From Indigenous Protests to Online Preaching, Portuguese Language Countries in 2012

As the last day of the calendar approaches, we select a few glimpses of citizen media from the action and imagination of the Portuguese-speaking online world.

A Memorable 2012 for Myanmar

Burma has experienced a lot of political and social turbulence throughout the past year. Like a dilapidated taxi driving in torrential rain, the country is still moving forward but things...

Who Wants to Overthrow Central African Republic President François Bozizé?

While an alliance of rebels named Seleka, is marching ahead towards Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), protests have been organized since December 26, 2012 asking for international intervention to stop the rebels' progress.

Yemen: A Year of Assassinations, Explosions and Drones

After a long year of revolution in Yemen, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was "toppled" and replaced by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on February 27, 2012, through a one-man-election. Nevertheless, Yemen witnessed a year of instability and violence. The year 2012 was a year of unprecedented numbers of suicide bombs, explosive cars, targeted killings, explosions of gas pipelines and electricity cables, besides the constant and frequent US drone attacks.

Delhi’s Rape Case Stirs Movement for Justice in Nepal

The recent Delhi gang-rape case has not only evoked rage across India but also spread indignation to its neighboring countries like Nepal. Activists in Nepal have been protesting in front of the Prime Minister ’s residence at Baluwatar demanding justice for Sita Rai, who was raped in Kathmandu.

Africa's Tainted Global Media Coverage

The #Kony2012 campaign contained quite a few over-simplifications about Africa. African media itself is not immune from this sort of criticism either. Here is a summary of the gems, errors and other inaccuracies in media coverage of Africa.

Central African Republic President Isolated as Rebels Close in on Capital City

 At this point, there is virtually no one left in president Bozize's cabinet. His religious advisors and his sons are the only left to help him in manage a storming...

From Gangnam Style to Jailed Tweeter: Korea in 2012

Starting from North Korean leadership change, to Gangnam Style spreading over the world and finally the presidential election in December, 2012 has been a dramatic year in South Korea. Here are the top seven Korean stories of the year, which created major social media buzz.

Rebel Attacks on Ndélé and Bria, Central African Republic

These last few weeks, with attacks on the the cities of Ndélé and Bria, rebels have been threatening the regime of Central African Republic President François Bozizé. This fresh wave of attacks, which caused significant civilian displacement, has rendered the peace agreements signed in 2007 definitively obsolete.

Two US Drone Strikes in Yemen for Christmas

Merry Christmas from Yemen! Christmas day was a day of double drone strikes in Yemen, killing five 'suspected' militants. The first drone strike killed two people travelling in a vehicle in a southern town, al-Bayda province on Monday. In the second attack, which also occurred on Monday, the unmanned aircraft fired missiles at three people riding on two motorcycles travelling in Hadramout province, killing all three men.

Who Supports Russia's Ban on American Adoptions?

A slight majority of Russian internet users support the ban on adoptions by Americans. 50% do not understand the motivation for international adoptions, and 60% think that such adoptions endanger children. Who are these people, and what are they saying?

Rohingya Refugees Rejected by Singapore

Singapore turned away 40 Rohingya shipwreck survivors who were rescued by a Vietnamese ship. Singapore netizens and human rights groups reacted strongly to the decision of authorities to send away the refugees.

Reddit Users Debate the Pricing Game Of The Cancer Drug Industry

When the Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla announced last month that it would cut the cost of three drugs used to treat cancers – people around the world responded. Some of the most lengthy conversations took place on the news commenting site Reddit.

Prank Reveals the Depths of Anti-American Propaganda in the Russian Media

Anonymity affords ordinarily timid individuals the courage and opportunity to behave dishonestly. That, anyway, is the story we typically hear, especially in the context of the Internet. As Oleg Kashin recently pointed...

The Sinai Peninsula: Egypt's “Wild West”?

In April of this year, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt a “kind of Wild West” after rockets were fired from there targeting the resort town Eilat in Israel.

Transparency in Extractive Mega Projects in Mozambique

Mozambique's richness in natural resources has placed the country at the centre of large international investment in the African continent. While the economy is growing at 7% per year, the opportunities for social development are few. An "Open Terrace" in November, in Cabo Delgado, brought citizens together to debate the lack of transparency in the mega projects.

Chinese Responses to the North Korea Missile Launch

Adam Cathcart from Sino-NK has translated and collected a wide range of reports, comments and discussions from Chinese government, media outlets and concerned citizens about the North Korea Missile launch...

Xi Jinping: a hardline nationalist in control of China?

South Sea Conversations looks into the new Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping's political speech, in particular his talk about “the great revival of the Chinese nation”'s implication to foreign...

Reflections on the Croatian Generals’ Acquittal

Alan Jaksic of Balkan Anarchist posts a follow-up to his initial comments on the Nov. 16 reversal of the convictions of the Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač: […]...

Tajiks and Uzbeks Disagree on Birthplace of Poet

The dispute over the birthplace of the Poet Rudaki [whom both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan claim "as one of their own"] is heating up and may soon lead to wine-throwing and fist-fights...

The Elusive Quest for Peace with the M23 in the DRC

The current conflict in the Kivu Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threatens to linger on despite an international effort to broker a truce between the M23 rebellion and the Congolese government. The conflict is difficult to grasp, because the M23 rebellion has been a shifting movement, both geographically and politically.