Stories from Quick Reads from May, 2015
#IFellAsleepToo: Sleeping Latin American Doctors Go Viral
#YoTambienMeDormi Atte:@kellypeto pic.twitter.com/00hXx8iJBe — Iván Hernández (@DrIvanHdez) Mayo 12, 2015 I Fell Asleep Too. Sincerely: @kellypeto It's a trending topic under the hashtag #YoTambienMeDormi (#IFellAsleepToo). In one week, there have been 17,500 comments on Twitter. The stories of tens of thousands of doctors in Mexico and Latin America who are sharing...
Venezuela Bans 22 Media Editors and Executives from Leaving the Country
Over 20 members of three Venezuelan media groups, El Nacional and Tal Cual, as well as news site La Patilla, are now prohibited from leaving the country. Caracas judge María Eugenia Núñez ordered the restriction on the opposition media figures, who are “accused of ‘continuing aggravated defamation'”, according to broadcaster NTN24. Venezuela places travel ban on opposition media execs...
‘I'm Not a Swindler': A Campaign Against Romani Discrimination Takes Aim at the Dictionary
On April 8, on the occasion of the International Romani People Day, the organizations that form the Romani People Council started a campaign using social networks to request the Royal Spanish Academy to change the definition of the word gitano (Spanish word for gypsy) in the dictionary. The purpose of...
Amid “Intelligent” Censorship Discussions, Iran Affirms Facebook Will Remain Blocked
Discussions regarding the implementation of “intelligent” filtering have proliferated Internet policy discussions within Iran. “Intelligent” filtering is a process whereby they filter select content on a social media platform, rather than the entire site. Our recent research covered the extent of this program on Instagram. In response to “intelligent’ filtering...
Khamenei's #Letter4U Bots Still Active Four Months After Its Launch
On January 21, during the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei penned an open letter to the 'youth in Europe and North America' defending Islam, and the Western world's skewed reception of the religion. He also started tweeting the sentiments of the letter on his @khamenei_ir twitter account, starting the hashtag #Letter4U. A closer look of this hashtag indicates it remains active through bots, which are still crawling through Twitter four months after the launch of the campaign.
Chilean Campaign to Prevent Child Grooming Goes Viral
The Chilean Police campaign against grooming, in which adults earn the trust of minors online to later abuse them, has already reached more than 5 million views. It has become a success going way beyond the borders of the South American country, according to Verne website. The video was published on Facebook to raise...
What We Know and What Is Still Up in the Air After the Alleged Coup in Burundi
Celebration and jubilation near Presidential offices in Bujumbura after the overthrow of Nkurunziza. #BurundiCoup pic.twitter.com/WhJzXKfS69 — Robert ALAI (@RobertAlai) May 13, 2015 Following incumbent Burundi President Nkurunziza's candidacy for a third term, General Godefroid Niyombare announced that he has dismissed the current administration and that he is taking over until...
Venezuela Creates the Joint Staff for Cyber Defense
#SepaQue Ministerio de la Defensa crea la Dirección Conjunta de Ciberdefensa ● http://t.co/7JdVlgdDuE pic.twitter.com/ua82tGbO9d — Efecto Cocuyo (@EfectoCocuyo) May 8, 2015 #YouMustKnow Venezuelan Defense Ministry creates the Joint Staff for Cyber Defense. The Cocuyo Effect website reported that the Defense Ministry of Venezuela created the Joint Staff for Cyber Defense...
Can Electronic Games Accelerate Ghana's Development?
Join Accra Technology salon that will take place on May 26th, 2015. The theme of the salon is Games for Ghana’s Development: Electronic games are a two trillion dollar global industry. Game development in Ghana is growing rapidly, fueled by the popularity of mobile phones and climbing Internet usage rates....
Can Africa Really Maintain Its Own African Centers for Disease Control?
Anna K. Mwaba discusses the future of the newly established African Center for Disease Control: The establishment of such a center in Africa is not a particularly new idea; talks on the need for more effective means to combat epidemics on the continent were held in July 2013 at the...
Amaal Said’s Portraits of Belonging: An Interview
Zachary Rosen interviews photographer/poet Amaal Said. Amaal was born in Denmark to Somali parents and is currently based in London: AIAC: Your photographs are remarkable in how they challenge and evolve notions of beauty in mainstream Western media by featuring intimate portraits of melanin-rich young people – with piercings, in...
Angani: First Operational Cloud Service in East Africa
Last month, Angani launched first operational cloud service in East Africa: Angani, the first fully automated cloud infrastructure company in the region, today officially launched their cloud and hosting services. Angani also announced their partnership with local data center operators that will make it safe and cost effective to provision...
The Humanitarian Crisis You Haven't Heard of in Burundi
Following Burundi President Nkurunziza's announcement of his candidacy for a third term (unconstitutional by Burundi's existing law), a massive humanitarian crisis has hit the country as at least 50,000 refugees have fled the country after scenes of violence were reported in several cities. The occurrence of violence were often posted...
Media Factory Seeks to Invest in New Digital Media in Latin America
Media Factory, a startup accelerator which focuses on the business of online news and journalism, announced the second class of its news acceleration program, seeking to support new digital-only media ventures in Latin America during 2015. Teams should be based anywhere in the region and have a strong professional network, successful experience generating...
The Mexican ‘Corrido’ of Feminist Liberation
Junio del 75 en México no te asombres Se juntaron mil señoras para hablar mal de los hombres […] Liberación absoluta es meta de la mujer Pero aquello de que hablamos Que no lo dejen de hacer aunque sea por favor In June of '75 in Mexico don’t be surprised...
Your Post-Election Guide to Cashing in on Nigeria's Oil Wealth
Nigeria's election means a political reshuffling, including key positions in the oil industry. Tolu Ogunlesi provides a funny, informative guide so you too can cash in on the oil wealth.
Mother Regains Custody of Child Following Social Media Pressure in Ecuador
The battle of a French mother to recover her son held in Ecuador by his Ecuadorian father, a case characterized by sexism and misogyny, had been followed closely on Ecuadorian social networks. Valeria Coronel and Antonio Jurado relate for the blog Plató Mundo: Arianais Alezra, la madre de Gaspard Bruzzone, denunció hace...
Whooping Cough Epidemic Looms Over Nanti Children in Peru
The Nantis is one of the semi-nomadic communities that live in Peru. A part of them live in the townships in the upper Camisea river and the central area of the Timpía river. There are isolated families that live scattered in the upper Timpía river and the northern area of the...
Initiative Helps Children With Autism Through Surfing
Tabra is an association launched by Guillermo Ferrero and Andrea Mesones in Peru that aims to improve life quality for children with autism and Down syndrome through surfing and contact with nature, as stated on their Facebook page. Guillermo is the father of a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with autism, and...
Preparations are Underway for Ramadhan in Jerusalem
Preparations are underway at the Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem for the holy month of Ramadhan, expected to begin on June 17 or 18 this year. Muslims fast from dawn to sunset during the month, the start of which is decided by sighting the new moon. The mosque is the...
Former French Defense Minister Finds Excuses for the Alleged Rape of Central African Children by French Soldiers
Afrique Info reports that JP Chevènement, a former defense minister of France, stated on public radio Europe 1 on May 3 that the challenging conditions that French soldiers face in the Central African Republic could explain “behavior of that kind” (see video above). Chevènement was referring to the allegation of child...
