11 December 2010

Stories from 11 December 2010

Puerto Rico: Original version of Wikileaks

  11 December 2010

An anonymous team has founded the website Iupileaks [es] in which they are posting documents of the administration of the University of Puerto Rico (Iuipi is the colloquial name of the main campus of the University): “We are a small group of people who attempts to inform the public about...

Côte d'Ivoire: Anger and Sarcasm in Citizen Media after the Elections

  11 December 2010

After a hopeful start, the presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire took a dramatic turn that led the country in a seemingly hopeless political stalemate. While the crisis persists, the Ivorian blogosphere seems to be split between either taking the events with a hint of humor and sarcasm or debating passionately the political and legal implications of the latest events. Julie Owono explains:

Bolivia Opposes UN Climate Summit Declaration

  11 December 2010

Ben from The Latin Americanist reports: “Bolivia stood alone today at the UN Climate Summit in Cancun as the only country that opposed the summit's declaration. Why? Bolivia felt the declaration didn't go far enough to curb greenhouse gas emissions or to support the renewal of the Kyoto Protocol before...

Venezuela: New Bill Cracks Down on the Internet

  11 December 2010

In Caracas Chronicles, Francisco Toro blogs about “a draconian set of amendments to the Orwellianly named Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television to extend its reach into the online world and dramatically expand the categories of banned speech.”

Honduras: Increased Militarization

  11 December 2010

RNS from Honduras Culture and Politics says that, “Daily life in Honduras is increasingly much like it was under the military dictatorship of the early 1980s. In the name of security, the country is gradually being militarized.”

Russia: Photos and Videos of Soccer Fans Protesting in Moscow

RuNet Echo  11 December 2010

Blog of Novaya Gazeta [RUS], Radio Liberty [RUS], aleshru [RUS], and vadimb [RUS] share pictures and videos from the mass protest action of soccer fans in the center of Moscow. It is the second public event since the murder of one of the fans this week. Snob.ru hosts [RUS] discussion on the political consequences of...

Brazil: Pension rights for gay couples

  11 December 2010

Marcelo Marques in Blog do Bacana [pt] informs of a recent decision by the Social Security Ministry in enforcing a rule that recognizes that the social security benefits to relatives, such as pension in case of death, must include partners of same sex in stable marriage.

Jordan: Football Violence or Racism?

  11 December 2010

News reports estimate that 250 people were injured following a football game in south Amman between the Wihdat team, usually followed by Jordanians of Palestinian heritage, and the al-Faisali team, usually supported by Jordanians of Transjordanian heritage. Twitter users react to the unfolding drama.

South Africa: The Vuvuzela gets a makerover

  11 December 2010

Vuvuzela's new role: Regrdless of its irritating “virtues”, the Vuvuzela’s place in history as the symbol for the first African World Cup is assured. Thanks to Matt Blitz and his colleagues at advertising firm Leftfield launched, the Vuvuzela is gearing up for a new role.

Nigeria: Our Senators and our health

  11 December 2010

Nigerian Senators simply don't get it: “How can we possibly afford to pay Senators in Nigeria N15.18m in salaries and allowances monthly ($100,000.00), when we cannot pay our doctors, teachers, nurses, a fraction of that. That is the absurdity of our country.”

Eritrea: Eritrea and the shadow of WikiLeaks

  11 December 2010

Gabriel Guangul discusses WikiLeaks in the context of Eritrea: “Somewhere along the lines of US embassy cables being laid bare on WikiLeaks, one could imagine the dark clouds behind the façade of Eritrea’s defiant image. In fact, that is exactly what it was all time – a shop window for...

Bangladesh: The Judiciary And The Parliament

  11 December 2010

“In Bangladesh, among the three pillars of the State, undoubtedly Parliament has become the most weakest, largely because it had acted as rubber stamp for the people in power- either military rulers or elected governments,” comments Adnan M L Karim at Law Chronicles Online.

India: Sari Is Not A Terrorist Outfit

  11 December 2010

The Indian ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar was pulled from a security line at the Jackson-Evers International Airport in Mississippi, USA, and was subsequently forced to undergo a pat-down body search on grounds that she was wearing a sari. The incident sparked strong protests from India and the blogosphere reacts.