Stories from April, 2014
A ‘Stressful’ Taxicab System in Cameroon
Ghanaian blogger Kuukuwa writes about her experience with the taxicab system in Cameroon: There are no taxi stations, so taxi drivers move around town all day looking for passengers. And, mind you, this is a shared taxi system. Depot (“dropping” in Ghanaian English), where one person hires a taxi isn’t...
Activists Battle Religion, Tradition in Gambia's Female Genital Mutilation Fight
Aja Babung Sidibeh followed cultural tradition and became a female genital mutilation (FGM) practitioner after the death of her parents years ago in her native Janjangbureh in the Central River Region of The Gambia. But she has since “dropped the knife” and taken up the fight against the practice. “What I...
South Koreans Accuse Government of Botching Ferry Response
It's been 14 days since the Sewol ferry capsized, and 205 people are confirmed dead. Politicians taking advantage of the calamity and media inaccuracy have fueled anger in South Korea.
MH370: Australian Prime Minister Talks Up Hunt for Missing Airliner
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott talks up the hunt for the missing Malaysian airliner MH370.
Protesting in Venezuela Will Require Authorization
(All links are in Spanish otherwise noted as [en] for English) As the protests [en] in Venezuela draw upon 100 continuous days of demonstrations, the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice's recent verdict rules that the right to protest “is not an absolute right.” In order to carry out any type of demonstration, one needs to...
From Igor Sechin to Dick Cheney: the End of Russia's Zuckerberg
In February, Vkontakte's CEO joked in public that nothing would reverse Facebook’s “slow death.” What’s died instead, it seems, is Durov’s opposition to the world’s largest social network.
Bangladeshis Are Not Happy With India's Bharatya Janata Party
Subramanian Swamy said Bangladesh should compensate India for its undocumented migrants there by giving the country one-third of its land. A Bangladeshi hacker group hacked 300 government websites in retaliation.
Good Enough to Work: Low Pay and No Rights
Undocumented labor contributes to the U.S. economy and this contribution would not be possible without a workforce among whom millions have already risked incarceration, deportation, physical abuse, and death.
Catching Up with the Togolese E-Waste 3D Printer Makers
In 2013, we were introduced to the E-Waste 3D Printer project by Woelab engineers in Togo. My Africa Is gives the genesis of the WoeLab project and what the makers hope to achieve going forward : The Woelab team has organized conferences with individuals in the medical field in Africa, to...
Collaborative Economy Visionaries Gather at OuiShare Fest 2014 in Paris
The OuiShare Fest 2014 will gather thousands of activists for a conference on collaborative economy from May 5 -7 in Paris, France. The objective of the festival is to exchange on a common vision of an economy relying on horizontal networks and communities. Here is a video presenting the festival:
The Challenge Of Keeping The Indian Electoral List Updated
The world's largest elections are underway in India and blogger Anuradha Shankar at “A Wandering Mind” blog points to the practical challenges of keeping the huge electoral list of the country updated for ready use.
Colombia: Gustavo Petro Returns as Mayor of Bogotá
The Superior Court of Bogotá issued a judgment which reinstates Gustavo Petro in his post as mayor of Bogotá. The reactions for and against were immediate.
Pakistani Spies, Mir and the Missing People of Balochistan
After Pakistan's top TV newsman was shot, a vicious media war between single-minded nationalists and his TV station ensued leaving the story he was working on in the dark.
So You Need to Get Around Madagascar?
Public transportation can be a challenge in Madagascar. The country's road infrastructure is antiquated and underdeveloped and overcrowded buses and minivans are often the only option.
8 Shocking Quotes from Malaysian Politicians
Balik Cina is a new website which compiles some of the hilarious and notorious quotes made by Malaysian politicians.
China's Revised Environmental Law Toughens Penalties Against Polluters
The new law lends more power to environmental agencies to use punitive powers to rein in powerful polluters and does away with caps on pollution fines.
Mental Health Not a Priority in Cambodia
Writing for Southeast Asia Globe, Denise Hruby reported how the mentally ill in many rural areas of Cambodia are being treated: …the mentally ill are still treated by traditional healers, who aim to drive out bad spirits by burning the skin, or by the untrained staff of one-room health clinics...
Former Malaysian PM Blames Boeing for MH370 Disaster
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad wanted Boeing to take responsibility for the mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airline flight MH370. He wrote in his blog: Boeing built this aircraft. Boeing must explain how all these means of tracking the plane can be disabled, can fail. Either Boeing technology is poor...
Sexy Monday: Between Sexual Expression and Censorship
(All links are in Spanish) David Troya writes for Gkillcity about the Ecuadorian Superintendence of Communication's sanction on the newspaper Extra for its cover picture of model Claudia Hurtado and headline: “Start the week off right with your hot and sexy Monday. Damn, what a hot babe!” Troya reflects: If...
#EPNStop : Human Chain in Mexico against #LeyTelecom
A human chain protest against the Telecommunications Bill proposed in Mexico took place in Mexico City, the country's capital, on Saturday, April 26, 2014. The chain was planned to link the official residency of the Mexican president in Los Pinos to the headquarters of Televisa [es] in Chapultepec, covering an approximate distance of 7 kms. But the...
‘There Was No Palestine'?
A number of Twitter users are challenging the common Israeli discourse that Palestine never existed through the hashtag: #there_was_no_Palestine.
