23 June 2011

Stories from 23 June 2011

Balkans: Ratko Mladic and Justice

Posts on the capture of Ratko Mladic and justice being done (or not) – by Katharine Engelhart and Ozren Jungic at OpenDemocracy.net, by Blogging Balkanistan/The Daily Seyahatname, and by Marko Attila Hoare and David Pettigrew at Greater Surbiton.

India: Feed A Kid Every Saturday

  23 June 2011

Debolina Raja Gupta shares her experience of creating a Facebook group called Feed A Kid Every Saturday which encourages citizens of Mumbai to feed poor and hungry children.

Croatia: EU Membership Approval

On June 10, 2011, Croatia was cleared to become the newest member state of the European Union. There is still a long road before Croatians are officially a part of the EU, and the timing at the moment is, at best, precarious, creating many skeptics. Miquel Hudin reports.

Slut Walk is Besharmi Morcha in India

  23 June 2011

Slut Walk, a fresh feminist movement that originated from Toronto Canada, and had been taking rounds of various western cities, is now coming to New Delhi, the Indian capital. Amidst criticism of the use of the word slut, which is uncommon in India, the event organizers attempted to contextualize the movement by renaming it 'Slut Walk Delhi Besharmi Morcha'.

Zambia: Chiluba Funeral Donation Call Raises Eyebrows

  23 June 2011

Zambian netizens have received an appeal by their government to donate money towards an estimated US$1 million of funeral costs for the late former president Frederick Chiluba with incredulity, considering that barely two and half years ago there was massive abusive of resources for the funeral of the then incumbent president Levy Mwanawasa.

Peru: Women in Iquitos Protest High Levels of Aluminum in Water

  23 June 2011

A recent report shows that the levels of aluminum in the water consumed by the people of Iquitos is above what is permitted. Global Voices writer and Spanish Translation Manager, Juan Arellano, explains [es] the situation and shares photos of a protest organized by different women's organizations.

Macedonia: How the Protests Started

Tamara Atanasoska posts a personal account of the beginning of the protests against police brutality in Skopje, Macedonia: “We were walking, a handful of people, […] not knowing each other, hitting the streets to get attention. We just wanted an answer, someone to say what happened. We knew for sure...

El Salvador: Price of Corn Triples in a Little Over a Year

  23 June 2011

El Salvador From the Inside reports on the rising cost of corn, an important and basic staple for Salvadorans: “June 2011 newspapers report a quintal [100 lb bag of corn] costs up to $40 , due to last year’s bad harvest and growing season starting late this year. Maize had...

Nicaragua: A Social Debt with the Countryside

  23 June 2011

Ronald Hill says [es] that “Nicaragua carries a social debt with the countryside, with thousands of peasants who live precariously.” He summarizes the hardships Nicaraguans in the countryside face every day and wonders why conditions there do not improve, even when the country's economy grows every year.

Myanmar: Labour registration form

  23 June 2011

Democracy for Burma uploads a labour registration brochure in Burmese and Thai languages provided by the International Organization for Migration. There are thousands of Myanmar migrants living and working in Thailand.

Armenia: Rapping controversy

Ianyan says that a photoshoot for an Armenian singer is drawing controversy in Armenia. Featuring photographs of Sako Balasanyan (Super Sako) in a “series of photographs featuring violent, misogynistic imagery of a faceless woman and him in various settings,” it also includes a picture of the singer in front of...