Stories from 3 June 2013
Two Ugandan Newspapers Reopen After Days-Long Closure by Police
Uganda has allowed two newspapers to reopen after an 11-day standoff between the government and the media houses over a controversial letter they had obtained that referred to a plot to groom the eldest son of President Yoweri Museveni to succeed the 27-year leader.
All Hail Russia's Heroic Cop-Killers?
A group of unknown assailants is killing police officers in Rostov. Authorities have linked the same stolen weapons to the slayings of 5 officers, in attacks that resemble a wave of cop-killings from 2008 and 2009 that claimed 12 lives. The criminals’ tactics have led many to compare them to the infamous Primorsky Partisans, a self-declared "guerilla group" that terrorized the police of Russia’s Far East in early 2010.
‘Free My Internet’ Movement Rises in Singapore
Singapore’s new licensing scheme for news websites announced by the Media Development Authority was quickly denounced by many netizens as a censorship measure. A group of concerned netizens called the ‘Free My Internet’ movement has called on the public to join a rally this coming Saturday, June 8, 2013, to demand the withdrawal of the controversial regulation.
Kyrgyzstan: Rule of Law Versus Rule of the Mob?
A week-long wave of regional unrest, ostensibly due to disagreements over the fate of a key gold mine, has sent Kyrgyzstan into a state of disorder that looks all too familiar for citizens of the republic.
Bolivia's Water War Hero
“We didn’t just recuperate our water; we broke an economic model that not only expropriated resources but also our spirit. We broke with authoritarianism. We forced them to understand that we make our own decisions.” Oscar Olivera helped organize a resistance movement that stopped the privatization of water in Cochabamba,...
Report Reveals South Korea's Elite Stash Billions in Tax Havens
A group of independent journalists have revealed that a number of high-profile figures in South Korea, including the ex-president's son and major corporate moguls, are allegedly evading taxes through a paper-company scheme in offshore tax havens.
Artists Dodge Censorship in Myanmar
Artist and former political detainee Htein Lin talks to Art Radar Asia and discusses Myanmar's current art scene and politics: For visual art exhibitions, there are still some censors. Some artists [have stopped] inviting the censors from the Information Ministry, so now there are some art exhibitions without censorship but...
What are Citizens’ Main Concerns in Benin ?
Tite Yokossi unpacks a poll by the Zinsou Foundation that asked the citizens of Benin what are their main concerns today [fr]. The first concern listed was the low purchasing power of public servants. The other main concerns are access to education, access to clean water, health care and electricity,...
Saudi Youth Arrested for Allegedly “Insulting Religion”
Two young Saudi men were arrested in Riyadh by the Committee of the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) for allegedly insulting religion. One of them, Bader Al-Rasheed, shares his ordeal in a series of tweets.
