Stories from 19 April 2011
Laos: Protest against Xayaburi dam
Activists held a picket in front of the Laos Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand to protest against the planned Xayaburi dam in Mekong River in Laos. The big dam, according to protesters, would affect fish supply and inundate villages in the region.
Myanmar: Petition campaign for peace and reconciliation
A petition campaign was initiated on the first day of the Burmese New Year at the headquarters of the Myanmar opposition party, the National league for Democracy, urging the President of the Union of Myanmar to take some concrete actions for national reconciliation and domestic peace of the country.
Myanmar: Quake victims need water and zinc sheets
A relief worker reports that quake victims in Northeast Myanmar need drinking water and zinc sheets for shelter. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar last month.
Malaysia: Residents to receive email account from the government
All Malaysian residents above 18 years old will get a 1Malaysiaemail account from the government.
Mexico: Felipe Calderon's Cabinet on Twitter
In mid-April, the government headed by Felipe Calderon announced with much fanfare that every member of the cabinet was now registered on Twitter, and prepared to deal more directly with the public via social media. The initiative, however, is shadowed by a concurrent report ranking Mexico just 78th out of 133 countries in terms of its effective use of information technology.
Philippines: Mosquito Press
The Mosquito Press is an online publication that satirizes Filipino public figures, government offices, mainstream press, commercial products, and media practitioners, among many others. Some of its victims include the Philippine President, a major broadsheet and a TV company.
Uganda: Government Attempts to Block Facebook, Twitter as Protests Continue
As opposition politicians and others angry over rising fuel and food prices in Uganda continue to stage "walk to work" protests against the current regime, the government is asking Internet service providers (ISPs) to shut down access to Facebook and Twitter.
Malaysia: Ruling Coalition Tops Sarawak Elections
On Saturday 16 April, 2011, Malaysia’s ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition won the state election in Sarawak, winning 55 of the 71 seats contested to retain its control and two-thirds majority over the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition alliance. Bloggers discuss the outcome.
Macedonia: “Sewing” Video-Clip/Film
On his blog, Daniel Gjurchinovski presented his short film Sewing, “shot and edited in one day.”
Colombia: Teen Produced Web Series about Gay Youth
Nineteen year old Jhoncito Arango's most recent web project has certainly caught the local media's eye in his native Colombia, where his web series Yonkis has had a very good reception considering that it tackles a topic that is still considered highly sensitive in this Catholic country: homosexuality.
Russia: Play on the swansong of the Yeltsin era
British playwright Thomas Hirst guestblogs at Siberian Light, writing about his new play The 17, about the demise of the Yelstin era in Russian politics.
Russia: Pullitzer prize for corruption coverage
Putin Watcher draws attention to two New York Times journalists winning the Pullitzer Prize for their coverage of Russian state corruption.
Russia: Restricting racism
Sean's Russia Blog writes about increasing government intolerance with Russia's racist movements, signified by a court ruling to outlaw an organization against illegal immigration.
Hungary: New constitution passed by parliament
Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum discusses the new Hungarian constitution, last-minute changes, and how major parties boycotted the parliamentary vote.
North Korea: Starving People Welcome Big Forest Fires
A recent NASA satellite photo showed a number of forest fires in North Korea. Free North Korea Radio, an internet-based news media founded and runs by North Korean defectors, reported [ko] that starving North Koreans welcome the news since the fire will clear land for farming. (Read translation here)
North Korea: Biggest Magic Show Ever
North Korea staged its biggest magic show ever on April 18. It is believed to be a highlight in a week of festivities surrounding Kim Il Sung’s April 15 birthday, Robert Koehler commented about it in the Marmot’s Hole blog. The country's lavish spending on the show, rather than on...
How China reports the Arab world
David Bandurski from China Media Project has translated al-Jazeera‘s chief correspondent, Ezzat Shahrour's excellent blog post raising questions on Chinese media's reports on the Arab world.
