Stories about South Asia from July, 2012
South Asia: First Pakistan-India Social Media Summit Wraps
The first ever Pakistan-India social media summit took place in Karachi during 13-14 June, 2012. This social media summit managed to include not just people from India but also a sizable contingent from Lahore, as well as Karachi. Faisal Kapadia reports.
Sri Lanka: News Websites Targeted And Journalists Threatened
Recently the Sri Lankan authorities raided offices of two news websites on allegation of criminal defamation and arrested nine journalists. In another incident the defense secretary threatened an editor of a local newspaper during an interview. Sri Lankan journalists and activists staged a demonstration protesting their repression.
India: Video of Sexual Assault Goes Viral, Media Ethics Questioned
Instead of helping an Indian girl being assaulted by 20 men outside a pub in Guwahati, the cameraman from a local Television channel shot a 30-minute video of the incident. The video has gone viral, with many raising media ethics questions and wondering whether India is becoming a nation of bystanders.
Hong Kong: Foreign Domestic Workers Protest Mandatory Live-in Policy
A popular singer's outrageous treatment of her maid, who is forced to sleep in a customized bed on top of a toilet bowl, sparked protests outside the immigration office against Hong Kong's mandatory live-in policy which makes foreign domestic workers vulnerable to ill-treatment.
Video: Worldwide One-Minute Environmental Film Contest Accepting Submissions
The 3rd Edition of the Tve Biomovies 1 minute environmental film competition has begun. Anyone above the age of 9 with a camera and an idea for a 1 minute video on environmental topics can participate to win a $300 award to produce their video and then compete to win a grand prize of $1500 and participation in the UN COP 18 Conference in November.
South Asia: First Pakistan-India Social Media Summit
A social media summit between Indian and Pakistani netizens titled the “Social Media Mela 2012″ will take place on the 13th and 14th of July 2012. The seats are limited and excitements are plenty among the netizens, reports Faisal Kapadia.
USA: Macedonian Blogger Climbs Denali in Alaska
Mountaineer and artist Ilina Arsova blogged [en, mk] about her climbing the Alaskan Denali (aka Mount McKinley), the highest peak in North America. She previously covered her expeditions to Kilimanjaro in Kenya & Tanzania, and to Ama Dablam in Nepal.
Pakistan: Angry Mob Lynches Alleged Blasphemer
In a shockingly outrageous incident in Bahawalpur, an angry mob attacked an alleged blasphemer and burnt him alive.
India: Multiculturism and Intolerance
Purba Ray asks whether multiculturalism breeds intolerance.
Pakistan: Women's Rights Activist Killed
Fareeda Kokikhel Afridi, a prominent and tireless rights activist has been shot dead. She was the head of an NGO working for women's empowerment in the conflict-ridden tribal areas of Pakistan.
India, Pakistan: Working Towards Thawing the Siachen Conflict?
On April 7, 2012, a deadly avalanche hit a Pakistani military camp in the Gayatri Sector, 30km west of the Siachen glacier, killing over 130 people, most of them military personnel. The scale of the tragedy once again brought into focus a long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan over Siachen, often referred to as "the world's highest battlefield".
India: A Troubled Airline And Its Staffs
“Air India's pilots, engineers, cabin crew, ground staff etc. have not been paid salaries for several months,” reports the Voice of an Indian Citizen while discussing how to solve this problem.
Sri Lanka: Justice To Tamils
Hemantha Warnakulasuriya writes about the systemic denial of Justice to Tamils in the Sri Lankan judicial sphere.