Stories from 1 May 2013
Savar Tragedy: Where Humanity Shines Amidst Rubbles
A long and difficult rescue operation has been going on since the factory building collapse on April 24, 2013 in Savar, Bangladesh. 397 people have died, and 2834 workers have been rescued alive so far from the rubble. This post tells the stories of the ordinary people who came forward to rescue the victims along with the professionals.
Spies, Bloggers and Raids in South Korea
South Korean state prosecutors raided the National Intelligence Service headquarter amid allegations that the agency hired bloggers and used its agents to manipulate public opinion before the presidential election. The Daum Agora site posted [ko] a snippet of data on the agency's electioneering which was collected by the Lawyers for a Democratic Society.
Brewery Lifts Seizure of Panamanian Football Federation
Baru Brewery lifted the seizure that it had over the Panamanian Football Federation after a controversial message on President Ricardo Martinelli's Twitter account.
‘Africa Is A Country’ Blog Challenges West's Idea of Africa
This isn't another blog about "famine, Bono, or Barack Obama," blog Africa is a Country warns in its description. We recently interviewed founder Sean Jacobs about how the blog is debunking the west's idea that Africa is "a perpetual sob story."
‘Agroam’ Lends Hand to African Farmers
Agroam is a website designed to help African farmers market their products as efficiently as possible and give more opportunities to match buyers and sellers at fair prices.
“Women Can Change Afghanistan”: Interview with Noorjahan Akbar
Noorjahan Akbar, 22, is an Afghan women's rights activist and a prolific blogger. She believes that there has been a lot of positive change for women's rights in Afghanistan over the last decade. She also believes that social media serve as an important avenue for Afghan women to highlight their plight.
Tensions Grow at Moldova-Transnistria Security Zone
Tensions increased during the night of April 26-27 in the Security Zone of the Republic of Moldova, as the Transnistrian authorities unilaterally installed two checkpoints between the village of Varniţa and the city of Bender. Diana Lungu reports.
South Korea Pulls Out of Joint Industrial Complex in North Korea
The nearly decade-old, jointly run Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, a place often referred as “last bastion of hope” for Korean reunification, is on the verge of a shutdown after the South Korean government ordered the withdrawal of South Korean workers in the face of increased cross-border tensions.