Stories about Breaking News from February, 2012
Venezuela: Singer Onechot Becomes Victim of Violence He Decried
Onechot was wounded by a bullet to the head. The Venezuelan reggae singer sang of the violence in the city of Caracas as being completely crazy. In 2011 there were more than 19 thousand murders. Onechot's case is a symbol of the irony that not even the peacemakers are safe.
Australia: Prime Minister Julia Gillard Wins Big in Leadership Dogfight
There have been very mixed reactions to Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s decisive victory over former PM Kevin Rudd in the leadership challenge. The vote amongst Australian Labor Party parliamentarians (the caucus) was 71 – 31, despite opinions polls showing Rudd having much higher popularity with voters.
Yemen: Hadi President After 33 Years of Saleh
After 33 long years of Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule, Yemen finally inaugurated today a new President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, for the transitional phase, following a whole year of protests. Hadi had assumed his position as president according to a GCC-brokered power deal which made him the sole consensus presidential candidate in the one man election, in which he won 99.8 per cent of the votes.
Australia: Political Paralysis Before Leadership Vote
Australia’s governing party will decide between the leadership of the country's current Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the one she deposed in 2010, Kevin Rudd. After months of speculation, Australian Labor Party parliamentarians will vote after a very self-destructive confrontation this week. Twitter is aflutter.
Cameroon : Say No To Tribalism
Princess Akeelah talks on her blog [fr] about an online campaign launched to fight against Tribalism in Cameroon. In a country where it is estimated that 280 different ethnic groups...
Colombia: Citizen Journalist Threatened Over Viral Video
Citizen journalist Bladimir Sánchez has already received threats for posting a video showing the forced evictions of farmers and fishermen protesting the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the department of Huila, Colombia. In less than three days, more than 600,000 people have watched it.
Chile: Twitter Users Share Images of Aysén Protests
A social movement that demands better quality of life and lower costs has gained strength in the Aysén region in the Chilean Patagonia. The people of Aysén are uploading their photos to Twitter to show the marches, blockades and confrontations that have occurred in recent days.
Saudi Arabia: Facebook Page Calls for Protest
A Facebook page [ar] has been created calling on Saudis to protest tomorrow (Thursday) and on Friday against financial and administrative corruption, the jailing of activists and the lack of...
Argentina: Train Crash Leaves At Least 49 Dead, Hundreds Injured
A commuter train crashed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, leaving at least 49 dead and hundreds injured according to the latest reports. Netizens are using the hashtags #Sarmiento [es], #Once [es]...
Syria: Shock and Disbelief Over Murder of Journalists
Netizens covering the daily carnage in Syria on social media had to take a step back today to grieve the murder of journalists who risked their lives to travel to Syria and tell the world about the suffering of Syrians.
Georgia: Assassination attempt on Abkhazia leader
ЖЖ Сухуми სოხუმი cyxymu [RU] updates its readers on another assassination attempt made today on the defacto President of Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region, Alexander Ankvab. The blog reports one bodyguard...
Peru: New Racism Incident Ignites Debate on Social Networks
A movie theater in Lima became the scene of a case that public opinion quickly deemed another example of the ongoing problem of racism in Peru: a 13-year-old boy uttered racist insults at a couple who had asked him and his friends, who were kicking up a fuss, to be quiet. The attitude of the boy and what came to pass afterward have let loose numerous online reactions.
Ecuador: Citizens React to Verdict Against Newspaper El Universo
On Thursday, February 16, the highest Ecuadorian court upheld a verdict in favour of President Rafael Correa in a libel case against newspaper El Universo, one of the major dailies in this South American country. Ecuadorian netizens are divided between those who celebrate the verdict and those who define it as a serious offence towards freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
Syria: Razan Ghazzawi and Female Colleagues Freed
Syrian Blogger and Freedom of Speech advocate Razan Ghazzawi, who was arrested for the second time earlier this week, was released on Saturday along with her female colleagues. Her male colleagues from the Syrian Center for Freedom of Expression in Damascus remain in detention.
Senegal: Week Before Elections Police and Protesters Clash in Dakar
A week before the presidential elections, Senegal is marred in pre-electoral violence over the candidacy of incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade seeking for a third term. Lova Rakotomalala reports.
Libya: Celebrations Mark Revolution's First Anniversary
Celebrations are continuing in Libya, which marks the first anniversary of a revolution that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled the country for 42 years. Netizens share scenes of the celebration and their feelings on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Singapore: Politician's Expulsion Triggers By-Election
A by-election has been triggered in Singapore's Hougang Single Member Constituency after the Worker's Party expelled Member of Parliament Yaw Shin Leong amidst allegations of extramarital affairs. Netizens used the #hougangbyelection hashtag to express their comments about the issue
“Dying to Live”: Khader Adnan's Hunger Strike for Palestinian Rights
Adnan Khader is on strike to protest a raid on his family home by Israeli occupation forces and to bring worldwide attention to the fact that Palestinians are held without being charged on a daily basis.
Madagascar : Crowdsourcing Information about Cyclone Giovanna
Cyclone Giovanna was expected to make landfall on February 13th at 23h00 local time in Madagascar. Malagasy Bloggers have set up a citizen reporting platform to crowd source information during...
Maldives: Marred by Violence
The political crisis in the Maldives took an ugly turn Wednesday when the police brutally beat and injured supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Nasheed as they protested against what they claimed to be a coup that removed the island nation's first democratically elected president from power.
Russia: DDoS Attack Puts Down Several Political Websites As Cyberwar Escalates
On February 9, 2012, following the widely-discussed leaks of pro-Kremlin mailboxes, LiveJournal, where the leaks were published, became temporarily unavailable, Lenta.ru reported [ru]. Russian representative of Anonymous group @OP_Russia, suggested [ru] that...
