13 January 2011

Stories from 13 January 2011

Mexico: Indigenous Town Burned by Arsonists

  13 January 2011

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

  13 January 2011

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.

El Salvador: A Decade Since the January 13 Earthquake

  13 January 2011

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

  13 January 2011

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.

China: Social media for social change

  13 January 2011

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.

Sudan: Oldest woman votes

  13 January 2011

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

  13 January 2011

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.”

Barbados: By-Election for Late PM's Seat

  13 January 2011

“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

  13 January 2011

“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.