Stories from 20 December 2011
Armenia: Policing Christmas
Unzipped comments on a new festive advert for the Armenian police. A recent Transparency International report on policing placed the force among some of the worst in the world, but...
Russia: Alexey Navalny Released From Jail
“Everyone's waiting for Navalny ) 5 more minutes! pic.twitter.com/3BRHiuGa,” tweeted [ru] @varlamov a short while ago, posting a picture of the crowd waiting outside a Moscow prison for activist Alexey...
Iran: Plunging national currency
Iranian rial, hit a new low Tuesday, with the US dollar sells for more than 15000 rials (1500 Tomans). khodrahagaran writes [fa] people rushed to banks to exchange their rials...
Cuba: succession fears
The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and the succession of his son prompts Generation Y to think about the Cuban government's own succession plans. “The dauphin over there...
Cuba: owing obsolete rubles
Cuba has a longstanding debt to Russia of 20 million Soviet rubles — a currency that no longer exists. Machetera asks: “how and when do you decide what a vanished...
Palestine: Planning a Virtual Funeral
It is extremely difficult for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to visit Israel, and for political reasons it is impossible for most other Arabs to do so. At the same time, Palestinian citizens of Israel are unable to travel to much of the Arab world, because they have Israeli passports. Rasha Hilwi has been reflecting on how these restrictions on movement will affect her – after she dies.
Jamaica: when poets join academia
UK-based Jamaican writer Kei Miller muses on the consequences of poets joining the academic world. “Poetry is certainly not known for its plain-spoken-ness and in fact is accused, just as...
Barbados: tribute to Desmond Bourne
The Bajan Reporter posts a tribute to his late father, the journalist and adman Desmond Bourne. “It was not that my father never stood on convention, he acknowledged where he...
Barbados: prime minister's quandary
Barbados Underground offers an analysis of the “headache” created for Prime Minister Freundel Stuart by a now notorious leaked letter allegedly demonstrating his party's doubts about the PM's leadership. “Whatever...
Africa: New Blog: See Africa
See Africa is a new blog focusing on Africa: “Every week, I will be updating this blog with beautiful images of Africa which many people have not seen. I admit...
Mexico: The Results of a Racism Experiment with Children
The video by 11.11 Social Change is simple: Mexican children sit in front of two dolls identical save for two things: one is light skinned and blue-eyed and the other...
Malawi: Actor's Arrest Reminiscent of Past Dictatorship's Censorship Laws
Malawi police on Sunday afternoon December 18, stormed a stage on which a play was being performed, arrested the main actor mid-sentence and led him away into a waiting police van. Steve Sharra reports.
Egypt: Women Rally for Dignity
Thousands of Egyptian women took to the streets of Cairo today to protest for their dignity, after women were beaten up by soldiers during running battles between the army and protesters in and around Tahrir Square since December 16.
Global Voices: Donate Today
2011 has been an extraordinary year for online content. Global Voices has been there as revolutions happened, dictatorships fell, and network effects rippled through the cities and neighborhoods of our contributors reporting from around the world.
Arab World: Global Voices Bridges on Twitter
As a part of our end-of-year coverage we in the Middle East and North Africa region look back at some of the major events we covered during 2011. The following post highlights the role of the Global Voices Online community in spreading information on Twitter during the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.
Brazil: How Many Lives Does the Guarani-Kaiowá's Land Cost?
Last November, 42 gunmen attacked an indigenous reserve in Mato Grosso do Sul, executing Nísio Gomes, 59, chief of the Guaraní Kaiowá and several other villagers. These attacks take place at the same time as Brazil consolidates its position as one of the leading exporters of agricultural goods and biofuels in the world, and Mato Grosso do Sul one of its most productive states.
Chile: Twitter User Organizes Christmas Giving Event in Iquique
Cristian Nuñez (@HombredeRadio), using the hashtag #Navidad140Iqq [es], invites Twitter users from Iquique (in northern Chile) to gather at 1:30 am on December 25 to hand out Christmas presents to...
El Salvador: National Assembly Passes Progressive Tax Reform
Tim's El Salvador Blog explains a progressive tax reform passed by El Salvador's National Assembly: “Prior to these reforms, El Salvador had a particularly regressive tax system.”
Mexico, USA: Border Cities Juárez and El Paso Growing Apart
The blog Just the Facts reports on what three WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America) staff members saw in the El Paso-Juárez border zone: “We found two cities that, while...
Pakistan: Journalists Are Intimidated Not To Report
Referring to Pakistan Army's propaganda war in 1971, The Terrorland comments: “Pakistani generals have never learned from the past! Today, they are repeating the same criminal strategy in Balochistan as...
Nepal: Challenges For Citizen Media
Bhumika Ghimire discusses about the challenges citizen media platforms are facing in Nepal.
