Global Voices Digest

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Ecuador: Default on External Debt

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa recently announced that his country will not repay back its remaining external debt. Citing the economic crisis, Correa calls the debt, “immoral and illegitimate” and he echoes the sentiments of ordinary Ecuadorans who say that they cannot pay anymore. Bloggers wonder whether the report that supported this decision was too partisan and what it might mean for the country’s future.

Fact or Fiction: A mini Dubai in Downtown Cairo

Rumor has it that Gamal Mubarak, the President’s son and the NDP’s General Secretary of the Policy Committee, will turn the historical downtown Cairo into a “mini Dubai”.

Australia: Reflections from ‘No Clean Feed’ rallies

Australians in seven cities demonstrated on Saturday against the Rudd government’s plan to require Internet Service Providers to block access to websites publishing child pornography and other unsuitable and illegal content.

Azerbaijan: Destruction of Ancient Cemetery Commemorated

Three years after a cemetery dating back to the 9th Century was deliberately destroyed in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan, bloggers recall an ancient culture annihilated and condemn the world for closing its eyes to what many consider to be an official attempt to rewrite history.

Kenya: East African drink fights Coca Cola

In March 2008 the Kenyan corporate giant East African Breweries Limited, who produces the famous Tusker beer label, launched a new non-alcoholic drink called Alvaro. Last month, Coca Cola decided to lauch a similar drink to compete with it, called Novida. Kenyan bloggers debate about the two brands.

China: Charter 08, to be free and fearless

At the Eve of the sixtieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Dec 10, 303 prominent intellectuals and human rights activists in China, jointly released Charter 08, demanding more political reform in China. However, the China government decided to celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by repressing the peaceful and rational act.

Malawi: Murderous Thanksgiving, AIDS Day and crossing the Zimbabwean border

Victor Kaonga highlights a few posts from blogs about Malawi: an expat Thanksgiving, World Aids Day and a long bus trip from Malawi to South Africa with an interesting border crossing in Zimbabwe.

Brazil: Manifesto For The Immediate Release of Graffiti Painter

While a police officer who mistakenly killed a boy of just three has been acquitted of murder, a graffiti painter arrested on October 26 for spraying the walls of the Art Bienal of São Paulo’s pavilion spent her 24th birthday in jail. Bloggers comment on the ironies and discrepancies of the Brazilian judicial system.

China: 08 Charter, signers arrested and questioned by police

Big Brother searching and questioning people involved in an collective appeal for democracy.

Bangladesh: Bloggers unearth the fake Taj Mahal scam

If you cannot visit the Taj Mahal at Agra (India) then the Taj Mahal will have to visit you in your home town. Since the last few days, we have been reading a curious and interesting piece of news from Bangladesh- of a new replica of the famous tomb.

Madagascar: French Authorities Censor Play on Historic Independence Battle

A theater performance to commemorate a historical date in the battle for independence of Madagascar, March 29, 1947 has been banned without explanation in the Southern region of Africa the Indian Ocean by French regional authorities. Discussion of the play and its subject matter continues on the internet.

Japan: Controversy over Imperial Succession

On the 1st of December, the seventh birthday of Princess Aiko, while the mainstream media in Japan were busy reporting that the princess had a cold and could not attend a birthday party organized in her honour, some bloggers were writing instead about the succession controversy.

Furor Over Tunisian Blog Awards Censorship

The Tunisian blogosphere is up in arms over this year’s annual Tunisian Blog Awards. They accuse organizers of soliciting the participation of corporate sponsors Topnet and l’ATB, at the price of free speech.

Angola: A country with huge, untapped tourism potential

Angola boasts an amazing interior landscape, rich and varied fauna, bountiful wildlife, and an extensive national park system, offering something for every visitor. However, most of its potential is still untapped, and if well explored, could make Angola the biggest tourist destination in Africa.

Burkina Faso: 10th Anniversary of journalist Norbert Zongo’s Murder

On the 10th anniversary of the murder of Burkinabé investigative journalist Norbert Zongo, a campain blog and a petition to reopen the case have been launched, while bloggers reflect on the anniversary.

Politician bloggers in the Philippines

Filipino internet users are increasing every year. Majority of those who use the internet are reading blogs. It is not surprising that politicians and political parties in the Philippines are now bringing their campaigns in the internet.

