Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2008 April 12

12 April 2008

Daily archive · 7 posts

Stories from 12 April 2008

Russia: Ramzan Kadyrov's Motorcade

Written by Veronica Khokhlova · Eastern & Central Europe

The video of what is described to be a motorcade of Chechnya's president Ramzan Kadyrov has been viewed over 100,000 times (plus, the clip has been re-posted by a number of other YouTube and RuTube users). Below are several bloggers' reactions to what they've seen.

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Brazil: Bloggers united against WordPress ban

Written by Paula Góes · Latin America

The Brazilian blogosphere has not quite yet recovered from its last fright and there is already another threat on the way: a blanket ban on blogs hosted on Wordpress.com after a judicial court passed an order to close down a specific blog. Some bloggers are already campaigning just in case this comes true, while others stress that above all Brazil needs proper legislation (and knowledgeable legislators) to deal with the Internet and the new technologies issues.

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El Salvador: Blogging for Justice in a Little Girl's Murder

Written by Tim Muth · Latin America

Katya Miranda was young girl who was murdered in 1999 in El Salvador, in a crime of shocking depravity. All the charges against the suspects, who have ties with the military and police, were subsequently dismissed in legal proceedings widely criticized by human rights organizations. With the ninth anniversary of Katya's murder, Salvadoran bloggers are raising a call for justice to be done in this case.

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Madagascar: Too much emphasis on the environment ?

Written by Lova Rakotomalala · Sub-Saharan Africa

Madagascar is arguably most renowned for its unique biodiversity. However, the focus on the environment is sometimes resented by Malagasies who think it diverts attention away from the hardships of the Malagasy people.

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Thailand: YouTube self-censored lese majeste protest clip

Written by Arthit · East Asia

Self-censorship on YouTube is working well - silently. One of the silently banned clips can be viewed anywhere in the world, except Thailand.

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Southeast Asia: Rising price of rice

Written by Mong Palatino · East Asia

Rice is the staple food in Southeast Asia and in many parts of the world. Many people in Southeast Asia are worried over reports that rice is getting more expensive and supplies are dwindling. Bloggers discuss the impact of the rice crisis in the region.

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Kuwait: A Ridiculous Mixture of Hail, Rain, Wind and Dust

Written by Amira Al Hussaini · Middle East & North Africa

Unusual for this time of the year, Kuwait was just hit by a 'semi-tornado,' which included "a ridiculous mixture of hail, rain, wind, dust, gusts" in the words of blogger Kuwaitism. Equipped with cells phones and digital cameras, the Kuwaiti blogopshere is full of stories reporting the unexpected weather which hit the country.

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Updates from 12 April 2008

Costa Rica

Costa Rican president Oscar Arias said that he would do everything possible so that a woman is his successor as the leader of the nation. Juan Carlos Hidalgo took his comment as Arias' way of saying that he would like his Vice-President Laura Chinchilla to keep his party in office [es], and disguising it in the framework of equality of the sexes.

• Eduardo Avila

Iran

Erfan from Shiraz has published several photos from bomb explosion at a mosque in southern Iranian city Shiraz where at least 8 people were killed. The blogger said he was afraid of showing his camera and he took all photos by his mobile.Iranian government announced that explosion was not caused by a bomb.

• Fred Petrossian

Iran

A bomb exploded during prayers Saturday at a mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, killing at least eight people and wounding 66. Sayetanha,a blogger from Shiraz, says[Fa] there are many people who have been killed but the cleric of mosque did not get hurt.

• Fred Petrossian

Mozambique

Carlos Serra, from Diários de um Sociólogo [Sociologists Diary, in Portuguese], introduces us to Muarramuasando[pt], written by Tomás Muarramuassa, who seems to be the first established blogger in the Mozambican region of Tete.

• Daniel Duende

Iran

Sibiltala says[Fa] it seems that Iranian media outside Iran did not write about Human Rights Watch (HRW) recent report about four detained leftist students. HRW says “officials must investigate the reports of torture and punish anyone it finds responsible.”

• Fred Petrossian

Iran

Razeno says[Fa] that 2008 Olympic Torch passes through many countries but not through Iran. The blogger adds even it passes through Pakistan where there is a lot of violence. Razeno is upset about isolated Iran in the world.

• Fred Petrossian

Iran

According to Iran Inside Out,a project of Rising Voices,veteran Iranian videobloggers will partner with the Tehran-based Young Cinema Society to identify aspiring young filmmakers and teach them the skills to both produce short videos.

• Fred Petrossian

Tunisia

zizou from Djerba has volunteered to do live Arabic translation of the Dalai Lama's “compassion conference” in Seattle this week.

• Jennifer Brea

South Africa

Hope is totally disappointed by the South African President, Thabo Mbeki: “Mbeki, after going to Harare to see Mugabe, says today that there is “no crisis”…I cannot believe I am so upset - again - because whenever I know Thabo Mbeki is about to meet to discuss anything to do with the Zimbabwean crisis, I steel myself for extreme disappointment. He never fails to deliver, so why do I stupidly, even when I expect it, feel dumbfounded when it comes?!”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Ukraine: Homophobic Legal Initiatives in Sync with Public Attitudes

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