Stories from 19 October 2010
Bermuda: More than a Whisper
Vexed Bermoothes says that “the ‘whispering guest workers'…make up a significant proportion of our population but have NO political voice” and would like to see this change.
South Korea: North Korean Defector's Struggling Life In Big Cities
A North Korean defector's life in South Korea is tough. Even after hundreds hours of study in Hanawon, the state-run resettlement facility, the defector's first encounter with the real world outside North is full of bewilderment and frustration. Korea’s Joongang took a snapshot of a defector's daily life.
China: Whistleblower Exposes Guangzhou Metro Line 3 Safety Failures
A construction engineer Zhong Jizhang risked his career to expose the safety problem of Guangzhou Metro Line 3. ChinaSMACK has translated the story and some netizens’ comments..
China: Afterthoughts of Foxconn tragedies
Foxconn, a Taiwanese company and the world's largest maker of electronic components, has become one of the most notorious corporations in China after 13 consecutive suicides of its workers in 2010. However, given the fact that Foxconn's salary and working environment is not the worst of its kind, no one has...
China: A brief guide to censorship
Angry Chinese Blogger writes a very elaborated post on China censorship.
Cote d'Ivoire: A UN Seminar on Election Monitoring for Diplomats and International Observers
The UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire announced that it held a two-day seminar (Oct 12-13) on election monitoring for diplomats and international observers in preparation for the elections [fr].
Myanmar: Advocacy video guide
The Witness Blog provides a Burmese version of their training videos that gives human rights activists several tips and techniques on how to document and advance their advocacies.
Cambodia: Flooding in Phnom Penh
Vutha from Cambodia posts pictures of the recent flooding in Phnom Penh.
Cambodia: Bon Pchum Ben
The Sreisaat Adventures in Cambodia blogs about the Bon Pchum Ben, the annual commemoration of the spirits. It is one of the most important religious holidays in Cambodia.
Madagascar: Citizens Reporting of the Latest Clash Between Armed Forces and Protesters.
Blogger Jentilisa gives a detailed eyewitness account [mg] of the latest acts of violence [fr] between security forces and protesters on October 18th in Antananarivo, Madagascar. An estimated 1,500 people protested in front of the court where members of the opposition were to appear. Here is a citizen video of the protest before the...
Singapore EduCamp
Registration is now open for the 2010 Singapore Educamp. “EduCamps are BarCamp style un-conferences where educators and people interested in education come and share their projects, ideas and findings.”
Brazil: Open Call for Digital Culture
Brazilian Digital Culture Forum calls all enthusiasts to submit presentations about emerging processes in the network, communities of practice for the digital age and proposals to support public policies, until October 20. The 2nd edition of the Forum will take place in November 14-17 in Sao Paulo.
Brazil: Magazine censored by opposition party
The magazine Revista do Brasil, produced by the Rede Brasil Atual, has been censored by the opposition party, PSDB and its candidate, José Serra, for allegedly campaigning in favour of rival candidate Dilma Rousseff, informs [pt] Conceição Oliveira, in her blog, Maria Frô. Rede released [pt] a note repudiating the opposition's...
Philippines: Strongest typhoon of the year
Typhoon Juan (international name: Megi), the world’s strongest tropical cyclone of the year, hit the north part of the Philippines forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. Many provinces are still without power and communication signals; rice and other agricultural crops were also destroyed. Netizens share their stories
Slovenia: Elections in Ljubljana and Piran
Sleeping With Pengovsky reviews the results of the election in Ljubljana – here and here; Adventures in Wheelville writes about a Ghanaian doctor and politician Peter Bossman, who is running for mayor of the town of Piran.
Czech Republic: Local Elections
An update on the Czech local elections – at Dr. Sean's Diary.
Latvia: More on the Election Results
A note on the results of the Oct. 2 elections in Latvia – at Baltic.
Russia: “Siberian Nationalism”
Window on Eurasia writes about “Siberian nationalism” – here and here.
Russia: “The Aftermath” of Luzhkov's Dismissal
RFE/RL's The Power Vertical and PBN's The Pipeline write about “the aftermath” of Yuri Luzhkov's dismissal from the post of Moscow mayor.
Benin: Text Messages to Help Protect Children Against Violence: Lessons Learned
The Violence Against Children (VAC) project is an initiative co-implemented by PLAN and Save the Children in West Africa and takes place over 4 years in seven countries. The project explored the idea of setting up a text message based system that will collect and map out reports of violence against children. The following is a discussion about the impact and lessons learned on the implementation so far.
