Stories from 7 March 2012
Cambodia: Urban Development Mapping Tool
Urban Voice is a newly launched portal in Cambodia which aims to be a map-based visualisation of developments in the urban areas of the country. The developers want it to be a “source of information, a site for civic engagement, an analytical tool, (and) a mapping tool”
La Réunion : A Dynamism far from the Cliché of Dependence on Public Aid
Sandrine Dionys interviewed [fr] Emmanuelle, a young entrepreneur from La Réunion for the Bondy Blog. She rails against the cliché of the Réunion Islanders being dependent on the French government for aid.
Maldives: Ask The People, Go For An Election
Maeed M. Zahir analyzes the current unstable political situation in Maldives after the incumbent resident Mohmaed Nasheed had been forced out of office last month. The blogger comments that Maldives now needs an election to get the people's verdict.
Sri Lanka: Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossings In Colombo
David Blacker writes about the uncontrolled pedestrian crossings in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, which are slowing down traffic.
Azerbaijan: Journalist responds to threats
Writing on Facebook, journalist Khadija Ismayil responds to threats warning her to stop her investigative reporting. Noting that this is not the first time journalists in Azerbaijan have found themselves the victim of intimidation, beating, and worse, Ismayil calls on the country's government to investigate the matter and for the...
Iran: Order for a ‘national cyber space council’
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,the Supreme Leader of Iran, has ordered [fa] a new supreme council to be formed on cyber space. In this order, the president of Iran, the head of judiciary, the parliament spokesman, the head of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the police commander in chief, the intelligence minister, and some...
Spain: Head of Journalist Association Threatens Activist With a Belt
The Head of the Press Association in Granada, Antonio Mora, threatened to hit pro-Palestinian activists with his belt when they protested during a photo exhibition of the relations between Israel and Spain.
Haiti, U.S.A.: Clean Your Own House First
“The renewed investigation against Aristide also occurs at a time when one of Haiti's most brutal dictators, Jean-Claude Duvalier, is being let off the hook”: Wadner Pierre suggests that “the U.S. government needs to focus more on what is happening in its backyard.”
Bahamas: Anti-Crime Ideas
With crime being top of mind, Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe asks: “Without society's willingness to report crime and suspicious looking people or incidents – how do we move forward?”
Curacao: Political Pressure Group
TRIUNFO DI SABLIKA blogs about a political rally that claims to offer deliverance from political “gangsters”.
Jamaica: Prince Harry's Visit
In the context of Prince Harry's visit in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, Active Voice gets feedback on how Jamaicans feel about the question of changing the country's constitutional status to that of a republic.
Bangladesh: Journalist Couple's Murder Case Still Unresolved
Recently a brutal murder in Bangladesh has shocked the nation and everyone is talking about it. Almost one month has gone after journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi had been killed in their own apartment but the police are yet to arrest the killers. Netizens, journalists and civic society have condemned the delay in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Brazil: Can the Agrarian Economy Develop Without Rural Bloodshed?
Nilcilene Miguel de Lima is one of the dozens of small farmers from the Amazon who are being threatened to death by land-grabbers and illegal loggers. As Brazil's GDP goes up, its environmental heritage is increasingly less protected, and the new forest code, soon to be voted, will open up the forest for use by big agricultural businesses.
Africa: Interview With Africa Desk Officer at the Committee to Protect Journalists
Abdoulaye Bah interviews Mohamed Keita who runs the Africa desk of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1981 to promote press freedom worldwide by defending the rights of journalists to report without fear of reprisal.
Global Voices Seeks Chinese-language Editor
Global Voices (GV) is seeking a part-time Editor to oversee our ongoing coverage of Chinese-language citizen media. The Editor will direct the Chinese-language coverage and recruit and coordinate volunteer contributions. The Editor will produce and/or edit several in-depth stories per week, as well as shorter posts linking and pointing to...
Global Voices seeks Central Asia Editor
Global Voices (GV) is seeking a part-time Editor to oversee our ongoing coverage of Central Asia. The Editor will direct the Central Asian coverage and recruit and coordinate volunteer contributions. The Editor will produce and/or edit several in-depth stories per week, as well as shorter posts linking and pointing to...
Armenia: Eurovision withdrawal after propaganda attempt backfires
Following a botched attempt to justify boycotting this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, Armenia today officially withdrew from the international music competition. “As expected, #Armenia Public TV withdraws from #Eurovision They could have announced it earlier with dignity. For now, they are #losers,” writes Unzipped on Twitter, also...
Georgia: The return of Vladimir Putin
time difference comments on the return of Vladimir Putin to power in Russia following this week's election. The blog says that even if much of the world is concerned by the development, the Georgian government must recognize the reality and not alienate itself from its powerful and sometimes mutually antagonistic...
Guatemala: Empowering Communities Through Pedal Powered Machines
Maya Pedal is an organization in Guatemala that specializes in bringing progress through secondhand bicycles. Those that aren't usable as bicycles anymore get turned into pedal powered machines to help in daily work such as pumping water, grinding corn, blending, shelling nuts and making roof tiles.
China: After Voting, Can Wukan Claim Victory?
Finally Wukan village can elect their own local government after rounds of grassroots struggle. China Digital Times has an update of the development and pointed out that the experience is yet to be translated into similar grassroots political changes in other part of China.
South Korea: Violent Clashes Intensify over Jeju Naval Base Construction
Arrest and detention and violent clampdowns are worsening in Gangjeong village, South Korea's Jeju island as dynamites for construction purposes were delivered this week. Media Mongu is live-tweeting photos of clashes between the government and activists, residents and religious groups.
