Stories from 20 September 2011
Venezuela: Netizens Criticize Chavez on Twitter with #cosasProhibidasEnVenezuela
Al Jazeera's The Stream aggregated and translated tweets written by Venezuelan netizens using the hashtag #cosasProhibidasEnVenezuela (Things prohibited in Venezuela): “activists are criticising Chavez and his current administration, citing corruption and neglect to deliver on promises of social reform.”
Zambia: Netizens Ahead of Mainstream Media in Poll Reporting
On social media websites Zambian voters revealed delays of opening of polling stations, late-coming presiding officers, change of polling stations and even a shortage of ballot papers.
India: Daily Routine Of Rural Kids
Pranietha Mudliar at Youth Ki Awaaz shares the typical daily routine of the children in rural India.
Qatar: Wadah Khanfar Resigns as Al Jazeera Head
Al Jazeera Network director general Wadah Khanfar announced his resignation today, creating a stir on social networking site Twitter. The Palestinian-born journalist, who was at the helm of the network for eight years, is being replaced by a member of the Qatar royal family Shaikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani.
Sri Lanka: There Is A Problem On The Road
Uditha Wijesena writes about the sorry state of the Sri Lankan roads and the worsened traffic situation.
Chile: Netizens on Twitter Support Student Movement's Call for National Strike with #yomarchoel22
The student movement seeking to overhaul Chile's education system called for a national strike for September 22. Chilean netizens are using the hashtags #yoestoyconlosestudiantes (“I support the students”) and #yomarchoel22 (“I will march on the 22nd”) to show their support.
South Korea: The Diplomats Who Can't Speak English
It was revealed on September 13, 2011, that four out of ten South Korean diplomats find it nearly impossible to use proper diplomatic language in English, prompting the public to raise questions on the competency of Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials.
Bhutan: Tour Of The Dragon
Tshering Tobgay writes about the tour of the dragon, the 268 km bike race across the inner Himalaya mountains of Bhutan.
Honduras: Conflicting Reports on Situation in Bajo Aguan
“Competing stories have developed about what happened in the Bajo Aguan last Friday, when a combined military-police patrol alleges it was ambushed by foreign guerrillas at La Consentida plantation, near Sonaguera”, RNS summarizes these conflicting reports in Honduras Culture and Politics.
Nepal: Bloggers Share Their Own Stories of Earthquake
On Sunday evening of September 18, Nepal experienced a strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale that had its epicentre in the border region of Taplejung of Nepal and Sikkim of India. The Home Ministry in Nepal has reported 9 deaths and 24 serious injuries in the country at the time of writing.
Ukraine: Short Films by Youth for Gender Equality
Young film makers in Ukraine have participated in a short film competition that challenges stereotypes of women and defend gender equality. These films touch on issues that can be understood by speakers of any language.
Mexico, USA: Triqui Indigenous Migrants Defenseless Against Crime and Police Questioning
The Triqui indigenous people of Mexico living in the United States as undocumented immigrants are easy targets for robberies and police questioning because they often don't speak Spanish or English –Ismael Flores in Vivir México [es] reports.
Colombia: Controversy Over New Methodology to Calculate Poverty
Nazih Richani in Cuadernos Colombianos –a NACLA blog– has written two posts (1, 2) on Colombia's new methodology to calculate poverty: “The newly adopted Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) factors in health, housing, living standards, and government subsidies, alongside income. The problem is, regardless of the ‘methodological rigor,’ there are many doubts...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Bocas 2012 Literature Prize
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp is excited about “the second OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, which will reward the best Caribbean book published this year with a US$10,000 prize.”
Cuba: Headed for Technological Illiteracy?
Writing at Havana Times, Alfredo Fernandez suggests that “if it doesn’t allow free access to the Internet soon, Cuba will be a country of virtual illiterates in the next few years.”
Curacao: Financial Reality
“Yesterday an IMF delegation presented their 2011 Article IV Consultation Discussions: Preliminary Conclusions with the usual rhetoric, cut, reform, kill mantra”: TRIUNFO DI SABLIKA posts a poem intended to show “that these programmed Washington DC economists are not gods.”
Belize: First Prime Minister Passes On
“Belize’s founding father and first prime minister has died at the age of 92,” notes Repeating Islands; Life in a Banana Republic writes about her memories of the man, saying: “I shared a historical moment with the first Prime Minister of Belize with Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, and I...
Cuba: Hunger Strike for Human Rights
Pedazos de La Isla posts an interview with Rufina Velazquez, speaking out on behalf of her activist father, who has been on a hunger strike to demand respect for the human rights of all Cubans.
South Korea: More Blocking of Pro-North Korean Internet Content
Quoting DongA newspaper's report on the censorship of internet content in South Korea, Martyn Williams from North Korea Tech blog wrote that there has been a sharp increase of the number of South Korean police requests demanding the deletion of pro-North Korean internet content.
Russia: Unjustly Convicted Businessman-Blogger Released From Jail
Alexey Kozlov, businessman and a former millionaire, who was imprisoned in 2007 under trumped-up accusations, has been released from jail, rian.ru reported [ru]. Kozlov received online popularity for his “Butyrka [name of Moscow prison] blog [ru].” The blog was set up by Olga Romanova, Kozlov's wife and a renowned journalist....
Russia: Governor's Death Rumors Provoke Harsh Reaction Among Authorities
Alexander Mikhelson, head of “United Russia” fraction at Kemerovo regional Duma, has proposed [ru] a new draft bill that implies stricter responsibility for online libel. The action followed the appearance of the rumors [ru] that Aman Tuleyev, governor of the Kemerovo region, was found dead. Previously, local police had set up a task force...
