Stories from 28 June 2011
Armenia: Animal Activists Demand End to Stray Dog Killings
In the last few days animal activists are making unprecedented use of social media in the South Caucasus by demanding that the inhumane killing of stray dogs end by flooding the Yerevan mayor's Facebook page with requests and appeals.
India: Unique ID System To Verify Twitter And Facebook Accounts
Anupam Saxena at Media Nama informs that Aadhar, the Unique ID Authority of India will keep API calls to its databases free and it can be used to verify online...
Angola: The City Evolves and the “Icons” Vanish
“Some people claim that the city should evolve, others say that Luanda should not keep the traces of colonialism”, writes Menina de Angola, while regretting the demolition of “one more...
Cape Verde: A Story of Accessibility
Daivarela, on his blog, tells [pt] the story of how a capeverdean journalist, Maria Zinha, has successfully received a diploma in Cinema and Audiovisual, despite the accessibility barriers she constantly...
Video: Love Story, Short Film, Cellphone
The winner of the Nokia Shorts 2011 film competition, Splitscreen: A Love Story was shot using a mobile phone with HD capabilities. In it we follow two parallel lives through...
Uruguay: In Cerro Chato Citizens Protest in Favor and Against the Aratirí Mining Project
Citizens of Cerro Chato in central Uruguay are divided: over the weekend manifestations took place both in favor and against the Aratirí mining project. The blog Aire Libre [es] posts...
El Salvador: Food Security, a Historical and Ongoing Struggle
Voices From El Salvador has posted a two part post on “El Salvador's ongoing struggle with food security.” Part 1 provides a historical background, as well a review of current...
Ecuador's Growing Problem with Organized Crime
Bloggings by Boz, explains that “Ecuador is experiencing more violent and organized crime because of an increase in drug trafficking”, and points out: “The most recent surveys I saw in...
Hijablogging: “Hijab Undecided”
The topics discussed and debated in the "hijablogosphere" are always wide-ranging, but a succession of recent blog posts delve into one particularly tricky topic: what happens when a woman decides to take off her hijab.
Iran: Greens, Democratization and the Aging Demon
Two years after the protest movement erupted in Iran, the Internet plays not only a vital role for circulating information, but also in stimulating internal democratization within opposition movements through checks and balances. Fred Petrossian reports.
Azerbaijan: Photojournalist detained, deported
whatwaswritten, the blog of Global Voices author Leyla Najafli, translates a story from RFE's Azeri service reporting that Diana Markosyan, a photojournalist from Bloomberg, was detained at Baku airport earlier...
Russia: New Research Shows Almost No Gender Difference in Web Search Patterns

‘Search activity of men and women is almost the same,’ says [ru] the new research of web search behavior by Yandex. Women search online a little more, add to search...
Michael Sandel in China
Last month, renowned Harvard professor Michael Sandel delivered a lecture on justice and morality at Tsinghua University in China. He also talked about how his theories relate to contemporary China in an interview with the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolitan Weekend.
Russia: ‘Nerds On Yachts’ Photo Session

Talented photoblogger Tanya Zommer publishes [ru] another photo session with ‘nerds,’ this time with Mediterranean scenery.
Senegal: Power Shortages in Dakar Lead to More Riots
Website politicosn.com has provided real time coverage [fr] of the protests against power shortages in Dakar, Senegal, on June 28, 2011: “Ongoing demonstrations have flared up in Senegal capital, public buildings...
Russia/Moldova: Eduard Bagirov, Internet Hooligan, Arrested in Moldova

Bloggers discuss [ru] the 30-day arrest [ru] of Eduard Bagirov [ru], writer and a blogger close to pro-Kremlin propagandists, in Moldova. Oleg Kozyrev says [ru], Bagirov's arrest is connected with his...
Haiti: Helping to Stop Human Trafficking
Stanley Lucas blogs about how the effects of 2010's earthquake have affected Haiti's “significant child trafficking problem” and offers a few suggestions to “guide government officials and organizations working on...
Cuba: Methodist Pastor Replaced
“When Cuba is free, those who accommodated, appeased and apologized for the Castro regime to preserve their own standing will not be absolved”: Uncommon Sense blogs about the actions of...
Suriname: On Art
SRANANART'S BLOG considers the work of Marcel Pinas to start a discussion about what constitutes art.
Barbados: Cricket Needs Managing
Barbados Free Press publishes the opinion of a reader who cannot rationalise that a psychologist has been hired to advise members of the West Indies cricket team, saying: “It’s about...
Spain: Police Violence Against Peaceful Demonstrators in Barcelona
Friday, May 27, 7 pm had not yet arrived when the police raided Catalunya Square in the center of Barcelona where the camp of “outraged” of 15 May were located. The hundreds of protesters in attendance refused to leave and the situation escalated. Many calls were made through social networks and access to the Square was quickly blocked by a...