Stories from 21 January 2011
Azerbaijan: Bloggers remember Hrant Dink four years on
Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the murder in Istanbul of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor, and human rights activist who advocated for reconciliation and friendship between nations, and especially estranged neighbors Armenia and Turkey. This year, however, the anniversary was also unexpectedly marked by many bloggers from Azerbaijan.
Africa: Kabissa Network and Online Platform
Learn about Kabissa online platfrom and network in Africa: “As of this writing, Kabissa has 1,558 approved organizations in the network, 215 of them new in 2011, that have been taking excellent advantage of Kabissa to showcase themselves and connect with each other for peer learning and information sharing.”
Uganda: Does Uganda need the world's third largest cabinet?
Why does Uganda need such a large cabinet?: “The global average of Cabinet Ministers is 30. Uganda has 71. The only two countries in the world with a larger cabinet are North Korea and Kenya – definitely two models of good governance (ahem).”
D. R of Congo: Obama's invasion of DRC
Why does Ann Garrison say that Obama invaded the Democratic Republic of Congo two years ago: “It makes sense because:1) On his Inauguration Day, Obama became the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. 2) The Rwandan and Ugandan armies serve as the U.S. military's proxies in Africa.”
Zimababwe: How to get money for public sector wages
Tips on how to generate money for public sector wages in Zimbabwe: “Maybe sell some of Chombo’s houses or farms acquired by Zanu PF chefs? Or swing a bit of cash from diamonds towards salaries? Turn in the Mercs and Prados and buy more modest vehicles? Quit the trips and...
Africa: Can white people be Africans? – Part 2
A number of South Africans have responded to Sentletse Diakanyo's post entitled “We are not all Africans, black people are!”
Africa: Apply for Season 6 of Big Brother Africa
“The Naspers owned M-Net subscription-funded television channel in South Africa and proud organizers of the Big Brother Africa reality show are happy to announce the opening of applications for the Season 6 of the most watched reality show on the continent of Africa,” Mac-Jordan reports.
Brazil: The Brazilian who invented the radio
Ricardo Kotscho reproduces [pt] a letter by Hamilton Almeida in which he tells the story of the inventor of the radio Roberto Landell de Moura – a Brazilian priest born 150 years ago (January 21, 1861). According to Almeida, though Landell “patented the radio in Brazil (1901)” it was Guglielmo...
Samsung Released An Optimistic Outlook on Korean Security
Samsung Economic Research Institute(SERI) released its annual report on Korean peninsula's peace in 2011. SERI speculated that the military tension between two Koreas is likely to subside. Read full report[en]. (click pdf icon right next to title)
Brazil: Any questions for Julian Assange?
Natalia Viana, WikiLeak's journalist in Brazil, invites [pt] bloggers and readers of her blog to formulate questions for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange until 6pm, on January 21. The most original 10 questions will be selected for an interview to be published next week.
Lusophone Culture: Buala “Giving Voice” to Contemporary African Cultures
They propose “to create new views, free from prejudice and colonial judgment,” of contemporary African cultures, and in an interview with Global Voices, Marta Lança and Francisca Bagulho talk about the creation of Buala: “an interdisciplinary web portal for reflection, critique and documenting Portuguese-speaking Africa.”
Singapore: Online transgender beauty pageant
Tru Me is Singapore's online transgender beauty pageant which will be launched next month.
The last rural village in Singapore
The Long and Winding Road revisits the last rural village in Singapore
Singapore's real economy
Reacting to the high ranking of Singapore in the global index of economic freedom, blogger econospeak insists that the prosperous city state is actually a “curious mixture of socialism and state planning with innovative free market approaches.”
Singapore: National Authentication Framework project
techgoondu previews the National Authentication Framework project of Singapore which will go live later this year. Through a single log in, it allows netizens to carry out online transactions with government services and businesses
Singapore: Salary of foreign maids
kaffein-nated from Singapore discusses the mandated increase in the salary of foreign maids while locals continue to wait for a pay increase.
Brazil: Thousands on the street against price increase of the bus tickets
Panópticosp posts a series of photos [pt] in the Brazilian Independent Media Center from the manifestation against the price increase of the bus tickets. On January 20, more than 3 thousand students went to the streets of São Paulo showing that they are not affraid of the police brutality seen...
Korean Gov Enforces Its Privacy Regulations on Facebook
Faceboook has agreed to make adjustments on its privacy regulation in Korea as the company rules have failed to meet domestic internet laws. The change may mean more protection on users privacy, but any Korean Facebook users first need to consent to gathering and usage of personal information. South Korea's...