSURE” 25 YEARS LATER Roger Ebert

In Africa, China Is the News Foreign Policy

Inside the Hong Kong protesters’ anarchic campaign against China Reuters

New experiences in old Bangkok Bangkok Post

Economic History of Hong Kong EH.net

Sihanoukville, a pothole in the Banana Pancake trail Sydney Morning Herald

Hong Kong Shows the Flaws in China’s Zero-Sum Worldview The Atlantic

The World Is Reaping the Chaos the British Empire Sowed Foreign Policy

WHAT A PROTEST IN HONG KONG LOOKS LIKE WHEN PRO-DEMOCRACY MARCHERS LOSE THEIR FEAR OF THE POLICE The Intercept

The Shame and Disgrace Will Linger The Atlantic

‘Prepared to Die’: Hong Kong Protesters Embrace Hard-Core Tactics, Challenge Beijing WSJ

Will China crush Hong Kong protests? For Beijing, there are no good options. Washington Post

Saudi Arabia’s ‘strategic plan’ to take Turkey down Middle East Eye

Hong Kong The Hong Kong protests are putting China on a collision course with the west Guardian

July 2019

An extraordinary week Chris Grey’s Brexit Blog

THAILAND’S LAST GORILLA LIVES IN DECREPIT ZOO ATOP A MALL Khaosod English

In Pictures: ‘Welcome to Hong Kong, stay safe’: 100s deliver anti-extradition law message to travellers at airport HKFP

The greatest photos ever? Why the moon landing shots are artistic masterpieces Guardian

50 years after the moon landing, Apollo 11 remains a miracle Washington Post

Workers Wanted to Watch Russia. Must Tolerate Isolation, Cold, Walruses WSJ

All the king’s men: Thai military power shifts away from Prayuth Nikkei Asian Review

The fight for democracy in Hong Kong is the defining struggle of our age Guardian

June 2019

The Ruler of Dubai Condemns His Runaway Wife, Princess Haya, on Instagram—in a Poem Daily Beast

Khashoggi killing: Executive summary of Callamard’s UN report Al Jazeera

U.N. report firmly blames Saudi Arabia for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi Brookings Institute

The Generational Challenge for Thailand’s Generals The Diplomat

Thailand’s famed ‘Rose of the North’ is wilting Nikkei Asian Review

‘The Saudis couldn’t do it without us’: the UK’s true role in Yemen’s deadly war The Guardian

What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane The Atlantic

Britain has a duty to help Hong Kong out of this dark moment Chris Patten for The Guardian

The Guardian view on loneliness: speak up, reach out Guardian

Hong Kong Is on the Frontlines of a Global Battle For Freedom Time

In Battle for Hong Kong, the Field Has Tilted Toward Beijing NYT

Death by clubbing: the brutality of Thailand’s pig slaughterhouses Guardian

Thailand’s crude mockery of democracy means it doesn’t deserve U.S. aid Washington Post

Uber’s Path of Destruction American Affairs Journal

FREEDOM HOUSE RATES THAILAND AS “NOT FREE” Khaosod English

The Hong Kong Protests Are About More Than an Extradition Law NYT

The Princes Who Want to Destroy Any Hope for Arab Democracy NYT

Surviving Tiananmen: ‘I might have been one of the hundreds or thousands who lost their lives’ Guardian

The west is complicit in the 30-year cover-up of Tiananmen Guardian

The speedy LSA of Europe General Aviation News

May 2019

The Thai Constitutional Court, a Major Threat to Thai Democracy  IACL

Fear and loathing in English cricket’s fraying heartland Guardian

Football plays with fire as it merrily fans the flames of hate and division Guardian

Apollo 11: the fight for the first footprint on the moon Guardian

Liftoff: the new race to the moon begins Guardian

‘I’ve become very isolated’: the aftermath of near-doomed QF72 SMH

The strongmen strike back Washington Post

FA Cup final result: Man City flex their muscle to leave helpless Watford trailing in their wake The Independent

City’s domination has been bought – and they’re paying the price Irish Times

What went wrong inside Boeing’s cockpit? BBC

Unrelenting Repression in the UAE Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

A Thai mother’s long fight for justice over 2010 deadly crackdown Al Jazeera

Political divisions reign in Thailand East Asia Forum

Why is Fifa playing ball with the Saudi World Cup plan? FT

Thailand’s King Rama X – from pilot prince to powerful monarch Reuters

The Uber I.P.O. Is a Moral Stain on Silicon Valley New York Times

April 2019

Thailand Prepares for First Coronation in Seven Decades VoA

When Christians Are Under Attack, Muslims and the Left Need to Defend Them The Intercept

Unpredictable Britain? This is just the start FT

I was a strong Brexiteer. Now we must swallow our pride and think again Open Democracy

Old guard can’t halt the turning tide  Bangkok Post

Thailand’s Junta Targets Opposition Leader, Flexing System Rigged in Its Favor NYT

Consistency the key to Watford’s rise from relegation tips to best of the rest The Guardian

Six months on: How Jamal Khashoggi’s death changed Saudi Arabia forever Middle East Eye

ET302 crash report, the first analysis Leeham news and analysis

Thailand: After the Election Asialink – the University of Melbourne

Between Two Boeing Crashes, Days of Silence and Mistrust NYT

March 2019

After an ineptly rigged election, Thailand’s junta will cling to power Economist

In Test of Boeing Jet, Pilots Had 40 Seconds to Fix Error New York Times

The Brexit farce is about to turn to tragedy FT

Theresa May is taking a hideous Brexit gamble FT

Thailand’s March 24 vote will not matter Al Jazeera

How Thailand Became the World’s Last Military Dictatorship The Atlantic

The 10 personas of Donald Trump in a single speech Washington Post

February 2019

The week that shook Thai politics – and what comes next The Guardian

The military junta’s scheme for Thailand’s election is back on track The Economist

Home-coming: LAGOS Vice News

Thailand election: Princess Ubolratana and the party power play BBC

Case of Hakeem al-Araibi becomes a battle for the soul of sport Guardian

January 2019

Qatar ready to make history in Asian Cup … but the world is not watching Guardian

Hong Kong from the skies – in pictures Guardian

Lunar eclipse 2019: super blood wolf moon – in pictures Guardian

The Malign Incompetence of the British Ruling Class New York Times

How Thailand’s Generals Rule by Numbers and the Stars New York Times

The Saudi Government’s Global Campaign to Silence Its Critics The New Yorker

Blockchain’s Occam problem McKinsey

Airline Automation Triggers Intensified Debate Over Safety WSJ

The Global Battle over Subsidies for Money-Losing Airlines Wolf Street

New clouds gather on Thailand’s electoral horizon Asia Times