22 May 2011

Stories from 22 May 2011

El Salvador: Food Insecurity Rising in Rural Areas

  22 May 2011

The blog “Locavore del Mundo” [someone who eats locally grown foods around the world] discusses how rural Salvadorian families are struggling to secure food for themselves, not particularly because they lack access to nutritious food, but rather because they are having to sell it to cover expenses that once they did not...

Argentina: Buenos Aires Mayor Quits Presidential Race

  22 May 2011

On May 7 Mauricio Macri, current mayor of Buenos Aires, announced he would seek re-election as mayor on July 10 of this year. After weeks of suspense, his decision confirms that he is giving up the October presidential race, prompting several discussions in social media outlets in Argentina.

Technology for Transparency: Final Report

  22 May 2011

The Technology for Transparency Network is proud to announce the release of its final report, "Global mapping of technology for transparency and accountability". The report is being published by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (@TAInitiative) along with a over a dozen other reports on the global transparency movement.

Peru: Fear in the Election Campaign

  22 May 2011

Almost 20 days before the date set for the second round of the presidential elections, the electoral campaign has begun to include more than just kissing babies and smiling for photos. In the past weeks, a series of events are showing the polarisation and even radicalisation that has come to surround candidates Keiko Fujimori and Ollanta Humala.

Spain: Website #tomalaplaza

  22 May 2011

Protesters in Puerta del Sol, Madrid, have posted their manifesto, communiques, and other information on their daily activities at the website Madrid #tomalaplaza [es].

Puerto Rico: New digital magzine

  22 May 2011

Students, activists, journalists and bloggers have launched the digital magazine El Punto [es] to foster a transnational conversation between Puerto Ricans living on the Island and those who belong to the diaspora in the United States.

Japan: Aiding the Aid Workers

  22 May 2011

After more than two months from the earthquake around 110,000 people are still living in evacuation centers. Along with victims of the disaster, some of the volunteers, doctors and aid workers helping them are beginning to suffer from emotional stress and fatigue.

France: DSK Scandal Fires a Protest Against Sexism

  22 May 2011

French feminist network Osez le féminisme (Dare to be a feminist) [fr] is organizing a protest [fr] in Paris on Sunday May 22, 2011, in front of the Pompidou museum against “the sexism of the French ‘elites’ revealed by the DSK scandal”. In a matter of hours, their online petition...

Kenya: The Judiciary Kenyan Are Dying For

  22 May 2011

Kenyans may soon have the judiciary they deserve: “With the nomination of Dr. Willy Mutunga and Ms. Nancy Baraza to serve as Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice respectively, Kenyans are seeing an opportunity for them to be served with justice.”

Africa: Mobile Web Content in East Africa

  22 May 2011

Erik comments on Vodafone's policy paper on “Broadband in Emerging Markets”: “This paper has identified two important barriers to the further diffusion of mobile internet usage across East Africa: lack of m-government policies; and, more important, an absence of charging mechanisms which share the cost of mobile internet access between...

Korea: Is North Korea Behind Every Unsolved Cyber Attack?

  22 May 2011

A slew of fearsome reports on the North Korea's cyber attack capability recently came out in South Korea, and even on Fox News this week. The South Korean government concluded North Korea was behind the latest attack. But South Korean Tweeters have made sarcastic jokes about the government's poor analysis and its knee-jerk reaction of blaming North Korea for every unsolved case.

Azerbaijan: Bloggers Divided Over Eurovision Win

Last weekend, Azerbaijan was shaking, with thousands of people flooding onto the streets of Baku, the capital, celebrating their country's win in the Eurovision Song Contest held a few hours earlier. However, not everyone was euphoric about the victory in the international music competition.

Egypt: Brutal Army Crackdown of Nakba Day Protests in Cairo

The Egyptian army cracked down with brutal force on a Nakba day protest in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo on May 15, 2011, firing teargas, rubber-coated steel bullets - and, some reported, live bullets - at protesters. Coverage quickly turned dramatic, reminiscent in tone of the 18 days of the revolution, as many protesters and journalists tweeted non-stop reports of the clashes and posted snapshots.