Stories from 5 April 2013
Protests Against Arrest of Bloggers Charged with Blasphemy in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Police have detained four bloggers for their posts which allegedly "hurt religious feelings" and the hunt is on for seven more bloggers. Many popular Bangladeshi blogging platforms and blogs...
North Korea Nuclear Threats Draw Arab Laughs
North Korea's threats to attack US military bases, including those on the American mainland, drew laughs from a number of Arab netizens.
Anonymous Hacks North Korean Sites, Reveals South Korean Users
Hacktivist collective Anonymous hacked into North Korea's official Twitter and Flickr account revealing registered users of the country's official website. The news was initially welcomed in South Korea, but opinion...
Twitter Turns Mexicans Into ‘War Correspondents’
An American study finds that Mexican Twitter users have become the reliable source of information about topics related to the country's drug violence, taking on the role of traditional media...
Judge Orders Arrest of Indecently Dressed Women in Zambia
A female high court judge in Zambia has directed police to start arresting indecently dressed women. The order is allegedly an attempt to curb the problem, but some Zambians have...
Ethiopia's Ex-First Lady Claims Late PM Meles Zenawi Was ‘Poor’
The widow of late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Aseb Mesfin, shocked her fellow citizens recently after claiming that her late husband lived on a meager monthly income of 220...
Campaign Tackles Migrant Worker Exploitation in Lebanon
Seven NGOs in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs have recently launched the “Fi Chi Ghalat” (Something is Wrong) campaign, denouncing Lebanon's controversial Kafala (sponsorship) System through which all...
Peru: Motorcycle Taxis Light Up Runway to Transport Sick Patients
Some 300 motorcycle taxi drivers from the city of Contamana lit up the local aerodrome's runway, making it possible for a light aircraft flying three patients to take off. This...
Opening the Black Box of Governance: Alleviating Poverty With Data
Opening the data produced by public administrations is part of an effective approach to poverty alleviation. Despite the huge potential for the public good, this data is rarely released and...
28,000 Rivers Disappear from Chinese Map
Some 28,000 rivers in China have seemingly disappeared, according to a recent government water census. A prominent environmentalist attributes the disappearing rivers to the over-exploitation of river resources and the...
Madrid President Advocates Censorship of Embarrassing Photos
Madrid regional president Ignacio González voiced his support during a radio interview for establishing "certain limits" on the publication of compromising images in the media, saying that "you have to...
