Stories from 30 May 2012
Kazakhstan: Where Central Asia's Bread Comes From
On Vox Populi, photographer Kanat Beysekeev presents an annotated photo report [ru] on wheat sowing and the everyday life of farmers in northern Kazakhstan. Much of the wheat flour consumed in Central Asia comes from this area.
Tajikistan: Hospitals as “Machines for Sucking Money” out of Patients
Blog Avestiyca writes [ru] about health care facilities in Tajikistan, portraying the country's ill-planned and graft-ridden hospitals as “machines for sucking money” out of patients.
Bhutan: Learning About A Stone Bath
Sabrina from USA continues her adventure in Bhutan and learns about a stone bath.
Sri Lanka: Cast As A Mother
One year ago – 13 Sri Lankan women of the Stage were invited to look at their experiences of motherhood, through the lens of theatre and write about them. At the Passing Stage blog you can follow their progress.
Iran: LGBT, an online reality?
“LGBT Republic of Iran: An Online reality?” a new study published by “Small Media”,a London based non profit organization, shows how Iranian's LGBT communities use internet in their daily lives.
Brazil: Questions Surrounding Rio's ‘Pacifying Police’ Units
The state government of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, has adopted a security policy based on the installation of Pacifying Police Units who tackle crime in favelas (shanty towns) but also promote social policies. But there are questions about the motivations behind this strategy and whether the voices of residents are being heard.
Lesotho: Peaceful Elections You Did Not Hear About
Lesotho, a tiny landlocked country in Southern Africa, held peaceful parliamentary elections on Sunday, but the polls drew very little mainstream media attention.
Greece: Citizens Protest Against Major TV Station
Greek netizens via Twitter and other social media organized a protest on May 17 before the MEGA TV station in Athens, under hashtag #oloimega (All to Mega). The station has been accused of allegedly displaying government driven propaganda. Stathis Kalligeris released a photo collection on Demotix, while Peru21.pe offers [es] a...
Bangladesh: Shawpno Rath – A School For Slum Children
A group of young people have started a school 'Shawpno Rath' (Chariot of Dreams) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with the aim of providing schooling to disadvantaged children.
Ethiopia: EPRDF’s Anniversary: What is There to Celebrate?
The Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) celebrated its 21st anniversary on 28 May. Some Ethiopians consider the day a ‘National Day’ while others see it as a day when one oppressive regime replaced another one. Netizens have taken to blogs and Facebook to reflect on EPRDF anniversary.
Iran: Top figure hails Facebook
Iranian former president and now head of The Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who is close to reformists says: ‘Today we see that a simple free page on Facebook is effective more than a set of TV and radio stations… And this is good for the world even if some...
