Stories from 7 September 2012
Bangladesh: Vikrampur -The City Underneath
Bangladesh Unlocked exposes another of the country's ancient secrets – the ruins of 6th and 7th century CE beneath the grounds of Vikrampur city (present day Munshiganj).
India: Standing Neck Deep in Water to Protest
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
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
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...
Egypt: Security Forces Destroy Alexandria's Historic Book Market
Egyptians woke up this morning to the news of the destruction of bookshops on pavements along Prophet Danial's street in Alexandria by the Ministry of Interior. The raid, at dawn, left netizens angry with the Muslim Brotherhood, which they claim is waging a war on culture.
Syria: The Flag Debacle
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
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.
Venezuela: Is a Natural Disaster Looming Over Mata Redonda?
Neighbors of the Mata Redonda community, in the Venezuelan city of Maracay, are using citizen media to denounce a possible natural disaster if the contention wall that separates the zone from Lake Valencia were to collapse.
Young People, Technology and the Welsh Language
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
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.
India: Is Online Censorship Always a Violation of Free Speech?
The Indian government's move to block bulk SMS, MMS, webpages and social media to contain rumors from spreading in the wake of ethnic clashes in Assam has set off a debate on the pros and cons of censorship in the Indian blogosphere.
Hong Kong: Why Is “National Education” Scary?
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?
[…] 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...
Yemenis Organize Marches to ‘Reclaim’ Country's Wealth from Regime
Over the past two months, Yemen's revolutionary youth and activists have been organizing marches demanding an end to all corrupt deals deals made during President Ali Abdullah Saleh's reign.
Biking from Tunisia to China for Wetland Conservation
Tunisian Arafet Ben Marzou, 31, fulfilled a childhood dream when he gave up his university job and cycled from Tunisia to China, to draw attention to the conservation of wetlands along the way. Afef Abrougui checks out the highlights of the trip he shared on Facebook.
Nepal: Hydro-power Sector Marred by Politics
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
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.
China, U.S: GM Rice Experiment
Stan from China Hearsay blogs about the controversy over the American scientists’ GM food experiment in China.
IndieChina, a Website for Indie Music in China
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.
