Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2012 January 11

11 January 2012

Daily archive · 7 posts

Stories from 11 January 2012

India: The Curious Case of Draping Statues to Ensure Fair Elections

Netizens react to the recent order by the Indian Election Commission that all statues in the state of Uttar Pradesh of current Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati and her party symbol, the elephant, be draped by Wednesday 11 January, 2012.

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Iran: Blogger May Face Death Penalty for Insulting Islam

Written by Fred Petrossian · Middle East & North Africa

A 50-year old Iranian blogger, Mohammad Reza Pour Shajari (aka Siamak Mehr), has been charged with “insulting the Prophet of Islam” and “enmity with God” or “waging war against God”, charges that could carry the death penalty in Iran.

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Global Voices in French: Translators' Choice 2011

Written by Claire Ulrich · Translated by Marvin Vann · Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa

In 2011, volunteer translators at Global Voices in French translated hundreds of articles and updates on world events and we'd like to say "'Merci!". We've asked them which translation struck them most, during this epic year. Here is the French translators' selection!

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Nigeria 2011: A Year of Small Victories and Great Challenges

Written by Eremipagamo Amabebe · Sub-Saharan Africa

2011 will go down in Nigeria's history as the year of the nation's third presidential election since independence. For the first half of the year, the blogosphere was abuzz with discussion of the election: protests, campaigns, debates, the role of technology, preparations for the polls, election day itself.

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Global Voices in Dutch Looks Back on 2011

Written by Percy Balemans · Translated by Percy Balemans · Egypt, North Korea

While the year 2012 is already well on its way, the translators of Global Voices in Dutch look back on 2011. Which posts stood out and what makes Global Voices so special?

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Australia: Politician Sprayed Over Migrant Deodorant “Dog-Whistle”

Written by Kevin Rennie · Oceania

Teresa Gambaro, a Federal Member of the Australian Parliament, called for immigrants on work visas to be taught ‘social norms’ such as the use of deodorants and waiting in orderly queues. Netizens 'sprayed' the web with comments about the issue.

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Guinea-Bissau: President Passes Away Amidst Political Upheaval

Written by João Miguel D. de A. Lima · Sub-Saharan Africa

After being hospitalized for almost three months, the President of Guinea-Bissau, Malam Bacai Sanhá, passed away in Paris on Monday, January 9. He was 64 years and died of diabetes, leaving the small Portuguese-speaking African country in a delicate political situation.

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Updates from 11 January 2012

Bulgaria

An anti-discrimination Roma flash mob/dance duel in Bucharest (video - here), and a report by Bulgarian Roma students on media coverage of Roma-related issues - at TOL's Roma Transitions blog. Education for the Roma children in the UK, the Czech Republic and Slovakia - at the Economist's Eastern Approaches blog. (Update: TOL's East of Center also has a post on “the Czech Republic’s segregated education policy” for the Roma students.)

• Veronica Khokhlova

Bosnia Herzegovina

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, will be answering questions in a live online chat on January 12, 2012 (8pm EST) about the new film she wrote and directed about the Bosnian war, “In the Land of Blood and Honey”. Questions can be submitted in advance on the Facebook page for the film.

• Solana Larsen

India

Ravinder Makhaik reports that forest lands are being diverted for a private sector medium sized hydropower project in the Bara Bangal wildlife reserve area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, India. This will lead to destruction of wildlife, poaching and deforestation.

• Rezwan

U.S.A.

Inventors, designers, entrepreneurs from developing countries are invited by the University of South Florida's Patel Center to submit ideas for the creation of a “Smart Pot” that can purify water easily and has a similar shape as a traditional jerrycan. Winning proposals will receive up to $8,000 plus the opportunity to compete for a grand prize of $100,000.

• Solana Larsen

Brazil

Blogger Conceição Oliveira regrets [pt] the change in the Rouanet Law made by President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, which “recognizes the gospel music and its related events as cultural manifestations”. Religious performances thus gain access to a certain percentage of the investment off the Income Taxes. For Oliveira in Brazil “industries on Christ proliferate”.

• Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Russia

AskYakutia answers a Swedish 12-year-old's questions about winter clothes, animals and school kids in Yakutia (where it is currently -52°C/-59.8°F).

• Veronica Khokhlova

Brazil

Blogger Rogério Tomaz Jr publishes [pt] the report made by the FUNAI (National Indian Foundation) on the alleged death of an 8 year old Awá-Gwajá child in the state of Maranhão, Brazil, which states that all was just the result of “unfounded rumors and a lie” . He repudiates the report and adds comments.

• Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Iran

RSF reports” two jailed netizens, Saeed Malekpour and Vahid Asghari, were sentenced to death in January 2011 on charges of anti-government agitation and insulting Islam.” They were accused of developing porn sites.

• Fred Petrossian

War & Conflict

Kamangir, an Iranian prominent blogger based in Canada, believes [fa]: “Attack on a nuclear activist with a magnetic bomb. The target is not to kill someone. This is a statement; saying we did it and would do it again.”

• Hadi Nili

Russia

Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Blogs posts a thought-provoking piece on Russian art group Voina, which has been found not guilty by a Russian court for setting fire on a police car on New Year's Eve, despite overwhelming evidence that this was the case, at the same time as protestors and opposition activists are jailed for non-existent crimes.

• Vilhelm Konnander