Stories from 15 February 2011
Russia: 2011 State Budget Funding for Media Companies
LJ user sart posts info (RUS) from the Russian Federation's 2011 budget (RUS, .zip, 322MB) on the state funding allotted to media companies: e.g., VGTRK gets nearly 19 billion rubles (approx. $628 million), and TV-Novosti, a company that owns RT (Russia Today), gets over 11 billion rubles (nearly $380 million).
Brunei: Rare coins
Tiger Lim from Brunei uploads some rare coins which were used in Brunei and Malaysia in the 1920s and 1930s
Philippines: Hot air balloon fiesta
Ginger of ManilaReviews writes about the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark, Pampanga.
Malaysia: Amending the law to censor internet?
Malaysia’s government is considering tightening its already strict laws on printing to include online publications as well. The announcement immediately drew huge criticism from the online community who believe that the Internet should not be controlled.
Russia: Government Officials Dismissed for Compromising Online Photos
Government officials in Russia start to feel the pressure of ‘Privacy 2.0.’ 2 policemen have been dismissed [RUS] in Chita after anonymous commenter published pictures [RUS] of them drunk at a local forum. Almost simultaneously in Buryatia, Irina Levandovskaya, a regional judge, has been dismissed for compromising photos [RUS] found by...
Russia: Reactions to the “Safe Internet League”
Radio Free Europe writes about the “Safe Internet League”, a new initiative that would use volunteer cyber squads to monitor and report ‘dangerous content.’ Reacting to the news, Jeffrey Carr at Forbes notes that “security services have masked a variety of oppressive actions under the more acceptable umbrella of cleaning...
Bangladesh: Dhaka On Valentine's Day
Photo blogger Monirul Alam captures some moments of love during this year's valentine's day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Bahrain: A Second Day of Protests Continues (Video)
Continuing with Global Voices' coverage of the ongoing #Feb14 protests in Bahrain, Yacoub Slaise has compiled a number of videos covering today's developments.
Azerbaijan: We are all Junkies…
Jabbar Savalan updates its readers on the case of a youth activist recently arrested in Azerbaijan. In its latest entry, the blog reports that the Dalga Youth Movement have issued a statement concerning the arrest [EN], while in another, it posts a photograph of a protest demonstration held in his...
Russia: Old and New Media Censorship Tactics
In its yearly report Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) analyzes situation with Post-Soviet online expression, noting that online censorship in the region has become more subtle without losing efficiency. “Accidents befall Web servers, just as mysterious, unsolved crimes of violence silence the region's online journalists.”
Gabon: Leaderless Opposition?
Gabon is entering its third week of political tension, as its two presidents - official and unofficial - both claim leadership. But as developments continue in this small West African nation, critics denounce a lack of leadership in the burgeoning opposition movement.
Bahamas: Fire on Bay Street
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe posts photos of yesterday's tragic fire in Nassau, commenting: “What a sad loss of those beautiful old buildings.”
Bahamas: Dr. Keva Bethel Dies
Womanish Words pays tribute to the late educator Dr. Keva Bethel: “Bahamian women of my generation can be especially proud of her and grateful to her for a life and career that inspired us to reach for greatness in a man's world.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Songs of Our Youth
“There’s no soca like the soca of your youth”: Lisa Allen-Agostini says that's “the reason soca gets ‘worse’ every year. It’s not the music, darling. It’s you.”
Puerto Rico: Muñoz for UPR
Repeating Islands reports that a new interim president has been selected for the University of Puerto Rico.
Trinidad & Tobago: Road Deaths
“Trinidad is head and a lot of people are dead because of it”: B.C. Pires explains.
Bahrain: Day of Wrath Number Two
Bahrain's Day of Wrath protests enter their second day. Two protesters have been killed, reportedly at the hands of police using excessive force. Here are some reactions from Twitter.
North Korea: More Stalinist than Stalin himself, the country has about 100 IP addresses
In the New Media Revolution and U.S. Global Engagement conference, Professor Andrei Lankov, a Russian specialist in Korean studies said that North Korea has about 100 IP addresses for the whole country (plus intranet). He also commented that North Korea has managed to be more Stalinist than Stalin himself in...
Bahrain: The second martyr falls
Saudi Twitter user @Al Ahlawy29 posts a series of photos (WARNING: graphic images) showing the second protester to die in Bahrain, prefaced with the text (ar): “And the second martyr falls. The martyr is Fadhel Salman Al Matrook, 32 years old. He was martyred while taking part in the funeral of [first] martyr...
Latin America: Conversations About OCD Iberoamérica
Juan Arellano spoke to Soraya Sacaan [es] and Juan José Retamal [es] of OCD Iberoamérica [es], a Chilean initiative whose mission is to “contribute to knowledge of digital communications in the private sector, academia and government to promote and understand its scope and application in society.” Juan added both videos...
Pearl Roundabout, Bahrain's Tahrir Square
Following the burial of the first Bahraini protestor to be killed after clashes with riot police on Monday February 14, 2011, hundreds more protestors are gathered once more at Pearl Roundabout in capital Manama, the epicentre of the country's demonstrations.
