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Twitter has been a very useful tool for Southeast Asian leaders who needed to communicate directly with their citizens. Indonesia's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the most popular leader in the region with 2.4 million followers. Meanwhile, Malaysia's Najib Razak is his country’s most popular Twitter personality with 1.6 million followers. The Philippines' Noynoy Aquino is also a prominent Twitter user with 1.5 million followers.
In spite of claims by the Commission on Elections of a peaceful, orderly, and ultimately successful elections, poll watchdogs are alleging that the Philippine midterm polls were tainted by automated fraud, massive vote buying, violence, and other irregularities.
A popular diaper manufacturer has been ordered to stop airing a TV advertisement that parodies an episode in Philippine history. An online petition was also initiated which criticized the ad for “insulting the Filipino people.”
During Japan's sweltering midsummer it's traditional to eat a plate of golden-brown broiled unagi kabayaki, or broiled eel. But the tradition is now at risk. Skyrocketing demand for glass eels, once considered a high-brow delicacy, is pushing Japanese fishermen to exhaust the population and causing prices to soar.
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism reported that 500 Philippine residents, including some prominent politicians, are among those who maintained offshore accounts after it participated in a global collaborative project that reviewed the leaked files of more than 120,000 offshore companies and trusts.
Various groups in the Philippines are petitioning the Manila City government to cancel a contract that would allow the reclamation of 148 hectares covering three islands in Manila Bay. Aside from possibly blocking the fabled Manila Bay sunset view, the reclamation is seen as a threat to the environment
Sabah is part of Malaysia but the Sulu Sultan from the Philippines insists its part of his kingdom. His armed followers occupied parts of Sabah in February but the Malaysian military ended the 'invasion' quickly. The standoff is over but the crisis continues.
Members of the ‘royal army’ of the Sultan of Sulu arrived and occupied some parts of Sabah in North Borneo last month to assert their claim of the territory. After three weeks, the Malaysian government sent its troops to expel the 'terrorists'. Most Malaysians have expressed their support to the military offensive to drive out the invaders
Tropical storm Pablo (international name: Bopha) left a trail of destruction in various parts of the southern Philippine islands of Mindanao, Leyte, Cebu, and Negros after entering the country last December 4. Pablo is the strongest typhoon to ever hit Mindanao
A college student from the Philippines berated a female guard at a Manila train station and accused the latter of being rude. The students tirade was documented on video and was uploaded on the internet. Filipino netizens accused the student of being arrogant and disrespectful. The #amalayer hashtag, which trended worldwide, was used in reference to the student’s pronunciation of ‘I'm a liar’.
Art professor Neil Doloricon laments the exodus of cartoonists in the Philippines:
Cartoonists in the Philippines are rare breed, they are on the brink of extinction so to speak. Most of our par excellent cartoonists already migrated to other countries…They went abroad not only to earn more but because they are treated here as second class citizen.
Filipino student leader Cleve Arguelles has listed a comprehensive matrix of Philippine education-related social media accounts. The directory features the country's leading universities, student councils and publications, government agencies and education officials
On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]:
“A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to Italy, by way of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bolivia. From authoritarian regimes to democratic countries, none are exempt from criticism on the topic. In 2013, torture remains as endemic, omnipresent and multi-faceted as ever”.
The overall human rights situation in the Philippines improved in 2012 with fewer extrajudicial killings and the passage of historic laws promoting rights. But the government has failed to address impunity for the most serious abuses. On prosecuting rights abusers, it needs to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
Human Rights Watch releases its 2012 report about the human rights situation in the Philippines
Filipino netizens are urged by the Department of Social Welfare and Development to report sightings of street children by informing the agency through its twitter account, @savestreetkids. Updates will be posted within eight hours on whether the street children have been rescued.
‘Stop impunity’ video calling for the protection of journalists in Southeast Asia
For a lighter take: “How To Avoid NSA Surveillance”
death to all muslims starting with obama.....الموت لجميع المسلمين بدءا من أوباما!
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Protests in February swelled to over 100,000 demonstrators by February 17. So if the new...