Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2009 October 25

25 October 2009

Daily archive · 5 posts

Stories from 25 October 2009

Morocco: A Lenient Sentence

Written by Jillian C. York · Middle East & North Africa

In September, we learned about Zineb Chtit, the young Moroccan girl who was severely beaten while working as a maid. Last week, it was announced that Zineb's attacker Nawal Houmin, the wife of the couple who had hired her, was to be punished for the crime with a sentence of 3 years imprisonment and a $13,000 fine. Jillian C. York shares reactions from the blogoma.

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Lebanon Ups the Ante in the Hummus War

Written by Antoun Issa · Middle East & North Africa

As many as 300 Lebanese chefs gathered yesterday in Beirut to make the largest ever plate of hummus in an attempt to claim the reigns in ownership of the popular chick pea dip. The new world record is part of an ongoing campaign in Lebanon to reaffirm the country's claim to a number of dishes being produced in Israel - with the ownership of hummus being one of the main quarrels.

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Japan: Latest survey on poverty destroys the prosperity myth

Written by Scilla Alecci · East Asia

One Japanese in six is living in poverty says the latest Welfare Ministry report [en]. According to OECD figures [en], Japan has one of the highest poverty rates in the...

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Singapore plans to require bloggers to reveal sponsors

Written by Mong Palatino · East Asia

Singapore is thinking of drafting a new guideline that would require bloggers to reveal if they receive gifts or money for their articles. Bloggers react to this proposal

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China: Relics of the Old Summer Palace

Written by Michael Kan · East Asia

Back in the news again is Beijing’s Old Summer Palace, whose destruction still remains a sensitive topic in China. Built during the Qing Dynasty, it was later sacked by British...

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Updates from 25 October 2009

Armenia

After a news item in the local press reported that a British MP had been appointed as rapporteur on Armenia and Turkey, Unzipped says that it used Twitter to check the accuracy of the story. Tweeting a question to the MP in question, it turned out that the report was false.

• Onnik Krikorian

Algeria

American political cartoonist Daryl Cagle recently sojourned to Algeria for a comics convention; he shares his experiences on his blog.

• Jillian C. York

Spanish

Uruguay's election is scheduled for October 25 and Juan Cruz Díaz of Americas Quarterly [es] wonders who will lead the country after outgoing President Tabaré Vásquez, who Díaz writes “was a successful governor” and cites some of his accomplishments, such as the implementation of the Ceibal Plan.

• Eduardo Avila

Thailand

Andy links to two blog posts which provide commentaries on local elections in Thailand. The first post highlights the prevalence of vote buying in communities while the other post sees hope in the conduct of local elections.

• Mong Palatino

Thailand

Dale offers tips on how to avoid being scammed by unscrupulous taxi drivers in Bangkok.

• Mong Palatino

Myanmar (Burma)

Writing for New Mandala, Violet Cho and Dave Gilbert observe that “Gay people in Burma are resisting homophobia and marginalisation through the creative use of new communication codes.”

• Mong Palatino

Thailand

absolutelybangkok.com provides a backgrounder and update to the continuing rift between the top leaders of Thailand and Cambodia who are both attending the annual conference of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

• Mong Palatino

Philippines

Ella's Blog from the Philippines posts photos of donated goods intended for typhoon victims rotting in government warehouses. The expose has sparked fears that the goods might be misused to support administration candidates in next year's elections. The original site shows a “404 Not Found error” when it is accessed but the contents have been reposted by concerned citizens in blogs and social networks.

• Karlo Mikhail Mongaya