Stories about Weblog from March, 2013
Maldives Rape Victim's Flogging Sentence Touches Off Anti-Tourism Campaign
Global outrage is growing against a Maldives court's verdict to flog a 15-year-old girl who is originally a victim of rape and sexual abuse. More than one million people have signed a petition created by the campaign website Avaaz.org, urging Maldivian authorities to protect the girl.
How Will St. Lucia's Civil Servant Strike Turn Out?
A civil service strike in St. Lucia has dominated online conversation in the country, as netizens discuss issues like the size of the public service, St. Lucia's debt burden and the state of the trade union movement.
Arrest Warrant Issued for Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah for a Twitter Mention
Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah surrendered himself to the public prosecution today (March 26) after an arrest warrant was issued for him last night. The investigation, tweets Abd El Fattah, revolved around his relationship with Princess Joumana and her mention of him on Twitter.
Attention! Baby on Board: An Interview With a Travelling Blogger Family
An interview with The Family Without Borders: Anna and Thomas Alboth, parents, travellers and bloggers, who've been around the Black Sea and around Central America with their two small daughters.
String of Killings Leaves Five Guatemalan Activists Dead
Although Guatemala is taking a giant step towards justice by prosecuting former dictator Efraín Rios Montt for genocide, problems with violence and impunity continue unresolved. In less than one month, five indigenous and social leaders have been kidnapped and murdered by gangs of armed men in different regions of rural Guatemala.
Can India Win The Fight Against Tuberculosis?
24th March is observed as World Tuberculosis Day and this year, the various stakeholders dedicated to fight tuberculosis - government agencies, the medical community, NGOs and health activists, took time out to take stock of how India was faring in it's fight against the dreaded disease.
Nine Street Kids Die in Senegal Quran School Fire
A raging fire that broke out in Dakar, Senegal in a crowded Islamic school room where students were sleeping killed at least nine children on the night of Sunday 3 March, 2013. The tragedy has highlighted just how tough living conditions for Quran school students, known as talibs, can be.
Brazil Violently Ousts Indigenous Village Ahead of World Cup
Brazilian police violently evicted a group of indigenous people from a building they had occupied in Rio de Janeiro to make way for a sports museum, the latest in a series of evictions that have drawn criticism from human rights defenders as Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia Threatens to Block Skype and WhatsApp
Saudi Arabia, an Enemy of the Internet, is threatening to block a number of popular communication tools, such as Skype and mobile messaging service WhatsApp, unless the operating companies agree to infringe on the privacy of users and monitor them.
Digital Freedom: Principles and Concepts
The Egyptian Institute for Freedom of Thought and Expression issued its first statement on digital freedom, a simplified research paper to propose definitions for digital rights and related principles which the paper summarised as: universal access, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to privacy, and the right to creativity, development and innovation.
Tunisia: “No to IMF Loan”
As Tunisia works to secure a US$1.78 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to cover next year's budget, the government has ignited anger across the country raising taxes and cutting subsidies at a time when the economy is struggling to recover from the country's Arab Spring uprising.
China's Red Army Returns Online and Hunts Students
In China's Southern Guangdong province, a local University has been monitoring student conversation online and controlling their negative sentiment for the last 3 years.The news triggered outrage online; many think the university has violated student privacy and demanded a stop to the system.
INFOGRAPHIC: More Money for Ukraine's Bloated Police Force
The infographics on Ukraine's law enforcement that many Ukrainian Facebook users have been sharing this month tells us that the country's police force is a bit too numerous and has been receiving more and more state funding over the past few years.
PHOTOS: Skis and Military Vehicles Battle Ukraine's Snowpocalypse
On March 22, Kyiv broke its monthly average of snow in just one day. While the authorities were combatting the weather, many Ukrainians united online to offer help and to share photos, stories and humor devoted to the snowfall. Tetyana Bohdanova reports.
Is President Carmona Trinidad and Tobago's Hope?
Last week, Trinidad and Tobago swore in its fifth President, retired high court judge Anthony Carmona. The new president's inaugural address, in which he vowed to “[hold] fast to the fundamentals [of] integrity, Transparency, Inclusiveness and Reverence to God Almighty” captured the public's imagination – and that of a few bloggers – who have been talking about what effect, if any, the new presidency could have on the country's political landscape.
Remembering the Tenth Anniversary of the War Against Iraq
Last week marked a decade since the then George W. Bush administration declared the war against Iraq, as part as his fight against terrorism. In the United States, netizens react.
Myanmar: Who is Plotting the Meikhtila Riot?
For three days, riots raged in the town of Meikhtila in the Mandalay division of Myanmar. A curfew was imposed by the police after a group of people reportedly set buildings and motor bikes on fire in the area. Netizens condemned those who are speading hate messages online and those who are provoking religious and ethnic clashes
Condom TV Spot Pulled in Kenya After Religious Outcry
A public service announcement promoting condom use to combat the spread of HIV in Kenya was recently pulled from the airwaves after the TV spot caused an uproar among the country's religious leaders.
Hong Kong's Democrats Have Radical Plans
To pressure Beijing to grant Hong Kong genuine universal suffrage, democratic activists have begun discussing civil disobedience as a viable tactic .
The Return of China's First Lady
Reversing a streak decades long of low-profile presidential wives, Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan accompanied her husband, new President Xi Jinping, to Russia on his first foreign tour, marking a return of the role to the political spotlight.
Peru: NO Vote Straddles Victory and Defeat in Lima's Recall Election
Last Sunday's municipal recall election in Lima has had unexpected results: the Mayoress gets to keep her job, but appears to have lost most of her councillors. The social networks are putting it in perspective.
