Global Voices · Citizen media stories from August 2011

August, 2011

Monthly archive · 173 posts

Stories from August, 2011

7 August 2011

Syria: Death Toll Mounts as Ramadan Massacre Continues

Written by Amira Al Hussaini · Middle East & North Africa

Protests calling for President Bashar Al Assad “to leave” continue in Syria this Ramadan. As the death toll mounts, reactions continue to pour in from across the Arab world.

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Zambia: Complaining And Complimenting Electronically

Written by Gershom Ndhlovu · Sub-Saharan Africa

Dear Zambia is a website whose content is generated by Zambian netizens who have got beef with anything going wrong in the country - or indeed, those who have anything good to say about something which is unfortunately rare. Gershom Ndhlovu explores this popular public forum.

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6 August 2011

Spain: Journalist Arrested and Demonstrations Restricted

Written by Leila Nachawati Rego · Western Europe

The Spanish protest movement that took thousands to the streets to demand a more democratic system has reached a new stage. The authorities have decided not to allow any more demonstrations and have tried to prevent demonstrators from gathering.

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5 August 2011

Peru: The Amazon and the Diversion of the Huallaga and Marañón Rivers

Written by Juan Arellano · Translated by Jen Fumero · Latin America

Law 29,760 -also known as 'Corina Law'- was published this July in Peru, qualifying as a "public need and of national interest" the diversion of the Marañon and Huallaga rivers "for hydro-power and agricultural purposes." The projects associated with this law have caused much opposition because of the strong environmental impact they would have on the Amazon Rainforest.

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The Balkans: Over Half of the Population Uses the Internet

Written by Danica Radovanovic · Eastern & Central Europe

Danica Radovanovic reports on the findings of a study of Internet usage in the Balkan region.

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South Korea: Extremist Grandpas Attack Labor Activists

Written by Lee Yoo Eun · East Asia

The Korea Parents Federation, an extreme right-wing group made up exclusively of elderly Korean men has been involved in clashes with protestors demonstrating against massive layoffs in Busan, South Korea's largest port city, on July 31, 2011. Are the group conservative extremists or rather victims political manipulation?

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Updates from August, 2011

22 August 2011

Russia

Russian police acknowledged the DDoS-attacks against LiveJournal blogging platform in April 2011, but refused to start a criminal prosecution against the attackers, gazeta.ru reported [ru]. Police wrote to the source that it was ‘unable to identify attackers.' Aside from paralyzing the Russian blogosphere, DDoS attacks against LiveJournal led to nearly 188,000 US dollars of losses by SUP company (operator of LiveJournal).

• Alexey Sidorenko

Nigeria

Wadr.org reports [fr] that ” Nigeria announced on Thursday that it had launched two satellites to monitor natural hazards, such as drought and floods, as well as to improve agriculture and security”.

• Abdoulaye Bah

Madagascar

In an interesting post on “Fady” (cultural taboos) in traditional Malagasy society, blogger Ariniaina lists a few “do not” tips for pregnant women [fr], for example: “Do not carry fish in a basket on your head (and do not eat it) otherwise, your baby could grow scales on its skin”.

• Abdoulaye Bah

China

DongXia He from China Hush translated a report from Southern Metropolis Daily on the wedding of a gay couple in Shenzhen. It is the first gay wedding made public in the city.

• Oiwan Lam

China

China Media Project translated some local news about some doubts and questions about the 26-year-old chairperson, Lu Xingyu, of the China-Africa Project Hope, who defends herself against public criticism by describing her position as “second-generation benevolent”.

• Oiwan Lam