6 May 2013

Stories from 6 May 2013

‘Hope, Service, Passion': Meet Laura Boldrini, Italy's Likable Leader in Parliament

  6 May 2013

Italy's most recent elections swept several non-career politicians into office. Among these new players on the Italian political scene is writer and human rights activist Laura Boldrini, whose popularity during her short time in office has skyrocketed thanks to a reputation for sincerity and compassion at a time when corruption is ever present in the country's politics.

Costa Rican Blogger (Almost) Meets Obama

  6 May 2013

While Laura [Chinchilla] was talking, at one point he [Obama] turned and looked toward my direction. I took the opportunity and put on my best smile and raised my hat as a greeting. With my other hand I was holding his book over my chest. And you know what? He...

Stop Somonizing Tajikistan!

It is a pity that instead of the 'leninization' of the monument space we now have its 'somonization'. Every town erects a Somoni statue. How much more can we take? Why do we need so many identical monuments? Somoni might have been a heroic figure (which is impossible to ascertain now because the country's history is excessively ideologized and politicized), but we should not turn him into a new Lenin, a 'father' or 'grandfather' of the nation.

South Korean Women Protest Electioneering

  6 May 2013

South Korea’s intelligence agency went under fire for hiring bloggers and using its agents to manipulate public opinion before the presidential election. Korean female net users from the ‘Women’s Generation’ [ko] community site took to the streets (photos) of Seoul to protest against the agency’s electioneering and vowed to continue demonstrating till...

Rat Meat Sold as Lamb in China

  6 May 2013

Chinese police have caught a gang of traders who bought rat and fox meat and sold it as lamb. When the scandal was featured in Chinese newspapers and websites, it caused outrage among consumers who have been hit by a series of food scandals in recent years. TeaLeafNation has translated[zh] some online...

French a Must in Nigerian Military

  6 May 2013

 Mensah wrote on koaci.com: For Nigerian soldiers, enlisted men, officers and even aspirants, the military hierarchy has decided that the knowledge of the French language is now a prerequisite for anyone to get a promotion.  

Documenting West Papua’s Political Prisoners

  6 May 2013

West Papuan civil society groups have launched the website Papuans Behind Bars to document the cases of political prisoners in West Papua. West Papua is part of Indonesia although many Papuans have been fighting for independence in the past 50 years.

China Censors Chemical Plant Protest

  6 May 2013

Residents of China’s southwestern Kunming city took to the streets on May 4, 2013 to protest against the potential production of a toxic chemical at a nearby factory. China's state media kept the news of the protest quiet, and online censors aggressively deleted information and photos about the demonstration on social media.