23 March 2010

Stories from 23 March 2010

Guatemala: Transport Blockades as Protest

  23 March 2010

Luis Figueroa of Carpe Diem [es] writes about the blockades placed by public transport drivers in Guatemala City, who are protesting the lack of security and crime often targeted at them. However, Figueroa writes that all people have a right to protest, but not with blockades.

Spain: MyWorld Video Winner tackles unemployment

  23 March 2010

The BBC's video contest My World Video has come to a close, and from the hundreds of submitted entries, they've selected their winner:  Frederico Teixeira of Samapayo in Spain who made a 2 minute video on the unemployment situation in his country. The simple video shows his reflection in a...

Africa: Crowdfunding in Africa

  23 March 2010

Erik writes about crowdfunding and seed funding in Africa: “We’re starting to see a few angel investors like Sean Murphy of Chembe Ventures making their way around the continent, but they are not nearly enough to fulfill the capacity of ideas and individuals who need startup capital.”

Kenya: Is Makmende Kenya's first Internet sensation?

  23 March 2010

Is Makmende Kenya's first Internet sensation: “Unless you’ve been offline for the better part of two weeks its Kenya’s first viral Internet sensation, and his name is Makmende! Yes. Makmende is something to smile about! He is Kenya’s first super hero and boy does he rock!”

Is Russia an Enemy of Internet?

RuNet Echo  23 March 2010

The degree of freedom on the Russian Internet is an issue for debates. Some put Russia on the same list of "Internet enemies" with China and Iran. Others strongly oppose this kind of generalization and claim that Russian Internet is the most liberal and unrestricted public sphere in the country.

Nepal: Death of a polarizing ‘statesman’

  23 March 2010

Former Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala passed away on Saturday March 21st, after prolonged illness. The legacy of this often controversial and polarizing figure is being discussed by Nepali bloggers.

Pakistan: Child Abuse On The Rise

  23 March 2010

The term ‘child abuse’ covers a wide array of very diverse kinds of crimes subjected towards the minors. Bloggers discuss the disturbing rise in child abuse cases in Pakistan.

USA: In Census, Only Some Races Count

  23 March 2010

Census forms are being delivered to all U.S. households this month, but some citizens complain that the question on race does not offer enough answers to give an accurate picture of their ethnicity.

China: Google.cn migrated to Hong Kong

  23 March 2010

Finally Google has decided to leave China. Soon after the announcement, Google stopped censoring the search result of google.cn by redirecting the site to google.com.hk. In Google's official blog, David Drummond, the corporate's chief legal officer explains that its decision is due to the Chinese government's “non-negotiable legal requirement” in...

Haiti: Debt Forgiveness

  23 March 2010

Repeating Islands links to a Business Week report that confirms the Inter-American Development Bank “has agreed to forgive $479 million in debts owed by quake-ravaged Haiti”.

Barbados: Ten Year Sentence

  23 March 2010

Barbados Free Press is disappointed that the murderer of a tourist was sentenced to only ten years in prison: “Barbados doesn’t want any scrutiny about robbery, rape and violence against tourists…”

Bermuda: Violent Crime

  23 March 2010

Vexed Bermoothes says that crime in Bermuda is “a lot worse than most people assume, particularly given the small size of this rock and the even smaller neighbourhoods that are being scarred by this violence.”

China: Singing farewell to Google

  23 March 2010

Google has formally closed its mainland Chinese search engine and rival Baidu will not need long to pick up the slack; nonetheless, former users of Google.cn search braved the cold air to show their support outside the company's Beijing headquarters, singing an anti-Internet censorship protest song while they were at it.

Venezuela: Concerns About Controls on the Internet

  23 March 2010

Debate is heating up in Venezuela after decrees and statements from President Hugo Chávez, who questioned how the Internet is being used in the country. Many are interpreting these statements and policy proposals that the government wants control the Internet in Venezuela.