Stories from 22 April 2010
Russia: Medvedev Twitter Accounts
Profy writes about the soon-to-be-launched official Twitter account of the Russian president – and the recently suspended fake one: “The thing is that this Twitter account misbehaved on the day of last week’s terrorist bombings in Moscow: a comment was published that looked very much like the first official comment...
Russia: RT and Public Diplomacy
Lena Osipova of Global Chaos argues that RT, Russia's first all-digital English-language TV network, “not only does not promote Russia's credibility, but undercuts it further.”
India: Lack Of Election Debates
Sandeep Bansal at Desicritics questions a missing democratic practice: “When will election debates matter in India?”
Bangladesh: Confronting Energy Famine
Kh. A. Saleque at E-Bangladesh decribes the reason for the recent energy crisis in Bangladesh: “not only foreign investors but also the local investors are seemingly disinclined to invest at any segment of energy value chain.”
More Maldivians to Mount Everest
Al's journey informs that nine more Maldivians have started their journey to reach the peak of the mount Everest.
Sri Lanka: Police Brutality
Chitrangi’s Weblog shares a story of police brutality on a 32 years old worker of the Sri Lanka Transport Board in Panadura.
Egypt: Economic Vegetarians
Red meat prices have risen dramatically in Egypt in recent weeks. Amidst calls for meat boycotts, many Egyptians are being pushed to vegetarianism due to high prices.
Sudan: Election fraud caught on video?
A video showing election fraud during Sudan's election is being circulated online. Sudan's National Elections Commission has dismissed it as fake. The video shows election officials stuffing ballot boxes. Opposition groups claim that the video proves their claims of election rigging by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
China: Tribute to the leader of 50 cent party
This afternoon (April 22) Wu Hao (伍皓), the deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Yunnan Province had a talk in People's University. Before Wu started his talk, a 25-year-old netizen approached him and greeted him with a pile of 50-cent notes. According to online news...
Brazil: The Fragility of the Electronic Voting System
Maria Frô republishes [pt] news about a University of Brasília's report uncovering flaws in the electronic voting system: “Let's be aware of this election as they promise unpleasant surprises considering the suspicion of different electoral research institutes.”
Haiti: Food Aid
A mainstream media news story which highlights “the problems posed by continued food aid to Haiti”, grabs the attention of Ellen in Haiti, who says: “The problem with the article is that it just talks about food aid….in Port au Prince. There is so much else in Haiti that needs...
Trinidad & Tobago: More UDeCOTT Lessons
“No time for distractions, in this election season”: Afra Raymond continues his quest to learn the lessons of Trinidad and Tobago's UDeCOTT fiasco.
Trinidad & Tobago: Parties Unite
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog continues to report on the lead-up to the country's general elections on May 24, saying: “History was created at Charlie King Junction in Fyzabad when before a mammoth cheering crowd, the nation’s Opposition parties signed a historic ‘Declaration of Political Unity’, last night.”
Jamaica: 10 Years of Calabash
Litblogger Geoffrey Philp blogs about the 10th annual Calabash International Literary Festival in Jamaica, saying: “This year’s event will bring together an extraordinary mix of new and established writers from around the world for the most anticipated annual literary event in the Caribbean region.”
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago: Happy Earth Day
In honour of Earth Day, Guyana-Gyal wishes everyone “plastic-free…poo-free seas flinging up liquid diamonds”, while Survivein’ Trinidad adds: “A little will certainly go a long way if we all make a conscious effort to take better care of the environment.”
Morocco: First Gay Online Magazine Launched
The blog The View From Fez reports on the launch of the first Moroccan Gay online magazine, Mithly. “It's a brave move. Next month's issue will broach another taboo subject – that of the high level of suicides amongst Moroccan gays,” the blogger notes.
Uruguay: International Court Rules in Paper Mill Conflict with Argentina
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 in Uruguay react to the court's ruling.
Cuba: Reporting via Twitter
“It is true that we broadcast blindly and that we cannot read our readers’ replies or references, but at least we are reporting on the Island in 140 character fragments”: Generation Y says that the Cuban authorities “haven’t noticed that the technologies have turned every citizen into his or her...
Haiti: Threat of Rain
Concern Blogs reports that “the United Nations has determined that 9,000 of [Haiti's] Bourdon Valley’s residents are at immediate risk of losing their lives in this area due to dangers posed by the rains.”
US, Russia: A Pro-Russian Lobby
Eugene Ivanov of The Ivanov Report believes that the US-Russian “‘reset’ needs a charger, and the pro-Russian lobby should play the role of this charger.”
Haiti: Part of History
The Haitian Blogger republishes an article by Melanie Newton which suggests that what happens in Haiti post-earthquake “is a question of world historical significance.”
