Stories about Technology from May, 2011
Kenya: East Africa's Biggest Mobile Tech Event
East Africa's biggest mobile tech event is taking place in Kenya next month: “The next big thing in African Tech has arrived. Pivot 25 is here!The region’s top 25 mobile tech startups pitch against each other June 14-15 in Nairobi, Kenya at the Ole Sereni Hotel.”
Bhutan: Facebook Poll Suggesting Discussion Topic In National Assembly
The leader of the Opposition in the Bhutanese National Assembly Mr. Tshering Tobgay asked his Facebook followers to participate in a poll to decide “What the National Assembly should discuss during the coming session.” Mr. Tobgay will try to include the top questions in the discussions at the next Assembly...
Nepal: Codes Of Ethics For Bloggers
Considering the growing popularity of blogs in Nepal and some recent issues, Nepali journalist and blogger Ujjwal Acharya has taken steps to initiate talks about a code of ethics for bloggers in Nepal and is inviting suggestions and comments from netizens.
Thailand’s First Female Prime Minister?
Yingluck Shinawatra, who is the sister of deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra, has emerged in the past week as a popular candidate in the coming July election in Thailand. She could be Thailand’s first female Prime Minister.
Russia: Reporters’ Open Letter Highlights TV Censorship Concerns
Censorship on the majority of Russian television channels has been around forever, but a recent open letter by REN TV reporters showed how even remaining small islands of media freedom could get washed away.
South Korea: Social Media Controversy Surrounds Sports Broadcaster's Death
The suicide on May 23, 2011, of national television channel MBC sports announcer, Song Ji-seon in South Korea has sparked considerable controversy regarding social media in the country. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, but this latest case has opened a new debate on the public health issue.
Bolivia: New Ministry of Comunications Raises Doubts
Rodrigo Reque Mejía, owner of the blog Puro Papo [es], compares the Bolivian government's newly created Ministry of Communications with the fictitious Ministry of Truth in Geroge Orwell's 1984 novel. His concerns have to do with potential Internet censorshio, among others.
Russia: FSB Blocks Access to LiveJournal in Ulyanovsk City
A user of Internet portal Habrahabr wrote [ru] that on May 17, 2011 an Internet provider company in Russian city Ulyanovsk blocked access to the blog of Aleksey Navalny, a famous online personality on RuNet, following the order of FSB, Russian security service. It was later reported [ru] by GTZ.ru that the...
Russia: Internet Economy To Reach 4 Percent of GDP by 2015
Russian Internet economy will more than double within the next four years and rich four percent of the country's GDP by 2015, reported [ru] Lenta.ru citing the latest research by The Boston Consulting Group.
Russia: Mobile Users Search and Socialize Online
Russian mobile users utilize their phones for searching, browsing social networks and downloading musics, Rumetrika reported [ru]. Half of Russians own own mobile phones. The majority of people using mobile Internet are younger than 24 years old.
Cuba: Students Need Internet
“The more often I read about the internet from the Cuban government perspective the more I feel like we need to do a better job of explaining to them why the internet is necessary”: Graham Sowa, blogging at Havana Times, makes a case for why the Internet is a critical...
Cuba: Rojas Detained
Cuban bloggers focus their attention on Luis Felipe Rojas, who was reportedly detained this past weekend, allegedly for blogging about the beating of three women.
Brazil: Crowdfunding Potential
Interest in crowdfunding, a form of online fundraising, has exploded in recent months in Brazil. We survey the scene and the potential of crowd fundraising in a country known for world-renowned social organizing, and creativity.
South Korea: Protecting World Heritage Site from Construction Work
Local residents and activists have strongly protested against the government's plan to construct a naval base on the Jeju island, one of the World Heritage sites. Twitterer Kim Se-ri, an assistant movie director, has been tweeting [ko] about the ongoing protest for over a month now.
Brazil/Palestine: Football Player Removed from Facebook and National Team
The blog Palestinian Field Negro denounces that the Facebook account of the Brazilian football player from Real Madrid (Spain), Marcelo Vieira, has been deleted due to his support of the Palestinian cause. Later on Marcelo was also cut from the Brazilian national team [pt].
Russia: Daghestani Media Online
Window on Eurasia reports that “virtually all Daghestani media outlets now have online versions.”
Cuba: Cultural Center Closed
Generation Y blogs about “the shock of the correctives” in the form of “the closure of the cultural center run by the painter Pedro Pablo Oliva”.
Kenya: Paula Kahumbu to Speak About Social Media for Conservation
Renowned conservationist and 2009 PopTech Social Innovation Fellow Dr. Paula Kahumbu is scheduled to speak about social media and conservation at the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi on Wednesday, 25 May 2011, S. Maina reports.
China: Fang Binxing Shoegate: Responses Within China
Fang Binxing,the Father of the Great Firewall, and was pelted with shoes by students protesting Internet censorship. The China Digital Times has translated Chinese netizen's responses to the act.
Technology for Transparency: Final Report
The Technology for Transparency Network is proud to announce the release of its final report, "Global mapping of technology for transparency and accountability". The report is being published by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (@TAInitiative) along with a over a dozen other reports on the global transparency movement.
Puerto Rico: Bloggers Conference
Read the reflections, opinions, and posts on the most recent Bloggers Conference [es] in Puerto Rico.