Stories about Breaking News from February, 2012
Russia: New .Ru Domain Registration Rules Allow Easy Domain Seizure
Andrey Rylkov Foundation writes about the first case of enforcement of the domain seizure rules in the “.ru” and “.рф” domain zones. The rules [ru] (Article 5, point 5.5) , updated on November 11, 2011 allow any law enforcement agency (like police, Federal Security Service, Prosecutor's office or Federal Drug Control Services (FDCS)) to request...
Russia: The Anonymous Hacks and Publishes E-mails of Pro-Kremlin Youth Group
Read The Guardian's take on the so-called “Potupchik-gate,” a series of scandals surfaced as a result of hacking and publishing of private inbox of Kristina Potupchik [ru], press-secretary of Nashi, notorious pro-Kremlin youth group. All hacks were published by twitter-user @OP_Russia who uses Anonymous symbolics. Representatives of Anonymous, previously never seen involved...
Maldives: President Resigns After Mutiny
Mohamed Nasheed, the president of Maldives most famously known as a climate champion, announced his resignation on Tuesday, after the military forces joined the police mutiny against his rule.
Bulgaria: Severe Flooding Emergency
GV Author Ruslan Trad is tweeting – here, here, here, and here – about the severe flooding in southern Bulgaria, which was caused by heavy rainfall of the past few days and has killed at least eight people in the village of Bisser. The latest tweet came about an hour...
Maldives: On the Brink of Chaos
The Maldives is in a deep political crisis as the police force and some military personnel mutinied against the government in a follow-up to three weeks of protest by civilians. Details are emerging and there are frequent updates on Twitter.
Balkans: Online Platform Tracks Reports From Areas Hit by Record Snowfall
Since last week, the Balkans have been hit by massive snow storms, the likes of which have not been seen in over a decade, if not longer. Danica Radisic reports on relevant initiatives launched by the region's online community, including the new Ushahidi platform for tracking verified information on road blocks, power outages and other critical points and information in the entire region.
Yemen: Yemeni Protesters Greet Saleh With a Shoe in New York
Yemenis in New York threw a shoe in the direction of outgoing Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they say should be standing before the International Criminal Court and not staying at Manhattan's Luxury Ritz Carlton Hotel. Noon Arabia sums up Yemeni netizen reactions to Saleh's stay in New York.
Russia: Day of Protests Divides Citizens
Despite temperatures of -20 degrees, thousands of Russians went out to the streets to participate in election manifestations. Some, organised online, were protesting against the elections and possible re-election of prime minister Vladimir Putin. Others, partly organised by pressure and bribes as well as fear of possible revolutions manifested that Putin should stay.
Kuwait: Parliamentary Election Marred by Violence
Incidents of violence have marked Kuwait's parliamentary elections. One candidate, Mohammed Al-Juwaihel, became the target of angry tribespeople after making discriminatory remarks and his election tent hub was burnt down. Mona Kareem provides a multimedia report.
North Korea : Two Japanese Indicted for Exporting PC to North Korea
North Korea Tech blog wrote about two Japanese people who were indicted for exporting personal computers to North Korea, thereby violating the Japanese government’s trade sanctions.
Senegal: A Week of Living Dangerously
On January 31 in Senegal, the opposition came out in the streets to protest against a third term for incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade and other decisions taken by the country's Constitutional Council, resulting in violence and vitriol both offline and online.
Brazil: Homeless squatters await eviction in São Paulo city center
In the aftermath of the Pinheirinho eviction in São Paulo state, police will be evicting a homeless squatter settlement in a disused building in downtown São Paulo this morning. According to the Frente de Luta por Moradia, a social movement (@LutaMoradia), a court ruled the city must provide for ‘basic...
Russia: Ulyanovsk Blogger Wins Libel Case Against Governor
Ulyanovsk-based blogger Oleg Sofyin (LJ-user lis73) won a court case against Ulyanovsk governor Svetlana Openysheva, lenta.ru reports [ru]. Openysheva tried to sue Sofyin for publishing a post where he described a phone call during which someone named Azat threatened him if he will continue to post critical articles about Openysheva. Despite winning the...
Ukraine: Authorities Shut Down File-Sharing Site Ex.ua
On Jan. 31, the Ukrainian authorities shut down Ex.ua, a popular file-sharing site. A selection of relevant tweets [en, uk, ru] is here: e.g., @sinplotnika [ru]: “The state has deprived you of bread, now it's also decided to take the show [entertainment] away.”; @Urshulia [uk]: “For me, the loss of...
