Stories from 24 October 2011
Photos: Flash Mob Encouraging Youth to Vote, South Korea
South Korean citizen media Wiki Tree posted [ko] a video and photos of flash mob encouraging South Korean young voters to participate in the coming election on October 26, 2011.
Hungary: Live-Blogging Oct. 23 Opposition Protest in Budapest
The Contrarian Hungarian live-blogged Sunday's opposition rally in Budapest, which had been organized through Facebook (hu; en) and drew “many tens of thousands” of protesters.
Egypt: Catch the Former Regime Remnants
Last April, an Egyptian court ordered the dissolution of the political organization that ruled the nation for decades. Its members are however reinventing themselves, joining the lists of candidates vying for November's parliamentary elections. See how netizens have joined hands to expose them.
Tunisia: Provisional Results Suggest Islamists Advance
Provisional results of the October 23 election in Tunisia suggest that the Islamist party Ennahdha took the biggest share of the votes. Counting of the votes is still underway, and the final results are expected to be announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Macedonia: Million Tweets – an Existentialist Parody Poem
Blogger iskra_iskric has dared to adapt a Macedonian rock classic by the band Arhangel to the new digital reality, creating a new poem on tweetering.
USA: Lawrence Lessig's “Republic, Lost”
@Therealpsmst recommends [mk] the talk by anti-corruption activist, law professor and Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig (@lessig): “Republic, Lost” is about the role of campaign contribution racket in the times of crisis and ways to reform the U.S. political and financial system.
Honduras: Blogger's Facebook Account is Shut Down
‘La Gringa’, from La Gringa's Blogcito, says her Facebook account was disabled because someone filed a complaint about her username (‘La Gringa’, her internet pseudonym) after she published a series of posts on crime in Honduras. She explains why she uses a pseudonym and points out that an online petition...
El Salvador: A Look at Relief Efforts as Water Recedes
The rain has stopped and water is starting to recede in El Salvador; Tim's El Salvador Blog now looks at relief efforts after torrential rains hit El Salvador and other parts of Central America.
Chile: Students Storm Former Congress Building
Robert L. Funk reports on the storming of the former Congress building in Santiago by students during “a Committee meeting to which the Education Minister had been invited”. Protesters refused to leave, and the President of the Senate, Guido Girardi, “declared that as the parliament is a public institution and...
East Timor: Petition to Keep the Country Debt-Free
The Movimento Kontra Deve (Movement Against Debt) and East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) have launched a joint petition to “For a Debt-Free Timor-Leste”. The Government of Timor-Leste is currently free of debt. Despite current substantial income from petroleum resources, the government has announced plans to begin borrowing.
Africa: Africa's Challenge to Western Homosexuality
Critical Point discusses Africa's challenge to Western homosexuality: “I feel disappointment when African leaders immediately submit to a foreign concept in order to be assimilated into an “International Community” whose definition of international is decidedly limited! How is it that a relatively recent understanding of homosexuality has predominated over one...
Zambia: Presidential Immunity Must be Limited to the Term of Office
Gershom argues that presidential immunity in Zambia must be limited to the term of office: “With the revelations coming out regarding the conduct of Zambia’s immediate former president Rupiah Banda in his three short years in office, it is increasingly becoming necessary for people to demand that Mr Banda be...
Zambia: Netizens Divided Over Sata's Apology to Angola
Since he took over as Zambia’s president after the September 20 election, Michael Sata has committed several diplomatic blunders. The biggest talking point is his apology to the Angolan government for former Zambian ruling party MMD's support of the then Angolan rebel movement.
Colombia: Workers and Students Take to the Streets in Protest
Public sector workers and university students have hit the streets of Colombia to express their dissatisfaction. Cati Restrepo explores some of their concerns.
Argentina: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Re-Elected President
Presidential elections held in Argentina on October 23 resulted in a sweeping victory for current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, according to preliminary results. This post looks at how Argentinians reacted on Twitter.
Cameroon: French Politician Denounces Irregularities in the Cameroonian Election
Eva Joly, the green party candidate for the French 2012 presidential election, denounced on her blog the re-election of Paul Biya, Cameroon incumbent president. She points out that even the usually prudent US State Department expressed strong reserves with the electoral process. She is surprised that the French Ministry of...
Mozambique: Uniting Small Farmers for a Better Tomorrow
Mr. Júlio dos Santos Pêssego is one of the principal leaders of the "peasant movement" in Niassa province in Mozambique. He helps organize community groups that work to defend land rights, increase food production and bring prosperity to farming families.
Cameroon : The First Lady Fake Twitter Account
Journalist Beaugas-Orain Djoyoum writes an article entitled ‘The Saucy Chantal Biya‘ [fr] in the Cameroonian IT news portal TIC Mag. He describes the typical updates that can be found on the popular fake Twitter account of the Cameroonian First Lady.
Cuba: Recounting Repression
Pedazos de La Isla posts two accounts of Cuban dissidents being beaten and detained, allegedly “just for trying to travel within their own country” and “for demonstrating peacefully”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Making Anya the Fan Favourite
The deadline for voting for the Project Runway Fan Favourite is this Wednesday, October 26, at midnight – and Trinidad Carnival Diary is drumming up support for local designer Anya Ayoung-Chee in this post, complete with instructions as to how to upload tweets in bulk.
Cambodia: Worst Flooding in a Decade
Cambodia is experiencing the worst flooding in a decade. The government reports that almost a half a million hectares of rice paddies were destroyed by the floods, which could affect food security in the region. Here are more reports about the disaster.
