5 June 2010

Stories from 5 June 2010

Peru: A Year Since Bagua

  5 June 2010

June 5 marks a year of the Baguazo, the name given to the unfortunate events that took pace in Bagua where officially 34 people died, of which 23 were policemen; however, unofficial reports claim the number of deaths is greater, especially from the side of the civilian protesters. Here is an account of reactions and of some events planned to commemorate the first anniversary of the incidents.

Global: Reactions to Twitter’s sinking #flotilla hashtag

The recent flotilla debacle may have started at sea but it was to the Twitosphere that many activists turned, filling it with condemnation of Israel. The power of Twitter as a mobilizing force and alternative platform for affecting change is not to be underestimated. But what would happen if Twitter started censoring, as many tweeting about the flotilla began to fear?

Pakistan: Reviewing Sex and the City 2

  5 June 2010

Blogger Kalsoom goes to watch Sex and the City 2 and comes away with the feeling that the film not only fails to engage the Arab/Muslim/Middle Eastern woman, but it also condescendingly labels them en masse as victims of an oppressive patriarchal society.

India: Ladakh in pictures

  5 June 2010

Blogger and travel-writer Charukesi visited Ladakh recently and shares the highlights through pictures and stories of her on her travel blog, Itchy Feet.

Israel: Flotilla Videos Gone Viral

An Israeli video called "Flotilla Choir: We Con the World" has gone viral on Facebook in the last 24 hours. While it shows no compunction about the violence involved in the flotilla incident, it aggressively illustrates the widely held Israeli belief that Hamas is responsible for the poor state of well-being of the people of Gaza.

Palestine: “I Support Turkey”

The Turkish-led flotilla which attempted to break the blockade of Gaza has strained Israeli-Turkish relations, while gaining Turkey much respect in the Arab world. One Gaza blogger has decided to show her appreciation for Turkey's stance in a practical way - by starting a campaign to buy Turkish goods.

Taiwan: An open letter to Japanese architect Tadao Ando

  5 June 2010

Architect and blogger Sun De-hong(孫德鴻), in his open letter, asks Tadao Ando, the famous Japanese architect “What is social responsibility?“(zht). Sun questions Tadao Ando–who always talks about “architects’ social responsibility” in speeches–whether it is socially responsible to build his new “Church of Earth” on the precious and diminishing farmland in...

Singapore: Pink Dot 2010

  5 June 2010

More than 4,000 Singaporeans gathered at Hong Lim Park to make a large human pink dot to celebrate love regardless of sexual orientation. It is Singapore’s biggest LGBT parade.