Stories from 30 April 2012
Pakistan: Time is up, Mr Gilani
The contempt of court proceedings against Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is taking new twists and he may lose his premiership. Aamir Saeed has more on the story.
Sri Lanka: Tackling Agricultural Surpluses
The Sri Lankan Government is facing a new kind of challenge, tackling surplus production of rice. However a Sri Lankan farmer sheds a light into the plights of the rice farmers in Sri Lanka, who are not obtaining a fair price for their produce.
United States: Indig-Nación, the Spanish Newspaper of Occupy Wall Street
Yarisa Colón interviews Sofía Gallisá, a member of the editorial team of “Indig-Nación,” the new newspaper in Spanish of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
A Global Voices Guide to re:publica Berlin 2012
This week (May 2-4, 2012) thousands of minds will join in Berlin, Germany at an annual gathering called re:publica. A number of Global Voices community members will participate in over 200 hours of scheduled program.
Botswana: Review: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Nana reviews The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, an interesting detective story set in Botswana: “It is unique, in that it brings both the old and the new together. It is not superfluous with its description of Africa as a tomb for the death and the dying and only inhabited...
Armenia: Art, Genocide, Westernization and Identity
Writing on Hyperallergic, Hrag Vartanian explains how he marked the 97th anniversary of the massacre and deportation of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The writer and art critic/curator took his mother to an exhibition of Armenian art exploring art, westernization and ethnic identity in the post-Genocide world.
Malawi: Time to Rebuild Brand Malawi
Austin explains why Malawi needs to rebuild brand Malawi: “Over the past year or so Malawi has not been projected internationally in very positive light. The warm heart has been mired in problems, shortages and intolerance of varying kinds and magnitudes.”
Kenya: Lilian Ikal Angelei Wins Environmental Goldman Prize 2012
Collins congratulates Lilian Ikal Angelei for wining the 2012 Goldman Environmental Prize:”Lilian Ikal Angelei is probably little known in her backyard Kenya however for the people of Turkana she is an acclaimed recusant fighting for the rights and the voice of the voiceless community against formidable financial institutions and Governments…”
Kenya: Chronicles of a Kenyan Farmer Nominated for Award
Chronicles of a Kenyan Farmer has been nominated for the Agriculture Category has been nominated in this years BAKE Blogger Awards: “BAKE(Bloggers Associaton of Bloggers) is a body that promotes content creation on the web in Kenya…”
Guinea-Bissau: International Reactions to the Military Coup
Following the military coup in Guinea-Bissau, on April 12, Angolan Foreign Policy Professor Belarmino Van-Dúnem wrote an analysis [pt] on the roles of the Armed Forces and the international community. ECOWAS talks to restore civilian rule during the weekend resulted on the decision to impose sanctions on the military junta....
Greece: Google Doodle for Filmmaker Theodoros Angelopoulos
Google paid tribute to the 77th birthday of the late Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer Theodoros Angelopoulos by releasing a doodle on April 27, 2012, depicting him behind a camera. Angelopoulos died in January, when he was hit by a motorcycle at Drapetsona (Port Piraeus, Greece) during the shooting...
Cuba: Diaspora Reacts to Ferrer García's Release
Cuban prisoner of conscience Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia was released over the weekend. Diaspora bloggers comment on this most recent development.
Russia: Gun Rights Advocates Rally Around Tula Hero
Russian gun ownership laws are long and restrictive. In early April, when a small-scale farmer in Tula used a kitchen knife to kill three armed robbers that threatened him and his family, the incident sparked a new dialogue about gun rights and self-defense in Russia.
Argentina: The ‘Mothers of Plaza de Mayo’ Turn 35
Lillie Langtry from the blog Memory in Latin America writes about the 35th anniversary of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina: “On Thursday, 30 April 1977, a small group of women met in the Plaza de Mayo with the aim of handing over a letter to then-president Jorge...
Colombia: 12-Year-Old Boy Bullied at School Dies
A 12 year old who had been bullied for defending a classmate passed away last week. Although forensics ruled the cause of death was bone infection, his mother and some physicians rejected the ruling and claim bullying was the ultimate cause of the boy's death. Colombian netizens react to the boy's death.
Haiti: Raoul Peck & the 2012 Cannes Festival
The award-winning Haitian movie director and once Haitian Minister of Culture, Raoul Peck [Fr], has been chosen to be a member of the jury of the world-famous Cannes International Film Festival, according to hpnhaiti [Fr].
Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana: Is “Miss Black France” Acceptable?
While French people are still in the midst of the presidential elections, with its second round coming up on May 5-6, bloggers in the French overseas territories were buzzing about another vote this past week: the “Miss Black France” contest.
Iran: Street Sweeper Finds and Returns $500,000
An Iranian street sweeper named Ahmad Rabani found 1 billion Toman (about $570,000 US dollars) and returned it to the owner. As thanks, he received a 200,000 Toman ($120 US dollars) reward.
Barbados: Racial Slurs for Winning Goal
Joel Ward, an Afro-Canadian ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals, who is of Barbadian parentage, was subjected to racial slurs on Twitter after he scored the winning goal in overtime of the decisive seventh game against the defending champion Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League playoffs.
Portugal: Eviction Prior to Freedom Day Awakens Squatting Movement
As the pent-up frustrations of citizens in Portugal keep growing a year since the international “bailout” of the country's public debt, the annual celebration of Freedom Day on April 25 marking the Carnation Revolution that ended a 41-year dictatorship in 1974, gained renewed momentum.
Martinique: Where has Creole gone?
On Martinican collective blog Montray Kreyol, a recent post [Fr/Fr Cr] wonders why Martinique 1ère [Fr], which is the local relay of the French National Broadcast Network, Fance Television [En], has almost no Creole language spoken on air.
