Stories from 30 October 2011
Russia: Retired Tennis Star Marat Safin to Run for Parliament
Russian tennis phenomenon, Marat Safin, has announced that he will run for the Russian State Duma in the December 4 elections. However, his public image, as illustrated by citizen media outlets, has until now not been focused on public service. Donna Welles reports.
Colombia: Law 30 and “Operation Seventh Ballot” on Regional Election Day
Through the Facebook group “Operation Seventh Ballot” [es], citizens are inviting voters to deposit a paper in the ballot box with the words “NO TO THE REFORM OF LAW 30″ in reference to the education reform launched by the national government. This initiative, which will be carried out during the...
Pakistan: Funding Social Innovation
Jehan Ara at In The Line Of Wire writes how the recipients of the P@SHA Fund for Social Innovation were selected.
Sri Lanka: Why Occupy Colombo Was A Fail
Indi.ca reports that some people attempted an occupy protest in Colombo which did not turn out to be a compelling social movement.
South Asia: A Fundraising Drive Across Three Countries
Journeys To Democracy writes about a fundraising drive in VW Beetles across three countries in SouthAsia (Nepal/India/Pakistan) to help launch a spinal injury rehabilitation center in Nepal.
China: Questions Following Mekong River Massacre
Thirteen Chinese sailors were killed earlier this month in an attack on two cargo ships. Nine Thai soldiers have claimed responsibility, which the Thai government says is theirs alone, but contradicting points in the case have left many with lingering doubts.
Thailand: Floods and Social Media
Many parts of Thailand are still flooded as the country continues to face the worst flooding disaster in the past half century. But some bloggers believe the flooding disaster has been exaggerated by the media - social media in particular.
Iran: Virtual U.S Embassy
America decided to establish a virtual U.S embassy for Iran. In Khodnevis a cartoon says “Imam [Khomeyni]how can we climb up this embassy's wall”. The cartoon refers to Iran hostage crisis where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981.
Brazil: Police Restrain Students at the University of São Paulo
Military police launched a blitz operation at the University of São Paulo after approaching three students smoking marijuana on the night of October 27. Adriano Rangel reports.
Nigeria: Waste, Wealth and the Burden of a City
Bella Naija's photo story titled “BN Photo Stories: Waste, Wealth and the Burden of a City”: “With an estimated population of 15 million, and growing at an annual rate of 6%, Lagos, Nigeria, is set to topple Cairo soon as Africa’s largest city…With increased, largely unchecked, informal economic activities, emerge...
Brazil: Mobilization Against Racism Towards Indigenous Peoples
Following the occupation of the Belo Monte construction site, socio-environmental student Robson Fernando, from the blog Consciência, denounces [pt] racist comments left by readers of Folha de São Paulo on the newspaper's website against the Brazilian indigenous population. On another post, Fernando calls those who propagate prejudice and hatred to...
Egypt: Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah Detained for 15 Days
Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah has been detained for 15 days, after refusing to be interrogated. He appeared at the Military Prosecutor, along with fellow activist Bahaa Saber, today as supporters gathered outside, denouncing military trials.
Japan’s IT Exodus: A Personal Perspective (Part 1)
37-year-old software architect Ryo Asai writes at his blog “Becoming a Master Programmer” about his reasons for leaving his previous job, a Japanese system integration company, to work at Amazon Japan. In explaining his reasons for the move, Asai provides a unique perspective on the underlying roots of Japan's failure to keep up in the new digital economy.
Kyrgyzstan: There Is No Silence Day in Internet
Yesterday, October 29, was the so-called “Silence Day” in Kyrgyzstan, the last day before the presidential elections. At this day any political agitation is prohibited in the traditional media. But the law has no hold on Internet. The main representative of the Russian newspaper “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” Igor Shestakov said [ru]:...
