Stories about South Asia from April, 2012
India: When Tradition Is Injurious To Health
Ram Bansal elaborates what Indian traditions are damaging to human health.
Bangladesh: Theory of Dynasty Politics
Mukti provides a rudimentary theory of dynastic politics in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: Welcoming Pahela Baisakh
Tomorrow is Pahela Baisakh (first day of summer, Bengali news year), the favorite festival of the Bengalis. Every year Bengalis celebrate their new year with galore. Wherever there are Bengalis in the world, they celebrate this day with different events.
Pakistan: Incessant Violence in Karachi
The bloodshed in Karachi, which has killed more than 300 people in the last three months, hasn't come to a halt. The common people of the city are extremely dejected by the present conditions of the city. The million dollar question is, ‘why does violence always returns in Karachi?'
Nepal: Documentary Focuses on the Children of the Conflict
The documentary “Ujyalotira” (Towards the Light) is made by the Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal (NCBL) and the Women Development Society (WODES) and aims to raise awareness on the impact the conflict in the region is having on the children.
India: Gearing Up for Better E-Waste Management
E-waste dumping and hazardous recycling by the non-formal sector has become a major challenge in India, where e-waste output has multiplied eight fold in the last seven years. A new legislation coming into effect from May 2012 hopes to streamline e-waste management in the country.
India: Illegal Asphalt Plant's Pollution Causes Cancer in Villagers
A video report by Video Volunteers' India Unheard project exposes the plight of a community in Rajasthan, is where the people and farms are being affected by the pollution caused by several illegal asphalt factories. Juliana Rincón Parra reports.
Pakistan: Stop Dumping On Us
Pakistan has become a dumping ground of plastic and medical wastes in the past decades. The people of the country had been exposed too long to harmful diseases due to lack of vigilance. Faisal Kapadia shares netizens' reactions.
One Day on Earth: Worldwide Collaborative Music Video Released
A new music video has been released in preparation for the worldwide screening of the Global Collaborative film One Day on Earth, which will take place in locations all around the planet on Earth Day (22 April, 2012). The video features musicians, poets and dancers captured on film all during the same 24 hour period in 10 October, 2012, artfully recut and remixed by Cut Chemist.
Bangladesh: Eviction of Slum in Dhaka Creates Humanitarian Catastrophe
On Wednesday the dwellers of Karail slum in Dhaka were evicted by the authorities to free occupied land. The slum dwellers protested by forming a human chain and blocking important roads of the capital creating a chaos in traffic. These homeless people remained under the open sky during heavy downpour on the next day.
Sri Lanka: The White Van Adbuctions Continue
Groundviews reports that twenty nine disappearance have been reported in Sri Lankan media between February and March 2012, and so far little has done to find/rescue those people and end these alleged abductions.
Pakistan: Media Silence On The Death of Ahmadiyya Activist
Rashid Zafar at Pak Tea House questions the silence of Pakistani media over the recent death of Master Abdul Qudoos Ahmad, an well known member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, while he was in police custody.
Pakistan: Immediate Reactions on the Death of Sindhi Nationalist Leader
On 23rd of March, Karachi (Sindh) hosted a massive rally for the independence of Sindh from the Pakistani state which was organized by the Long-Live Sindh National Front (JSQM) under the leadership of Bashir Khan Qureshi. Pakistani netizens express their reactions on the sudden and untimely death of Bashir Khan Qureshi at Sakrand, a small town in Sindh in the early hours of Saturday.
Video: Firefox Flicks Video Contest
The Firefox Flicks worldwide contest will give awards for short films teaching web browser consumers about online issues such as privacy, choice, interoperability and opportunity, and how the non-profit Firefox brand helps people to face these issues.
India: The ‘Coup’ That Never Was
On 4 April, an article in 'the Indian Express' reported about an attempted coup mentioning that two key Indian Army units had moved towards Delhi without notifying the government on the night of January 16-17. Everybody from the government to the common people have dismissed the Indian Express front-page story.
Videos: Female Gendercide and Infanticide in India and China
Between India and China, 200 million girls have gone "missing" as parents abort female fetuses or kill and abandon baby girls. Several documentaries and reports cover this phenomenon, trying to explain the causes for this deadly gender discrimination and figure out what can be done about it.
Pakistan: What Are You Smoking?
Shisha smoking has bacome a craze among youngsters in Pakistan in recent years. Hina Safdar reports that a ban on Shisha smoking/selling is in effect in the Sindh province and violating the law can lead to 6 months of imprisonment.
Video Highlights: Culture, Human Rights, Online Activism and Crowdfunding
A selection of Global Voices' most recent and interesting stories on video advocacy including a focus on indigenous rights and online activism, selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.