Stories from 1 September 2011
Bangladesh: Overcrowded Trains
Photojournalist Monirul Alam posts an amazing picture and a video of people traveling home in overcrowded trains to celebrate eid festival in Bangladesh.
India: Tablet PCs For The Members Of Parliament
Ugich Konitari reacts to the news that members of the Indian Parliament will be provided with $1000 each to buy Tablet Pcs for office use.
India: The State Of The Iron And Steel Industry
Ankit Jain at Youth Ki Awaaz writes about the present scenario and the future prospects of the iron and steel industry in India.
Jamaica: Block on Ad for Acceptance of Gay Family Members
Jamaican broadcasters are refusing to publish a public service ad produced by The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) encouraging Jamaicans to accept homosexual family members. In this post, three bloggers, Annie Paul, Kathy Stanley and Kei Miller, share their thoughts.
Ethiopia: Tsegay’s Historical Plays Published
Four historical plays of the acclaimed playwright and poet Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin are now available in a book form: “Poet, dramatist, translator, anthropologist, activist and social critic, Tsegaye is regarded by many as a major figure in Ethiopian letters.”
Global Voices Podcast 3: Ripple Effects of the Arab Uprisings
In this edition of the Global Voices Podcast you can hear about the ripple effect of the Arab uprisings, find out what it is to be a digital mentor, and talk through some of the ideas that make up a good code of ethics.
Ethiopia: The Internet Service Provider Which Does Not Use Internet
Ethio Telecom provides Internet service but it does not use the Internet: “The only media Ethio telecom use internet is via its webpage, which is down most of the time and actually doesn’t have any vital content in it. It never gets updated regularly too. The telecom never owns a...
Kenya: The Terrible Truth About Kenyan Drivers
Learn the terrible truth about Kenyan drivers from Luke: “The police are yet to release figures for this month but the old ghost of tragic road accidents seems to be rearing her ugly head yet again. Statistics for this year so far show that in Nairobi county alone 3 people...
Mexico: Fighting Drug Trafficking With ‘Magic Wands’
Blogger Juan Antonio [es] uses reliable sources to report on the situation of the GT200 in Mexico, a drug and explosive detector recognized as ineffective by several countries. Despite warnings from the British government, Mexico has spent more than 250 million pesos ($20 million USD) in these devices.
Nicaragua: Blog Carnival to Focus on Migration
From September 1-10 Nicaraguan bloggers will participate in a blog carnival [es] focusing on the subject of migration. On the carnival's site you can find a directory [es] of the participating blogs. You can also follow the carnival on Facebook [es].
Mexico: ‘Twitter Terrorists’ Face up to 30 Years in Jail
“Gilberto Martínez Vera (@gilius_22) and María de Jesús Bravo Pagola (@maruchibravo) face up to 30-year jail terms for ‘terrorism and sabotage'”, Tim Johnson reports in his blog Mexico Unmasked, and explains: “The prosecutor accused the two of sowing panic last week […] by suggesting in tweets that gangsters were attacking...
Chile: Mapuche Youth in Ercilla Reach Agreement with Regional Government
Indigenous News reports that, “On Wedenesday, August 31st, the Mapuche youth who had been peacefully occupying the municipal government building in Ercilla signed a MOU (memorandum of understanding) with regional government officials. The MOU provided for increased Indigenous scholarships, an intercultural school and for continued dialogue on ending the militarization...
Trinidad & Tobago: Debate on SoE Tomorrow
KnowTnT.com says there are “a few things that [he'd] love to hear come up” when the State of Emergency comes up for debate in Parliament tomorrow: “The specific grounds on which the decision to declare a State of Emergency was based” and “the details of the planning for the period...
Mozambique: Remembering the Bread Riots With Video
One year after the Mozambican “bread riots”, Global Voices author Amanda Rossi shares a video with images from the unrest.
Bahamas: Bethel on Theatre
From the backseat interviews blogger Nicolette Bethel about theatre in the Bahamas.
Dominica: Decriminalising Marijuana
“The obsession with ganja is almost consuming. In a country where there are so many more serious issues like abuse of women, child molestation, incest and petty crime, it doesn't seem to fit”: Caribbean Man makes a case for legalisation.
Trinidad & Tobago: Alice Yard Turns 5
This month, “Alice Yard will celebrate its fifth anniversary as an independent space for creative experiment.” See how they plan to celebrate the occasion, here.
Cuba: Distorted Voices
Pedazos de La Isla says that the Cuban government “has applied another form of censorship – manipulating voices coming out of cell phones”, a move “attributed to the fact that members of the resistance have been using their phones and Twitter messages to report and record many public protests which...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Ramazan and Bajram in Sarajevo
Sarah Correia of Café Turco writes about the month of Ramadan (Ramazan) and Eid ul-Fitr (Bajram) in Sarajevo.
Nepal: Will The New Prime Minister Be Any Different?
Nepal has had three prime ministers in last four years and the promised new Constitution is nowhere near completion. Senior Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai was sworn in as Nepal's 34th Prime Minister last week; netizens analyze whether he can be the change Nepal requires.
Russia: Bromine Leak in Chelyabinsk City (Video)
Blogger piligrim67 publishes [ru] photos and video of a bromine (toxic halogen) leak at Chelyabinsk railway station. According to Chelyabinsk.ru [ru], due to the leak of 10,000 liters of bromine 2 persons hospitalized, about 100 reported signs of intoxication.