Stories from 22 July 2011
South Korea: Women-Only Subway Car Meets Strong Opposition
As the subway sexual harassment is on the rise, especially during rush hours and late nights, Seoul city government has decided to launch women-only subway compartment to cut down the crime rate. However, the move has prompted fierce debate amongst South Korean netizens.
Sri Lanka: Anti-Government Websites Will Be Blocked
Freedom Of Expression In Sri Lanka reports that a special operations unit has been set up in Sri Lanka with the aim of controlling and banning anti-government websites.
Sri Lanka: Double Standards
Ratmale at Serendipity wonders why many in Sri Lanka engage in anti American rhetoric and at the same time desperately want to send their kids to Universities in the US.
India: Being A Muslim In Mumbai After The Terrorist Attacks
Azad Alam shares a personal story of facing consequences as a tenant of a Mumbai housing society after wearing a Islamic cap.
Bangladesh: Popular Theatre For Social Change
Popular Theater is a simple and live theater initiative by BRAC which is enacted by members of many Bangladeshi villages. These grassroots productions provide specific commentary on common social issues such as healthy parenting, the environment, hygienic practices and gender-based violence, to name a few.
India: Resolving The Mumbai Potholes Problem
Ugich Konitari at Gappa has a solution to the pothole problem on Mumbai roads.
Haiti: Wikileaks & Fr. Jean-Juste
“Father Gerry Jean-Juste, a Haitian priest, was a friend of…mine. For those who follow Haitian politics, the rest of the Father Gerry story is known”: Now, Dying in Haiti republishes Wikileaks cables that “[reveal] how the Haitian Interim Government and the US Embassy were very involved with the fate of...
Cuba: “The Lion of the East” Passes On
Cuban bloggers mourn the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Pedro Meurice Estiu, who died in Miami at the age of 79. Uncommon Sense calls him “a Cuban patriot and a true man of God”, while Babalu remembers him as “a fierce and unrelenting critic of the Castro dictatorship”; Generation Y honours...
Barbados: Still Waiting on Integrity Legislation
According to Barbados Underground, “it is only naïve Barbadians who expect politicians to proclaim integrity legislation in this century or the next.”
Bermuda: Nickels & Defecit
“Every nickel of deficit translates to more debt. The costs of the PLP Government are a noose around the Bermuda economy’s neck”: Vexed Bermoothes points out what he considers to be the elephant in the room.
Jamaica: Suspect Charged in BMW Murder
Active Voice is disappointed with the Jamaican media's lack of information about Patrick Powell in the wake of his being charged in the “X6″ murder; she provides an update on the case, here.
Malawi: Malawi On The Brink
Malawi on the brink: “Contrary to stereotypes about the docility and peaceful nature of Malawians, Malawi has a long history of mass protests going back to the colonial era including the struggles against the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland that saw the demise of the federation and the country's independence...
Africa: Start-Up Cafe Africa launched
Start-up Cafe Africa launched: “The platform seeks to offer resource support to all businesses springing from within Africa through Weekend Start-up Cafe’s, Start-up Seminars, Web and Mobile portals.”
Malawi: Majority Not Happy To Be Called Satans
Most Malawians are not happy to be called satans by Malawi's presidet: “According to an opinion poll conducted late last night on 21st July by a Faith Based Relief and Development Non Governmental Organizations in Bangwe Township, in the outskirts of Blantyre, over 90% of the citizens interviewed felt the...
Zambia: Football Icon's Facebook Account Faked
Kalusha Bwalya is probably one of the most recognised Zambian faces because of his outstanding achievements in football. However, when it comes to Facebook, it is difficult to tell whether an account in his name is genuine or not.
Georgia: Diversity in motion
Unable to visit each other's country because of the still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, Reader in Baku comments on meeting with Armenians on neutral ground in the Georgian capital and suggests others from both sides do the same.
Russia: “Double-Entry Bookkeeping” in Moscow State University
Blogger Vladimir Varfolomeev writes [ru] about strange occurrences during the entry exams to the prestigious Journalism Department of the Moscow State University. Varfolomeev brings up a story of the entrant who received the highest possible mark for the interview. After the interview, however, the mark was significantly reduced by a...
Ecuador: President Correa Wins Libel Case
Jim Wyss, in Inside South America, explains the latest developments in a libel case involving President Rafael Correa and newspaper El Univero. Monica Medel also reports on the case at the Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas blog: “Ecuador sentences newspaper directors to jail and millions in fines in president's...
Guatemala: Femicides During and After the War
On the Issues magazine features an article by Yifat Susskind, Executive Director of MADRE, on the femicides that took place during Guatemala's Civil War and that still go on today: “Across Guatemala, nearly 5,000 women have been killed in the past decade, attacked for the simple fact of being women.”...
El Salvador: Educating About ‘Machismo’
Olivia blogs about ‘machismo’ in her blog She Responded, saying she will never get used to “the culture of sexism and objectification of women” she sees every day in El Salvador. She also describes a workshop on gender equality she led with a local social worker.
Russia: Envisioning the “Cloud Democracy” Utopia
'Cloud Democracy' is the title of the new book written by Leonid Volkov and Fyodor Krasheninnikov, two political bloggers from the Urals region of Russia. The book displays the authors' vision on how a system of 'future' democratic governance can be built with the help of online tools.
