4 June 2009
Stories from 4 June 2009
Sri Lanka: A Suppressed Nation
Access to many Sri Lankan IDP camps are still limited to the international journalists and aid workers and the information are suppressed. So it is hard to hear the voices from these IDP camps. Regini David, a human rights, women and workers' rights activist, has been working with vulnerable people for the past 23 years. In her blog, ‘Unheard Voices‘, she has started writing about the very unheard voices from Sri Lanka, voices of the people she worked with.
·
read »
Myanmar: Collapse of an Ancient Pagoda
An ancient pagoda in Myanmar collapsed while it was going under renovation, killing at least 5 people. The 180-foot Danoke Pagoda in Yangon Division was originally damaged during Cyclone Nargis so it had been going under renovation. GV author Tan translates a Burmese blogpost about the tragedy.
·
read »
Cuba, USA: OAS Says “Yes”
After 47 years, the Organization of American States has lifted its ban on Cuba's admission from the group, with most member states restoring ties with the island nation. The United States, which still maintains a trade embargo against Cuba, was the notable exception. But the opinions of other hemispheric leaders won out. Cuba is free to be part of the OAS - despite its leadership's statements suggesting that it has no interest in returning. A few bloggers are making their feelings known...
Brazil: Land reform or deforestation boost for the Amazon?
Brazilian president Lula da Silva has a controversial bill that will legitimize land-grabbing in the Amazon prior to 2004 on his hands. Will the law help the forest escape further deforestation or is it going to benefit land owners only, and be the last straw for an Amazon rain forest already on its way to destruction?
·
read »
Translator of the week: Carolina Chandra Rumuat
Carolina Chandra Rumuat is spinning a new planet in the Global Voices/Lingua galaxy of languages: Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia. Say what? In Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of no less than 237 million Indonesians. In truly globalized fashion, Carolina from Indonesia translates and nurtures the brand new Lingua website all the way from… Morocco!
·
read »
USA: Journalists to Stand Trial in North Korea
On June 4, two American journalists will stand trial in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) for illegal entry into the country. The two women, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, both Asian-American journalists with Current TV, were detained on March 17, but despite the fame of Ling's sister (Lisa Ling, special correspondent for the National Geographic Channel, Oprah, and CNN), little attention has been paid by the mainstream media to the two women, partly due to the sensitive diplomatic situation.
·
read »
Arab World: What are Arabs waiting for?
Two bloggers on either side of the Arab world are mulling over the condition of Arabs, from the ocean to the gulf. One asks how long we will sit back for while other countries continue to build up and develop their arsenals and weapon stocks - and another wonders why Saudi Arabia doesn't have its own space programme.
·
read »
Nice post Aparna. Good to see that Kolkata men and women are organizing against street sexual harassment. Kathmandu organized its...