Stories from 13 June 2013
Peru: Four Years Since the Indigenous Protests in Bagua
June 5, 2013, marked the passage of four years since the events in Bagua, the protests of indigenous communities in the Amazon against legislative rulings detrimental to their interests. In this post we summarize the current situation and some opinions about it, along with the ways in which these four years were commemorated.
Iran's Presidential Candidates Armed With Social Media
Iranian presidential candidates are competing with each other in use of social media like Facebook and Twitter even though these sites are filtered and generally inaccessible to internet users.
President Mugabe Unilaterally Declares Zimbabwe Poll Date
Ignoring protests from his coalition partners and Zimbabwean citizens, President Robert Mugabe has unilaterally declared 31 July, 2013 as the date the country will hold elections.
Iranians in Canada Cast Symbolic Votes Days Before Election
Iranians in Canada cannot vote in Iran's presidential election this week, but thanks to an initiative by a group of Iranian expatriates they were at least able to cast a symbolic ballot.
Could Fawzia Koofi be Afghanistan's First Female President?
The search for the next president of Afghanistan is underway. Last fall, Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) slated presidential elections for April 5, 2014. Voter registration started at the end of last month and will continue until two weeks before the day of the vote. Although a list of candidates is still yet to be finalized, some of the names expected on the ballot are already the source of intense discussion.
Dengue Outbreak in Singapore
Singapore recorded 4,632 dengue cases in 2012. This year it went up to 9,847 already. This is a record high for Singapore which last experienced a dengue outbreak in 2005. The National Environment Agency has launched the ‘Do the Mozzie Wipeout’ campaign to promote awareness about dengue prevention
Iran: Rapping for Conservative Candidate
A teenager is rapping for Saeed Jalili, a conservative candidate in Iran's 14th of June presidential election.
Iran: Viva Reforms
Hassan Rouhani's supporters in presidential election chanted “viva reforms” and Rouhani in Mashhad. Rouhani is supported by reformists for Iran's 14th of June presidential election.
Syria: Old Homs Under Siege for a Year
This month marks the first anniversary of the siege of the old city of Homs, often described as the capital of the Syrian Revolution. Homs, one of the first revolutionary Syrian cities to revolt against the tyranny of Bashar Al Assad, has been subjected to bombardment by the Syrian regime, shelling and raids for more than two years, making the daily survival even harder as food and medical supplies dwindle. Netizens describe what it is like to live under siege.
Russia's Commodification of Political Prisoners
Russia’s blogosphere comments on the unexpected release from prison of businessman Alexey Kozlov.
The Daily Sexism that Women Face
A woman leaves an airport and feels naked in the face of the looks that every man throws at her on the way out. All women have experienced this to...
China Quotes Foreign Press on Snowden
China tightened its media's use of information from foreign press in April, 2013, in a move to exert stronger control over domestic newspapers and TV broadcasts. Ironically, Chinese media in...
Dog Thefts in Vietnam
Mike Tatarski clarifies that most Vietnamese do not eat dog. However, there is demand for dog meat which gives rise to dog thefts: The main reason this trade continues is...
Syria: Criticizing Arab Silence
Political Farce posted a photograph on Facebook criticizing the silence of Arabs over developments in Syria.
Brazilian Court Gags Activist from Protesting Construction Project Online
A Brazilian court has forbidden an agricultural engineer from speaking out on the streets and on the Internet against the construction of a high-rise apartment complex. Freedom of expression advocates have warned that the decision breaks with international legal standards.
Environment Impact of Mining in Indonesia
An article published at mongabay.com exposes the destructive environment impact of mining in remote Indonesian towns.Some scholars fear that “parts of Indonesia now have the highest levels of mercury contamination...
North Korean State TV's Real-time Facebook Broadcasting a Hoax?
Local media reported last Thursday that North Korea's state TV, Korean Central Television started real-time Facebook broadcasting, citing official sources. However, North Korea Tech blog listed several things that don’t quite add up.
New York Times Profiles Global Voices Cuba Contributor
According to the New York Times’ The Lede blog, Global Voices Cuba contributor Elaine Díaz “may be the most important Cuban dissident you’ve never heard of.” Elaine, currently on a...
