Stories from 14 July 2011
Philippine Digital Strategy 2011-2016
Tonyo Cruz uploads the five-year Philippine Digital Strategy plan of the government's Commission on Information and Communications Technology. The aim is to make the Philippines a digitally-empowered nation in 2016.
Brunei International Defence Exhibition 2011
EmmaGoodEgg blogs about the Brunei International Defence Exhibition or BRIDEX 2011, a bi-annual defence exhibition. It's also the premier defence and security event in Southeast Asia
Canada: “First Nation, Last Served”
Writer Mike Morey in Canada questions whether Canada's aboriginal communities will ever be rewarded with the degree of self-governance they seek.
Brunei: E-government portal launched
The e-Darussalam website was launched by the Brunei government. It's a single web portal where Internet users will have access to all of the government's online services.
Peru: Congressmen Remove Signatures from Moratorium for GM Seeds
Global Voices Translation Manager and author Juan Arellano reports [es] that 9 congressmen from the APRA political party have removed their signatures from a 10 year moratorium for genetically modified seeds. The issue will have to be debated again by the incoming congress. Juan shares reactions to the news via...
Mexico: Supreme Court Rules Civil Courts Take On Military Abusers
Adam Isacson writes about a recent ruling by Mexico's Supreme Court: “civilian judges must take on military human rights violations”. A decision he calls a “strong blow in favor of human rights and civilian control of the military.”
El Salvador: Interview with Zaira Navas, Inspector General for the National Civilian Police
Tim posts a video produced by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) of an interview with the Inspector General for El Salvador's National Civilian Police (PNC), Zaira Navas: “Under Navas’ leadership, the Inspector General’s Office in El Salvador has investigated and recommended the dismissal of hundreds of police officers...
Guatemala: Neighbors Affected by Giant Sinkhole Still Unable to Return Home
Luis Figueroa says [es] that neighbors of Ciudad Nueva, victims of a giant sinkhole that opened up over a year ago, are still unable to return to their homes. He explains that the “risk warning” has not been lifted because reports on the work that has been done to fill...
East Timor: Arts and Creative Industries in Focus
With the main purpose of launching the future Academy of Arts and Creative Industries of East Timor, a series of cultural events and an international conference are taking place in Dili until the 17th of July. The organization's website Tatoli ba Kultura includes a media map featuring unique works by Timorese...
Russia: Internet Audience Continues to Grow Rapidly
RuMetrika sums up the recent survey of “Public Opinion Foundation” on the Internet audience in Russia. According to it, the audience grew 7 percent (versus predicted 3.7) in the first three months of 2011. During the last year and a half, the monthly Internet audience increased by 27 percent.
Russia: Notorious Foundation Clashes with “Forbes”
Infamous “Federaciya” foundation accused “Forbes” employees of contacting the internationally famous guests of a Russian charity event and trying to persuade them not to attend, “Forbes” reported on its Facebook page. The magazine denies any involvement in the issue.
Russia: New Statistics of Social Network Users
Russian collaborative blog Habrahabr.ru publishes statistics on the users of Vkontakte.ru, the most popular social platform in Russia. According to the data, Alexander (for man) and Ekaterina (for women) are the most popular names of users. The most users are from Moscow or Saint Petersburg.
Russia: Photoblogger Covers Drug Addiction in Afghanistan
Popular Russian photoblogger Ilya Varlamov (zyalt) traveled to Afghanistan where (among other things) he covered drug addiction in Kabul.
Russia: Government Company to Bring Internet to Largest Island in Norway
Russian government company “Kosmicheskaya Svyaz” plans to bring fast Internet and digital TV to Spitsbergen, the largest island in Norway, news website Lenta.ru reported.
Russia: News Website to be Closed Because of Racial Clashes Coverage
URA.ru, an information agency and website that became popular after it extensively covered clashes in a small Russian village Sagra, is on the verge of being closed down by the authorities. It is said that because of URA.ru, the coverage of Sagra clashes became “too extensive” in media.
Bolivia: Fighting Cholitas in the Spotlight
Female wrestling in El Alto, Bolivia has captured the attention of locals and visitors for more than ten years. These women add a bit of tradition to this popular sport: where else would you see colorful skirts with petticoats, fringed shawls, thick braids and bowler hats battling it out in a ring?
Russia-Middle East: Comparing the Fall of the Wall and the Arab Spring
Dr. Sean's Diary compares the difficulties of area studies in handling the fall of the commnist bloc in Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s with that of the current Arab spring, against the backdrop of a recent Foreign Policy article.
Iran: A blogger was sentenced to 17 months in prison
Peyman Roshan Zamir, a blogger and political activist from southern city Ahwaz was sentenced [fa] to 17 months of prison. He was accused of insulting Islamic republic's Leader and propaganda against regime.
Cuba: Race and Sex
“Racism in Cuba has several faces. And variations. But when it comes time to “play the tune”…skin color disappears as if by magic”: Iván García is concerned that “the race issue in Cuba is a real time bomb.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Sex Education
The public reaction to Abeni‘s T-shirt, emblazoned with the words “Sex nice, but de AIDS ting…”, leads her to conclude “that HIV education has to overcome so many prejudices. The reluctance to talk about sex in a holistic way forces the young and not so young to accept myths as...
Trinidad & Tobago: FIFA Report
Globewriter posts what he believes to be FIFA's preliminary report on the Jack Warner and Bin Hamman controversy, which led to Warner's resignation as vice-president.
