Stories from 18 February 2011
Balkans: Ceca and Other “Unwelcome” Singers
Belgraded posts a list of Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian singers who are “unwelcome in former enemy countries.”
Tanzania: Netizens comment on bomb explosions at army base
At least 30 people have been killed in multiple bomb explosions after an accident early Thursday at Gongo la Mboto army base in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. At least 22 people died in 2009 following massive explosions at an ammunition depot at Mbagala army base in Dar es Salaam. This is a roundup of reactions from blogosphere and twittersphere.
Puerto Rico: Congressman Condemns Human Rights Abuses
Blogger and lawyer Hiram Meléndez has posted the video in which Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez appears before Congress forcefully condemning the human rights abuses against students and protesters in the Island, the imposed restrictions on free speech at the University of Puerto Rico, and the crisis of the Bar Association,...
Puerto Rico: A Travelling Girl
Kanchita, a seven-year old girl from Puerto Rico, has started a blog [es] in which she is recording her thoughts during her wonderful travels through South America. Kanchita is also posting her photos. Yes, her parents are helping her out!
Equatorial Guinea: Writer on Hunger Strike
The writer and poet from Equatorial Guinea, Juan Tomás Avila Laurel [es], has gone on a hunger strike [es] in protest against the dictatorship of Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Obiang and his family have ruled the ex Spanish colony since 1979.
China: Chinese police mimic Michael Jackson’s and Korean Wonder Girls’ dance
The official Beijing police embedded a dance video in their microblog message via their Sina account ‘Peaceful Beijing’ as greetings for Chinese Lantern Festival. As the Ministry of Tofu points out, the police mimic Michael Jackson and Korean Wonder Girls in their dance.
China: Petitioner burns down his black prison
Veteran citizen journalist Zhang 'Tiger Temple' Shihe tells the story of Hubei petitioner Yan Sen, whose provincial government paid to keep him locked away in an extralegal 'black prison', up until Yan made his dramatic escape.
Serbia: Modern Architecture
Block 23 in New Belgrade and other examples of modern Serbian architecture – at Nothing Against Serbia.
China: The Crackdown of the Southern Media Group
Andy Yee translated Mo Zhixu's explanation on the implication of the recent crackdown of the Southern Media Group marked by the sacking of prominent journalist Chang Ping.
Brazil: Collateral concerns on newspaper's “failures”
Update on GV's Brazil: Newspaper Folha de São Paulo censors satirical blog: Lino Bocchini shares [pt] Leandro Arndt's concerns on intellectual property prosecution. Arndt had created the blog Falha de São Pedro (St. Peter's Failure) [pt] before Bocchini's Falha de São Paulo (St. Paul's Failure) [pt] also aiming to mock...
Brazil/USA: “Can the US shutdown the Internet?”
On his blog, brazilian journalist Altamiro Borges writes [pt, en] about the capacity of the USA to shutdown the internet in moments of crisis while commenting on an article by Cuarta Generación (Fourth Generation) [es], which says “US is heavily investing in order not to be surprised by the web”.
South Korea: Dead livestock draws a flocks of vultures
South Korea's citizen media, Wiki Tree posted Twitter @Photomaker79's image of a flocks of vultures circling over a burial ground in Kyunggi Province, where dead livestock have been dumped. To slow down the country's worst foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the government culled near a quarter of its herd and buried them...
Australia: Dog-whistling to Islamophobes
Australian Opposition politicians have been accused of using dog-whistle politics and courting islamophobes during the last week. Two issues have collided with instant reactions in the blogosphere.
Brazil: Abuse and Threats Behind Manaus City's ‘Garbage Tax’
In Brazil's northern state of Amazonas, there is nothing new about threats to freedom of expression and abuse by those who hold economic and political power. In this post, Global Voices tells the story of two bloggers who have been suffering sustained persecution.
Uganda: Bloggers Apprehensive as Voters Go to Polls
Ugandans go to the polls on Friday for the country's second round of multiparty elections since current president Yoweri Museveni took power in 1986. The mood among both Ugandans on Twitter and the blogosphere is apprehensive.
Iran: Whose Martyr is He?
The Iranian pro-regime and opposition forces have each been battling to claim Saleh Jaleh as their martyr. He was killed by gunfire on February 14 when the opposition demonstrated in Tehran and several other cities.
China: Worst Drought in 60 Years
Major agricultural regions in China are facing their worst drought in 60 years. According to government statistics, 2.57 million people and 2.79 million livestock have been hit by the drought. The immediate impact has been rising food prices, indeed its implication on food security has prompted the United Nations' food agency to issue a warning to the world's grain markets.
Venezuela: Netizens Comment on Possible Gasoline Use Restrictions
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced possible measures to start rationing gasoline. This matter constitutes a very sensitive issue for Venezuelans, since Venezuela is a country with one of the world's lowest gasoline prices. After the announcement, bloggers and Twitter users reacted in different ways.