Brunei: The ‘Ali Baba’ syndrome

Brunei has the potential to achieve economic diversity. However, development is hampered by little or lack of productivity. The Bruneian Malay culture may in fact be one of the reasons as to why progress is slow.

Roundups

Looking for more? Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups!

Fiji: Democracies’ double standards

A few members of Fiji’s blogosphere have begun to lash out at what they see as double standards from the international organizations and countries preaching democracy to the Pacific Island nation that has been ruled by military leaders for the past two years.

Malawi: First Web Awards & Presidential Facebookers

The popularity of social media in Malawi is on the rise, as shown by the first Malawian web awards taking place this month, and by both the current President of Malawi and the previous one having Facebook profiles and fan pages.

Brazil: Brazilian police literally gets away with murder

At the moment when the world was celebrating Human Rights Day, and exactly when a similar crime sparks riots in Greece, Brazilian bloggers cry out against yet another death caused by the disastrous approach of the police going unpunished in Rio de Janeiro – this time the victim was a boy of just three.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find a blog devoted to the wines of Uruguay, African musical rarities, a Kenyan’s impressions of Cuba, and much much more!

Serbia: Facebook Group of Serbian Nationalists

“Knife, Wire, Srebrenica!” (Nož, Žica, Srebrenica!) is one of the favorite slogans of Serbian nationalists. A while ago, there appeared a Facebook group with the same name and 1,045 members – as well as a counter-group, whose 10,584 members are appealing to Facebook administrators to close the NOŽ ŽICA SREBRENICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! group because it “glorifies the acts of genocide that took place in Srebrenica, where 8,000 men and boys were murdered.” Sinisa Boljanovic translates a Serbian blogger’s response to it.

Trinidad and Tobago: Prime Minister’s Health

Trinidadians and Tobagonians were shocked yesterday by news that Prime Minister Patrick Manning was diagnosed with kidney cancer. While few bloggers commented publicly, in more private forums like Facebook discussions are raging about the consequences of Manning’s state of health.

Hong Kong: Pride Parade 2008 – Celebrate Love

In this coming weekend (13 of December), a coalition of civic groups will organize a pride parade to celebrate diverse love expression. Although Hong Kong is a global city, to organize this parade is not easy at all, the government, public service sector and conservative Christians do not even try to hide their discrimination.

Mexico: Shoeshiner Uses YouTube to Increase Business

Shoeshiner Juan Luna has come up with a clever way to attract business to his stand located in downtown Monterrey, Mexico. With the help of a friend, he posted a video on YouTube demonstrating his unique way of shining shoes with a brush in each hand. As a result, he has received more business from clients eager to see the shoeshiner in person. Blogger Issa Villarreal interviewed Luna to learn about his marketing strategy.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find the right to kiss a stranger’s baby, praise for a creative anti-smoking campaign, migrant workers in the Persian Gulf, and much much more!

Israel: Praying for Rain

The first hard rains of winter fell this week after months of waiting, causing all of Israel to breath a sigh of relief. Jews, Muslims and Christians were also united in their prayer for rain, reports Maya Norton.

Egypt: Inanities on Homosexuality

Sarah Carr, blogger and journalist addresses how a published feature titled “Honey, I’m homosexual” and online comments perpetuate myths about homosexuality and, in doing so, contributes to the culture of intolerance in Egyptian society.

Afghanistan: Chafing Under Talibanization

All is not smooth sailing in Afghanistan, and Azar Balkhi explains why: The Taliban insurgency is historically a predominantly Pashtun movement, still have very little influence among other Afghanistan minority ethnic groups like the Tajiks, Uzbek and Hazaras.

Australia rallies to “Stop the Clean Feed”

The Australian blogosphere has largely come together to protest a government internet filtering scheme that will require Internet Service Providers to offer a “Clean-Feed” service to all homes, schools and public access points to the internet.

Palestine: Terrorist Dolls Not the Best Stocking Stuffer

“What could be more enjoyable for your kids this year than a doll resembling an Al-Qaeda terrorist?” asks Palestinian-American blogger Nawal of Bloggin’ Banat. Maya Norton picks up the story on the doll, fashioned after the classic Lego, and tells us why we will not have our hands on it soon.

