Stories from August, 2012
Vietnam: Gay Marriage and Human Rights
The proposal should be cautiously welcomed as a progressive move which grants equality and official acceptance to members of society who have not felt the benefit of these statuses before...
Myanmar: Reshuffling the Cabinet
In a bold move, Myanmar President Thein Sein reshuffled[my] his cabinet by appointing non-army officers and removing controversial ministers. Among those replaced included the Minister of the Ministry of Electric...
Thailand: Police Collect Wedding Fees from Myanmar Workers
Htoo Chit wrote [my] about the illegal wedding fees collected by Thai police from Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.
Thailand: Petition to Stop Mae Wong Dam
Please stop this crazy dam project and help maintain valuable tiger habitat in Mae Wong National Park. The statement is from a petition urging the Thailand government to stop the...
Russia: Censorship Law Threatens Children's Classics
After news that Russian television will soon be forced to curtail showings of a classic children’s cartoon “Nu, Pogodi!” [wiki] (the Soviet version of Tom & Jerry but with wolf...
Save Syria's Threatened Heritage Sites
Alongside the mounting death toll, a massacre is being perpetrated against Syria's heritage. Little is being said about this issue in both mainstream and social media, writes Thalia Rahme.
Russia: Police Claim Top Blogger Was Hacked from Germany
The Moscow police department has determined [ru] that Aleksei Navalny's email and Twitter accounts were hacked in late June from a German IP address. Fellow liberal blogger Andrey Malgin criticized [ru] the...
Angola: Citizens Report Electoral Irregularities
The website EleicoesAngola2012.com [pt] receives and shares denouncements of irregularities concerned with the preparation for Angola's general elections that will take place on August 31. Any citizen can submit reports via...
Assessing Quality of Life in African Cities
One study on the quality of life in cities across the world reports that, of the ten least liveable cities, six are situated in Africa. However, another finds that the populations of certain African cities are happier than those of several European counterparts. So what exactly is the reality of quality of life in Africa's cities?
Palestine: Governments are Afraid of the Internet
Palestinian poet and author Mourid Al Barghouti tweets [ar]: “By God, how can governments which fear the Internet scare their enemies?”
Jordan: A Black Day to Protest Internet Censorship
'Over 150 sites in Jordan are going black, including the country's top new sites, to protest laws that restrict internet freedom #blackoutjo.' - On August 29, websites went offline to draw attention to the dangers of the impending legislation.
Are Ethiopians the Most Secretive People on Earth?
After weeks of rumors about the health and whereabouts of Ethiopia’s Prime Minster Meles Zenawi, the government finally announced his death from an "undisclosed illness" on August 21, 2012. There are many previous examples of such secrecy from Ethiopia, such as when Emperor Haile Selassie I tried to hide the 1973 famine, while Emperor Menelik II's death in 1913 was hidden from the public for years. Are Ethiopians the most secretive people in the world?
Trinidad & Tobago: State of the Nation
Comedienne Rachel Price used the first anniversary of the State of Emergency in Trinidad and Tobago -which was declared on Sunday August 21st 2011 and ended on December 5th that same year-...
Trinidad & Tobago: Independence & Governance
Afra Raymond uses the recent firing of a junior minister in the Ministry of National Security, Colin Partap, and Trinidad & Tobago's upcoming 50th anniversary of Independence to think about issues of governance, responsibility,...
Bahrain: Cleric Relocated After Fiery Speech
Internet activists have reported that Bahrain’s Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa has ordered the immediate transfer of Sunni cleric Dr Adel Hassan AlHamad from one of the grand mosques in Riffa to another mosque in Tubli. Following the news, various campaigns started on Twitter in support of the cleric, attributing the transfer to his last Friday sermon in which he openly criticized the building of a new Roman Catholic Church in Awali, on a land donated by the monarch.
Lebanese Tourism Pays the Ultimate Price
Recent political upheavals in the region and kidnappings in Lebanon have made tourists, mainly Gulf nationals, flee the country. Lebanese and Gulf netizens react to the development.
Trinidad & Tobago: Theatre Love
All of human emotion is distilled into a couple of hours, brought to life by characters drawn from every imaginable human (and divine) archetype. I love reading it, watching it...
Russia: Foreign Ministry Looks to Germany to Justify Pussy Riot Verdict
Russia's Foreign Ministry has made a series of comments that further enraging Pussy Riot's supporters. Spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich defended the recent verdict and lashed out at the West for ignorance about the band members' pasts and highlighted perceived double standards regarding interferences into religious services and criminal penalties, citing laws in Germany and Austria.
Lebanon: At Odds with the Smoking Ban
As of September 3rd, smoking will be prohibited in public transportation, work places and closed public places, including coffee shops and restaurants. Mohammad Hijazi explains that the law is unrealistic and that its enforcement will;
Generate a drop of roughly $282 million in revenues, representing 7.1% of GDP in the hospitality sector and lead to a loss of about 2600 full-time jobs.
Sudan: Twitter Activist Released After Two Months in Detention
'I was threatened w/ sexual assault/abuse numerous times during that day. At one point, even by a top-rank #NISS officer.' In June, the Sudanese National Intelligence & Security Service arresting thousands including Twitter activist Usamah Mohamed Ali.
