Stories from 13 January 2011
Mexico: Indigenous Town Burned by Arsonists
Alejandro Ortiz Sotomayor in Vivir México reports [es] that an indigenous town in the state of Durango was burned by about 60 men who were seeking retaliation after people from the town killed one of their men in defense days before; more than 37 houses and 27 vehicles were burned.
Pakistan: Salmaan Taseer- We Buried A Man Not His Courage
The death of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer has brought to the forefront a clear distinction, on one hand are those who endorse the assassination and glorify the assassin and on the other hand those that consider his death a setback and a national loss.
Afghanistan: Protest in Kabul against the Iranian government
Afghan protesters demonstrated on Thursday outside the Iranian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan against the ill treatment of Afghan immigrants and refugees in Iran, and also against Iran's ongoing fuel blockade against Afghanistan.
Sri Lanka: Google Map On Flood Affected Areas
Groundviews publishes a frequently updated Google Map which identifies the main flood-affected regions in Sri Lanka, sites where relief and rescue operations have been conducted and other information.
Pakistan: Interior Minister Calls For Reporting Of Blasphemous Contents
Shahzad Ahmed reports in a tweet that Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has called for the “Nation” to report anti-Islam or blasphemous contents to him, so these can be blocked within 24 hours.
El Salvador: A Decade Since the January 13 Earthquake
Hunnapuh [es] asks if El Salvador has learned “the lesson” 10 years after the January 13 earthquake. Blogger “Jjmar” answers the question reporting that construction companies still build homes in vulnerable places, and that people still purchase and live in these high-risk homes.
Tunisia: YouTubing the Uprising
Video-sharing portal YouTube has been blocked in Tunisia since 2007 - but that is not stopping Tunisians from sharing the horrors they are facing on the streets with the rest of the world. As the Tunisian uprising gets into its fourth week, more and more videos are being posted and circulated by cyberactivists who want to world to witness what is happening to them at the hands of the authorities.
Tunisia: Hackers take over Tunisian Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane's Blog
The Twittersphere is on fire after a letter of resignation, allegedly written by Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamel Morjane, popped on his blog. Did Morjane really resign or has his blog been hacked? UPDATE: It now turns out that the minister's blog has indeed been hacked.
Iran: New Cops for Virtual world
According [fa] Weblognews,Iran announced ‘new cops, next week, will start their function for internet surveillance.” Read more about computer criminals here.
China: Social media for social change
It would be innocent to think that social media can lead to revolutionary changes in China, but we should not underestimate the potential of micro-power for social progress, China media expert Hu Yong comments.
Uganda: End Big Man Rule
Museveni Kaguta calls on Ugandans to vote to end Big Man Rule once and for all.
Iran: Coelho's books banned
Brazilian author Paulo Coelho says his books were banned in Iran. The writer made all his books in Persian availabe on his blog, free for all fans.
Iran:”Supreme leader tweetings infuriate Iran's bloggers”
Guardian writes that “A Twitter account believed to belong to Iran's supreme leader has triggered controversy among Iranians whose own access to social networking websites remains blocked.”
Sudan: Oldest woman votes
South Sudan's Rebecca Kadi Loburang Dinduch – thought to be the oldest voter who is expected to be between 100 -115 years according to her granddaughter, on Wednesday arrived at the polling station in a five-car convoy to cast her ballot for independence.
El Salvador: 10 Years with the US Dollar
Remembering 10 years since El Salvador began using the US Dollar as its currency, Tim from Tim's El Salvador Blog explains: “It would be fair to say that the move to the dollar has never been popular among the ordinary people of El Salvador.”
Tanzania: Half of Tanzania’s population on phone
A research team at the University of Dar es Salaam says half the Tanzanian population is currently hooked to mobile phones, and that it takes just a handset to run a business in the country.
Barbados, U.S.A.: The Republicans
“Trust the Republican machinery to make you start feeling nostalgic for Dubya”: B.C. Pires blogs about She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
Barbados: By-Election for Late PM's Seat
“The by-election in the parish of St. John is in full swing, with the usual bickering and personal attacks that have come to personify Bajan election campaigns”: Cheese-on-bread! can't wait for the whole thing to be over and done with.
Jamaica: Skin Bleaching
“All of a sudden the problem of skin bleaching is in the spotlight and we have top DJ Vybz Kartel to thank for it”: Active Voice explains.
Guyana: Adopt-a-Turtle
Guyana-Gyal considers adopting a turtle – but there's a deal-breaker.
Guyana, St. Lucia, Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?
Regional bloggers are reblogging posts that ask where all the Haiti relief money went, given that the country appears to be not much better off a year after the earthquake.
