Stories from Quick Reads from July, 2013
Bogus Doctors Apply for Qatar Hospitals
Group Qatari blog Doha News reports: Some 66 percent of job applicants for nursing positions at state hospitals last year were found to have forged their educational qualifications, the Supreme Council of Health has said. Some 13 percent of people applying for jobs as doctors and 21 percent up for...
Qatari Doctor Detained in UAE for Muslim Brotherhood Ties
On Doha News, Shabina Khatri shares the story of a Qatari doctor Dr Mahmood Al Jaidah, detained in the neighbouring UAE under suspicion of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Doha News reports: According to his lawyer Abdullah Tahir, who has been tweeting about the case, Al Jaidah has also...
Bangladeshi Blogger Writes About Prison Experience
Bangladeshi Blogger and activist Asif Mohiuddin, the winner of the best social activism blog from the Deutsche Welle Best Of Blogs Awards 2012, was arrested last April on charges of “hurting religious sentiment of Muslims through writing”. He has been released under bail and is now writing about his experiences...
Three Days to Go: Telkom-Highway Africa New Media Awards 2013
Three days are remaining for submmiting entries for the 13th edition of the Highway Africa New Media Awards. Sponsored by Telkom, these are unique and prestigious awards on the continent that reward innovative use of Information Communication technologies (ICTs) in journalism that serves Africa and its citizens.
INFOGRAPHIC: Singapore Waste Statistics
According to Singapore's National Environment Agency, every person in Singapore generated 1,370 kg of waste in 2012. About 60 percent of the waste were recycled and 40 percent were disposed in incinerators and landfills
Follow the Presidential Election in Mali in Real Time
Today (July 28) is the first round of the presidential election in Mali. To keep track of the proceedings in real time, updates are available on twitter via the hashtag #Mali2013, on the twitter accounts @Malivote (and its website) and @angaelections (site) and on the news group “Info élections 2013″ on Facebook [fr].
Bhutan's First Female Minister
According to Bhutan's Buddhist traditions and values men and women are seen as equals. However, women are rarely seen in high positions. Blogger Nawang P. Phuntsho celebrates election of the country's first female minister. Aum Dorji Choden, an MP elect from Trashigang, has recently been appointed as the Minister for...
Taiwan: Flash Protests Against Land Expropriation
The dispute over land expropriation in Miaoli County has lit a fire for a series of flash protests targeting the President and the Premier for their indifference to citizens’ suffering. Several policemen from a “special district branch” were reported to check protesters’ I.D. and take away those who refused to...
South Korea: Over 25 Thousands Protested Against the Secret Agency Scandal
Mass protests against the state secret agency's electioneering scandal thundered across South Korea over the weekend. More than 25 thousand Koreans (Police estimated little below 8000 people) allegedly have attended a candlelight vigil in Seoul and dramatic photos and a video clip of the protest have been shared in major online venues.
Denouncing Abuses via Social Networks in Mexico and Brazil
Cellular phone cameras have become a powerful tool for journalists and citizens in reporting requests for bribes and other excessive uses of power. In Mexico, cellular phones and social networks have also become a popular form to broadcast abuses of power, attempts at electoral fraud, and demonstrations of citizens against the police. In Brazil images...
What Issues do Malian Voters Care about in the Presidential Election?
Bruce Whitehouse parses out five key issues for the upcoming presidential election in Mali (July 28). As for what Malians expect from the poll, Whitehouse reports: Voters are overwhelmingly concerned about the high cost of living, unemployment, corruption, law and order, and everyday quality-of-life questions, particularly water and sanitation. Preserving...
African Fabric Kimono Belt Supports Mothers in Earthquake Disaster Area
A group of Japanese mothers in Sendai city is producing special kimono belts with fairly-traded African fabrics. Yumi Nakano, who organizes the fundraising [ja] by requesting a donation in exchange for the belts, hopes to encourage more people to enjoy the traditional Japanese kimono and help support the mothers of the...
Alleged Fraud during Parliamentary Elections in Togo
Parliamentary Elections are underway in Togo today (25/07/2013). The Save Togo Association has already reported instances of alleged fraud [fr]. Togolese activist Sylvio Combey posted an image from one of the polling station on twitter: 8h l'urne vient d'être montrée vide aux votants à #Kanyikopé #TGInfo #TG2013 #Nukpola #Fb pic.twitter.com/DZU1iFTPqI —...
Women's Struggle for Clean Water in Kyrgyzstan
UnitedKyrgyzstan blog tells [ru] a story of the daily struggle for clean water faced by women and children in many parts of rural Kyrgyzstan: It is the task of women and children to queue up for drinking water and then carry home heavy tanks with water through hundreds of meters of...
Petition to Amend Vietnam Laws that Restrict Media Freedom
More than 60 Vietnamese bloggers signed a unity statement urging the Vietnam government to improve its human rights record and commitment as it vies for membership in the UN Human Rights Council: The Vietnamese government also needs to review the human rights situation in their own country and the Vietnamese...
Open Letter Calls for Lawyer's Release
More than 400 Chinese citizens signed an open letter on July 23, 2013, calling on Chinese authorities to release Xu Zhiyong, a prominent lawyer and rights campaigner who was detained on July 16 after calling for the release of activists and campaigning against government abuses. CHINA MEDIA PROJECT has translated the letter...
App Tracks Argentina's Congress Voting Records
An app called “Década votada” (A decade in votes) [es] aims to help citizens understand “Argentina’s National Congress elections and the degree of each candidate’s allegiance to their party at the moment of voting,” as Knight International fellow Mariano Blejman writes in Source. Mariano, who specializes in data-driven journalism, interviewed...
Protests for Election in Madagascar Lead to Violence, Arrest
Vola R of Ma-Laza reports that 7 were hurt [fr] following police repression of protests demanding elections in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The party leading the protest states that the current administration has no intention of organizing elections this year and is just hanging on to their position of power. The leader of...
Indian MP Crowdsources Questions for Parliament
Indian Member of Parliament (MP) Rajeev Chandrasekhar has started an initiative called ASK (Ask Seek Know) through which he welcomes questions and queries from citizens via his website, Facebook, and Twitter for discussion in the Parliament, reports Media Nama.
State of Islam in Southeast Asia
Murray Hunter of the University Malaysia Perlis discusses the situation of Muslim-majority societies in Southeast Asia as well as the issues associated with the rise of Islam in the region. Poverty, literacy, education, displacement, feudalism, unemployment, suppression, and control is dispossessing Muslims within ASEAN. Government and Ulama are trying to...
Football Player Dies During a Match in Peru
Five minutes before the end of a game between the football teams Real Garcilaso and Sporting Cristal, 18-year-old Sporting Cristal player Yair José Clavijo suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. Sporting Cristal's medical team tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him at the field of the Municipal Stadium in Urcos, in...
