Stories from 21 April 2010
Russia, US: Artyom Savelyev's Case
Natalia Antonova writes about the case of a 7-year-old adopted Russian boy, who was sent back from the United States alone on a plane to Russia by his adoptive mother: “Hansen acted out her supposed desperation in a dehumanizing and humiliating fashion. This adopted child had hurt her, and so...
Argentina: International Court Rules in Paper Mill Conflict with Uruguay
The International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled on the conflict between Argentina and Uruguay about the latter's construction of a paper mill on the Uruguay River shared by both countries. Bloggers and Twitter users in Argentina react to the court's ruling.
Bhutan: The Love For Titles And Designations
Dorji Wangchuk writes about the obsession of the Bhutanese people for titles and designations. “Whereas in the West people are known by their names, half of Bhutan knows the other half only by their titles,” the blogger opines.
Sri Lanka: The Idea Of Citizenship
Sanjana Hattotuwa comments on the idea of citizenship in Sri Lankan context: “Citizenship is (thus) anchored not to a secular, liberal ideal larger than the sum of its constituent peoples and communities, but to reductionist fault-lines and groupings, based on and fuelled by communal hagiography and the chauvinism of majoritarian...
Guatemala: Live Streaming Video of Central American Conference
The citizen media site HablaGuate [es] is currently live streaming the Conference Post Conflict: Social and Economic Challenges in Central America currently being held in Guatemala City.
Bhutan: Perils Of The Smoking Ban
Penstar writes about the perils of the recent ban on smoking in Bhutan as it has proliferated black markets, which led to cancellation of licenses of some shop owners. “I think the ban helps no one,” – says the blogger.
India: The IPL Cookie Is Crumbling
“The collapse of the Indian Premier League (IPL) pack of cards is identical to the unravelling of the Satyam fraud in 2009, from a media perspective. Namely, no media organisation—newspaper, magazine, TV station or internet website—saw it before it happened,” – opines Sans Serif.
Pakistan: Karachi Music Scene
“This is about a Karachi from a very different time. A Karachi that moved to a very different beat,” – comments Adil Najam at All Things Paksitan while discussing about the Karachi music scene from the 1960s into the 1970s.
Sri Lanka: Social Etiquette In Colombo
A Boy From Colombo introduces some formalities and etiquette to be followed during a social visit in the Sri Lankan capital.
Russia: Authorities Inspect Major Social Network
Russia authorities started inspection of the country's major social network Vkontakte.ru, rbcdaily.ru reported. The authorities claim the social network became popular with neo-Nazi, xenophobic and extremist groups. But the inspection can also be an attempt to extract users’ private data.
Colombia: Video remixing and Presidential Elections
Remixes: From Hitler, to Chris Crocker and Pinky and the Brain, Colombian fans show their Presidential candidates support by remixing videos to help their campaigns and mock the oposition's candidates.
Russia: Internet Development in Regions
Yandex.ru published report [RUS, .pdf] on Internet development in Russian regions. Report concludes that the drastic increase in Internet penetration during 2009 was in Russian regions. The average speed of the Internet there is 1,100 kbs. The most active bloggers are in the Far East.
Azerbaijan: Nationalist propaganda
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines recounts being verbally abused by a fellow countryman after co-presenting with Global Voices Online's Caucasus regional editor at a recent conference. The blogger notes that the reason for being cornered and harassed was her belief in tolerance and democracy in Azerbaijan as well as peace...
Malawi: Wedding of Year, Flag Changes and Media Suppression
In what some describe as the wedding of the year, Malawi’s President Dr Bingu wa Mutharika wed his former cabinet minister Callista Chapola Chimombo Saturday April 17, 2010. The officiation took place at Civo Stadium, an open place contrary to Roman Catholic procedure. Over 20 heads of states and governments were among the 4,500 delegates to the ceremony.
Paraguay: Spreading the Guaraní Language Through Blogging
In Paraguay, where 88% of the population speaks the indigenous language of Guaraní, there were no blogs in this native tongue, until blogger and journalist Mirta Martínez decided to begin writing in Guaraní as a way to promote the use of the language.
China: Shutting down of NGOCN's website
ngochina blogs about the shutting down of ngo.cn earlier in April. The website was established in 2005 and it offered capacity building training to NGOs, mainly those located in southwestern China (Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou).
Taiwan: Smart phone supplier's exploitative practice
Young Fast Optoelectronics (YFO), one of the biggest manufacturers of smart phone touch panel in the world, was recently accused by its trade union (YFOTU) of its exploitative working conditions and violation of labour law. According to the trade union blog, being a major supplier of the world's famous cell...
Japan: Blogosphere Reactions to the Nikkei Ban on Links
Growing up in a salaryman household in Japan, one assumes that in the future, one will start wearing a tie, drink coffee, and read the Nikkei. And that would mean that you're all grown up! Admittedly, this is a gross exaggeration but hopefully it conveys the tone of the Nikkei's...