Stories from 22 July 2012
India: Female Gendercide in Western Countries
Rita Banerji interviews Indo-Canadian and feminist artist Soraya Nulliah, who comments that everything the campaign against female gendercide in India addresses is happening to Indian women in Western countries as well.
Mexico: Combating Water Crisis by Climbing Mountains
The Challenge is to raise awareness about the water and sanitation crisis all over the world and raise money to ensure safe water for people. The founder of Challenge 21, Jake Norton, means to do this by climbing the top of the 3 highest peaks in each continent. A couple of videos allow us to look into how he's doing, including the climb up Mexico's Pico de Orizaba.
Morocco: Mc Donald's Won't Serve Muslim Adults During Ramadan
An image of a sign in a Mc Donald's restaurant in Casablanca has been circulating among Moroccan netizens today. The sign reads, “Notice to our customers. During Ramadan, only children and non-Muslims can be served in the restaurant. All other orders will be served strictly for carry-out.”
Palestine: Remembering Political Cartoonist Naji Al Ali
On the 25th anniversary of his assassination, we take a look back at the Palestinian political cartoonist Naji Al Ali, who was famous for criticising Arab autocratic regimes and Israel in his work.
Colombia: A Lab for Social Sciences
Blogger Luis Ángel Pérez writes about wanting to create a lab for Social Sciences, just like there are labs for chemistry or physics. He imagines the lab [es] with many sofas and good music. “Social Sciences are about our home and its history,” he concludes.
Jordan: Orphans Sit-in Attacked
Jordanian blogger Ali Al Hasani blogs about the brutal crackdown on a protest by orphans in Amman, Jordan. “They were protesting their horrible living conditions and how the Jordanian government classifies them in a different social security number then the normal Jordanian citizens,” he writes.
Malawi: Joyce Banda's 100 Days in Office Amidst Controversy
Malawian President Joyce Banda became Africa's second female head of state after Liberia's President following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. How has she performed after 100 days in office?
Russia: The Denver Cinema Shooting As A Case for Gun Rights in Russia
Anti-Kremlin blogger Vladislav Naganov responded to this week's shooting in a Denver, Colorado, movie theater by arguing [ru] that American gun violence proves the need for expanded gun rights in Russia, explaining that “gun-free zones,” such as “schools, college campuses, and large stores,” are left defenseless against armed madmen because citizens...
Russia: Lawmakers Consider Taxing Certain Bloggers
There are indications that Russian lawmakers might soon consider levying a tax [ru] on bloggers who profit from advertisements on their sites. Blogger Oleg Kozyrev [ru] argues that such a crackdown could backfire on the Kremlin, as pro-government RuNet “trolls” could then be compelled to report illicit income received from the state...
Tajikistan: Senior National Security Official Killed
Abdullo Nazarov, a one-star general in the State Commitee for National Security – successor to the Soviet-era KGB – was murdered yesterday in southeastern Tajikistan. Jasur Ashurov tweets [ru] angrily: “How? Tell me, HOW is this possible? If generals are killed so easy, can we really talk about [law] and order...
Peru: Court Reduces Sentence for Members of Death Squad
On Friday, July 20, the Peruvian Supreme Court announced its decision to shorten from 25 to 20 years the imprisonment sentence for top members of the Colina Group, a death squad involved in human rights violations. They were also acquitted of having committed crimes against humanity.
Colombia: #Yodigoaquiestoy, a Tool for Denouncing Child Labor
"Yo Digo Aquí Estoy" ("I say I am here") is the title of an interesting project by Fundación Telefónica which aims to put an end to child labor in Colombia, counting on citizen participation. We hereby reproduce an article by Paula Gonzalo, published in Periodismo Ciudadano, where she tells us more about this tool.
Hungary: Community News Site Takes On Neglected Fire Hydrants
Faulty and out-of-order fire hydrants made it difficult to control a fire that broke out in the Kutya mountain, close to the town of Nagykovácsi in Hungary. This inspired the founder of a community news site Nagykovácsi.net Dávid Fáber to launch a community-driven data gathering initiative to document all of the town's fire hydrants through his website's registered users.
