Stories from 11 April 2012
India: Gearing Up for Better E-Waste Management
E-waste dumping and hazardous recycling by the non-formal sector has become a major challenge in India, where e-waste output has multiplied eight fold in the last seven years. A new legislation coming into effect from May 2012 hopes to streamline e-waste management in the country.
Argentina: Documentary on Urban Natives Looking for Subtitles
The previously featured Creative Commons documentary Runa Kuti on the identity of urban dwelling indigenous descendants in the city of Buenos Aires is looking for volunteers to help them subtitle the documentary into indigenous languages found in Argentina such Quechua, Aymara, Mapuche and Guaraní as well as into English.
Colombia: Congress Approves “Lleras Law 2″
The Colombian Congress approved yesterday, April 10, the proposed Law 201 (2012) on author rights and intellectual property. This has generated many reactions, becoming a local Trending Topic on Twitter under the hashtags #LeyLleras2 [es], #SoyDelincuente [es] (“I'm a criminal”) and TLC [es] (Free Trade Agreement). Anonymous blocked [es] Government websites, and a march has been...
Tunisia: Mixed Reactions to Hacking of Prime Minister's Emails
On April 8 Anonymous Tunisia hacked the emails of the Tunisian prime minister Hamadi Jebali. The movement dubbed it "Operation Touche pas à ma Tunise" ("Get Your Hands Off My Tunisia") which is part of the broader "Operation Tunisia Back".
Global Voices Podcast Wins Top Ranking in European Podcast Award
The Global Voices Podcast produced by Jamillah Knowles in London was named the United Kingdom winner in the non-profit category of the 2011 European Podcast Awards. Hundreds of podcasts from 11 countries in four categories were nominated.
China: Premarital Sex
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a local feature report on a survey about premarital sex in which more than 70% respondents states that they have had their first sexual experience before marriage. Netizens don't find the result surprising at all.
Uganda: ‘Kony 2012: Part II – Beyond Famous’ Receives Mixed Reactions
“Kony 2012: Part II - Beyond Famous” is a follow-up video to the viral campaign video calling for the capture of the Ugandan war criminal and leader of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Joseph Kony.
Cuba: No Calm After Papal Storm
“The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Cuba left a storm of arrests, blocked phone lines, and beatings against non-violent dissidents”: Cuban bloggers note that dissidents are suffering in the aftermath of the papal visit.
China: Bo Xilai's Scandals
Former Chongqing leader Bo Xilai's corruption scandal and his wife's suspected murder of Neil Heywood topped today's news headline. Yet Chinese authorities still forbid netizens to discuss about the incident by blocking out a long list of sensitive words. One question that netizens asked was what if the murder case...
Video: Alleged Tsunami Footage after the 11 April Indonesian Quake
On twitter, a video of a large wave crashing on a beach is making its rounds: some people share it as a video from the 11 April, 2012 Indonesian Quake, and others insist it is 2004 footage rehashed.
Beating China's Book Bans in Hong Kong
Lam Li from Asia Sentinel explains how Hong Kong has turned into a center for distributing China banned books.
Global Voices ‘Europe in Crisis’ Coverage Shortlisted for Award
Thanks to the work of dedicated volunteers, Global Voices special coverage of “Europe in Crisis” has been named a national winner for the European Charlemagne Youth Prize. The final winners for all of Europe will be announced in Aachen, Germany in May 2012. The award aims to encourage a European...
The Balkans: Remembering the Bosnian War, 20 Years On
A red plastic chair for each of the 11,541 people killed in Sarajevo in the 1990s: on April 6, thousands of people came to this stunning makeshift memorial stretching along Sarajevo's main street, in order to honor the memory of the victims of the war that began 20 years ago.
Brazil: Human Rights Violation in Several Prisons
General conditions in all Brazilian prisons remain the focus of much debate. In a country where 1 in every 262 adults is in prison, solutions to assure a reduction of these rates are just as essential as the construction of new prisons. Fernando Sapelli reports.
Mali: Silence of the Local Blogosphere
While the internet is inundated with blogs, tweets and videos from other countries, Malian internet users remain silent. The capital, Bamako, is still affected by serious power cuts as the fuel required for power stations runs out. Under these circumstances, the priority is not sending messages, but finding information about the new leaders of the north.
France: Taking a Stand for Regional Languages
On March 31, several simultaneous events took place in France's major cities, driven by the overarching goal of showing support to regional as well as indigenous languages. Rayna St. reports.
Tajikistan: Where Size Matters
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon knows the political capital to be made out of large, ostentatious public works projects. Yet Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and one of the least able to afford such lavish displays of architectural excess. Chris Rickleton reports.
Spain: Images of Police Brutality During General Strike
On the day of the General Strike on March 29, there were numerous moments of tension, especially in the city of Barcelona where riot police clashed with protesters. In the weeks following the strike, there have been protests in various Spanish cities against the imprisonment of protesters.
