Stories from 13 July 2011
Nepal: Children Suffer In Patriarchal Society
“Our patriarchal structure of society has given men so freedom that women highly suffer from that, which means most children suffer. Most children suffer means most children do not get...
India: Mumbai Relives A Day Of Terror
Today in the evening three coordinated bombs exploded in crowded commercial areas of Mumbai. Netizens were quick to embrace social media to spread news and communicate ways to help. This time we have seen a more comprehensive effort by people who used crowd-sourcing tools like Google Spreadsheet and Ushahidi platform along with Tweets.
Tunisia: Campaign to Free Government Critic Samir Feriani
A group of Tunisian bloggers and activists have launched a campaign to free Samir Feriani, a former senior official in Tunisia's Interior Ministry who has been detained since May, 29, 2011.
TED Talk by Global Voices Co-Founder Rebecca MacKinnon
In a TED talk on July 12, 2011 Rebecca MacKinnon describes how the internet has become a primary communication channel between citizens and governments, but warns that there is a corporate layer of “internet sovereigns” between the two. Let's take back the Internet," she says.
Venezuela: Caracas ‘At Its Best’ Thanks to Citizen Initiatives
Mirelis Morales Tovar in her blog Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es] argues that Caracas is “at its best” thanks to citizen-led initiatives that aim to improve the city. She...
Chile: 40 Years of Nationalized Copper
As Setty writes in his blog, July 11 marked “the 40th anniversary of Chile’s nationalization of the copper industry.” Codelco, (Chile's state-owned copper mining company) workers went on strike that...
Russia: Return of Soviet Practises in Nemtsov Case?
Vladimir Kara Murza of World Affairs’ Spotlight on Russia claims that Russia is reintroducing Soviet practises in order to get rid of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, after he recently was...
Montenegro: Serbian not spoken here?
M. Bozinovich of Serbianna discusses a recent Montenegro census saying that 20% of Montenegrins no longer speak Serbian, and whether this is an actual result or caused by nationalism.
Russia: Kremlin Critics Threatened With Travel Ban
On July 6, 2011, leading political opposition activists Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Milov suddenly found themselves banned from leaving Russia by the country's Federal Bailiff Service. The concept of a travel ban has a special place in the hearts of people who lived during the Soviet Union.
Belarus: Vkontakte Social Network Blocked by the Providers
Update: Access to the Vkontake site is now restored. Vkontakte, Russian social network, is unavailable for Belarus Internet Users. The network hosts “Revolution Through the Social Network” [ru] group used...
Argentina: The 2011 ‘Copa América’, Lionel Messi and Argentines
The 2011 'Copa America' in Argentina has generated many reactions, particularly with respect to player Lionel Messi and his performance in this football competition. Do Argentines love Messi or not?
Afghanistan: Underage girl used for a suicide bombing
Cassandra Clifford writes about a crying incident, in which a 9 years-old girl was kidnapped, drugged and forced to wear a detonation vest with orders to blow herself up in...
Afghanistan: Ahmed Wali Karzai Assassinated
Faheem Haider reports that Ahmed Wali Karzai, President Hamid Karzai’s close relative and the most influential person in Kandahar province has been assassinated by a close family associate.
Ukraine: Why Volunteer?
Linda Norris of The Uncataloged Museum discusses how Ukrainians do volunteer work and why.
Russia: Infrastructure Falling Apart
Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog argues that Russian infrastructure is literally falling apart due to desperate lack of reinvestment, while profits continue to go abroad, making much critical functions of...
Estonia: Agonizing Over History
Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa reflects upon historical memory and guilt against the background of Estonian town Viljandi celebrating the 70th anniversary of Nazi occupation.
Cuba, U.S.A.: About that Embargo
Iván García contends that despite the general pragmatism of U.S. policy, “regarding the Cuban embargo, the Americans show a notable stupidity”, calling it “an authentic mirrors game…of course, the ones...
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: Fire Festival
Havana Times blogs about Santiago de Cuba's exciting Fire Festival, saying: “This year was the festival’s 31st edition and was dedicated to Trinidad and Tobago.”
Bahamas: Land Use Planning
As the government considers using the Exumas island chain “as a model for land use planning throughout the country”, Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith says that “the $64,000 question is how...
Cuba: 17th Anniversary of “13 de marzo”
Cuban bloggers remember the victims of the “13 de marzo” massacre.
Russia: Popular Curse Temporarily Becomes a Worldwide Twitter Trend
#хуи [ru], Russian swearword for penis (plural), for a few hours became a global trend. Lenta.ru notes [ru] that the sudden appearance of this hashtag marks the launch of Cyrillic...
