Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2011 January 24

24 January 2011

Daily archive · 8 posts

Stories from 24 January 2011

Guatemala: Challenges for First Female Public Prosecutor

Recent appointments of women to public administration and key political positions could shake the political scene in Guatemala. Furthermore, the appointment of the first female Public Prosecutor could help end impunity for crimes committed against women.

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Pakistan: The Veenagate Controversy

Written by Faisal Kapadia · South Asia

Veena Malik, an aspiring Pakistani celebrity, was accused by religious hardliners of immoral behavior as she took part in the Indian reality show Big Boss. Reactions on this controversy show that Pakistan now stands divided amongst its conservative and liberal forces.

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Chile: Citizens respond to natural gas crisis in Magallanes

Written by Paulina Aguilera Muñoz · Translated by Stephen Cairns · Latin America

The announcement to raise natural gas prices in the southern region of Magallanes in Chile generated an immediate reaction from citizens that forced the government to modify the measure. Protests, barricades, and mobilized citizenry were followed minute by minute on social networks in Chile.

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Russia: First Twitter Reports of Domodedovo Suicide Bombing

Written by Alexey Sidorenko · Eastern & Central Europe

A deadly explosion killed at least 35, and wounded as many as 70 people in the Moscow airport Domodedovo. Early reports assert (ru) that the attack was a suicide bomb. Information has been coming in from many sources. Twitter is experiencing an explosion of tweets with the hashtag #Domodedovo.

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Cuba: Obama Eases Several Embargo Restrictions

Written by Ellery Roberts Biddle · North America, Latin America

US President Barack Obama signed into law a series of small legislative reforms to the US embargo on Cuba. Many in the US-Cuba blogging community hailed this as a small but significant step in improving relations between the two countries, while others have criticized the reform.

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Malaysia: Hindu Festival Celebrated Amid Protest

Written by Jerrenn Lam · East Asia

The Hindu festival of Thaipusam, a public holiday in Malaysia, was celebrated as devotees thronged the famous Batu Caves to fulfil their vows. This year's event became controversial after activists were arrested for protesting the inclusion of a "racist" novel in schools. The book depicts the Indians as the "pariah caste"

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A Korean Vessel Rescued from Somali Pirates, Worries of Retaliation Grow

Written by Lee Yoo Eun · Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia

Last Friday, South Korean special forces successfully rescued its 21 crew members who had been held as hostages by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Prudent net users have raised worries over possible retaliation and complaints against mainstream media for neglecting important domestic issues and the efforts of the individuals who have actually saved the crews.

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Brazil: Salary increase for parliamentarians in discussion

Written by Raphael Tsavkko Garcia · Translated by Raphael Tsavkko Garcia · Latin America

As every end of the year, the Brazilian federal deputies legislated for themselves and approved another salary increase to approximately 52 times the minimum salary earned by most part of the population. In 2011, the expected ripple effect of wages has been confirmed causing a sparked discussion in the blogosphere.

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Updates from 24 January 2011

Jamaica

Jamaica-based blogger Annie Paul, following the Jaipur Literature Festival online, reports on an appearance there by the Dominican-American writer Junot Díaz.

• Nicholas Laughlin

Guyana

The Signifyin' Woman contemplates Caribbean homophobia and notions of what it means to be a “real” man vs an “anti” man.

• Nicholas Laughlin

Bahamas

Rick Lowe of Weblog Bahamas responds to those who argue that “all economic activity” in the Bahamas should be “reserved exclusively for Bahamians” by pointing to a 2003 paper on foreign investment.

• Nicholas Laughlin

Pakistan

“Pakistan’s quasi-democracy might be the nation’s last chance, before a tide of part real, and part manufactured extremism engulfs the country,” opines Raza Rumi.

• Rezwan

Mexico

Bishop Samuel Ruiz passed away this morning. Tim Johnson explains: “Ruiz […] started the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center out of his diocese, and played an instrumental role in keeping the Zapatista uprising that erupted in 1994 from flaring into broader violence. Ruiz’s work on behalf of indigenous peoples caused his renown to spread around the hemisphere.”

• Silvia Viñas

El Salvador

A law that, “would have required government institutions, and private entities tied to the state, to make information available to the public without, necessarily, a formal request, by establishing an accessible database of information,” is stalled, as reported by Voices from El Salvador's Weblog.

• Silvia Viñas

Russia

A bomb exploded at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, at least ten casualties reported. An avalanche of Twitter items here (RUS) and here (RUS, ENG). @ann_mint, who works at Domodedovo, was one of the first Twitter users to report on the blast; “There're victums in #domodedovo Pray for us,” she wrote (ENG) a few minutes ago.

• Veronica Khokhlova

Taiwan (ROC)

Tipsuda Atichakaro, a Thai member of Greenpeace's flagship Rainbow Warrior, was arrested in the first protest in Taiwan during the ship's East Asia tour to protect the ocean. Taiwan environmental activist wobblies67 tweets that “…a member was arrested by the police and is now under investigation at District Prosecutors Office. Our lawyer friend says that if she is not released on a bail, then we are going to act upon it”. You can read the organization's demands and watch live video of the protest from their campaign page.

• Portnoy Zheng

Kenya

Bankelele announces the launch of The 2011 Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards - DABRA in Nairobi, Kenya. Entries are invited from all African countries for the winners to be announced in London later this year.

• Ndesanjo Macha