01/04/2013 / LIBYA
Libyans try to rebuild community after holy Sufi site destroyed
Last Thursday, unknown persons set off explosives that destroyed the mausoleum of Sidi Al-Andaloussi, a five-century-old Sufi holy site in Tajura, near Tripoli. Refusing to give in to religious extremism, local residents immediately launched a fundraising effort to rebuild this sacred site. Read more…
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01/04/2013 / BRAZIL
Indigenous camps sacrificed in Rio to make way for World Cup
A group of indigenous Brazilians had been camping out in an old run-down building in Rio for nearly seven years, when heavily-armed military police kicked about 30 of them and their supporters out on March 22. The authorities plan to turn this building – formerly Rio’s Indian Museum, now dubbed Maracana village – into a large sports-themed mall ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. Read more...
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01/04/2013 / EGYPT
Egypt hit by spate of mob killings
Over the past few months, several Egyptian villages have borne witness to extremely cruel lynchings, in which bodies are often hung in public for all to see. Two Observers, still shaken, describe the executions they witnessed in these remote regions, where such extreme violence seems to be becoming increasingly commonplace. Read more...
29/03/2013 / SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka police stand by as Buddhist monks attack Muslim-owned store
An angry mob of hundreds of people, led by Buddhist monks, attacked a warehouse belonging to a Muslim-owned clothing chain in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Thursday. This comes as Buddhist hardliners ramp up their campaigns against Muslims’ lifestyles. Read more…
28/03/2013 / SOMALIA
Somalilander's lifelong dream: building his own helicopter
It all started when Said Abdi Jidheh, a car mechanic in Somaliland, heard about a fire in which several people died. The local authorities didn’t have a helicopter to assist in a rescue. This tragedy inspired Jidheh to build one himself – from scratch. Read more…
28/03/2013 / ALGERIA
Rug festival turns violent in crisis-stricken southern Algeria
Every year, the residents of Ghardaïa, in southern Algeria, hold a rug celebration to promote their local craftwork. This year, however, it’s become very controversial. On Tuesday, human rights activists and unemployed individuals picketed the celebration’s opening parade, judging it to be too expensive given the city’s dire economic situation. The police violently dispersed the protest. Read more...
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28/03/2013 / YEMEN
Cheering for Bashar Al Assad … in Yemen
At first glance, the video looks like it might have been filmed in Syria: uniformed soldiers pose in front of an armoured vehicle, on which are plastered photos of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. However, this video was actually filmed in Yemen’s capital. Read more…
27/03/2013 / DR CONGO
A separatist show of force ends in bloodshed in DR Congo
A group of pro-independence activists tried to march on Lubumbashi in the Katanga region, in southern Democratic Republic of Congo last Saturday. The army quickly fought off the separatists in clashes that left several dozen dead. Our Observers on the ground tell us their stories from this bloody and violent day. Read more...
27/03/2013 / AFRICA
Chinafrica: African workers share experiences at Chinese factories
Xi Jinping, China’s new president, has chosen to visit to Africa as part of his first foreign tour – and for good reason. With more than 2,000 businesses operating on the continent and making more than 36 billion dollars a year, China has in just a few years become Africa’s top commercial partner. From Togo to the Democratic Republic of Congo, our African Observers employed by Chinese companies told us about their jobs. Read more...
26/03/2013 / CHINA
Stop Photoshopping officials into porn, authorities ask blackmailers
What to do when government officials and company bosses are repeatedly blackmailed by people who have Photoshopped their faces into pornographic pictures? Apparently, put up big billboards to tell them that this isn’t cool. Read more...
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