Global Voices · Citizen media stories from December 2011

December, 2011

Monthly archive · 184 posts

Stories from December, 2011

30 December 2011

Yemen: Should the US Grant Saleh a Visa?

Written by Noon Arabia · Middle East & North Africa

A recent buzz among tweeps following Yemen news has been the issue of Honorary President Ali Abdullah Saleh's plans to travel to the US. Netizens warn against granting a visit visa to Saleh in this round up of reactions from Twitter.

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Russia: AIDS Epidemic - “Shame Russia Shame”

Written by Donna Welles · Eastern & Central Europe

International organizations are taking notice of Russia's AIDS epidemic and the hurdles the country faces in combating it. Recent international attention has been directed toward Russia's healthcare system, the stigma attached to those infected, and Russia's drug policies. Donna Welles reports.

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Singapore: Is it Flooding, or Just Ponding?

Written by Kirsten Han · East Asia

Singapore's Public Utilities Board used the term “ponded” rather than "flooded" when heavy rains caused flash floods in various parts of the city last week. The use of the word has led to much scorn and ridicule from Singaporeans online.

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29 December 2011

Indonesia: Activist Dies After Self-Immolation in Front of Palace

Written by Carolina Rumuat · East Asia

Indonesian bloggers have been discussing whether activist Sondang Hutagalung, who burned himself to death in front of the state palace, is a hero or a reckless man.

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Kyrgyzstan: Ravshan Jeenbekov and the Facebook Generation

Written by Chris Rickleton · Central Asia & Caucasus

Of all the divides in Kyrgyzstan’s fractious political society, one too often overlooked is the divide between generations. Unlike the famed North/South schism, which manifests itself in elections and street-protests,...

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China: Dairy Company's Website Hacked by Angry Netizens

Written by Oiwan Lam · East Asia

The latest round of tainted milk scandals broke out last week in China. The country's biggest dairy producer, Mengniu Dairy Co., admitted that some of its milk products contained aflatoxin...

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Updates from December, 2011

30 December 2011

Trinidad & Tobago

When Passion.Fruit sets out to rescue a trapped pigeon, a random encounter with a passing grandmother teaches her a lesson about strength, patience, and wisdom. “She cooed and comforted — nothing weak about her…. An accustomed unbinder of trapped limbs.”

• Nicholas Laughlin

Jamaica

As Girl with a Purpose reports, the governing Jamaica Labour Party was defeated in yesterday's general election, and People's National Party head Portia Simpson-Miller is Jamaica's new prime minister — “a leader whose educational background is not as brilliant as her competitors,” observes Abeni from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, “but one who has that something which draws people.”

• Nicholas Laughlin

Chile

For days, a wildfire has been consuming thousands of hectares in national park Torres del Paine in Chile's Patagonia. Netizens are sharing reports and reacting to the news through #salvemostorresdelpaine [es] (let's save Torres del Paine) and ‘Torres del Paine' [es] on Twitter.

• Silvia Viñas

Iran

A petition is launched to support Mehrdad Karami, a jailed student and human rights activist in Zanjan (Iran).

• Fred Petrossian

Iran

Several Iranian news sites reported Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's site was filtered. According to his brother, Rafsanjani's site managment had been asked to omit his last Friday Prayer sermon in 2009 when he called for release of political detainees. Rafsanjani, former Iran's president, is head of the Expediency Council.

• Fred Petrossian