Egyptian blogger TripleM writes about his efforts to create a fan page for Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, which he can no longer access or manage. “I was surprised to find out that I’m no longer the admin of the Queen Rania’s fan page on Facebook. The page I created two month ago, attracted more than 17 thousand fans and it has one of highest hit rates among Fb fan pages,” he writes.
11 May 2009
Stories from 11 May 2009
Brazil: When climate change meets cyber-activism
In another display of global climate change, Brazil has suffered an inversion of its usual weather for this time of the year. The traditionally dry North and Northeast regions of Brazil have been devastated by floods, whilst the usually wet south of the country is suffering a severe drought. People have gathered together in online social networks to cover the news and create an alliance to aid the populations hit by yet another natural disaster. It is cyber-activism at full speed.
The Gurkhas: Long History Of Discrimination
The Gurkhas, young men from Nepal who serve in the British military, have served the Queen and the United Kingdom for almost two centuries. Unfortunately, the British government has been less than fair when it comes to honoring their service and sacrifice. The British press and blogopshere are buzzing about the new government proposal that is very unfair to the Gurkhas.
Global: The polyglot internet and translation exchange
Global Voices has recently been awarded a grant by the Ford Foundation to support our work with Lingua, our translation project, and to research and develop a project to investigate...
Global Voices is seeking a Project Manager for Translation Exchange
Global Voices is launching a new project! We're seeking a half-time project manager. The project: Global Voices is launching a project to research, design, and build a translation exchange to...
Iran: Ahmadinejad's supporters launch online grassroots campaign
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has registered as a candidate for the June presidential election. Like his rivals, he now awaits official approval to run in the election from the Council of Guardians. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad's supporters have launched a multi-media campaign called Dar Emtedad Mehr (meaning, “Following Kindness”) covering social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and other online media.
Paris court investigates three African leaders
A Parisian judge has ordered an inquiry into alleged corruption and embezzlement on the part of three African heads of state: Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville, Omar Bongo of Gabon, and Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea.
Fiji: Bloggers debate media censorship
As reported here last week, Fiji’s government extended for another 30 days its “emergency regulations” that, among other things, controls public gatherings and forbids the media from printing stories that “undermine the Government and the State of Fiji.” These rules allow the Permanent Secretary of Information the ability to place censors in newsrooms, accompanied by plainclothes policeman.
Ecuador: Lawsuit Against Oil Company for Environmental Damage
Communities in the Ecuadorian Orient are suing the multinational company Texaco, and its parent company Chevron for environmental damages and resulting health problems in their residents. However, the company claims that it has already paid for the pollution, and that the government is trying to dip its hands into their "deep pockets." It is also accused of applying pressure to the judge for a favorable decision. As a result, it has started a public relations campaign to show its side to the story.
Protests in February swelled to over 100,000 demonstrators by February 17. So if the new...