7 September 2012

Stories from 7 September 2012

India: Standing Neck Deep in Water to Protest

  7 September 2012

Fifty one residents of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have launched a ‘Jal Satyagraha' protest by standing neck deep inside the backwaters of Omkareshwar dam on Narmada river. The protest is against the government decision to raise the water level of the dam pending rehabilitation.

Libya: Salafists Wage War on Sufi Shrines

  7 September 2012

Libya's Sufi religious sites and heritage are under attack - by the Salafists. The ultra-conservative Islamists have attacked major Sufi shrines and libraries in the north-western town of Zliten, the city of Misrata, and the capital, Tripoli. The attacks, denounced by UNESCO, sparked the anger of Libyans.

Egypt: The Tweeting President

  7 September 2012

Egyptian president Muhammad Morsi has started officially tweeting from his existing account tonight. The account, which has 162k followers, was also verified by Twitter today. His first tweet reads: Want to dedicate 1st tweet to martyrs of #jan25 revolution and brave #syrians… Muhammed #Morsi It seems that Morsi would be...

Syria: The Flag Debacle

  7 September 2012

Syrian revolutionaries have chosen the country's independence flag as their symbol after months of conflict in the country. Some people are arguing that it is the Independence flag, and others saying it's a flag of Syria under colonialism. The debate continues as each side clings to its opinion.

Bolivia: Former Minister Demands Investigation of Indigenous Repression

  7 September 2012

Bolivia's former Minister of Defense, María Cecilia Chacón, wrote a Facebook note breaking the silence after almost one year of her resignation. The note criticizes the appointment of former Minister of Interior, Sacha Llorenti, as ambassador to the United Nations, while the repression of indigenous TIPNIS remains unenlightened.

Young People, Technology and the Welsh Language

  7 September 2012

An increase in the percentage of young people able to speak Welsh has coincided with some profound technological transformations. While the presence of the Welsh language in these technologies will not by itself save the language, an absence of the language will surely damage it in the eyes of young people.

Self-censorship in Hong Kong

  7 September 2012

Zhongnanhai takes notes from the Asian American Journalists Association roundtable on self-censorship situation in Hong Kong. One of the issue is about the “mainlandization” of Hong Kong media ecology as presented by Claudia Mo, a former journalist and a candidate running for the coming Legislative Council Election.

Hong Kong: Why Is “National Education” Scary?

  7 September 2012

China Media Project translated a commentary by Chow Po Chung, a professor in the Department of Government and Public Administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong reflecting on his 16 years of experience of “national education” in China's public school.

Colombia: Is the Vice Presidency Still Necessary?

  7 September 2012

[…] in the case of Colombia, the decision to annul the vice presidency should not be based on personal contention. The vice president’s future must be determined based on whether the position places a heavy fiscal burden on taxpayers and its real impact in the decision-making process. Global Voices contributor...

Nepal: Hydro-power Sector Marred by Politics

  7 September 2012

Nepal is experiencing a huge power (electricity) deficit and despite this fact no additional power stations were commissioned in recent times to meet the growing demand. Hydroelectricity has a great potential in the country but the sector needs foreign investment and government support. Democracy for Nepal blog rounds up the latest...

Chinese Mitten Crabs Invade German Waters

  7 September 2012

An interesting post from China Hush on the problems caused by Chinese mitten crabs in German rivers. To tackle the problem, German fishermen are selling the crabs to Chinese restaurants.

IndieChina, a Website for Indie Music in China

  7 September 2012

Ruby from Beijingdaze interviewed the webmaster of IndieChina [zh], an online platform started in 2004 for introducing western indie music to China and helping Chinese indie music band to promote their works.