Stories from 23 May 2012
Video: Youth Media Organization Sign up for Mozilla Popcorn Story Camp
Mozilla will be running a free six weekly modules summer camp to empower youth to use online tools for telling compelling interactive stories. Youth organizations can sign up on behalf of their students. (via @futuresoup)
Peru: Iquitos Faces Aftermath of Record Floods
Reported floods swept the Amazon region in Peru for more than a month, reaching and bypassing the record height of floods recorded in the past. They have now slowly begun to recede. In this post we share citizen videos, photos and reports about the after effects of these floods.
Iran: “Let's Save Lake Urmia With Our Tears”
Protesters fighting to save Lake Urmia in Iran from permanent environmental damage have not given up. In protests across the Azerbaijan region of Iran, they called on government to protect one of the world's largest salt water lakes.
Ecuador: ‘Conectándonos’ Event Kicks Off May 24
The event ‘Conectándonos’ Ecuador (“Getting connected Ecuador”), co-organized by Rising Voices and the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja [es] (UTPL for its initials in Spanish) will kick off tomorrow, May 24. You can follow the event on Twitter through the hashtag #ConECU. Furthermore, a roundtable [es] will be live-streamed tomorrow.
Italy: Army Evicts Art Workers from Occupied Building
The art worker's collective Macao in Milan, Italy were evicted from the second building they occupied in less than a month by army and police. The group aims to free more public space for the arts and highlight their precarious work conditions.
Qatar: Shopping and Phones Permitted!
Netizens in Qatar have responded indignantly to an article published on the Sydney Morning Herald website, which claimed that Qatari women were not allowed to go shopping, and did not have easy access to technology.
Cuba: “Mob” Attack Linked to Heart Attack?
Further to this, babalu reports that another elderly lady “suffered a fatal heart attack after her home was violently attacked by a paramilitary mob.”
Barbados: The Jaws of Justice
“Bajans deserve the truth, all the truth and nothing but the truth. It is not enough for the Court of Appeal or the news media to gloss over this story”: Barbados Free Press is curious about a case in which a man who bit a police officer apparently got off...
Elders Call on Youth to Help Lead the Way at Rio+20
A group of independent and former world leaders, The Elders, is calling on young leaders to help make a better world possible at the Rio+20 United Nations conference on sustainable development from June 20-22.
Tajikistan: Did Drug Money Finance Cell Phone Company?
Diplomatic cables made available by WikiLeaks reveal interesting details about who stood behind the creation of Tajikistan's major companies. In his blog, journalist Zafar Abdullayev analyzes [ru] documents that suggest the formation of one of Tajikistan's largest cell phone operators was financed by drug money. Another major cell phone company...
Mali: Coup Leader Sanogo To be Sworn in as New Interim President
Various online reports state [fr] that coup leader Captain Sanogo will be sworn in as new interim president after former interim president D. Traoré got injured following protests earlier in the week.
Egypt: First Free Presidential Election Underway
Egyptians are voting in the country's first free presidential election. While large queues have formed at some polling stations, the turnout seems to be lower than for the parliamentary elections in November 2011. This may reflect a disillusionment with the candidates felt by many.
Iran: Cyber Hezbollah Meeting
Farsnews reported “Cyber Hezbollah’ will hold its eighth meeting in Tehran on Wendesday.One of main points of discussion is Shahin Najafi‘s “insults regarding one Shi'ite Saint.”
Iran: Hadi Net,a new religious Social Networking
Islamic Republic has launched a new social networking called “Hadi Net“. Iranian media reported[fa] this social networking is an answer to Shahin Najafi‘s “insults regarding one Shi'ite Imam.”
Tajikistan: The Economics of the Drug Trade in a Poor Country
In Tajikistan, an article run by the The Economist triggered a conversation on news websites about corruption among the country’s officials and their involvement in the drug trade.
China: Campaign to Clean ‘Foreign Trash’ Out of Beijing
A campaign to rid Beijing of illegal foreign residents has created controversy in China, with Chinese people expressing widely differing viewpoints on social media. A famous television host has labelled a reporter for Al-Jazeera as 'foreign trash' and invited police to run background checks on the blogger who has criticised his xenophobic remarks.