Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2009 August 04

4 August 2009

Daily archive · 8 posts

Stories from 4 August 2009

Pakistan: Condemning Gojra Riots

Last Saturday riots broke out in the Gojra town of Pakistan over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran and houses of the local Christian community were set on fire leaving seven people burnt to death and eighteen others severely injured. The widespread communal violence has been condemned severely by the Pakistani blogosphere.

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Brazil: Fighting contemporary slavery

Written by Deborah Goldemberg · Latin America

Modern day slave labour in the Northern and North-eastern States of Brazil is a well known problem. But is slave labour in São Paulo an anomaly? The blogosphere discusses and concludes: much remains to be uncovered.

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Southeast Asia: Internet and Nationalism

Written by Mong Palatino · East Asia

The Internet is increasingly being used by many Southeast Asians for various nationalist campaigns. This trend is positive in so far as it expands and improves the political participation of ordinary citizens. However, there are also ultra-nationalist online initiatives which prevent the formation of regional solidarity in Southeast Asia.

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Ecuador: Two New Bus Stations Open in Quito

Written by Milton Ramirez · Latin America

Bus transportation in Ecuador received a boost with the construction of 2 new terminals in Quito. Arriving at the stations may take longer than before, but it is worth the effort due to their new features.

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Pakistan: Go Green Movement

Written by Faisal Kapadia · South Asia

The "Go Green movement" pioneered by Farhan Masood and his team of volunteers from all over Pakistan are changing display pictures of Pakistani Twitter and Facebook users adding a Pakistan flag background.

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In France, Sudan, Burqas and Trousers Cause Controversy

Written by Suzanne Lehn · Sudan, France

The world is once more talking about what women wear, or rather, should not wear. A planned ban against burqas in France? A trial against a woman journalist in trousers in Sudan? French bloggers draw parallels and question what is at stake beyond religion or decency.

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The Sun went out over Japan recently.

Written by Matt Holland · East Asia

The Sun grew dark and the morning skies dimmed down just before 11:00am on July 22, 2009 in Japan, where it has been more than four decades since a total solar eclipse has been visible.

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Israel: LGBT center shooting in Tel-Aviv

Written by Gilad Lotan · Middle East & North Africa

It is becoming ever more evident that Saturday's deadly shooting at a Tel Aviv LGBT center was a product of pure hate. Gilad Lotan sums up from reactions from Hebrew blogs.

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Updates from 4 August 2009

Ukraine

uaMuzik writes about Serhiy Kuzmynsky, the lead man of Braty Hadiukyny band, who passed away earlier this week.

• Veronica Khokhlova

Russia

Eternal Remont comments on the lawsuit filed by Stalin's grandson against a Russian newspaper: “By the same legal resoning, someone could sue the Holocaust Museum for besmirching Hitler’s good name. But the Kremlin is despratly trying to rehabilitate Stalin's image these days.”

• Veronica Khokhlova

Russia

Russian Blog explains the notion of “avos'”: “One of the most exciting things that are ‘really Russian’ because they work only in Russia.”

• Veronica Khokhlova

U.S.A.

Belgraded writes about the rivalry between “Michael Phelps, the American super-swimmer, and Milorad Cavic, the American-born Serbian talent.”

• Veronica Khokhlova

Czech Republic

The Reference Frame critiques a New York Times piece on Václav Klaus and the EU politics.

• Veronica Khokhlova

Iran

In Cafe Hizbollah blog we read about weekly meeting of the Iranian Islamist bloggers in Tehran. Here are the photos.

• Fred Petrossian

Sri Lanka

Ramith tells a story how politicians in Sri Lanka can be unjustifiably persuaded to change a road name.

• Rezwan

Bangladesh

Gone are the days when the village phone ladies used to offer mobile phone services in the rural areas of Bangladesh, a successful example of microcredit projects. LIRNE Asia informs that now “Info ladies” equipped with “Classmate PC” fitted with mobile internet cards are traveling door-to-door riding bicycles to connect the villagers with Internet.

• Rezwan

Sri Lanka

Indi.ca posts some pictures of the Udappu Festival in Sri Lanka.

• Rezwan

India

Über Desi slams the failure of development of an engine for an indigenous fighter plane in India after two decades of expensive research and comments: “imagine the number of schools, transport lines, rail tracks, sanitation facilities and other basic stuff that could have really really mattered in sub-urban and rural areas.”

• Rezwan