Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2009 November 18

18 November 2009

Daily archive · 7 posts

Stories from 18 November 2009

Azerbaijan: News of IRI departure met with concern

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Central Asia & Caucasus, North America

Following the cessation of radio broadcasts from foreign stations, as well as the sentencing last week of two video blogging youth activists, comes news of what some see as yet another threat to a fledgling process of democratization.

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Western Sahara: Aminatou Haidar Deported

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

Aminatou Haidar is a leading activist for independence of the Western Sahara (from Morocco). On Friday, November 13 when, upon returning to Laayoune (a city in the Western Sahara region), she was arrested and subsequently deported. Jillian C. York rounds up the reactions of bloggers.

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And the best country in the world is….

Written by Solana Larsen · Announcements

We thought: "The Economist doesn't know everything!" and launched our own global survey of what the "best country" in the world is. Global Voices will award a Putumayo African Reggae CD to whoever offers the best nomination.

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Papua New Guinea: Ursula Rakova Leads Relocation Efforts

Written by Eduardo Avila · Oceania

Activist Ursula Rakova has been leading efforts to relocate the residents from the Cataret Islands in Papua New Guinea, where it is estimated that by 2015 all of the islands will be completely submerged because of climate change.

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Saudi Arabia: We'll Defend Ourselves - For The Right Reason

Written by Ayesha Saldanha · Middle East & North Africa

In recent weeks a longstanding conflict between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government has expanded to involve Saudi Arabia, which which has been carrying out bombing raids within Yemen. In this post one Saudi blogger gives his view of the situation.

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Serbia: Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Pavle Dies

Written by Sinisa Boljanovic · Eastern & Central Europe

Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Pavle, died on Sunday, November 15. On Monday, Serbia’s government declared a three-day mourning. Sinisa Boljanovic translates some of the reactions from the Serbian blogoshere.

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Poland: Creators of “Polish Rapidshare” Arrested

Written by Jakub Górnicki · Eastern & Central Europe

Earlier this month, the Polish police arrested creators and owners of OdSiebie.com service. The portal, which is currently down, was a clone of Rapidshare, and since its day one in 2007, it was continuously growing in traffic. Jakub Gornicki reviews the reactions from the Polish blogosphere.

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Updates from 18 November 2009

Russia

Fifty one percent of young Russians (ages 16 - 24) consider the Internet a reliable source of information. This makes the Internet the second most trustworthy source after TV among the youth. This and other findings are available in a newly published report [RUS] by the Public Opinion Foundation.

• Alexey Sidorenko

India

Bilal Qureshi at Pakistan Foreign Policy blog comments on the 2008 Mumbai Terror attacks: “So far, we know that stateless actors were involved in carrying out these attacks. These people want nothing, but chaos and mayhem in Asia, and it is important to stop them without pointing finger at other.”

• Rezwan

Trinidad & Tobago

“One can live in hope that a Carnival Stage is looming somewhere in the future right?”: Trinidad Carnival Diary is “a bit skeptical to believe…that work is expected to start on the National Carnival and Entertainment Centre in March.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba

“There are a good number of ministers still under sixty, but the largest share of power is concentrated in the hands of septuagenarians and octogenarians”: Cuba's Generation Y suggests these veterans are unable “to hear the new generation knocking at the door, coming like a whirlwind to dismantle everything.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados

“Barbadians have become alarmed at the prospect of having its investment paper perched at the brink of junk rating, a status most unfamiliar to Barbadians through the years”: Barbados Underground says it's economic “crunch time”!

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados

The 2009 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is out and although Living in Barbados always takes the results “with a pinch of salt”, he notes that “greasing palms is unfortunately seen as a part of doing business worldwide.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

China

RealTime Bangladesh blog reports that a dam in Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) in China will divert 200 billion cubic meters of waters to the Yellow River. This will spell disaster for the Tibetan plateau and the lower riparian countries, India’s North East and Bangladesh as Brahmaputra river and its branches like Jamuna and Meghna of Bangladesh will be severely affected.

• Rezwan

India

Roger Alexander opines that “in the course of his current trip to Asia, US President Barack Obama has ensured that the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference, due to take place in Copenhagen December 7-18, will be nothing more than a talk shop.”

• Rezwan

India

The New Horizon comments on the recent initiatives of Bangladesh aiming for more regional connectivity with its neighbors: “It’s not only a good sign for Bangladesh, but also could usher in a new era of cooperation among South Asian nations in general.”

• Rezwan