25 September 2012

Stories from 25 September 2012

Russia: Writers Put Down Pens to Stand Atop Soap Boxes

RuNet Echo  25 September 2012

Now, nine people who self-identify as writers are running in the elections for the so-called "Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition," and a tenth strongly considered registering as a candidate before ultimately dropping out. Bearing in mind that writing is not the most popular of professions, this is a hefty proportion of the total.

Venezuela: Electoral TwitCam

  25 September 2012

Journalist and Global Voices contributor Luis Carlos Díaz [es] is streaming “Electoral TwitCams” to discuss the upcoming Venezuelan elections. You can watch the first video stream [es] and tune in today [es], at 8:00pm local time in Venezuela, for his second live stream [es].

Brazil: Media, Citizenship, and Public Policies Under Debate

  25 September 2012

To explore topics on "Media, Citizenship, and Public Policies" is the invitation launched by the VIII Brazilian Citizen Media Conference, in September 24th and 25th in Brasília, and Global Voices is there too. Get to know in this article some of the debates, initiatives and workshops that will happen.

South Korea: Presidential Nominee Stumbles Over Unresolved History

  25 September 2012

South Korea's ruling conservative party’s presidential nominee has suffered a major setback after she made an offensive remark on a notoriously unfair trial made under her father’s authoritarian rule. Former President Park Chung-hee is one of the most polarizing figures in South Korean history.

Japan: Anxiety Over Human Rights Commission Bill

  25 September 2012

A bill to set up a Human Rights Commission has been met with opposition from different parties and citizens. The bill aims to set up an independent commission for human rights violation such as bullying, descrimination, and slander on the Internet, as an extra-ministerial committe of the Ministry of Justice.

Japan: Petition to Release Violin from Frankfurt Customs

  25 September 2012

On August 16, 2012, German customs officials at Frankfurt Airport seized a Guarneri violin from Japanese professional musician Yuzuko Horigome when she failed to present correct documentation. They demanded that she pay nearly US$ 500,000 in order to get it back.

Africa: Mountain Gorilla Conservation Data

  25 September 2012

Over 5,000 days of Mountain Gorilla conservation data in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo: Fifteen years ago, ranger-based monitoring (or RBM for short) was initiated as a tool in the conservation of mountain gorillas. Whether patrolling the park for law enforcement or tracking mountain gorillas for health...

Chile: Interview with Poderopedia Founder

  25 September 2012

Jessica Weiss from IJNet interviewed Miguel Paz, founder of Poderopedia [es], a data journalism project which seeks to reveal links among members of Chile's elite: Poderopedia's team will collect and verify data from an array of sources, including news sites, public databases and information disclosed by other companies and institutions....

Cabinda: Black Gold of Angola

  25 September 2012

Cabinda, the eighteenth and most disputed province of Angola, has been waging an ancient struggle for its independence. The majority of the Angolan population says that Cabinda is part of Angola, but others defend the opposite position. The enclave produces around 70% of the oil exported by the country.

Burundi: A Political Will to Provide Universal Education

  25 September 2012

The proportion of children in school increased from 59 per cent in 2005 to 96 per cent in 2011. The fact that Burundi is just emerging from war and that its schools were then often targeted makes the progress even more remarkable. Africa Renewal Online reports that government in Burundi...