Western Sahara: Controversy Over McDonald’s Maps

The Moroccan McDonald’s franchise faced controversy last week after it released a children’s “Happy Meal” toy which included a map of Morocco. The borders on the map separated Western Sahara from Morocco; the Western Sahara is a disputed territory between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

Iraq: Not in the Mood for Eid and Special Occasions

Muslims around the world are marking Eid Al Adha, a religious festival which marks the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to Allah and the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Iraqi bloggers seem to be united and are in no mood for celebration.

Taiwan: The government could not wait to harvest wild strawberries

The forced eviction of Wild Strawberries Movement at the Freedom Square this morning (Dec 11), just a few hours after the International Human Rights Day, shows the Taiwan government’s hypocrisy in the implementation of human rights.

Middle East: Snapshots of Eid

For millions of Muslims around the world, Eid Al Adha was a time for celebrations, family gatherings and reflections on the occasion. Here’s a snapshot of reactions from bloggers in Tunisia, Kuwait, Egypt and Turkey.

KOREA: Korea as a Multi-Ethnic Country

A daily newspaper, Hankyoreh, which is categorized as a progressive newspaper (or sometimes left-wing) introduced a series of articles, ‘Multi-Culturalism is Our Future.’ [KR] Korea, where one culture and one ethnic group are emphasized, currently has a population with only 2 percent foreign residents –1 million population.

Today on Rising Voices: Nari Jibon Featured in Venezuelan National Newspaper Tal Cual

One of the many goals of Rising Voices is to help facilitate conversation between countries in the so-called ‘Global South’. Last month Laura Vidal, a Venezuelan journalist who publishes the column Blogpodium for the national daily Tal Cual, wrote about Rising Voices grantee Nari Jibon, which is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. What follows is an English translation of her original piece.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find a new voice in the Free Hoder campaign, six flights in seven days, finding love online via your blog, and much much more!

The Balkans: Human Rights and LGBT

Sinisa Boljanovic reviews the situation with gay rights in the former Yugoslav republics.

Egypt: Call for Commemorating Saddam Hussein

On the second anniversary of the execution of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and in coordination with the Iraqi community in Cairo, five Egyptian political parties called for commemorating the late president. Here’s a snapshot of reactions from the Egyptian blogosphere

Morocco: Reflections of Eid

It’s been quite awhile since we last looked into the Moroccan blogosphere…so it’s about time! As the Eid al-Adha celebration has recently passed, bloggers are wishing each other well and sharing stories from the holiday.

Greece: Riots in Athens Continue

For the past three days, the capital of Greece, Athens, has been rocked by demonstrations and rioting as thousands have taken to the streets in protest at the fatal shooting by a police officer of 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in the Athens district of Exarchia on December 6, 2008.

China and France: Boycott of French Goods

On December 1, an article appeared in China.com urging a nationwide boycott against French product in order to protest against the meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Dalai Lama. The post advised consumers not to buy about 50 French brands, including cars, clothes, alcohol and skin-care products.

Thailand political crisis: Reactions from the region

Thailand’s airport takeover has affected hundreds of thousands of passengers from nearby countries. What are the reactions of bloggers in the region? What is the situation in Thailand today?

Thailand: Foreigner who stayed in the airport blockade

Majority of foreigners stayed away from Bangkok airports two weeks ago. But there was a foreigner who stayed inside the airport blockade. Janus Putkonen from Finland joined the protesters for five days and nights. Fortunately he had a video camera.

New Zealand: ‘Talkfest torpedoed’

A few right-of-center New Zealand bloggers have applauded the new Social Development Minister’s push to cancel a February summit planned by the Families Commission that would bring together 150 leaders and decision makers together at Auckland’s Waipuna Lodge.

Fact or Fiction: Egyptian President Pardons Sexual Harasser

Egyptian bloggers are divided on whether a sexual harasser sentenced to three years in prison recently has been pardoned. Marwa Rakha brings us the story.

DR Congo: Human Rights and Gender Violence Situation in North Kivu

Today is International Human Rights Day as well as the last day of the campaign “16 days of activism against gender violence” but in many parts of the world there’s not much to celebrate on those fronts, as shown by this roundup of blogs by aid workers in North Kivu.

