Stories from 11 December 2012
Deadly Storm in the Philippines: “Everything was flying. It was surreal.”
Father Joel Tabora summarizes the extent of damage left by Typhoon Pablo in Southern Philippines: "Entering the Municipality of Compostela was like entering a warzone, its hectares and hectares of banana and fruit trees flattened. People there have no food. No potable water. No signal. Electricity is expected to return after at least two months."
Japan's First Live Streamed Political Debate
On November 29, 2012, Nico Nico Douga hosted Japan's first live-streamed political debate. Presidents from ten different parties joined the debate, which faced its own unique challenges.
Movement to “Respect The Constitution” in Ethiopia
A group of young Ethiopian bloggers and activists based in Addis Ababa teamed up with Ethiopian netizens to demand their government to start respecting the Ethiopian Constitution. The #RespectTheConstitution campaign features both on Facebook and Twitter and it gives information about how the Ethiopian government is violating its own constitution.
Standing Up for Stalking Victims in Japan
Forty-nine different groups that campaign to end violence against women came together and made a joint statement on November 19, 2012 calling for concrete measures to support stalking victims and prevent homicide by stalkers in Japan. The statement was made after an incident on November 6 in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, where a woman was stabbed and killed by her stalker ex-boyfriend. The victim had asked the police for help four times, but was turned down each time due to lack of legally permissible evidence.
China's Disempowered Urban Planners Build Support Through Weibo
China is experiencing major urban expansion, but urban planners have little freedom to do their work, as the government and developers are the main decision makers. Urban planners have now found a new way to make their voices heard: they use Weibo (China's twitter) to communicate with the public and criticize improper planning strategies forced upon them by the government.
Vietnam: Hùng Kings Ritual Recognized by UNESCO
Le Minh Khai discusses some issues surrounding the decision of UNESCO to recognize the worship of the Hùng Kings in the Phu Tho province of Vietnam on its “List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”
Human Rights Issues in Singapore
We call on the government to recognize, respect and fulfil social and cultural rights of all Singaporeans and to review its developmental mindset that overvalues economic growth to the detriment of our society's identity and disappearing heritage. Think Centre identifies several human rights issues in Singapore.
Tibet Scholars Appeal to China's President Xi Jinping
A group of international Tibetan studies scholars launched a petition addressed to China's Xi Jinping, asking the new leader to adjust its language, culture and religion policy in the Tibetan region: As specialists in the areas of Tibetan language, culture and religion, we would like to share with you, through this...
Kallxo.com: Crowdmapping Corruption in Kosovo
Responding to this discussion on the impact of crowdsourced anti-corruption initiatives, Alexis Franke of UNDP's Voices From Eurasia writes about Kallxo.com, “a project that encourages citizens to report cases of corruption in Kosovo via a Ushahidi-based platform.”
Romania's General Election Results “As Expected”
The Economist's Eastern Approaches and Bucharest Life comment on the results of the Dec. 9 parliamentary elections in Romania.
