Stories from 7 April 2012
Brazilian Music Loses Influential Scholar, Santuza Cambraia Naves
In a country where popular music is so much a part of daily life and of being Brazilian, the study of contemporary musical movements has gained important ground over recent decades. One of the silently influential and productive figures in this area, Santuza Cambraia Naves, died unexpectedly this week at age 59. Friends, colleagues and students remembered the researcher and beloved professor.
Colombia: Award Winning Journalism Video Making Rounds on the Web
The award winning video [es] of 2011 that tries to explain why Colombians are poor despite the natural wealth of the nation has strongly made its rounds on the web, getting close to a million views.
Bangladesh: Eviction of Slum in Dhaka Creates Humanitarian Catastrophe
On Wednesday the dwellers of Karail slum in Dhaka were evicted by the authorities to free occupied land. The slum dwellers protested by forming a human chain and blocking important roads of the capital creating a chaos in traffic. These homeless people remained under the open sky during heavy downpour on the next day.
Russia: Watching News of Patriarch Kirill's Watch Travel
Observers watched this week as a controversy that began in the Russian blogosphere concerning an altered photograph of the Patriarch's watch on the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church spread to Western blogs as well as to mainstream Western sources.
Panama: Netizens Urge President to Sign Law to Protect Animals
Panama's National Assembly approved a new law that protects domestic animals. But several days later, the law is still awaiting presidential approval. In the mean time, netizens on social networks discuss the law, pushing for its approval by sending messages to urge the President to sign it.
Kuwait: Bedoon Light Candles for Freedom
As a protest against discriminatory state policies and arbitrary arrests, the stateless community in Kuwait (Bedoon) decided to light candles in their houses and post pictures of them on Twitter.
Mali: A War, a Declaration of Independence and Conflicting Objectives
Things have been moving rapidly in the civil war that is tearing Mali apart. On Friday, April 6, Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) proclaimed the “Independence of Azawad.” In this crisis that threatens to sweep across the entire Sahel region, several actors with conflicting objectives are playing a dominant role.
Iran: 86-year-old mother of political prisoner write a letter to Regime's Leader
According to news sites and blogs,86-year-old mother of an Iranian political prisoner and former MP wrote a letter to Ali Khamenei, Islamic Republic's Leader. Ghasem Sholeh Sadi's mother compare Khamenei to Iran's shah and criticized his policy.
Iran: “We must boycott national internet”
Anidshehnovin says [fa] that we should boycott Iranian government's national internet because using it means being trapped by intelligent services in Iran. National internet will take off in June according Iranian government. Read more here.
Malawi: Online Reaction to Mutharika's Death
Victor Kaonga looks at online reaction following the news of Bingu wa Mutharika's death. Mutharika was Malawi's third president. He died following a cardiac arrest on Thursday morning. This is the first time Malawi will bury a sitting president. *Update: Malawi sworn in Vice President Joyce Banda as its president at the Parliament in Lilongwe on Saturday 7 April, 2012.
Azerbaijan: Anti-virus software and machine translation
NetProphet comments on the release of Azerbaijan's first domestically produced anti-virus software, named after the country's capital, B.A.K.U. Launched at an expensive hotel, the event was not without its glitches, however, and most notably with invitations plagued by grammatical errors from what appeared to be machine translation. Amused, social network...
Peru: Rains Overflow Rivers and Flood Loreto
The rain in Peru has not stopped. Since February heavy rains have been causing floods across the country. Here are some citizen reports of flooding in the region of Loreto in the Peruvian Amazon, where the city of Iquitos is one of the most affected places.
Colombia: “Lend Your Leg” Campaign Raises Awareness about Antipersonnel Mines
On April 4 the "International Day for Mine Awareness" took place as part of Lend Your Leg. During the day netizens shared opinions on Twitter on what this harsh truth means for the world, and especially Colombia, using the hashtags #Remángate and #Lendyourleg.
Sri Lanka: The White Van Adbuctions Continue
Groundviews reports that twenty nine disappearance have been reported in Sri Lankan media between February and March 2012, and so far little has done to find/rescue those people and end these alleged abductions.
Pakistan: Media Silence On The Death of Ahmadiyya Activist
Rashid Zafar at Pak Tea House questions the silence of Pakistani media over the recent death of Master Abdul Qudoos Ahmad, an well known member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, while he was in police custody.
Video: Community in Spain Gives up Easter Processions to Help Three Families
A religious community in Malaga, Spain have decided to forego the Easter Week processions and celebrations so they could donate the money destined for flowers and music to three families in need, saving two of them from homelessness as shown on this video by 20minutos.tv [es].
Pakistan: Immediate Reactions on the Death of Sindhi Nationalist Leader
On 23rd of March, Karachi (Sindh) hosted a massive rally for the independence of Sindh from the Pakistani state which was organized by the Long-Live Sindh National Front (JSQM) under the leadership of Bashir Khan Qureshi. Pakistani netizens express their reactions on the sudden and untimely death of Bashir Khan Qureshi at Sakrand, a small town in Sindh in the early hours of Saturday.
