Stories from 8 April 2011
Colombia: Finding Colombia in New York City
Elsa Tobón walks around and Roosevelt Avenue [sp] in New York City, pointing out all the details that make her believe for a moment that she is back in Medellin, Colombia.
Venezuela: Violence in Caracas
Mirelis Morales Tova [es] reflects on violence in Caracas and asks: “Why? Why have we reached the levels of violence of Colombia and Mexico? Where did we fail? And what can be done? Too many questions, without answers. And in the meantime… do we continue to adapt to live with...
Global Voices at the 7th Annual BOB Awards
A number of Global Voices contributors from around the world are among the nominees for the prestigious Deutsche Welle Blog Awards – the BOBs. Find out more and vote now!
China: Privilege Zone
Mary Ann O'Donnell has translated an essay on “Why is creating SEZs a logical fraud? The “Special Economic Zones (SEZs)” was designed as a testing ground for reforming and opening China. However, the article argues that it is a privilege zone for multinationals to explore workers.
Zhao Lianhai: we will not be silent
China Media Project has translated Chinese activist Zhao Lianhai's video calls for the release of Ai Weiwei and other Chinese dissidents who have been jailed and detained in recent months. Zhao is a victim of the 2008 poisoned milk scandal and has been sentenced to 2.5 years for “provoking social...
Cuba: House Arrest for Fariñas
Uncommon Sense has the details on independent journalist and human rights activist Guillermo Fariñas’ latest detention.
Trinidad & Tobago: No Impartiality
B.C. Pires suggests that the former head of the Police Service Commission has shown his true colours by “putting out a public call to police officers who feel they are being victimized”, saying: “So. It was ‘an Indian thing’ all along.”
Cuba: Exam Fraud
“Fraud in Cuban schools is a deep evil, almost endemic,” says Iván García, who explains that “on a greater or lesser scale it’s been happening since 1970.”
Guyana: Losing Your Religion
“Each cast different blame. Your country fault. Your religion fault. And none can see that both is wrong…”: Guyana-Gyal thinks that many of the world's problems could be solved if people would actually listen.
Jamaica, Barbados: Search Putting CARICOM at Risk?
Abeng News Magazine says that “Jamaica’s foreign minister…is intimating that…CARICOM could be threatened if an alleged vaginal search of a Jamaican woman mid March by Barbadian border service agents is not dealt with frankly and honestly.”
Russia: FSB Representative Urges to Ban Skype, Gmail, and Hotmail
Alexander Andreyechkin, head of Information and Special Communications Protection Center of Federal Security Service (FSB), said that uncontrollable use of Skype, Gmail, and Hotmail ‘can lead to a massive threat to Russia's security” and urged to ban these services, RIA Novosti reported [ru]. On the same day, anonymous Kremlin representative...
Cuba: The Dangers of Bureaucracy
In La Polémica Digital [es] blogger and journalist Elaine Díaz reflects on the dangers of bureaucracy in Cuba.
Puerto Rico: Media critique
The team of #EnProfundo [es] come back with another podcast full of their biting media critique.
Russia: Distributed Denial of LiveJournal
Russian online space is getting more violent. The last series of attacks on LiveJournal blogging platform has proved this once again. Whatever are the reasons, the attack on LiveJournal is the attack on online speech in Russia. The bloggers, however, share responsibility for the situation.
Rwanda: Remembering the Rwandan Genocide
April 6, 2011, marked the beginning of the seventeenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. It is a time to reflect on the unforgivable human errors that led to the despicable slaughter of close to a million Rwandans, mostly Tutsis. Bloggers discuss a variety of themes related to the genocide.
Gambia: Yahya Jammeh is a brutal dictator
Sentenced to six months in prison after falling foul of Gambia’s Jammeh government, democracy and human rights activist Edwin Nebolisa talks to Pan-African Visions’ Ajong Mbapndah about his ordeal
Laos: Vientiane Vision 2030
Sao Darly links to a youtube video about the urban development masterplan for Vientiane, capital of Laos.
Singapore: Political website to shut down
The editorial team of The Temasek Review, a political website in Singapore, has confirmed that the website will soon be closed due to financial difficulties.
South Korea: Four Students Committed Suicides in KAIST
Four students at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KAIST), South Korea's one of prestigious universities, have committed suicides this semester, reportedly because of the pressure of competition and KAIST's penalty system which charges students extra fee for underachievement. Net users have filed an online petition[ko] urging the KAIST...
Afghanistan: Violence against Aid Workers
Joel Hafvenstein reflects on the latest and earlier cases of violence against international aid workers in Afghanistan and says that it’s not quite right to talk about a steady increase in such violence.
Singapore: Understudy MPs
Chua Chin Leng blogs about the training of understudy Members of Parliament in Singapore where rookie leaders are ‘understudying’ the job of senior politicians.
