Stories from 18 January 2011
Puerto Rico: Online Debate on Hooded Protesters
Recently, hooded individuals protesting in the student strike at the University of Puerto Rico committed acts of vandalism that were caught on camera. Members of the Puerto Rican blogosphere discuss the impact they have caused to the cause and some wonder if they are students at all.
Singapore: Using social media to promote clean toilets
The Restroom Association Singapore uses various social media tools like twitter, youtube, and facebook to promote cleaner public toilets in Singapore.
‘Korean War’ in Cambodia
Mary Kozlovski, writing for The Phnom Penh Post, writes about the reported boycott spearheaded by South Korean tourist operators against a popular North Korean restaurant in Cambodia. The restaurant is owned by the North Korea government.
Russia: Blogger Tests if $88 per Month is Enough to Survive
Volunteer project minproduct.ru launched by a 17-year-old Muscovite examines the state-defined monthly living wage (around $88 per month). Many Russians retirees have nothing but this amount to live on. Vitaliy, an author of the blog, shares recipes and pictures of his humble daily diet.
Russia: HimkiLeaks Project Launches Campaign Against Corrupt Mayor
LJ account HimkiLeaks [RUS] published several reports exposing Vladimir Strelchenko, ill-famed mayor of Khimki city. Previously, Strelchenko's name has been connected with such drastic events as repressions against environmentalists, assaults on journalists Konstantin Fetisov, Oleg Kashin, Mikhail Beketov, etc.
Russia: Anti-Corruption Blogger's Gmail Hacked
Alexey Navalny, one of the Russia's most influential anti-corruption bloggers, twitted [RUS] that his Gmail account has been recently hacked. This happened after Navalny accused [RUS] one of the Russian ministries in corruption. Gmail, however, reacted fast, and within 15 minutes returned [RUS] the account to the owner.
Jordan: Debating the Country's Leadership
Blogging and Twitter conversations in Jordan have continued on from Jordan's Day of Anger on Friday January 14th, 2011, and subsequent protests. These events had demonstrators demanding the resignation of Jordan's Prime Minister Samir Rifai, and demanding more attention paid to high prices, high unemployment, and low wages.
Tunisia: Blogger and Former Political Prisoner Appointed Minister
Slim Ammamou, a blogger, activist and Global Voices contributor, was appointed Secretary of State for Sports and Youth Affairs in the new interim unity government in Tunisia. Reactions have been pouring in Social Media.
Arab World: Congratulations to Arabs Got Talents!
Arabs Got Talents debut on television drew enthusiasm and criticism from the crowd on Twitter, quickly becoming a trending topic. Here are some mixed reactions.
India: Women Empowerment and Videoblogging
Women Aloud Videoblogging for Empowerment (WAVE) is a platform and program aiming to get women from semi-urban areas of India to voice their opinions on topics that matter to them through online video tools.
South Korea: During Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak, A Female Official Died of Fatigue
A female official who handled quarantine work has died of fatigue, South Korea's citizen media, Wiki Tree reported today[ko]. As the country faced its worst foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the workload for quarantine workers has greatly increased lately.
Ukraine: State’s Grip on Media Tightens, Affects Bloggers
Tetyana Bohdanova reports on the deterioration of press freedom in Ukraine, highlighting the recent case of blogger and journalist Olena Bilozerska.
