26 June 2012

Stories from 26 June 2012

Africa: Celebrating Humanity through Photos and Videos

An article highlighting 21 pictures that will restore your humanity recently went viral. Unfortunately, Africans and Africa were absent from all of them. Yet, there is no shortage of great testimonies of human spirit from the African continent. Here are a few photos and videos that show, 'Africa's got Heart' too.

China: Local Residents Clash with Police in Shaxi, Guangdong

  26 June 2012

Police from Shaxi, a city in China Guangdong Province, confirmed on their official Weibo account a barrage of police officers during a public protest. The protest was sparked on Monday, by the beating of a local elementary school students by a teenager from Chongqing. The local officers came to tie...

Bolivia: Tensions Rise as Police Mutiny Continues

  26 June 2012

A police mutiny is into its sixth day in Bolivia as low-ranked policemen are demanding levelling up their wages to the same amount military officers currently earn. Violent demonstrations occurred in the country's main cities, even reaching the square right in front of the Presidential Palace. As negotiations are still underway, Bolivia's cities remain without guard or police assistance for the sixth day.

Morocco: Theater Group Adapts The Vagina Monologues

The association Théâtre Aquarium has begun the representation of the Moroccan adaptation of the play The Vagina Monologues called Le Spectacle Dialy [fr] in Rabat.  Ali Amar opines that the Moroccan version of the play is a breath of fresh air in the current era of religious conservatism.

Comoros: Women Barred from Public Beach for Religious Reasons

  26 June 2012

Women are no longer welcome at the beach of Itsandra-Mdjini [fr] reports Mlimadji in Comores-Actualités.  He explains that city officials decided to ban women from the beach at the request of religious leaders.  The beach is managed by the cultural association Twamaya and  has historically been open to everyone without consideration of...

Singapore: Online Portal Found Posting False Information

  26 June 2012

Singapore Press Holding's citizen journalism portal STOMP has found itself in an embarrassing position after it was discovered that a content producer had posed as an anonymous member of the public to submit false news to the site. Here are netizen reactions

El Salvador: Citizens of Mejicanos Protest Construction of Walmart Store

  26 June 2012

Voices from El Salvador reports: “This past Thursday civil society organizations, international solidarity groups, students, and community associations came together to protest the construction of a mega Walmart store in Mejicanos, a municipality in northern San Salvador.” In a stament, organizers say that communities must be consulted about these projects.

China: Reporter Resigns for Dirty Joke About Female Astronaut

  26 June 2012

Female astronaut Liu Yang has come to represent the recent launch of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, a space mission for the manifestation of China's national glory. Prior to this, a decision by Southern People Weekly reporter Cao Linhua to crack dirty jokes about Liu and her fellow astronauts using China's largest social media platform, Weibo Sina, has resulted in his resignation.

Hong Kong: Maid's Toilet and Bedroom

  26 June 2012

Local newspaper exposed that a popular children songs singer Purple Lee has put her migrant domestic maid to live in a room where there is a bed and a toilet bowl. Dictionary of politically incorrect Hong Kong Cantonese has translated netizens’ reaction to the news.

Russia: The War Over World War II

Last Friday, NTV broadcast a controversial film titled, "I Serve the Soviet Union," a film about political prisoners fighting the Nazis only to be murdered by Soviet secret police. The screening lead to a scandal that involved patriotic bloggers, the Minister of Culture, and others. Kevin Rothrock reports.

China: Victim of Late Term Abortion Labelled as Traitor

  26 June 2012

The father of the aborted seven-month-old fetus, Deng Jiyuan, upon interviewed with a German reporter was labelled as traitor of the country and the local government mobilized residents to protest outside his house. David Wertime from Tea Leaf Nation has the full story.

Afghanistan: More Girls Poisoned for Attending School

Following our recent report on a string of attacks targeting female students at schools in Afghanistan, there have been three new attacks over the last three days in the country's north. About 300 girls have been poisoned. Commenting on the latest attack, Brazilian journalist Maria Stella Soares writes on Twitter: “Ignorance...