24 March 2011

Stories from 24 March 2011

Palestine: Biggest Escalation of Violence in Gaza since Cast Lead

The Gaza Strip is lately experiencing the largest escalation of violence since Cast Lead operation in 2008-2009 that claimed lives of more than 1,400 Palestinians, among them over 350 children. On the night of March 22, 2010, Israel started military operations that led to the bloodiest day in Gaza in two years. Palestinian bloggers and tweeps react to the clashes.

Colombia: Columnist Threatens to Sue Twitter User for Slander

  24 March 2011

Political website La Silla Vacía summarizes [es] the online fight between columnist Ernesto Yamhure (@eyamhure), a staunch supporter of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, and Twitter user Nicolás González (@nicoagonzalez). González criticized Yamhure's latest op-ed [es] where he mentions a character played by late comedian Jaime Garzón, claiming [es] the...

Mexico: Femicide Law Passed in State of Mexico

  24 March 2011

Erwin in The Latinamericanist reports that “legislators in Mexico State unanimously passed a law last week that legally recognizes femicides [es] as an independent crime category.” However, Erwin adds that “deputy Mónica Fragoso Maldonado told El Universal that the measure does little [es] to solve the problem of violence against...

Japan: The Importance of Getting Back to Normal

  24 March 2011

As more time passes since the devastating Earthquake that shook Japan on March 11th, people in Japan are feeling the need to return to normal and put the disaster behind them. Although for many Japanese who lost their homes or loved ones this will be quite difficult, those who weren't as unlucky feel the need to do their part and help the economy get back on its feet.

El Salvador: 31 Years Since the Death of Archbishop Oscar Romero

  24 March 2011

“On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot and killed while saying Mass at the chapel of the Divina Providencia. Romero had spent the last two-plus years of his life as Archbishop working tirelessly to prevent the country from falling into open civil war,” Mike explains at Central American...

Portugal: Is there still Government?

  24 March 2011

In order to aggregate the latest tweets on the political crisis in Portugal, Rui Ramos created the website aindahagoverno.com (Is there still Government?) [pt]. The Prime Minister Jose Socrates resigned on March 24, after the Parliament rejected the government's latest proposal for an austerity package aimed at avoiding an economical...

Taiwan: Call for Energy Policy Review

  24 March 2011

The ongoing Fukushima nuclear power plant incident in Japan has alerted people in Taiwan about the safety of nuclear power plants in their own country. In order to transform current concern into long term government policy, many netizens are demanding the Taiwanese government conduct a comprehensive review on the country's energy and industrial policy.

Burkina Faso: Burkinabé Drums

  24 March 2011

Learn about different types of drums from Burkina Faso: “Percussion forms the basis of music making in Burkina. Drums are used in daily life, to signal a journey or a return from the fields, to accompany mask dances and to codify secret languages solely understood by initiates.”

Ecuador: Investigation Around Newborn Deaths Continues

  24 March 2011

According to Ecuador's latest census, more than 14 million people live in the country, but there is still no consensus on the national infant mortality rate. Recent incidents have called attention to health care practices in neonatal units in Ecuadorian hospitals, triggering an investigation around newborn deaths in the country.

South Sudan: A wrong start for Africa’s newest country

  24 March 2011

Maggie Fick believes that Africa’s newest country, South Sudan is starting off on the wrong foot: “There has been heavy fighting between the Southern army and an intractable local rebel movement, clashes between fractious units of the northern Sudanese army deployed in the south, an ugly police abuse scandal, and...

Gambia: I set limits on press freedom

  24 March 2011

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh says he sets press freedom limits in the country: But press freedom has limits, Jammeh said, and it is he who sets those limits. “One freedom I will never give you is the freedom, the liberty to write whatever you want that you know is not...

Should Indonesia Abandon its Nuclear Plans?

  24 March 2011

Indonesia’s plan to build its first nuclear plant in the next decade has been shelved indefinitely because of the nuclear disaster in Japan. Bloggers are joining the debate on whether Indonesia should pursue its nuclear dreams.

Haiti: Awaiting Results

  24 March 2011

As election results continue to be tabulated in Haiti, The Latin Americanist suggests that “the real victors are the Haitian electorate who supposedly turned out in large numbers to some voting centers.” Toussaint on Haiti also weighs in.

Brazil: Satirical Video pokes fun at famous singer's blog

  24 March 2011

The Javipior blog has made video spoof on the upcoming poetry blog [pt] by Brazilian singer Maria Bethânia, estimated at R$ 1.3 million tax free (Brazilian reais – approximately US$ 777,000). The poem recited at the video criticizes using tax incentives to cover the blog expenses, “I know I'm taking...

Cuba: Courage of Journalists

  24 March 2011

“There are currently no Cuban independent journalists in the Castro gulag…” but that doesn't fool Uncommon Sense into thinking that there is a free press.