Stories from 16 March 2012
Pakistan: Mir Zafar Ali was the first Pakistani to win an Oscar award
Pakistan Blogzine informs that contrary to popular belief Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is not the first Pakistani to win an Oscar. Award winning Pakistani visual effects specialist and artist Mir Zafar Ali was the Technical Director of the team that won the Oscar award for best visual effects in 2007, for the...
Nepal: Why Nepal Is Poor
Chandan Sapkota argues that extractive political and economic institutions are the reasons why Nepal is poor.
Sri Lanka: War On Twitter Between Celebrities
DBS Jeyaraj informs that the Channel 4 Film “Killing Fields” based on Sri Lankan civil war caused an war of tweets between celebrity Sri Lankan born singer MIA and journalist Anderson Cooper.
United States: Case of Colombian Student Revives Immigration Debate
Daniela Peláez is a Colombian student based in Miami who made headlines recently for being another case of a student with a bright future without a legal status in the United States. Peláez's case hinges on the United States' already questionable immigration system.
Syria: Friday's Demonstrations on Video
Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran complies a Storify collection of videos allegedly leaked from Syria today. Many show protests which happened this Friday. [Warning: Some of the videos contain graphic material)
Morocco: A Protest to End Forced Marriage After Rape
Moroccans are taking a stand tomorrow (March 17) in protest against the plight of 16-year-old Amina Filali, who committed suicide after being forced to marry the man who raped her. Amina's marriage to her rapist was approved by a judge. Her suicide has raised a storm of reactions both on social networks and on the ground.
DR of Congo: Videos Helped Convict Thomas Lubanga of War Crimes
On March 14, 2012 the International Criminal Court found Thomas Lubanga, a former rebel leader in the eastern Congo, guilty of using children in armed conflict. The judge said video interviews with child soldiers formed part of the evidence that helped persuade the court.
Saudi Arabia: Tweets for Jailed Saudi Activist Draw Global Attention
Saudi Twitter users have joined forces to highlight the plight of a political prisoner Shaikh Yusuf Al-Ahmad on the micro-blogging site. Their effort has made the Islamic scholar's name become a worldwide trend, raising awareness about his imprisonment without charges and access to a fair trial.
Egypt: The Plight of Rural Women
Egyptian blogger Ahmed Awadalla writes about rural women in Egypt in this eye-opening post. Such women, he says, suffer the “highest rates of illiteracy; bear the heavy burden of utmost poverty; lack essential healthcare greatly jeopardizing their lives; and is not represented in our new parliament.”
Switzerland: Greetings from the “Greeks” of the French Cantons
An article from a Swiss German newspaper accusing the Swiss French of being the "Greeks of Switzerland" has driven French-speakers to reply in a humorous manner on social networks.
Iran: A Nowruz New Year Without Goldfish?
Goldfish have a special place in the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, celebrating the first day of Spring (March 20). But every year animal rights defenders and bloggers launch campaigns to encourage people not to buy them.
Brazil: Demonstration Demands President Veto on Forestry Code
On March 7, Brazilian activists organized an act (#vetadilma) urging President Dilma to veto changes on the new Forestry Code. Biologist Pablo Pessoa published photos and videos of the act, and wrote [pt] about his participation, claiming it was difficult to ensure “preservation or conservation of ecological processes without the recognition by...
Portugal: Visualising Economic and Social Indicators on the Crisis
Conhecer a Crise (Meet the Crisis) [pt] is the name of a recently launched website with info-graphics and visualisations on the main economic and social indicators that describe the current crisis in Portugal. The website has a customisable section [pt] – “The crisis as I see it” – where users...
Arab World: Hands Off Clooney!
The United States has arrested actor George Clooney and his father Nick at a protest outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington DC. Arab Twitter users register their protest on their arrest on Twitter.
Cameroon: UN Drinking Water Data under Question
Oriane Alix in Cameroon reacts to the joint press release from UNICEF and WHO that states that 89% of the world has access to drinking water today. She writes [fr] the following on the collaborative blog of the West Africa WASH Journalists Network: “To announce having reached these United Nations Millennium Development...
Africa: A Dumping Ground for Energy-related Waste?
Dr Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, International Finance Consultant, wrote [fr] the following on the website Amaizo Info: “The year 2012 has been chosen as the International Year of Sustainable Energy. Nevertheless, many rich countries dump their nuclear, chemical and electronic waste in Africa in exchange for sums of money that are...
Chile: Photos of the First Student Protest of the Year
Brittany Peterson and Kena Lorenzini [es] share photos of the first student protest of the school year in Santiago, Chile.
France: The Human Rights Film Festival Awards
Youphil [fr] published the full list of the recent 2012 Human Rights Film Festival awards in France [fr]. This year, the jury award went to an investigation documentary, Affaire Chebeya: un meurtre d'Etat? [fr] (The Chebeya case: murdered by the State?) by Belgium director Thierry Michel on the murder of human rights activist Floribert...
Guinea: Journalist Assaulted by Police Officers
Following an assault on a journalist by overzealous security guards at the Central Bank of Guinea on February 27, there was intense indignation among journalists and Guinean and African bloggers.
Armenia: Parliamentary elections
Writing on Ararat Magazine, Global Voices’ Caucasus Regional Editor interviews analyst Richard Giragosian and examines the political situation in Armenia ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for 6 May 2012. Following the disputed 2008 presidential election which left 10 people dead, Giragosian argues that the authorities must learn to govern and...
East Timor: Notes on the Presidential Elections
The election campaign in East Timor lasted for 15 days and the voters are now ready to elect a new president. What happened during the campaign period?
