Stories from 26 June 2012
Africa: Celebrating Humanity through Photos and Videos
An article highlighting 21 pictures that will restore your humanity recently went viral. Unfortunately, Africans and Africa were absent from all of them. Yet, there is no shortage of great testimonies of human spirit from the African continent. Here are a few photos and videos that show, 'Africa's got Heart' too.
Myanmar: Rohingya Boat Refugees Left Floating by Bangladesh Government
The Rohingyas of Myanmar are fleeing from their homes on boats because of local ethnic rioting in Rakhine province and are seeking refuge in neighboring Bangladesh. But the government of Bangladesh is not letting them in, leaving them floating on the sea with their lives in peril.
China: Local Residents Clash with Police in Shaxi, Guangdong
Police from Shaxi, a city in China Guangdong Province, confirmed on their official Weibo account a barrage of police officers during a public protest. The protest was sparked on Monday, by the beating of a local elementary school students by a teenager from Chongqing. The local officers came to tie...
Bolivia: Tensions Rise as Police Mutiny Continues
A police mutiny is into its sixth day in Bolivia as low-ranked policemen are demanding levelling up their wages to the same amount military officers currently earn. Violent demonstrations occurred in the country's main cities, even reaching the square right in front of the Presidential Palace. As negotiations are still underway, Bolivia's cities remain without guard or police assistance for the sixth day.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Real Political Losers
Bloggers continue their discussion about the government's recent Cabinet reshuffle, suggesting that the real losers in the equation are the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Morocco: Theater Group Adapts The Vagina Monologues
The association Théâtre Aquarium has begun the representation of the Moroccan adaptation of the play The Vagina Monologues called Le Spectacle Dialy [fr] in Rabat. Ali Amar opines that the Moroccan version of the play is a breath of fresh air in the current era of religious conservatism.
Comoros: Women Barred from Public Beach for Religious Reasons
Women are no longer welcome at the beach of Itsandra-Mdjini [fr] reports Mlimadji in Comores-Actualités. He explains that city officials decided to ban women from the beach at the request of religious leaders. The beach is managed by the cultural association Twamaya and has historically been open to everyone without consideration of...
Singapore: Online Portal Found Posting False Information
Singapore Press Holding's citizen journalism portal STOMP has found itself in an embarrassing position after it was discovered that a content producer had posed as an anonymous member of the public to submit false news to the site. Here are netizen reactions
China: Shanghai Metro Blames Sexual Harassment on Women's Immodest Clothing
Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu reported a debate in reaction to Shanghai Metro's microblog post, which blames sexual harassment on women's immodest dressing. While some women have stood up to protest against the sexual discrimination, the popular sentiment online has sided with the Metro company.
El Salvador: Citizens of Mejicanos Protest Construction of Walmart Store
Voices from El Salvador reports: “This past Thursday civil society organizations, international solidarity groups, students, and community associations came together to protest the construction of a mega Walmart store in Mejicanos, a municipality in northern San Salvador.” In a stament, organizers say that communities must be consulted about these projects.
China: Reporter Resigns for Dirty Joke About Female Astronaut
Female astronaut Liu Yang has come to represent the recent launch of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, a space mission for the manifestation of China's national glory. Prior to this, a decision by Southern People Weekly reporter Cao Linhua to crack dirty jokes about Liu and her fellow astronauts using China's largest social media platform, Weibo Sina, has resulted in his resignation.
Hong Kong: Maid's Toilet and Bedroom
Local newspaper exposed that a popular children songs singer Purple Lee has put her migrant domestic maid to live in a room where there is a bed and a toilet bowl. Dictionary of politically incorrect Hong Kong Cantonese has translated netizens’ reaction to the news.
Russia: The War Over World War II
Last Friday, NTV broadcast a controversial film titled, "I Serve the Soviet Union," a film about political prisoners fighting the Nazis only to be murdered by Soviet secret police. The screening lead to a scandal that involved patriotic bloggers, the Minister of Culture, and others. Kevin Rothrock reports.
China: Victim of Late Term Abortion Labelled as Traitor
The father of the aborted seven-month-old fetus, Deng Jiyuan, upon interviewed with a German reporter was labelled as traitor of the country and the local government mobilized residents to protest outside his house. David Wertime from Tea Leaf Nation has the full story.
North Korea: Drawings Of Concentration Camps
Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream highlighted some drawings by survivors of North Korean concentration and work camps from a Korean forum.
Mali: 100 Sharia Lashes for Unwed Parents in the North
The grip of Islamist group Ansar Dine on northern Mali and their imposition of Sharia has recently been tragically demonstrated in Timbuktu. A couple who had a child out of wedlock, publicly received 100 lashes each and were forced to marry.
Kyrgyzstan: Incident in Batken Highlights Cross-border Ethnic Tensions
Passions flew high in the southwestern Kyrgyz city of Batken last week after local residents took a group of Tajik citizens hostage in an attempt to force the release of three locals detained in Tajikistan on smuggling charges. As Matthew Kupfer writes on Registan.net, “such events certainly aren’t helping interethnic relations within...
Afghanistan: More Girls Poisoned for Attending School
Following our recent report on a string of attacks targeting female students at schools in Afghanistan, there have been three new attacks over the last three days in the country's north. About 300 girls have been poisoned. Commenting on the latest attack, Brazilian journalist Maria Stella Soares writes on Twitter: “Ignorance...
Sri Lanka: Sustainable Agriculture – Not In Practice
Perceptions argues that there are so many words written about sustainable agriculture and “very little of that comes directly from someone who earns 100% of his income from existing agriculture, sustainable or not”.
Bhutan: Wangdue Dzong Fire Images
Passu Diary witnessed the recent devastating fire at the Wangdue Dzong which stood for nearly 400 years and posts some pictures.
