Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2008 November 11

11 November 2008

Daily archive · 9 posts

Stories from 11 November 2008

Brazil: National Park Under Threat from Illegal Fires

For over a month now the Chapada Diamantina National Park has been burning relentlessly and lost 50 percent of its forest area (roughly the size of New York City). Authorities say the fires were started by ranchers clearing land for pasture. The situation is out of control and if not reforested, Chapada may lose its exuberance for ever.

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Syria: New Dawn for Humanity

Written by Eman AbdElRahman · Middle East & North Africa, North America

Blogger Anas, shows an excerpt from the top of the front page of Al Watan Daily Syrian Newspaper, with a text saying....

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MENA: Blogs and a social revolution

Written by Eman AbdElRahman · Middle East & North Africa

Saudi blogger, Esam Mudeer, clipped from CNN Arabic, an article asking -in light of last week's major events in the Arab world- if Arab blogs might lead a social revolution in the region.

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Bhutan Crowns New King: Refugees Barely Remembered

Written by Bhumika Ghimire · South Asia

On November 6th, the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan officially crowned a new King, who was appointed almost two years ago. The fifth Dragon King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is an...

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Jordan: Poor and Backward

Written by Amira Al Hussaini · Middle East & North Africa

Being poor and backward go hand in hand, according to Jordanian blogger Muoffaq Qabbani, who brings us this story about how poor people insist on having more and more children.

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India: Prince of Kolkata retires

Written by Javits Rajendran · South Asia

November 9th will be remembered in many Indian hearts. The day when Ganguly, ‘the god of the offside’ bid adieu to the world of International Cricket. Sourav Ganguly was India's most...

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Taiwan: At the Protest Frontline

Written by I-fan Lin · East Asia

It seems that many people, especially if you are outside Taiwan, found the recent protest against Chen Yinlin in Taipei confusing. Bob pointed out that in China, some incidents in...

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Peru: New Prime Minister Faces Skepticism

Written by Juan Arellano · Latin America

After the crisis in the Peruvian cabinet as a result of the scandal involving high-level governmental officials and corruption, President Alan García decided to name a new Prime Minister. Yehude Simon, does not belong to Garcia's APRA party, and he was received with some skepticism, which mainly has to do with the failure of past government officials to make any progress against corruption and for using the same language heard from other politicians in the past.

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KarmaTube: Promoting Change through Video Sharing

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia & Caucasus

Karma Tube is an online video sharing platform to spread short videos and their causes through the World Wide Web with tips on what actions the viewer can take regarding the portrayed cause. Through KarmaTube we bring you the following videos of good people doing great things for others: Skateistan from Afghanistan, Seeds of Light from South Africa and Barrios de Paz in Ecuador.

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Updates from 11 November 2008

Bangladesh

Ex diplomat Sirajul Islam comments in his blog on the impending general election in Bangladesh: “If at the end of it, a major political party feels that there is no level playing ground for its participation in the polls, then for all practical purposes, the efforts of this Government has not been successful.”

• Rezwan

India

Words From The Solitude discusses the background of the recent politics and violence in the Indian state of Assam: “For several decades, Assam is passing through too much of tears and blood. This stunningly beautiful state and its people are struggling hard to come out from the curse of their own history.”

• Rezwan

Brazil

Paulo Bicarato [pt] echoes the news that fires that have destroyed 50% of the Brazilian Chapada Diamantina National Park, roughly the size of New York City, were likely started by ranchers clearing land for pasture. “For those who had the pleasure to have been to that piece of paradise, it hurts immensely”, says the blogger.

• Paula Góes

Cameroon

From the Kabissa Newletter, a project is profiled: The organization aims to plant trees in thirteen Village communities of Ngoketunjia Division, as a means to fight climate change in Cameroon and the world at large.

• Juliana Rotich

Bangladesh

Arup at Sachalayatan introduces us to twenty talented Bangladeshi photographers from Flickr and their works here and here [bn].

• Rezwan

Iran

Parsarts informs us about Iranian documentary “Tehran Has No More Pomegranates”. You can also read an interview with its director, Massoud Bakhshi.

• Fred Petrossian

Pakistan

Ahsan at Five Rupees informs that according to Foreign Policy Magazine, Mustafa Kamal, the Mayor of Karachi, has been declared as the world's second best mayor.

• Rezwan

Lebanon

Blogger LM, from Lebanon, tells us about Patchi, the famous Lebanese luxury chocolate-makers, who have launched the world’s most prestigious and expensive box of chocolate.

• Eman AbdElRahman

Egypt

“Born in January of 1935, his father had wanted his mother to have an abortion because they already had 7 children, she refused and that is how he came to be,” writes blogger Jessyz, who takes us through the pages of the autobiography “What life has taught me” by Dr. Galal Amin, in a book review that triggers a lot of thinking.

• Eman AbdElRahman