Stories from 28 July 2012
London: Triumph Beyond Medals for Bangladeshis
Five Bangladeshi athletes are in London to participate in the 2012 Olympics. Bangladeshis are not optimistic that their athletes will come back with medals. However, this is not the end of the Olympic dream for Bangladesh. Their main triumph is not on the field, but off the field.
Africa: Contemporary African Artistry Online
Usanii Afrika is a blog that showcases contemporary African artistry: “Usanii Afrika (meaning Artistry Africa in Swahili) is a blog born out of passion. Innately creative herself, blogger, Kirsty Macdonald has had a life long love affair with the arts and self expression.”
Africa: Speaking My Language
Read Ngugi wa Thiong’o's address at the 2012 Sunday Times Literary Awards in South Africa: “One of the basic, most fundamental means of individual and communal self realization is language. That’s why the right to language is a human right, like all the other rights, enshrined in the constitution. It’s...
Reasons to Boycott the Olympics?
With any major event, there are both celebrating and dissenting voices. The Olympics is no exception, and there are bloggers from across the world making their voices heard on why they will be boycotting London 2012.
Russia: Senator Wants Criminal Case Against Satirical Blogger
Novgorod Senator Dmitri Krivitskii has accused [ru] local blogger Vadim Beriashvili of violating the Russian criminal code's infamous Article 282 [en], alleging that he incited hatred against “a social group” when he wrote [ru] facetiously in April 2012 about Senator Krivitskii's suspiciously low income declaration. After local investigators questioned Beriashvili, he responded by filing...
Tajikistan: Telecoms Blackout Amidst Provincial Clashes
Amidst deadly clashes in the eastern Tajik province of Gorno-Badakhshan, the authorities have cut Internet, mobile, and landline connection to the region. Online people are sharing information via social media and trying to draw international attention to the situation on the ground.
East Asia: Flourishing Illegal Trade in ‘Captive Bred’ Exotic Birds
According to a July 2012 report from the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC), many endangered birds that are sold as captive bred have actually been caught in the wild and smuggled out of their original habitats under cruel conditions. An ID registration scheme for captive bred parrots introduced in Taiwan enables clear identification of legally saleable birds to try and combat this problem.
Russia: Paving Political Potholes
Say the word "roads" to most Russians, and you are likely to end up with a half-hour discussion. Throughout history, Russia has been infamous for its bad road quality. However, now the city of Yekaterinburg seems to have come up with a solution to the problem, by making bureaucrats get down to work.
