Global Voices · Citizen media stories from July 2010

July, 2010

Monthly archive · 197 posts

Stories from July, 2010

3 July 2010

India: Tackling The Maoist Threat

The relentless Maoist attacks have become India's biggest security threat as Maoist separatists have inflicted another deadly blow on Indian security forces. Netizens analyze the cause behind the Maoist onslaughts and discuss ways to tackle the threat.

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USA, Russia: Discussing ‘Spies' 2.0

Written by Alexey Sidorenko · Eastern & Central Europe, North America

The arrest of 11 individuals belonging to a network of alleged Russian spies became the topic of the week on the Russian Internet. Alexey Sidorenko reviews the online discussion.

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2 July 2010

Macedonia: Ten Steps for Running a Banana Republic

Written by Filip Stojanovski · Eastern & Central Europe

Kopach, a columnist for the independent portal Okno.mk, published a list entitled "10 Ways to Run a Banana State" which received much attention among social media users from Macedonia.

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Pakistan: Balochistan - A Ticking Bomb

Written by Salman Latif · South Asia

Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, has been a hotbed of anarchy. The central government has long persecuted Balochis for their nationalist sentiments and repressive policies have led to frequent uprisings in the past.

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Ghana: The Black Stars on the brink of making history

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · Sub-Saharan Africa

Ghana, Africa's only hope in 2010 FIFA World Cup, faces Uruguay today. African bloggers hope that the Black Stars of Ghana will not let Africa down.

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D. R. of Congo: Independence Cha Cha

Written by Fred · Sub-Saharan Africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo is celebrating the 50th anniversary of independence from Belgian rule. As the state proudly wheeled out some expensive new military hardware for the delectation of visiting dignitaries, bloggers Kakaluigi and Congo Miliki describe the parades in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, while other Congolese bloggers reminisce about the era of independence.

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Updates from July, 2010

23 July 2010

Malaysia

Azira Aziz questions the decision of the Malaysian government to prioritize the Malay community in distributing scholarship funds. The writer proposes that funds should be given to those who “deserve it by merit and based on their family’s financial background.”

• Mong Palatino

Venezuela

Venezuelan Analysis reports: “Over 80 Yukpa indigenous Venezuelans are protesting in front of Venezuela's Supreme Court in order to demand a ruling on whether three arrested Yukpas can be judged under indigenous law rather than the national legal system, in the wake of a conflict over land demarcation.”

• Silvia Viñas

Costa Rica

The blogger from Antigone Wanders is traveling Central America for three months, going through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. In her latest post she talks about her experience crashing a meeting of “Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular (FNRP), the Honduran resistance”, she goes on to give the necessary background about the Honduran resistance, and then tells us about her experience at the meeting. While in Guatemala, she volunteered for an NGO called FUNCEDESCRI and wrote: “They amaze me more than all of the other NGOs that I have visited or worked for in developing countries.” These are just two of the many experiences she writes about; all are worth the read.

• Silvia Viñas

Costa Rica

The Rahab foundation in Costa Rica has put out a video warning people about potential job offers which may be too good to be true and put women as victims in human trafficking schemes.

• Juliana Rincón Parra

22 July 2010

Panama

Pilar Chato writes [es] for the blog Oye about the recent violent protests by banana plantation workers in Bocas del Toro that lasted nine days and, as she reports, left “700 detained, hundreds injured and various dead.” She goes on to say that protests against the government of Ricardo Martinelli have escalated: “the accusations of a civil dictatorship are not only coming from the opposition but also from social, environmental and human rights organizations.” She also explains what Law 30 is all about, a precursor for the protests in Bocas del Toro.

• Silvia Viñas

Barbados

My Rustic Bajan Garden wonders if a decline in numbers of butterflies is a worrying sign for Barbados. “The absence of these creatures is a strong indicator that all is not well in our environment.”

• Nicholas Laughlin

Pakistan

Kiss My Roti says that the perceptions of “terrorism” and militant violence in Pakistan is shaping the social, political and cultural response to it by the Pakistanis. The blogger asserts the need for “a paradigm shift in narratives from assigning blame to accepting responsibility”.

• Rezwan