Stories from 1 October 2012
Bulgaria: “Are You a Terrorist?”
Bulgarian NGO “Forum for Arab Culture” tweeted [bg] a photo of the “Are you a terrorist?” quiz that appeared in the national daily “24 chasa,” asking if it was right for a newspaper to publish materials like this. The test's answers included this one: If you have more B responses:...
Peru: Monoculture Puts Iquitos Water at Risk
In this third and final post about the water problem in the city of Iquitos we focus on monocultures in the Nanay River and the controversy this issue causes between those who support this type of crop and those who advise avoiding it.
Amazon: Improving Public’s Perception of the Forest
InfoAmazonia is a platform that brings together organizations and journalists from nine countries of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world to freely provide news and reports of the endangered Amazon region. The website maps deforestation, fires, oil and mining, and calls for public participation through the submission...
Peru: “Get out of here, King of Jordan”
During his visit to Peru for the Third Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA) from October 1-2, 2012, the King of Jordan, Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein, took a leisure trip [es] from Lima to Cusco on his motorcycle. During the trip, two vehicles from the king's convoy forced a team of...
Burkina Faso: Architect Innovates with Sustainable Primary School
Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has designed a sustainable primary school in Gando, Burkina Faso, using mud bricks and corrugated iron. The innovative design allows much needed light and ventilation in a village where temperatures sometimes reach 104° F.
Paraguay: Implications of ISPs’ Block of Fake News Website
The Working Group for the Adoption of Creative Commons in Paraguay [es] blogs about the recent blocking of the AbcColor.me [es] website by two Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The post ends with direct messages for the companies, politicians, and the citizenry. Read more about the case in a Global Voices Advocacy post by Renata Ávila.
Spain: ‘Carne Cruda’ Cancellation Stirs Debate on Censorship
Fears of state censorship and declining freedom of expression rise as the influential, political satire programme 'Carne Cruda' found itself unexpectedly cancelled from national radio.
Former FIFA Official Corruption Case – Blogger Asked to Reveal Sources
The ongoing case of corruption claims against former FIFA Vice-President and Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed bin Hammam, has led to a Singapore Court ordering former journalist and blogger James M. Dorsey to reveal his sources.
Madagascar & Reunion: Maraina, The First Opera from the Indian Ocean
Marie-Clémence & Cesar Paes present a trailer of Maraina, a film that showcases, in their words, “the first opera to be created in the Indian Ocean region” [fr].
Iran: Gmail Gets Unblocked
Iran removed online blocks on Gmail on Monday. The secure-protocol HTTPS version of Google search was also made accessible after being blocked at the same time. The unsecure HTTP version of Google search was never blocked.
Greece: Debunking a ‘Coup That Never Happened’
Impressive reportage from fantasy land, but no knowledgeable editor with a soul was at hand to throw it in the trash. In a Twitlonger post [el], journalist Yiannis Bogiopoulos debunks a controversial expose published in Sunday newspaper To Vima about “a coup that never happened“, and dismisses “loaded” conjectures as to why...
Stricter Web Regulation in Southeast Asia
While Southeast Asian governments are enhancing the delivery of online services for the benefit of their citizens, they are also instituting tougher internet regulations which many analysts believe could be used to curtail media freedom. This post is a summary of recent Global Voices articles which discussed several controversial internet regulation policies in the region.
