Global Voices

English

The world is talking, are you listening?

Inspired by sf.citi (San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology & Innovation), Jakub Ptačin [sk] and Peter Fabor [sk] have launched It's Not Possible (“To Sa Nedá”; sk; on Facebook – here), an initiative whose goal is to redesign websites of selected state institutions – for free and without political ambitions. In the initial phase, they created a public text file for citizens to report problems of the Slovak land register portal. They have also already met with a member of the Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted [Persons'] Union.

The world can and will run without you. Get over yourselves.

Active Voice salutes Colin Channer, the founder of Jamaica's Calabash Literary Festival, whose “exemplary resignation” she thinks “ought to set a precedent in how to love something and yet be able to move on and allow others to continue what you started.”

The smoggy air in Beijing has triggered widespread concerns over environment in China. However, Beijing is not alone. Offbeat China takes a look at the top 10 cities with worst air pollution in China.

On January 14, 2013, Maxime Domegni, Secretary General of the National Union of Independent Journalist of Togo (SYNJIT) and Sylvio Combey Combetey, President of the Network of African Journalists on Human Security and Peace (RAJOSEP) published [fr] a press release to denounce violence against journalists in Togo. The release details a skirmish that occurred on January 10, 2013, after a demonstration by the opposition was repressed [fr]:

RAJOSEP and SYNJIT witnessed the assault of several journalists during the repression of the demonstration of the Collective Save the Togo (CST), on Thursday January 10, 2013.

Carlos Donderis Sanz, author of the blog CaDs Online comments [es] about taxis and taxi drivers in Panama and says “although it's true this is a generalization (I've personally met taxi drivers who do it very well), most of them look like madmen with a steering wheel, in a hurry and stressed, nobody knows why [...]“, and ends by recommending “if you come the Panama and you love excitement, don't miss a ride in a taxi, although it might be your last experience you have in life, it won't let you down”.