5 June 2011

Stories from 5 June 2011

Cuba: Backlash?

  5 June 2011

Blogger and gay activist Francisco Cruz Rodríguez questions whether recent op-eds [es] defining marriage as uniquely between a man and a woman, published in the two state-run nationally distributed newspapers Granma [es] and Juventud Rebelde [es], might be in reaction to the IV Cuban Conference Against Homophobia recently held in...

Dominican Republic: “Selective Intolerance”

  5 June 2011

Journalist and blogger María Isabel Soldevila is outraged [es] by how people have reacted to a photo of a newlywed gay couple kissing, published in the front page of the newspaper Listín Diario [es], while they remain apathetic to issues that  are seriously troubling the country.

Cuba: New Podcast About Movies

  5 June 2011

Rafa of the blog El Microwave [es] announces the launching [es] of the podcast Cinefilia [es], in which he will explore the world of cinema with fellow blogger Javier [es].

Georgia: Sharon Stone Seducing the Nation

The most popular topic for discussion on social networks, as well as by the online and traditional media, this weekend was the premiere of Renny Harlin's movie about the 2008 Georgia-Russia war. However, the most important guest invited for the premiere was Hollywood actress Sharon Stone.

South Africa: The Ideology of the Democratic Alliance

  5 June 2011

Sean posts a piece on the politics of the South African opposition party, the Democratic Alliance written by Jane Duncan (a journalism professor at Rhodes University): “The DA under the leadership of Helen Zille is a political phenomenon. It is winning more hearts and minds, including in working class communities...

Tanzania: Opposition MP Tweets His Arrest

  5 June 2011

Zitto Kabwe, a Tanzanian Member of Parliament from the opposition party Chadema, was arrested on June 4 in Central Tanzania soon after holding a public rally. As he was taken into police custody, the MP used his mobile phone to tweet the arrest to his 1,640 followers who retweeted, sympathised and tweeted back messages of encouragement.

Slovakia: The People Vs. the Census

Tibor Blazko writes about problems with Slovakia's 2011 Population and Housing Census, which took place in Slovakia on May 21, 2011. Issues include people's unwillingness to fill out complex forms and the reportedly high cost of the census.