Stories from Quick Reads from October, 2012
Japan: Election Tweeting Forbidden
Even though Japanese is the second most active language in the world on Twitter, for the country's political candidates, tweeting during election campaigns is forbidden. A group of young activists is seeking to...
Mexican Blogger Ruy Salgado Reappears, Ends Broadcast
Arjan Shahani writes about the case of Mexican blogger Ruy Salgado from el5antuario [es], who had gone missing in September of this year. On October 20, one of his former...
Halloween an ‘Alien’ Holiday in Tajikistan
We should teach the younger generation that Halloween is alien to Tajiks and all Muslims. Proud Tajik boys and girls who love their nation should never celebrate alien holidays. Blogger...
China: Ningbo Protests Point to Middle Class Discontent
Over the weekend, residents took to the streets in Ningbo, Zhejiang, to protest against the expansion of a paraxylene (PX) plant in their city. Sophie Beach from China Digital Times...
Puerto Rico: Prejudice Between the Lines
Félix Jiménez denounces in a short note in the digital magazine 80grados the prejudice that is revealed between the lines in the sports sections of the country's main newspapers when covering...
Brazil: Wikileaks Reveals Officials’ Disdain Towards the Guarani Kaiowá
Brazilian investigative journalism website Pública reports [pt] on documents leaked by WikiLeaks on the plight of the request for land of the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá. A cable from 2009 reveals disdain...
Iran: Four Facebook Users Arrested
According to several Iranian news sites,four people were arrested and charged with “propaganda activities against the regime and insulting officials in Facebook” in the southern city of Sirjan.
Tajikistan: Students Forced to Love President
As the president of Tajikistan tours the country's northern province of Sughd, blogger Teocrat reports [ru] that thousands of students were mobilized to greet the president wherever he goes. This has...
El Salvador's Tough Abortion Laws
Voices from El Salvador highlights several stories of Salvadoran women affected by the country's abortion ban, ” which includes cases of rape, incest, and when the health of the woman is...
Kenya: The Influence of Technology in Governance
Will Mutua writes about a report investigating the use of Twitter by various presidential candidates ahead of the 2013 national elections: This first report (a mini-report really) investigates Martha Karua’s...
Africa: The Challenges of Building African Platforms
John Karanja discusses the challenges of building African platforms: What is an African platform? What does it look like? and perhaps more importantly what does it do? Will it address...
Thailand: Gun Crimes on the Rise
Thailand's homicide rate has declined since 2006 but criminal cases involving guns are on the rise. Bangkok Pundit analyzes some statistics on gun crimes, homicide cases, and gun ownership in...
Thailand: Hotline to Help Children
Childline Thailand Foundation is an NGO that runs a nationwide 24-hour telephone hotline to help children in Thailand. The “SaiDek 1387” hotline is also maximized to urge government compliance with...
China, South Korea: Gangnam Style in Chinese Universities
South Korea PSY pop, Gangnam style has landed in China. Around 3,700 people danced the Gangnam Style together at Nanjing Hehai University and a few dozen students danced on the...
China: Medicinal Alcohol
A netizen (Derek) has introduced the Chinese tradition of medicinal alcohol online, in particular the three-penis alcohol that apparently enhances a man's power.
Thailand: Bangkok Launches Bike Rentals
To decongest traffic and encourage people to use public mass transport system, Bangkok has recently launched a bicycle rental program. Richard Barrow attended the launch and provided ideas on how...
Puerto Rico: The Unwritten Rule of the Puerto Rican Press
Luisa García Pelatti talks [es] in her blog Sin comillas (Without Quotation Marks) about the alleged illegal use of government funds by the newspaper El Vocero [es] (The Spokesman) that was denounced by the newspaper El...
Facebook Donations Support Volleyball in Tajikistan
A new Facebook page, Volleyball for Tajikistan, has recently been launched to raise funds for two volleyball teams created in the country's south. Within eight days after the launch, people from across...
Pakistan: Increase In Crime Affects Eid Celebrations
Omair Alavi reports that increase in crime rate in Karachi marred the recent Eid-ul-Azha celebrations.
