Stories from 31 August 2011
Cambodia’s Sand Pirates
Residents in a Cambodian province complain against the negative impact of sand dredging in their area. Tons of sand from Cambodia are allegedly shipped to Singapore which are used to build beach resorts.
International Blog Day in Latin America
Several bloggers in Latin America are sharing their thoughts on blogging during this year's Blog Day, like Juan Edgardo Lezcano [es] from Paraguay and Julio Córdoba [es] from Costa Rica. Furthermore, UNIMERCentroamerica posted a video interview [es] with Costa Rican blogger Cristian Cambronero from Fusil de Chispas [es].
Costa Rica: Bloggers on Anti-Tobacco Law
Blogger ‘El Chamuko’ from El infierno en Costa Rica [es] and María Luisa Ávila [es] comment on the anti-tobacco law that is up for debate in Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly. ‘El Chamuko’ discusses cigarette smuggling, while María Luisa argues that “the smoking ban can not be permissive”.
North Korean Airline Uses Facebook
Marc Perton wrote about North Korean Airline ‘Koryo’ and its use of social media in the Consumerist blog.
Colombia: Art NGOs Receive Threat from Paramilitary Group
The blog El salmon [es] reports [es] that on August 23, 12 Art NGOs received death threats from the paramilitary group “Black Eagles“. The threat indicated they were to leave the capital, Bogotá, in less than 8 days. The blog includes a statement written [es] by Edwin Almed Domínguez, Member...
Egypt: Using Twitter to Help a Cairo Community
After seeing the huge impact of social media on the Egyptian revolution, Egyptian blogger, Mahmoud Salem (@SandMonkey) decided to collaborate with a non-profit organisation, Peace and Plenty, to help them raise funds for a community in Cairo in need of basic services.
Nigeria: The Brain Behind the Nigerian Blog Awards
Behold the face behind the masquerade. Good Nigerian Girl is the brain powering the Nigeria Blogs Awards since 2010. The Nigerian Blog Awards is an annual event that rewards creative Nigerian bloggers.
Blog Carnival: Mexico – Is Mexican Society Violent by Nature?
This summary of our Blog Carnival: Mexico - Citizenry, Violence and Blogs looks at what Mexican bloggers think about their society which is sometimes described as violent by nature. Bloggers also shared some artistic work related to violence.
Global Voices Partners with UNFPA on 7 Billion Actions
This year the world's population will exceed 7 billion people. To mark this milestone, Global Voices has been commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to write a series of posts that celebrate how one person or group can still make a difference in a world of 7 billion people.
Russia: Chamber of Accounts’ Leak Exposes Significant Financial Violations
Anti-corruption blogger ipasserby had analyzed [ru] over 100 classified documents of the Russian Chamber of Accounts that had accidentally leaked to the Web in July 2011. According to the blogger, Chamber of Accounts knowingly concealed serious significant violations worth of millions of dollars.
Russia: Why We Are Leaving Our Country Behind
Recent months have seen a new spin on the topic of emigration that seems to be ever-present in the Russian online space. Several powerful blog posts written by people from different social groups have become a platform for expressing one's take on the present and future of the country and people's place in it.
China: 77-year-old female kneels down, naked, in front of courthouse to protest land grab
Ministry of Tofu translates a human rights protest story from Canyu.org [zh], with a video showing a 77-year-old female kneels down, naked, in front of the Shanghai courthouse to protest against illegal land grab.
China: Real Name Registration Requirement Coming For Weibo?
Bbishop from Digicha blogs about the rumor that the Chinese authorities would demand Weibo (Micro-blog) and other social media users to use real name in registration.
