Stories about Humanitarian Response from April, 2008
China: Sex and Livelihood
Li Yin-he blogs her speech at the Time out meeting about sex as part of people's livelihood [zh].
Japan: Candle Night for Tibetan
Martin J Frid wrote an account for a candle night event in a Buddhist temple for showing their concern and support for Tibetan.
Southeast Asia: Rising price of rice
Rice is the staple food in Southeast Asia and in many parts of the world. Many people in Southeast Asia are worried over reports that rice is getting more expensive and supplies are dwindling. Bloggers discuss the impact of the rice crisis in the region.
Myanmar: 54 dead after suffocating in a lorry
Watch a You Tube video which reports the death of 54 Myanmar migrants who suffocated in a lorry while being smuggled in southern Thailand.
Afghanistan: Kochi Nomads Are Headache for Locals
Hadi1121 tells about Kochi — millions of nomads spread across South Western Pakistan, Eastern Iran, and Afghanistan — who come to Central Afghanistan every spring and arbitrarily make their homes on backyards used and owned by other people.
India: Ties with Africa
Sepia Mutiny on the growing ties between India and Africa, and the first-ever India-Africa summit in New Delhi.
Bangladesh: Hidden Hunger
Unheard Voices Blog quotes UNDP which hit the panic button for Bangladesh last month: Skyrocketing oil prices have driven up the cost of food worldwide, but their impact has been particularly dire in Bangladesh, where almost half of the 145 million people live on less than one dollar a day....
Egypt: Bloggers on the Frontline
Egyptian bloggers worked round the clock telling the world about a workers' revolt that shook their country, as thousands rioted at a textile mill in Al Mahalla, demanding better pay and protesting against increasing prices. They were also among the first casualties of the unrest, which left two people killed, scores injured and an undetermined number of activists, organisers and mere spectators behind bars. Their coverage came in the form of blog posts, YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, Flickr shots, Facebook messages and all other online tools they could get their hands on.
Colombia: The French Role in Attempts of Betancourt Release
Masares of equinoXio writes, “Íngrid's (Betancourt) release is not on the FARC's agenda,” and analyzes the French's role in the efforts to get her medical treatment and her eventual release.
Egypt: A Wake Up Strike
Around 500 people were arrested in Egypt Sunday as police quashed a general strike, in protest against the increasing cost of living and calling for better wages. And just as word about the strike was spread via massive text-messaging, email, and popular social networking platform Facebook, bloggers and online activists kept the world abreast with arrests and developments on the ground minute by minute throughout the day. Eman AbdElRahman brings us the story.
Egypt Gears Up for a General Strike Sunday
An online campaign calling for a general strike across Egypt on Sunday has been gaining momentum, will thousands promising to stop work for the day in protest against low salaries and increasing prices. This prompted the government to issue a stern warning against those planning to take part in the event. Arrests have been reported in Cairo, with one blogger already detained Saturday, for his alleged role in calling for the strike.
Iraq: Women's Rights Slipping
Hayder Kamal, at Alive in Baghdad, interviews an activist for women’s rights who discusses her work improving women’s knowledge of their rights.
Poland: Taxes and Charity
Polandian writes about the Polish taxation system: “There is only one thing that makes the whole system bearable. You can donate 1% of what you pay to a charity. This year we’re sending our 1% to the Fundacja Spełnionych Marzeń.”
“Uplifting” the women of Fiji
Blogger Babasiga reports about a project that collects bras for the women in rural areas of Fiji.
Australian blogger now a celebrity in the Philippines
The blog of Australian Brian Gorrell is among the most popular blogs in the Philippines today. Even mainstream media is interested in Gorrell’s blog.
Uzbekistan: Blogging fosters freedom of speech
Recently, the U.S. State Department has ranked Uzbekistan among “top ten” of the most authoritarian countries in the world. During almost two decades of his reign, president I. Karimov and his clan have taken control of all spheres of life in the country – political, economic and social. Civil society,...
Afghanistan: Troops from United Arab Emirates
Josh Foust says that it seems troops from the United Arab Emirates are doing some full-scale combat missions in Afghanistan in order to “make friendly contacts with the population”. He reminds that UAE was one of the only countries to have recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
