19 May 2013

Stories from 19 May 2013

“Who Wants to be Prestigious?”

  19 May 2013

On the blog section [es] of Chilean newspaper El Mercurio [es], columnist Leila Guerriero analyzes the meaning of prestige [es] and notes: Rock musicians have been smart: ‘rock star’ is one of the few jobs (we'd had to add non-Saxon public servants) where a loss of prestige means an increase...

Peru: Strike in Iquitos in Protest of Corruption

  19 May 2013

A 24 hour strike in the city of Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, attempted to call attention to suspected acts of corruption within the Regional Government of Loreto and the apparent involvement with which the Judicial Power is taking these cases.

Does Kyrgyzstan need Russia's Customs Union?

  19 May 2013

Discussions surrounding potential membership of the Customs Union that currently comprises Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan are not new to Kyrgyzstan's public. Having come into effect in July of 2011 the union aims to bring member states into a common economic zone, establishing a tariff-free platform for regional trade.

No Women In Pubs In Andhra After 10 PM

  19 May 2013

Does the absence of women in public spaces makes these spaces safer for women? The above comment is made by the blogger at The Life and Times of an Indian Homemaker, who is outraged by the decision of the government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, to ban women...

Moscow Soccer Fans Clash with Police

Following Saturday's scoreless soccer game that catapulted Moscow's CSKA club to its fourth Russian Premier League title, the team's fans clashed with riot troops in downtown Moscow. Police detained 140 people [ru], later releasing all but two. Bloggers posted photos to LiveJournal here, here, and here [ru], alleging police brutality.

Indonesia: Petition to Save the Forest of Aceh

  19 May 2013

Rudi Putra initiated an online petition asking the Indonesian government to block the expansion of mining and palm oil activities in Aceh and to protect the country's remaining rainforest. More than one million people around the world have already signed the petition: I live and work in the last place...

TEDxSão Tomé: More speakers confirmed

  19 May 2013

Another two speakers [pt] have been confirmed for the event TEDxSão Tomé, in the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, in 20 June. Mark Richard Shuttleworth [en], a South African founder of the company Canonical Ltd, which develops free software like Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Xubuntu and Lubuntu and Guilherme Alves...

Why Is China's Post-80’s Generation Dispirited?

  19 May 2013

China's state-run People’s Daily ran a piece titled “The Post-80′s Generation is Dispirited: Early Decline Cause for Alarm[zh],” arguing that China’s youth born after 1980 face “spiritual confusion and a loss of identity” despite better material living conditions. In response, social media celebrity and social critic “Zuoyeben“[zh] wrote an essay on the real cause...