Latest posts by Marta Cooper from October, 2010
Brazil: Dilma Rousseff elected president
Winning 55.7% of the total votes, Dilma Rousseff today became Brazil's first female president [pt]. Voter turnout was also high, with estimates lying between 92 and 96%. We will bring you...
Brazil: citizen coverage of election runoff
As Brazil gears up for the second round of presidential elections, 48 Horas Democracia [pt] will again provide citizen-produced videos, news reports and bulletins of the event to offer non-mainstream coverage.
Brazil: Dilma, Cristina and machismo in the media
Rodrigo Vianna at Escrevinhador [pt] draws parallels between the rise and leadership of Argentinian president Cristina Fernandez and Brazilian presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff, and slams the often sexist media both...
Cape Verde: draft law passed to regulate Council of Communities
Olhofuturo [pt] reports that a draft law regulating the Council of Communities has been approved by Cape Verde's national assembly, with the aim [pt] of better tackling issues of migration...
Mozambique: English influencing spoken language
Mosanblog [pt] looks at how the introduction of English words is rapidly influencing colloquial Portuguese in Mozambique.
Brazil: satirical voting campaign goes viral
A topic that has been making waves throughout the Brazilian Internet is the satirical campanha #votoserrapq (why I will vote for Serra campaign) [pt]. Organised by the blog Grupo Brasil e Desenvolvimento...
Brazil: activists, bloggers defend freedom of expression
In an act of solidarity [pt] in response to the censoring of Revista do Brasil magazine, a host of Brazilian activists, bloggers and other independent media joined yesterday in collectively...
Brazil: the prospect of a female president
Veteran women's rights activist Rachel Moreno looks at [pt] what having a female leader would mean for Brazil if Dilma Rousseff succeeds in the second round of presidential elections on...
Mozambique: regulations on text messaging services
Observatório do Direito à Comunicação [pt] reports on the regulations placed on text messaging services in Mozambique, after several protests were organised via SMS during September's ‘bread riots’.
Brazil: changes made to digital crimes bill
Jomar Silva, of blogging collective Trezentos [pt], speaks out against recent changes [pt] made to a controversial draft bill on cybercrimes in Brazil. The bill, which would require web users...
Brazil: Jose Serra ‘struck’ by paper ball
Earlier this week, Brazilian presidential candidate Jose Serra was struck by a ball of paper during a rally in Rio de Janeiro. Eduardo Guimarães at Blog da Cidadania [pt] has...
Brazil: ten days of media fury
Over the next ten days, political blogger Eduardo Guimarães at Blog da Cidadania [pt] will chart the tumultuous role played by Brazilian mainstream media in swaying voters’ choices, as the...
Brazil: gathering outside printers to stop spread of anti-Dilma pamphlets
Rodrigo Vianna at Escrevinhador [pt] writes that around 60 people gathered in front of a São Paulo graphic printers in the early hours of this morning to prevent the distribution...
China: netizens find humour in Nobel Peace Prize
China Digital Times has collected and translated a selection of Chinese Internet users’ jokes about dissident Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize win. One netizen wrote, “News flash: At 5:00 PM,...
Brazil: social networking world champions
Comunica Geral [pt] reports that a Unisys-led study has shown Brazilians beat the rest of the world in social networking. 19% of Brazilians said they access social networking websites at...
Brazil: mobile data packages most expensive among developing nations, says study
The 2010 Information Economy Report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has revealed Brazil has one of the most expensive mobile data packages [pt] among developing countries, at around US $120 for...
Brazil: media silent on handouts from state education departments
Conceição Lemes at Vi O Mundo [pt] has posted a lengthy interview with web researcher NaMaria News [pt], in which it has been claimed that some of Brazil's major media groups...
Brazil: Abortion debate heats up in presidential runoff
The debate on abortion has taken centre-stage in the runoff of the Brazilian presidential elections, with bloggers concerned it is being used to win votes rather than foster discussion of a contentious issue.
Brazil: first Dilma-Serra debate in presidential runoff
Dilma Rousseff and Jose Serra met in São Paulo yesterday for their first televised debate in the second round of Brazil's presidential elections. Rodrigo Vianna at Escrevinhador [pt] has analysed the...
Brazil: Twitter raises awareness of plight of São Paulo squatters
Around two thousand people, many of whom are slum dwellers who face the threat of eviction, occupied four abandoned buildings in central São Paulo early Monday morning, calling for improved...
Brazil: Presidential elections go to second round, social media step in
A last-minute surge by Green Party candidate Marina Silva has pushed Brazil's presidential election into a second round with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's widely tipped successor, Dilma Rousseff, narrowly missing out on becoming the country’s first female leader.
