Stories about Breaking News from December, 2011
Egypt: Tahrir Square Burning
Egypt's Military Police have set Tahrir Square ablaze and forcefully pushed away protesters demonstrating outside the Cabinet on the first anniversary of the Arab revolution, sparked by the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia.
Brazil: Blogger Found Dead, Hanged: Suicide or Assassination?
Brazilian blogger Altamiro Borges announces [pt] on his blog, the death of blogger Hamilton Alexander, the “Mosquito”, found dead, hanged, at his home. He adds that friends and family are not convinced of this version, because the blogger was famous for attacking politicians in his state, Santa Catarina, south of...
Peru: Bloggers Report Police Harassment During Discussion Group about Conga Mining Project
Members of the group “Casa Cultural Poco Floro” blogged denouncing [es] an alleged case of police harassment during a discussion group about the Conga mining project, one of the most heated social conflicts at the moment. The representative of Poco Floro talks about the incident in an interview (audio) [es]....
Arab World: Congratulations Tunisia!
Human rights activist Moncef Marzouki, 66, has been elected as Tunisia's new interim president today. His appointment, which was followed by a moving acceptance speech, was noted by netizens from across the Arab world, who cheered on Tunisia's progress towards democracy, wishing the same for their countries.
Brazil: Journalist Threatened at Belo Monte Dam Construction Site
Brazilian journalist Ruy Sposati, in Altamira, Pará, denounces the death of yet another worker at the Belo Monte Dam construction site, another round of mass layoffs of workers on strike and a death threat against him for covering the stories in a series of tweets [all links in pt].
Peru: Congress Approves Law Criminalizing Femicide
The Peruvian Congress has approved the text of a law that recognizes femicide as a crime punishable by up to 25 years of incarceration. Under the existing law, the murder of a women can result in release from jail in about two years.
China: A Guangdong Village on the Verge of a Brutal Crackdown
Illegal land acquisition has once again led to large-scale protests in Guangdong province, followed by a suspicious death and police crackdowns. One news commentator writes, "This is the first mass incident that has put forward a political agenda."
Philippines: “Occupy” Protests Overcome Police Brutality
Police violently dispersed the 'Occupy-like' protest of youth groups in the Philippines but the 'Campout' continued for several days near the presidential palace and managed to draw thousands of young people in the streets.
Russia: English-Language Tweets From the Moscow Rally
@MiriamElder, @ioffeinmoscow, @shaunwalker7, @A_Osborn, @oflynnkevin, @agent_Alka, @courtneymoscow, @PeterGOliver_RT, @mschwirtz, @markmackinnon, @tonyhalpin, @Amiefr_Reuters, @RolandOliphant, @niktwick are tweeting live in English from the big protest rally that is taking place at Bolotnaya Square in Moscow right now; @agoodtreaty is monitoring Russian-language Twitter coverage of the protests in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia.
Mozambique: Jubilation with Mayoral Opposition Win
Supporters of opposition mayoral candidate Manuel de Araújo celebrated his victory in by-elections before the official results on Wednesday evening, both on the streets of the central city of Quelimane and Facebook. Araújo is a long-time blogger who led an innovative campaign both online and in real life.
Libya: #OccupyTripoli Protests Against Carrying Weapons
Libyans took to the streets of the capital Tripoli today, to demonstrate against carrying weapons. They gathered at the famous Martyr's Square, formerly known as Green Square. Many Twitter users were on hand to provide live coverage of the event dubbed #OccupyTripoli.
Russia: Second Day of Post-Election Protests
The intrigue of the second day of post-election protests has centered around several major events: court appearances by bloggers Ilya Yashin and Alexey Navalny, a protest demonstration at Triumfalnaya Square, and discussions regarding the Kremlin's soft-power counter-revolution and various means of cyber warfare.
Russia: Kremlin Removes Re-Tweet From Presidential Account
RuNetizens were surprised to see president Medvededv re-tweet a message [ru] with cursing against bloggers. The re-tweet was removed, but Kremlin published an explanation that “illegal engagement with presidential account has been made” and that “those responsible will be punished.” Vedomosti reminded [ru] that recently Medveved had complained he couldn't respond to...
Mozambique: Realtime by-elections coverage from three cities
Mozambican newspaper @ Verdade is liveblogging mayoral by-elections on Facebook (public) and live-tweeting events in realtime from 3 cities, promoting the hashtag #EleicoesMoz. Voter Pedro Massinga (@Mozi1976) tweeted photos from the polls. @ Verdade is also receiving citizen reports on the voting via SMS, tweet, BBM, and email to its...
DR of Congo: Congolese Citizens Find a Way to Circumvent SMS Ban during Tense Electoral Count
While observers apprehend the post-electoral period as allegations of fraud surface, Congolese citizens have found a way to circumvent the general ban on SMS [fr] that was imposed by the government after violence flared up [fr] in Kinshasa.
Macedonia, Greece: Reaction to International Court of Justice Decision
Blogger Effo was the first to comment on the verdict [pdf], in which the Hague International Court of Justice found that the Greek obstruction of Macedonia's NATO entry in 2008 was in violation of the 1995 Interim Accord. He demands [mk] that Macedonia stop the negotiations about the name issue...
Russia: The Revolt of “Net Hamsters”
The day after the elections, Russians got together to rally against election fraud. Even though the United Russia party, according to preliminary results, is to lose some 77 seats compared to the previous Duma, most of the protesters considered the election to be neither fair, nor free.
Russia: No Violation of Election Violations
Despite the many independent websites down due to DDoS-alypse, bloggers were able to share information on elections violations. The overall feeling online was expressed [ru] by @yar0slav: Falsification of elections continues without serious violations.
Russia: Election Day DDoS-alypse
The Russian parliamentary election day has come. And with it, DDoS attacks and falsifications. Alexey Sidorenko reports.
Syria: Free Razan Ghazzawi
Syrian authorities have arrested blogger Razan Ghazzawi on the Syrian-Jordanian border today. Ghazzawi was on her way to Amman to attend a workshop on press freedom in the Arab world. Her arrest has drawn criticism and anger from bloggers and activists around the world, who are calling for her immediate release.
Yemen: Taiz is Bleeding
Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, has become the bleeding heart of the Yemeni revolution. The city has been subjected to indiscriminate shelling which is reaping victims on a daily basis. Noon Arabia sheds light on some online initiatives to draw attention to the plight of the besieged city and its people.
