Stories from 6 June 2012
India: Less Trees Prompt A Boiling Urban Summer
Rita Banerji opines that the main reason for the recent grueling summers in the cities is that more and more trees are being cut down.
Pakistan: Exploding Population And Depleting Resources
Saad Hirani sheds a light on the population explosion in Pakistan and the bleak future it shows with depleting resources.
Pakistan: Suspected Honor Killing of Five Girls for Celebrating with Boys
Five girls are reported to have been killed in Kohistan, Pakistan, for dancing and listening to music in the presence of boys at a marriage celebration after being convicted by a jirga tribal court.
Iran: “Pepsi-Cola advertisement on the moon”
Several bloggers and LensIran site talk about considerable number of Iranians who observed the moon from their roof tops to watch Pepsi-Cola commercial on the moon !! published by a news agency ISNA , apparently extracted from a bogus email on Tuesday 6 June.
Bahrain: Twitter User Investigated for Tweet
Bahraini Twitter user Mohammed Hasan (@Safybh) says he was called for questioning by the Bahrain Intelligence Agency yesterday (June 5). “After my tweet appeared on @ajstream I received an order to go to the #Bahrain intelligence agency today #AJStream,” he reports on Twitter. Al Jazeera Stream is a programme on...
Bangladesh: Journalists Advised to Stay Away From Police
The year 2012 has particularly been a bad year for Bangladeshi journalists. A number of them were subjected to police brutality while on duty, violently assaulted and even murdered by miscreants. The netizens have joined the journalists in protest.
Bahrain: Activist Nabeel Rajab Arrested Over Tweets
“My father [Human Rights Defender] Nabeel Rajab is arrested again #Bahrain @NABEELRAJAB,” tweets Adam Nabeel Rajab from Bahrain. The activist is being detained for seven days pending investigation over comments he published on Twitter.
Yemen: The Sheikh, Women and the NYT
Yemeni netizens are enraged by Sheikh Hamid Al-Ahmar, a member of Al Islah’s political leadership, who allegedly made an offensive statement regarding Yemeni revolutionary women to the New York Times. On Twitter, the battle rages as the Sheikh denies he made the comments and the newspaper is yet to show proof of what it says he said.
Tajikistan: Lawyers Use Blogs to Provide Legal Advice
Internet users in Tajikistan can now get free legal consultation online. A Tajik NGO has trained [ru] a group of lawyers in running personal blogs through which they provide legal advice to anyone in the country.
Kenya: Digital Activists Fight Corruption Online
I Paid a Bribe is an initiative of Kenyan anti-corruption activists fighting corruption in Kenya using the new technologies. I Paid a Bribe, modeled after India's anti-corruption portal (IPAB), is a partnership between IPAB and Wamani Trust of Kenya to bring IPAB to East and Central Africa.
Honduras: Human Rights Delegation Blogs Findings
The Honduras Human Rights Delegation of May 2012 is “a delegation of academics, human rights and labor activists, Canadian and U.S. citizens, many with extensive experience in Honduras, organized by U.S. and Canadian-based human rights groups Rights Action and Alliance for Global Justice.” The delegation visited Honduras from May 19-28,...
Spain: “Occupying” the Banks on the Street and the Net
The bailout of Bankia could cost 23,000 million euros but the governing politicians and the managers of Bankia do not seem interested in holding those responsible accountable. In the face of this, the Spanish people have taken matters into their own hands. Since the crisis began, popular initiatives have flourished both digitally and on the streets.
Macedonia: One Year Since the Murder of Martin Neshkovski
It has been one year since the murder of Martin Neshkovski by Prime Minister's bodyguard during the post-election celebration on June 6, 2011. The authorities’ attempts to cover up the murder sparked the 2011 protests against police brutality. To commemorate [mk], activists lit candles on the crime scene in the...
Brazil: Magazine Gives Homeless People a Chance
Ocas Magazine, handed out on the streets of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro since 2002, is one such publication that contains information that sets it apart from the mainstream press in Brazil. But it goes even further than that. It also provides a new start and work opportunities for the homeless and people who are at social risk.
China: Forgiving the Tiananmen Massacre Murderers?
While more than 180,000 people attended the annual candlelight vigil on June 4, in Hong Kong for China's June 4th incident (Tiananmen Square protests), exiled former student leader Chai Ling wrote that she has forgiven the murderers of the massacre. Her comments have stirred up a lot of debate.
Zambia Fixes Maize Price Again, Flustering World Bank
Increases in the price of maize, a staple food of Zambia, has previously led citizens to riot and even stage a government coup. Despite warnings from the World Bank that it will damage the agriculture sector, Zambian leaders continue to fix the floor price.
Saudi Arabia: Moral Courage to Speak Up
Saudi blogger Eman Al Najfan shares her thoughts on Manal Al Sharif, a women's rights activist, in this post. “[I]n Saudi, there are many women and men who oppose how women are treated in Saudi, but rarely do you find someone who’s willing to come out in public and state...
Ukraine: A Roma Camp Burned Down in Kyiv
On its Facebook page, the Human Rights Information Center posted a photo report [uk] on the demolition of a Roma camp in Kyiv, which was home to some 70 people, most of them children, until May 31, when 15 men showed up and burned the camp down, ordering the residents...
Kenya: Urban Gardening Taking Root
In Kenya, city dwellers are learning different techniques to grow food for consumption and sale even in reduced spaces. For people with low or no income, urban gardening may be the key to food security. These videos show how food can be grown in containers and using limited space and resources.
Afghanistan: Girls Poisoned for Attending School
Although a ban on education for girls and women in Afghanistan was lifted after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, female students continue being targeted by fundamentalists for attending school. In a recent string of attacks in the northeastern Afghan province of Takhar, hundreds of girls were poisoned at their schools.
