Stories from 24 April 2011
Hungary: For Gyöngyöspata's Roma, Evacuation – or an Easter Excursion?
First, there were the rumors of a right-wing paramilitary group's plans to hold training in the village of Gyöngyöspata. Then came the local mayor's resignation. Then on April 22, some 300 Roma women and children left the village. While media used the word 'evacuation' to describe what happened, government officials claimed the Roma had been taken on an Easter weekend holiday trip.
Thailand: Outrage Over Topless Teen Dancing
The buzz in Thailand in the past week was the scandal caused by the topless teen dancers during the Songkran Water Festival (Thai New Year). The photos and videos of the three girls dancing bare breasted immediately went viral and generated intense online debates on the real meaning of Thai culture and morality.
India: Media Hyperbole And The Bengal Assembly Elections
Shuvo at Words From Solitude warns the supporters of the apparently leading contender of the West Bengal State Assembly elections not to get carried away by the media hyperbole.
Bangladesh: Rolling Blackouts and Life
Aminul Islam Sajib describes how the energy crisis and the load-shedding (rolling blackouts) are affecting the lives of ordinary Bangladeshis in the scorching heat of summer.
India: Who Is Going To Be The Chief Minister Of West Bengal?
The elections in the West Bengal state of India are going on and Mamata Banerjee, leader of Trinamool Congress, is a favorite to become the Chief Minister of West Bengal in a few weeks. Monobina Gupta at Kafila describes in details about the the rise of Mamata Banerjee.
Pakistan: The Fight Against the Taliban and the Drones
Imagine how it is to live in Pakistan; a place where a day without any suicide bombing or drone attack can make the news, where citizens have to deal with emotions such as shock, rage, discomfort and a deep sense of helplessness on a daily basis.
Russia: Grigoriy Golosov, Political Analyst and a Blogger, Assaulted
Grigoriy Golosov, professor at the European University at Saint-Petersburg and a political blogger at Slon.ru [ru], had been assaulted at the street. According to his blogpost [ru], on April 23, 2011 two persons followed him to his home, called his name, and after receiving a positive reply one of them hit...
Dominican Republic: Advice for the President
Journalist and blogger María Isabel Soldevila advises [es] President Leonel Fernández to focus on three issues during his last year as head of state: violence and arms; the right to life; and road fatalities.
Puerto Rico: Petition against Violence
Blogger Verónica RT posts the call to sign the petition [es] of the Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres de Puerto Rico [es] against the dismantlement of the Law against Domestic Violence.
Examining Africa's Growth
While the African Development Bank announced three days ago that it will downgrade its forecast for growth in Africa as a result of the turmoil in various regions of the continent, the rate of return on foreign investment is higher in Africa than in any other developing regions. Bloggers are unpacking the reasons behind the growth.
Argentina: Croatian Community Reacts to Sentence of General Ante Gotovina
On April 15, 2011, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) handed down sentences to the Croatian generals Ante Gotovina, Mladen Markač and Ivan Cermak. Gotovina and Markac were charged with "crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war" committed in 1995 by the forces of their country during "Operation Storm." In Argentina, where it is estimated that the Croatian community is the country's third largest, there have been various reactions.
Japan: Tohoku Earthquake as seen through Twitter
A video by Rio Akasaka shows how the news of the earthquake spread on Twitter on March 11.
