Stories from 4 August 2012
Sri Lanka: The Need for a National Water Resources Policy
Ranil Senanayake at Groundviews exerts that the water rich Sri Lanka urgently needs a National Water Resources Policy to preserve the quantity and quality of the water resources.
Guatemala Celebrates Erick Barrondo's Silver in Race Walk
Guatemalans are celebrating Erick Barrondo's silver medal at the Men's 20km Race Walk. As the news broke, social media users clapped and celebrated Barrondo's well-deserved victory. Barrondo comes from one of the poorest areas of the country which has been particularly affected by the war on drugs.
Russia: Political Ambitions for Most Influential Blogger?
Earlier this week, members of Aleksei Navalny's inner circle announced that they are forming a new political party called "People's Alliance." Navalny is expected to abstain from the party, but he is likely to take part in upcoming protest elections meant to institute aspects of "cloud democracy."
Brunei's First Female Olympian
Delwin Keasberry of Projek Brunei was able to interview Ms Maziah Mahusin, Brunei's first female olympian in the 2012 London Olympics.
Singapore: ‘Transient Workers Count Too’ Website
The ‘Transient Workers Count Too’ website provides research and direct assistance to low-wage migrant workers in Singapore. Their recent initiative was to raise funds for two Chinese workers who were killed in an accident.
Europe: Dutch Designer Tells Visual Stories on the Crisis
Portuguese journalist Ana Maria Henriques interviews [pt] Noortje van Eekelen (@spectragedy) the Dutch designer who created The Spectacle of the Tragedy, a blog that “tells a visual story about the politicians that navigate the Euro crisis.”
Singapore: Crowd-sourced Lesson Plans for Educators
SchoolAsia.org is a newly established website featuring crowd-sourced lesson plans, opinion pieces and events for educators in Asia
Africa: Africa Tumblrs to Follow
Here are Apostrophekola's top African photo tumblrs: “…I think you should be following if you have any interest in Africa. With these tumblrs, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words”
Africa: Post-feminism in Africa?
Simi Dosekun intends to blog about the concept of post-feminism in Africa: “My posts will cover my research interests: African feminism, how as African women we think of ourselves, media and popular culture, the dubious concept of post-feminism which I think is, ironically enough, infiltrating popular discourse in Africa.”
Zambia: Catholic Priest Deported for ‘Poverty’ Sermon
A Catholic priest from a parish in the rural Eastern Province of Zambia has been deported for a Sunday sermon in which he allegedly preached that the rich in the country were getting richer while the poor were getting poorer.
Russia: Pussy Riot & Russian Courts in Perspective
On August 2, four days into the Pussy Riot trial, another hearing began in Yekaterinburg, the regional center of the Urals. Unlike its more famous counterpart, this trial has failed to garner major attention both online and in the media, though it is in certain ways just as indicative of dysfunctional Russian approaches to law and order.
China: Illegal Ivory Trade Ban Gains Online Support
Support for a ban on the global illegal ivory trade has recently gained support from Chinese netizens. From 2000 to 2011, whilst East Africa was the centre of illegal ivory trafficking, China and Thailand were the major destinations for ivory products.
Mauritania: $10 Million Aid Grant Comes Too Late
The World Bank has approved a US$10 million grant to help the Government of Mauritania provide emergency food and agricultural supplies to rural communities in the face of the country's ongoing drought. The funds are intended to provide fertilizers to rice farmers; veterinary products and livestock vaccines to herders; cereal...