South Asian Laborers Duped Again in Iraq

After 12 Nepalese laborers had been kidnapped and murdered by Iraqi terrorist group Ansar al-Sunna in 2004, there was hope that officials in Iraq, United States and in Nepal would take steps to ensure the safety and security of those traveling to Iraq in search of work.

Cuba: Human Rights Day

Today is International Human Rights Day – an annual reminder of the day on which the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights back in 1948. Sixty years later, Cuban bloggers (particularly from the diaspora) remain vocal about the many human rights abuses that plague the island of their birth.

Guadeloupe: Gas too expensive; the island is blocked!

After the general blackout in French Guiana, it’s now the turn of the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to wake up all numbed. The butterfly shaped island linked by the bridges of “le Pont de la Gabarre” and “le Pont de l’Alliance” has been paralyzed on both sides: Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre.

Roundups

Still looking for more!?!! Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups!

Côte d’Ivoire: Interview with Best Francophone Blogger Israël Yoroba

Global Voices interviews the Abidjan-based author of this year’s ‘Best Blog in French’ (as chosen by the Best of Blogs jury), Israël Yoroba on how he started a blog, on blogging in Côte d’Ivoire and his wishes for the future.

Saudi Girls Rock!

A group of Saudi young women are making their voices heard – in a manner unheard of in conservative Saudi Arabia. The Accolade is an all-girl rock band which is making waves across the blogosphere. Here are a few reactions from bloggers in the region.

Brazil: Deadly chemical leak kills 80 ton fish in Rio de Janeiro

On November 18, a leak of deadly endosulfan pesticide into the Pirapetinga river killed over 80 tonnes of fish, plus water hogs, tortoises, birds, and others creatures. The tragedy was worsened by the fact that it happened during breeding season for many species, some of which are under threat of extinction. After a suspension of 20 days only, the company responsible for the accident resumed operations today. Bloggers react.

Paraguay: The First 100 Days of Lugo’s Presidency

The first 100 days have passed since Paraguay’s elected President Fernando Lugo assumed power last August. Paraguayans were eager for a change, a change that had raised so many expectations from the new President, who was an cx-bishop and from his cabinet. Some bloggers took time to write about the first 100 days of Lugo’s Presidency.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find a new transit law in Costa Rica, a planned demonstration of Korean “Comfort Women” for Human Rights Day, “lack of knowledge and appreciation of minority religious practices” in South Africa, and much much more!

Zimbabwe: Civil society campaign against state abductions

Following the abduction of Zimbabwean human rights activist Jestina Mukoko’s abduction on Wednesday the 3rd of December, Zimbabwe’s Civic Action Support group has launched a campaign to stop state abductions. It is believed that state agents are behind the abduction of Jestina Mukoko as well as other recent abductions of several political and human rights activists in Zimbabwe.

China: Protestors and petitioners penned up into madhouse

It is a story about petitioning, protest and madhouse. Reading the story, I am almost drowned by a sense of desperation infused in what Mr. Sun has gone through all these years, but also very much touched by Mr. Shi’s courage to expose such a scandal to public. I know, this would be a story worth record, and translation.

Twittering the Ghanaian Elections

While the use of Twitter has become quite popular in some countries, it is still a very new tool in other regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa. However, it has proven to be an efficient way to quickly share information in times of political changes such as yesterday’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Ghana as shown by this Twitter roundup.

Japan: Crisis in primary news reporting

The shifting landscape of news media in Japan has triggered its fair share of debate recently, with many criticizing the mainstream press for major slip-ups and what some perceive as an attitude problem. On August 4th in a popular entry at Hatena’s AnonymousDiary, one blogger picked up the theme of the crisis of primary news reporting in Japan, recounting the story of a friend who works as a fledgling reporter at a major local newspaper.

Playing for Change: Peace Through Music

MeetJohnSong brings to our attention a global collaborative musical project called Playing for Change: Peace through Music. The concept behind it is that music is a common uniting factor between different cultures, ethnicities and regions.The film and music will be available in 2009, and more information on the project can be found on the Playing for Change website.

Iran: Students Protest Dictatorship and Gender Apartheid

A group of students held a protest rally against the Iranian government and president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the University of Tehran on Sunday to commemorate Student Day, the anniversary of the murdering of three students of University of Tehran on December 6, 1953.

