Stories from 1 September 2010
Azerbaijan: Free imprisoned bloggers
A petition has been started urging U.S. President Barack Obama to raise the issue of imprisoned video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, at the United Nations General Assembly this month. The petition can be signed online here.
Mozambique: Government Appeals for Calm
A Verdade [The Truth, pt] released a statement from the Government of Mozambique, appealing to citizens for calm, as the night fell after a day of unrest in the city of Maputo.
Brazil: Fighting Back the Digital Crimes Bill
João Carlos Caribé warns internet users that there is another move by the Brazilian Congress to pass the Digital Crimes Bill. He calls a blogging carnival and Twitter campaign [pt] to fight back the bill as part of the Mega Não movement.
Zimbabwe: Online constitution survey
Zimbabwe constitution survey is online: “…please send a blank email to survey@sokwanele.com to receive an auto-respond reply with information on how you can participate in Sokwanele’s constitution survey.”
It's Time For 2010 South African Blog Awards
The South African Blog Awards were started in 2005 to showcase the best blogs in South Africa voted for by the public. Nominations for 2010 South African Blog Awards took place between 2–27 August 2010. The top ten nominees in each category have now entered into the public vote phase, which runs from 1–17 September 2010.
Nepal: Indian Embassy And The Media
United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal discusses in detail about the recent spat between the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and Nepal’s Free Media.
India: The Story Of A Backpacking Ninja
BlogAdda interviews Indian travel blogger Aparna Shekar Roy aka Backpacking Ninja who has backpacked in more than 25 countries.
Pakistan: Postcards From Hell
Farrukh Zafar visited some flood effected areas in Sindh, Pakistan and posted some pictures depicting the miserable state of the flood refugees in a relief camp.
Guatemala: Syndicated Criminals Denounce Conditions Impeding Their Work
In Impacto Mediático, Mario Cordero reports [es] on syndicated criminals publicly denouncing that conditions in Guatemala are impeding the exercise of their work; they are also asking authorities to help protect their lives. Cordero writes about a particular case, where criminals were chased by a bus they had assaulted moments...
Serbia: “Better on Facebook Than in the Streets”
The new school year in Serbia is about to start, and local newspapers are filled with techno anti-utopian articles on the bad effects of the Internet and social networks. A survey on the use of Facebook by the youth in Serbia has been published recently, too, however, and its results suggest that things aren't really that bad.
Paraguay: Environmental Consequences of Development
Diego Segovia writes [es] about the environmental consequences of cutting down trees for soybean production and other practices that have increased air contamination. He asks, “is this the ‘development’ you want?”
Bahamas: Earl's Path
“I am living in the post-Haiti earthquake era, no longer completely confident that the really terrible natural disasters always happen somewhere else”: Womanish Words had forgotten about hurricanes, and then along came Earl.
Trinidad & Tobago: A Little Less Conversation
“The people want policies to be created, and leadership that quietly and effectively affects their lives and everyone else's positively in the soonest possible time”: Plain Talk wants less talk and more action.
Trinidad & Tobago: National Awards
“The presentation of National Awards every year is probably the highlight of our Republic’s Independence celebration”: KnowTnT.com republishes the list of this year's honorees.
Cuba: The Mother's Experience
Isbel Diaz Torres, writing at Havana Times, says that “at the very moment the expecting mother enters the Cuban system of pregnancy attention, she ceases to be the principal figure in the management of her own problems, priorities and interests.”
Bermuda: Sacred Cow
Politics.bm explains why he thinks “Bermuda's immigration policy is broken.”
Bangladesh: How To Mug A PC
The Fortnightly Tablet writes how several gangs use innovative ways to mug PCs from the owners in Dhaka city.
Indigenous People and Mines in Canada
The Indigenous community in North America share many similar challenges with many citizens of the developing world. Poverty is endemic even though their territories are often rich in natural resources. Bloggers weigh in on the latest resource controversy:
MENA: That's Not Hijab!
This Ramadan, several campaigns encouraging women to wear, or correct their method of wearing hijab have been launched. Two such campaigns--in Iran and Palestine--have sparked conversation amongst a subset of bloggers.
Russia: “Inaccessible” Moscow Rally
LJ user drugoi published pictures [RUS] from the latest rally “Moscow. Access Granted” meant to illustrate accessibility problems that a person in a wheelchair can encounter in the city.
Kazakhstan: Illnesses of the Society and Twitter Leaks of High-Profile Glamour
Summer blogging in Kazakhstan rarely reacts adequately to the news, not to mention creation of news. Even the most devoted citizen journalists provide rare and relaxed updates, overlooking many hot news, which could have spur heated online discussions in another season. However, the topics continuously in focus are the vicious...
