· August, 2012

Stories about Breaking News from August, 2012

Jordan: A Black Day to Protest Internet Censorship

'Over 150 sites in Jordan are going black, including the country's top new sites, to protest laws that restrict internet freedom #blackoutjo.' - On August 29, websites went offline to draw attention to the dangers of the impending legislation.

29 August 2012

Senegal: 18 Dead as Floods Paralyse the Country

Heavy rains led to catastrophic flooding in many regions of Senegal on August 26, 2012 with 18 dead and 42 injured so far. The Senegal government has launched a rescue plan with the help of French organisation Orsec to assist victims. Many locals on the ground feel rescue efforts have not been started quickly enough, leading to angry demonstrations on the streets of Dakar.

27 August 2012

Ethiopia: Rage and Sorrow as Meles Zenawi's Death Confirmed

The official confirmation of the death of Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s prime minster, has stirred both rage and sorrow online. Zenawi disappeared from public view immediately after the G20 meeting in Mexico in June. He even failed to attend the 21st Ordinary Session of the African Union which was hosted in Addis Ababa in July, leaving Ethiopians at home and abroad asking, "Where is Meles Zenawi?"

21 August 2012

Puerto Rico: What's at Stake in the August 19 Referendum

Puerto Ricans have voted on a referendum to amend the Constitution. The are two proposed amendments: one to limit the right to bail and one that to reduce the number of legislators. The implications of limiting the right to bail and the campaign organized to oppose the referendum was marked by a heightened activity on social network sites.

19 August 2012

Saudi Arabia: Activist Reema Al Joresh Detained on Eid Day

"Greetings, the police arrested me and my children." - Reema Al Joresh, wife of a prisoner who has been detained for eight years without trial, was on her way to the mosque to give away 500 gifts with a letter raising awareness about arbitrary detention in the Kingdom.

19 August 2012

Russia: Pussy Riot's Guilty Verdict

RuNet Echo

'The judge said one of the reasons for a “real sentence” was to “caution others”. ' - Russian and anglophone Twitter users respond to the guilty verdict and two-year prison sentence handed down to Pussy Riot members.

17 August 2012

Ecuador Reacts to Assange Asylum

"they talk so much about freedom of expression when in our own country IT DOESN'T EXIST!" - An Ecuadorian netizen criticizes the government's decision to grant asylum to the founder of Wikileaks. Some are celebrating the bold move as well.

17 August 2012

Pakistan: Shia Target Killings Continue

On August 16, 2012, gunmen stopped a passenger bus in Mansehra, pulled 20 Shia Muslims off and killed them in cold blood. This is the third incident of targeted killing against the Shia community in Pakistan in the last 6 months. A netizen comments: "Imagine if the first target killing incident in #Pakistan was dealt with judiciously, we would not have been mourning #gilgit today!"

16 August 2012

Ecuador Grants WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Asylum

After much anticipation, Ecuador announced it will grant political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Assange is currently inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Twitter has been buzzing with reactions from citizens and the main protagonists in this case, like WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

16 August 2012