Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2010 July 05

5 July 2010

Daily archive · 9 posts

Stories from 5 July 2010

Costa Rica: Congress Approves US Military Presence to Battle Drug Trafficking

Written by Jenny Cascante Gonzalez · Latin America

Under the premise of counteracting drug trafficking, the Costa Rican government has endorsed the arrival of a North American fleet to its shores. Costa Ricans turned to blogging and social networks to express their opinions on the matter; for now, most users seem to reject the measure, but those that are in favor of it are also making sure their voice is heard.

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Palestine: Surviving with Portable Generators in Gaza

Written by Ayesha Saldanha · Middle East & North Africa

The only power plant in Gaza shut down temporarily on June 25 due to a payment dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. During power cuts of 12 or more hours a day, the residents of Gaza now depend even more on portable diesel generators that carry a significant health and safety risk.

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Arab World: Remembering Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah

Written by Amira Al Hussaini · Middle East & North Africa

Lebanon's Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, a leading Shiite figure, has died at the age of 75 yesterday. The religious leader, with a huge following, was remembered by bloggers from across the region.

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Global Voices Announces Investment from Omidyar Network

Written by Ethan Zuckerman · North America

I'm thrilled to announce that the Omidyar Network has made a $1.2 million investment in Global Voices's work. Omidyar is a philanthropic foundation created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and...

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South Korea: Keyboard Warriors Against Young Women

Written by Lee Yoo Eun · East Asia

Young women are struck down by harsh internet vigilantes in the South Korean internet space. Reasonable voices online, who analyze this phenomenon, say it is caused by the growing social power of women, while men are suffering under heaps of social and economic pressure.

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Brunei: Royal divorce sparks online buzz

Written by Mong Palatino · East Asia

Last month, the Sultan of Brunei announced his divorce to his third wife who is from Malaysia. Following the announcement, twitter and blogs in both Brunei and Malaysia went buzzing with the news. Many expressed their sadness while others speculated on the reasons behind the divorce

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China: Why is Chinese football so weak?

Written by Oiwan Lam · East Asia

Recently the New York Times posted the question on “Why does China lag far behind in soccer when it competes so aggressively in many Olympic sports?” and invited a number...

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Pakistan: Bloodshed In Lahore And The State Of Denial

Written by Salman Latif · South Asia

Pakistan faces yet another episode of terror as one of it's more revered shrines in Lahore, popularly known as Data Darbar, came under attack. Pakistani bloggers criticize the official stance of the Punjab government which stays far from admitting that Talibans are the real enemies.

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Japan: Decline of Students Studying in the U.S. and Overseas

Written by apeescape · East Asia, North America

Despite the increasing number of people studying abroad via study abroad programs, the overall rate of Japanese college students studying abroad seems to be decreasing across the board — even accounting for Japan's declining birthrate. What is the cause of this remarkable decline?

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Updates from 5 July 2010

Uruguay

Gabriel Budiño [es] analyzes how new technologies like Twitter and Facebook have affected the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He cites the use of Twitter by Uruguayan football player Diego Forlán and the quick creation of a Facebook group [es] about the handball by player Luis Suarez against Ghana.

• Silvia Viñas

Colombia

The blog Realidades Colombianas [es] writes about the bicentennial of the independence of Colombia, thanking those who sacrificed their lives for the “new generations, meaning us.”

• Silvia Viñas

Iraq

Iraqi blogger Sunshine is now in Baghdad, caring for her sick grandmother.

• Amira Al Hussaini

United Arab Emirates

Dubai-based Alexander McNabb, from Fake Plastic Souks, writes about the end of a newspaper - Emirates Business 24×7 - “the newspaper that managed to be as unwieldy and unattractive as its name.”

• Amira Al Hussaini

Iraq

Iraqi blogger Faiza Al Arji is back in Iraq, working with an NGO serving women. She writes: “Iraq now is a postwar society,and it needs huge efforts to fix everything.
the occupation forces will pull out soon, and will leave Iraq in the middle of darkness and loss.we need decades to fix what the invasion has done to our country.”

• Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwait

Kuwaiti journalist and blogger Mohammed Aljasem was released on bail after spending 48 days behind bars for allegedly defaming Kuwaiti Prime Minister Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah. Supporters have set up this blog, in Arabic and English, to update readers on the case.

• Amira Al Hussaini