Stories from Quick Reads from May, 2015
Second Shia Mosque Attacked by ISIS in Saudi Arabia
On Global Voices Checkdesk, a collaboration project between Meedan Checkdesk, an online news verification tool, and Global Voices Online, Joey Ayoub charts the initial reactions on the bombing of a second Shia mosque in Dammam, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, for the second Friday in a row. Three...
Did Saudi Arabia Bomb Yemen's Ancient Marib Dam?
Unconfirmed reports say that Saudi coalition forces, which have been bombing Yemen for more than two months have targeted the Marib Dam, one of the engineering wonders of the ancient world. On Twitter, Hussain Albukhaiti claims: Unconfirmed reports: #Saudi Jets has Just targeted the historic #Marib Dam NW #Yemen http://t.co/rZYWUF2Qe6...
These Maps Show Where Cambodian Journalists Have Been Killed and Harassed
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights has launched a portal documenting the human rights violations experienced by Cambodian journalists. Cambodia's constitution guarantees freedom of speech but journalists are still harassed and killed, especially those who report about the abuses committed by local officials and business interests with ties to powerful...
FIFA Elections Are in Progress
Despite the recent arrests of FIFA officials due to indictments laid by the US Department of Justice, the world football governing body has said that its elections, which it calls the 65th FIFA Congress, will continue as scheduled today. Current FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who headed the organisation while the...
2 Reasons Why Madagascar's President Hasn't Been Impeached Yet (Contrary to Media Reports)
Numerous media outlets have reported that Madagascar's President Hery Rajaonarimampianina has been impeached. While members of parliament have voted 121 in favor of his impeachment out of 125, there are a few reasons why the president is still projected to stay in charge for the time being: The constitutional court...
An Online Joke Captures China's Censorship Practices
Letscorp, a site devoted to bridging information across Chinese speaking communities, reposted an online joke on Twitter that vividly captures mainland Chinese censorship practices. 老大：官员好不好，百姓说了算。宣传部：我补充一句，大多数百姓不明真相。团中央：没事，我们有一千万网评员保证舆论。公安：还有漏网的我们就抓。央视：再让他们嫖娼。环球：就说他们收了美国人的钱。外交部发言人：依据相关法律和政策，我国有充分言论自由。人民日报：你瞧，这是人民的选择嘛 — 墙外楼 (@letscorp) May 28, 2015 Man on top [implying Chinese president Xi Jinping]: Whether a government official is performing well should be judged by...
Can Abortion Be Discussed in Medellín's Metro?
Residents of the city of Medellín, Colombia, are asking themselves if the metro is the place to talk about abortion, stemming from an ad by the #ladecisiónestuya (the decision is yours) campaign that's running in the public transit system's cars, as shared by user Jaime Andrés (@JAIM3_ANDR3S): #LaDecisionEsTuya pic.twitter.com/Nbaq2zJHXn — Jaime...
It's a Small (Social Media) World, After All
Instagram snapshot of kimono-clad Kyoto resident connects two strangers on social media.
Peru Sets Up First Bilingual Spanish-Awajun Civil Registrar
May 21 marks the National Day of Cultural and Linguistic Diverisity, and to commemorate the occasion, the Peruvian National Registrar of Identification and Civil Status (Reniec) launched the Awajun-Spanish bilingual civil registrar: Las actas generadas de esta manera tendrán el mismo valor oficial que las actas tradicionales en castellano, y...
Southeast Asia Migration Routes and Statistics
The International Organization for Migration has released a map showing the routes taken by boat refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar when they sought shelter in several Southeast Asian countries. As of May 19, 2015, the IOM estimated that 4,000 refugees are still stranded in the sea while 3,200 have already...
Pregnant 11-Year-Old in Uruguay Refuses Abortion
Niña de 11 años embarazada que no quiere abortar genera polémica➝http://t.co/uPBo6NEKcC #Aborto #Embarazo #Uruguay — Periódico La Tribuna (@PLaTribunaFunza) May 8, 2015 Pregnant 11-year-old who refused to abort creates controversy. We wrote recently about about a 10-year-old pregnant girl from Paraguay who was allegedly raped by her stepfather and who was unable to have an abortion...
At Least 48 Fatalities After Landslide Hits Colombian Village
At least 48 people were killed and an unknown number of people are missing after a landslide caused by heavy rains that hit the community of Salgar, in the Colombian department of Antioquia, in the early hours of May 18, 2015. The secretary of government of Salgar, Zulma Osorio, declared that...
Lima Orchid, a Flower Once Believed to Be Extinct, Blooms Again in the Peruvian Capital
For over 50 years, it was thought that the Lima orchid was an extinct species; but, good news comes from a team from the National Forest and Wildlife Service, which is also part of the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture: Los especialistas encontraron ejemplares de dicha orquídea, típica de las lomas de la cuenca del...
Pakistanis Use Twitter To Raise Their Concerns On The Proposed Cybercrime Bill 2015
The proposed Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PEC) Bill in Pakistan has raised concern among local and international human rights organisations as it could put at risk freedom expression and privacy in Pakistan. Mariam at Catalyst Woman blog reports: After the dedicated efforts of numerous advocacy groups, ngos and private citizens,...
Argentinians Organize Online to Demonstrate Against Femicides
Under the hashtag #NiUnaMenos (Not One Less), Argentina is mounting a campaign against the alarming increase in the number of femicides, which shows no signs of going down. Many of the country's public personalities have joined the campaign, like cartoonist Liniers, who used one of his best known characters to participate in the movement. 3...
Global Voices Partners With The Balochistan Point
The Balochistan Point was launched in 2010 to highlight the most important news from an area which Pakistan's national online, broadcast and print media, largely ignores.
Second Most Spoken Languages in Africa
Don Osborne discusses a news feature on the Olivet Nazarene University website showing a map of “The Second Most Spoken Languages Around the World.” He points out key problems from the map: The first issue is assuming that “The most spoken language in any country is often obvious; usually, it’s...
ISIS Fighters Capture Ramadi in Iraq
Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Al Anbar province, has been captured by ISIS fighters. Joey Ayoub is putting the story together, tracking citizen journalists reports, news and testimonies, on Global Voices Checkdesk, a partnership project between Global Voices and Meedan's Checkdesk. The city, in central Iraq, is about 110 kilometres...
Global Voices Checkdesk Tracking Reactions to Morsi's Trial
Faten Bushehri tracks reactions to the trial of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was sentenced to death on May 16, on Global Voices Checkdesk, a project in partnership with Meedan's Checkdesk to verify news. Morsi is being charged with collaborating with foreign militants to free Islamists during a prison...
Palestine: How Much Have Israeli Settlements Expanded Since 1948?
Beirut-based journalist Adam Rasmi shares an infographic from Visualising Palestine which tracks how much Israeli settlements have expanded since 1948: New @visualizingpal infographic tracks expanding Israeli settlements — 1948 vs Now http://t.co/i6S3fGawdP #NakbaDay pic.twitter.com/4XfjHLjuy7 — Adam Rasmi (@AdamRasmi) May 15, 2015 Check out Visualizing Palestine for more infographics here.
Iran's Evin Prison to Become a Park
This post first appeared on iranhumanrights.org and is published here in collaboration with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said last week that the Tehran Municipality is prepared to enter negotiations with the Iranian Judiciary to convert the Evin Prison complex in northwestern Tehran into a...