Libya: Eid Al – Adha 2008

After a long hiatus, Libyan bloggers are back at work behind their keyboards, wishing each other a happy Eid, discussing the increasing prices and reflecting on Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca which Muslims perform. Fozia Mohamed tunes in to bring us the story.

Egypt: Defining Terrorism

How does a child define terrorism? Tarek Amr from Egypt brings us this conversation from the Egyptian blogosphere.

Fiji’s military coup: Two years on

Fiji’s military coup hits its two-year anniversary, and bloggers around the region have spent the past few days gathering thoughts and opinions on the country’s past, present and future.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find overflowing sewage in Zimbabwe, too many traffic lights in Malaysia, qualified Santa Clauses in Brazil, and much much more!

Korea: Train Connecting North and South Stopped

The train service that connects North Korea and South Korea was suspended on the 28th of November. [En] When the train that stopped more than 50 years started operating after the North and South Korean summit last year, people were excited and expected closer relations.

Armenia: CNN Genocide Coverage Controversy

Too short for Armenians and too long for the Turkish government, a two-hour CNN documentary by Christiane Amanpour on genocide includes a 45-second mention of the WWI extermination of Ottoman Empire’s indigenous Armenian population. Premiered on December 4, 2008, Scream Bloody Murder has made many Armenian bloggers angry.

China: Official report — political aristocracy has ruled national wealth

National wealth, as an dauntingly open article in public media suggests, has almost been monopolized by the class of political power. What makes the matter worse is that, the privilege has been passed on to the next generation.

Video:What image opened your eyes to human rights?

The sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on December 10th, and Witness’ The Hub team has put together a video that responds to the question: What images have opened your eyes to Human Rights? The video is online right now and with it they are asking all of us to participate by showing and telling the world about the power images have had in making us care about Human Rights.

Egypt: Change the Channel Initiative

During the past few months, Egyptians have been haunted with catastrophic headlines and top stories on a daily basis. Amid this grim, Egyptian bloggers decided to revolt against the country’s current rueful state and bring out some positive energy to the surface through the “Change the Channel” campaign.

Egypt: Egyptian Dialect Wikipedia

Wikimedia has agreed to create a new section – a Wikipedia in the Egyptian Dialect. This decision was the catalysis for a discussion across the Egyptian blogosphere. Is it a good or a bad move, and is Egyptian and standalone language, or just a dialect of Arabic?

Today on Global Voices Advocacy: Egypt: Police Continue to Harrass Bloggers and Activists

Egyptian bloggers, who sometimes double as activists, continue to face the wrath of officials, and are being targeted in the latest attempt by officials to crackdown on humanitarian support to a besieged Gaza. Noha Atef, from Egypt, updates us on developments on that front.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find pictures of Eid and Christmas Bazaars in Dhaka- the capital of Bangladesh, stopping cell phone robbery in Mexico, the 20th anniversary of a devestating earthquake in Armenia, and much much more!

Latvia: Freedom of Speech Controversy

Prominent Latvians are outraged over the detention of a university lecturer at a seaside town of Ventspils by the security police. The economic crisis, a bank bailout, and the launched talks with the International Monetary Fund served as a backdrop for the arrest of Dmitrijs Smirnovs, who said this during a discussion at a provincial newspaper Ventas Balss: “The only thing that I can recommend is: first of all, do not save money in banks; second of all, do not save money in lats because right now it is very dangerous.”

Today on Global Voices Advocacy: Cuba: Government Officials Tell Bloggers to Cancel Planned Meeting

A Cuban blogger meet-up scheduled for December 6 is in danger of being cancelled by the authorities. The event, which has been in the planning stage for months and had 25 confirmed attendees, is being deemed “counterrevolutionary.” This is according to a recent conversation between officials from the Interior Ministry and one of the island’s most well-known bloggers Yoaní Sánchez of Generación Y, who was one of the bloggers recently summoned to the local police station.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find a review of an award winning Indian photographer’s exhibition on people’s responses to HIV/AIDS, the story of a 36-hour bus ride from Mangochi, Malawi to Johannesburg, South Africa going through Mozambique and Zimbabwe, imposing new regulations on internet use and blogging in Vietnam, and much much more!