Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2010 February 20

20 February 2010

Daily archive · 4 posts

Stories from 20 February 2010

Coup in Niger: Bloggers sigh in relief at the ousting of President Tandja

Written by Elia Varela Serra · Sub-Saharan Africa

On Thursday, February 18th a coup d'état took place in Niger, in which President Mamadou Tandja was captured after a gun battle in the capital. A few months ago Tandja illegally changed the constitution to allow him a third term in what was generally considered a mass fraud referendum. Bloggers react to these latest developments.

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Croatia: A New President, A New Path

Written by Miquel Hudin · Eastern & Central Europe

On Friday of last week, Ivo Josipović took office as Croatia's third president, replacing outgoing two-term president, Stjepan Mesić, who was the head of Croatia for a decade.

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Colombia: The Closure of Cambio Magazine

Written by Lully Posada · Latin America

The Colombian magazine Cambio, known for its investigative reporting, was recently closed by its owners, who say it was an economic decision. However, journalists say that it was a politically motivated decision.

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Congo: The Coltan Conflict is in Our Hands (and Cellphones)

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · Sub-Saharan Africa

Coltan, columbo-tantalite, is a mineral used to make resistors in our cellphones, video games, computers and home electronics. Like blood diamonds, its mining has not only caused ecological damage, human rights abuses, but some say is also fueling the conflict in the Congo.

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Updates from 20 February 2010

English

Telecoms in Latvia reports that in order to “expose government waste, unjust wage differentials and possible corruption by analyzing data filed by state agencies and public sector,” individuals calling themselves “the Fourth Awakening People's Army” have obtained some “7.4 million records from a database linked to the web-based service for filing income tax returns and other information with Latvia's State Revenue Service.”

• Veronica Khokhlova

Slovenia

Adventures in Wheelville posts pictures and video and writes about the carnival in Ptuj: “The carnival was a good time like a mini Mardi Gras and it gave me hope that at least some people in this country know and want to have a good time.”

• Veronica Khokhlova

Estonia

Itching for Eestimaa writes that “the underwhelming victory of Viktor Yanukovich over Yulia Tymoshenko last week has caused all sorts of soul searching in Estonia and, in general, the West”: “Indeed, there are lessons to be learned.”

• Veronica Khokhlova

India

Pratham Books, a non-profit trust engaged in publishing of children books, informs in their blog how Twitter helped them to reach books of a mobile van to a number of children in Kolkata, India.

• Rezwan

Bulgaria

Maya Markova of Maya's Corner posts videos and translates parts of the documentary The Bulgarian Guanatanamo, by Bulgarian journalist Ivan Kulekov. (An earlier GV roundup item on this issue is here.)

• Veronica Khokhlova

Belarus

Belarus Digest reports that while the Belarusian government explains the recently-introduced internet regulations by the need to fight copyright law violations, the state-run TV is now being accused of “ripping a whole sitcom”: “In the CBS original, shown on E4 in Britain, the main character are called Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, Raj and Penny; in Belarus they are called Sheldon, Leo, Hovard, Raj and Natasha.”

• Veronica Khokhlova

Lebanon

Lebanese blogger Rami at “Plus961” posts some photographs of Stolichnaya's latest advertisement which included a girl in a bathtub in the streets of Beirut.

• Layal Al Khatib

Lebanon

Lebanese Blogger and Illustrator Maya Zankoul shares her story of watching a mother crossing a very crowded and dangerous highway with her two children on foot.

• Layal Al Khatib

Israel

Recent protest against land appropriation of the West Bank village of Bil'in included Palestinian and Israeli activists masked as Na'vi characters from the controversial Avatar movie, which they consider anti-imperialist. Video clips posted by NGO “Friends of Freedom and Justice - Bilin” show Israeli Defense Forces using tear gas and sound bombs to protect the barriers. Comments to the blog post by Susan Stark reflect diverse stereotypes held by many American readers.

• Filip Stojanovski

Niger

Niger's political turmoil: “A dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed, but local reports indicate the capital Niamey was calm today. Tandja changed the constitution last August to stay in power beyond his legal term limit.”

• Ndesanjo Macha