Stories from 31 October 2010
Brazil: Dilma Rousseff elected president
Winning 55.7% of the total votes, Dilma Rousseff today became Brazil's first female president [pt]. Voter turnout was also high, with estimates lying between 92 and 96%. We will bring you views from the Brazilian blogosphere as they come in.
Bangladesh: Participating In Global Hand Washing Day 2010
“The students of The Dhaka Project staged 6 different drama’s addressing the importance of awareness of Global Hand Washing Day on 30th October 2010,” informs Touhid at The Dhaka project blog.
India: Free Speech Or Sedition?
Indian novelist, essayist and activist Arundhati Roy's recent statement on Kashmir stirred a debate across India. Along-with Indian media, the Indian blogosphere and social networking sites have exploded with reactions for and against her statement.
Cote d'Ivoire : SMS Service Suspended During Elections to Prevent Violence
diabymohamed informs on Twitter that in anticipation of the presidential election of Sunday, Oct. 31 in Cote d'Ivoire, the Ivorian Telecom Authority (ATCI) decided to suspend short text message services, a decision that is reasonable for some because of potential messages of violence : “RT @2romeo: #Abidjan closing of SMS...
Cote d'Ivoire : Citizen and Collaborative Election Monitoring System
The internetsansfrontieres.com website informs [Fr]: “For the presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire on Oct. 31, Internet Sans Frontières and Akendewa set up a citizen and collaborative election monitoring system. The system allows for direct access to citizen reporting.”
Caribbean: Hurricane Tomas
Trinidad and Tobago, the twin island republic that seemed to be directly in Tomas‘ path on Friday, was spared its effects, but as the storm veered north, islands that had previously been out of its path were suddenly thrust into storm warning mode. Tomas is now situated south-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico; the hope remains that the Category 2 storm, which is expected to gather more strength, will steer clear of Haiti.
Americas: Virtual Memorial for 72 Victims of Migrant Mass-Killing
Over the last two months, renowned journalist Alma Guillermoprieto has led an online project in response to the mass killing of seventy-two migrants that took place in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas in August 2010. 72migrantes.com is a virtual memorial for the slayed migrants.
Georgia: Halloween protests & revelry
The Young Georgians examines the history of Halloween, and not least in Georgia where controversy often results in religious groups objecting to young people holding their own events. This year is no exception with Orthodox Christians planning to stage protests while several events in clubs and public gatherings are scheduled...
Japan: Photography Project ‘Yamanote Loop’
Steve from the Fwdmovement site has kicked off a photography project called Yamanote Loop. The project will cover each of the 29 stations in Tokyo's JR Yamanote Line, starting with Mejiro Station.
Armenia: Nationalist backlash against Azerbaijan film festival
Unzipped and Le Retour (in 3 Parts) comment on the nationalist backlash to a festival of films from Azerbaijan to be staged in Yerevan, Armenia, next week. The former says that the negative reaction is hypocritical when the same nationalists decry attempts to prevent artistic expression and freedom of speech...
