Stories about Weblog from January, 2012
31 January 2012
Spanish-Speaking Twittersphere Fumes Over Announcement
Twitter's announcement that it will restrict certain user content according to the laws of individual countries immediately caused a negative reaction in the Spanish-speaking Twittersphere. Twitter users widely employed the...
Moldova: Anti-Government Protests Receive Little Endorsement From Netizens
For the past two weeks Moldovans have been out in the streets, protesting. These protests, however, have received very little endorsement from Moldova's online community. Diana Lungu explains why.
30 January 2012
Brazil: Sex Scandal on Big Brother Provokes Debate on Machismo
The live broadcast of an alleged rape on the TV show with the highest ratings in Brazil on 14th January, with no immediate intervention by TV Globo, led thousands of...
Philippines: Protest Against Removal of Trees by Shopping Mall
The plan of SM City Baguio shopping mall in north Philippines to remove more than 100 trees to make way for a new parking lot and entertainment site has been...
Pakistan: Moral Policing of Dating Couples Gets TV Show Axed
In a recent live Pakistani television show, a group of middle aged women were seen scouring the parks of Karachi to hold accountable the couples dating without their guardians' knowledge....
South Africa: Student Anti-Racism Poster Causes a Stir
South Africa's Democratic Alliance Students Organisation recently released a controversial poster as part of their anti-racism campaign, which shows a naked mixed-race couple embracing. The poster has caused a huge...
Peru: Terrorism, Youth and Social Networks
One of the strongest repercussions of the MOVADEF's decision to apply to register as a political party is the amount of young activists and supporters the group has attracted and...
Ukraine: The Story of Anna Boiko's Life
"She is a cheerful, talented, strong person. A person who has been through a lot, who is full of knowledge and memories," writes Olya Suprun about her 75-year-old grandmother, whose...
US, Russia: The Flying Balalaika Brothers Bridge Cultural Gaps in Texas
Like many of their compatriots, musicians Zhenya Kolykhanov and Sergey Vaschenko emigrated from Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and have since established themselves...
29 January 2012
Malaysia: Temiar Blockade and Indigenous Rights
Eight indigenous peoples were arrested in Malaysia for attempting to set up a blockade and prevent loggers from entering their village. The villagers are against the agricultural project of the...
India: New Challenges to Fight Tuberculosis Worldwide
India’s media sphere exploded last week with reports from Mumbai of a tuberculosis strain (TDR-TB) completely resistant to all known treatment. As the World Health Organization released a statement refuting...
UK: #TwitterKurds Organize First Social Media Gathering in London
A group of Kurdish Internet activists that have been organizing around the #TwitterKurds hashtag on Twitter have come together for the first Kurdish Social Media Gathering earlier this month in...
Saudi Arabia: A Family Living in a Cemetery
A Saudi family has been saved from homelessness and destitution thanks to a three-minute movie shot by young Saudi film maker Bader AlHomoud. Haifa Al Rasheed tells us how in...
Hungary: “We Voted For Orbán, Not For Goldman Sachs”
Last Saturday, after several protests against the government's policies, Hungarians supporting those in power decided to hold a rally of their own, too. Marietta Le reports.
28 January 2012
Australia Day: Fury Follows Aboriginal Tent Embassy Protest
Australia Day ceremonies are usually the dullest of events. But not when Australia’s political leaders are together just walking distance from a gathering at the contentious Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Kevin...
27 January 2012
Guatemala: Former Dictator Efraín Rios Montt Questioned for Genocide
On January 26, a judge ruled that former de facto President Efraín Rios Montt will stand trial for genocide; the same day, Guatemala's Congress ratified the Rome Statute of the...
Singapore: Corruption Scandal in Least Corrupt Nation
The heads of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Central Narcotics Bureau are being investigated by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau sparking plenty of conversation about corruption in a...
China: Not Worried About Twitter's Decision to Self-Censor
Twitter announced this week that, with an eye on global profits, it has decided to begin censoring content prohibited in the various markets in which the company has users. Although...
Zambia: When Wikipedia Entry “Kills” a President
On the morning of 22 January, Zambians woke up to a statement from State House rebuking news websites for spreading a rumour that President Michael Sata had been assassinated. However,...
Myanmar (Burma): Betwixt and Between
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging further support from the international community in Myanmar....
