Stories from 14 December 2011
Uzbekistan: Playing Politics on Facebook
Facebook seems to have started playing an important role in Uzbek politics. However, so far it is more a tool for playing games with fake accounts, rather than an instrument of civil protests. Ekaterina reports.
Egypt: Long Queues in Second Stage of Egyptian Elections
The second stage of Egypt's parliamentary elections started today, with Egyptians in nine provinces going to the polls. Here is a snap shot of reactions from Twitter on how the first day is going so far.
Brazil: A Book on Fraudulent Privatizations
Brazilian filmmaker Jorge Furtado comments on [pt] a book that he considers to be the best of 2011: “Privataria Tucana”. The title is a play with words that links piracy, privatization and toucans, the symbol of the Social Democrat Party (PSDB). The book exposes policies of privatization carried out during...
Slovakia: The Most Expensive Apple Computers
University of Economics in Bratislava (EUBA) has recently signed a contract to acquire electronics and software for its Faculty of National Economy for a total price of over 1.8 million euro. Many of the items are overpriced. Tibor Blazko reports.
Brazil: Central Bus Station Reflects Precariousness of Human Rights
Emmanuel Rodrigues, writing for the Brazilian blog Eleições Hoje (Elections Today), comments on [pt] the precarious situation of homeless people and others who ramble around the central bus station of Brasilia, Brazil's capital. Rodrigues makes a comparison with the overall situation of the country and the denial of rights to...
Brazil: On a Bill that Bans Drinking in Public Places
Brazilian blogger Leonardo Cisneiros comments on [pt] a proposed bill in the city of Recife (Pernambuco state) that prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places. The proposed bill has caused mixed reactions among the population, including a motion of disgust [pt] and online reactions that have been censored...
Singapore: Stories of Migrant Workers
The number of foreign workers in Singapore continues to rise but little is known about their working and housing conditions. Curious to know the personal stories of migrant workers in prosperous Singapore, three interns conceptualized the ‘Made by Migrants’ project and documented the daily activities of construction workers for two weeks
Australia: Comment on the Palestine Boycott, Divestment & Sanction Campaign
Crikey's NAJ Taylor gathers five of Australia's Middle East diaspora to write about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction of Israel campaign. How effective is it at “balancing the competing harms”? How “useful is [it] for members of the Israeli and Palestinian, as well as Jewish and Muslim, diaspora”?
China: Leadership jockeying ahead of the 18th Party Congress
As the 18th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party approaches, Joshua Rosenzweig ponders about who will become the next head of the Central Politico-Legal Commission (CPLC). Dubbed the “security czar”, the position oversees all legal enforcement authorities and has heavy influence on the rule of law in China.
Hungary: Public Media Trade Union Leaders on Hunger Strike
Redjade, a Hungary-based activist, published a video interview [en] with Balázs Nagy-Navarro, the leader of the public media trade union. Nagy-Navarro went on hunger strike with two of his colleagues after the Hungarian public television MTV broadcast a report in which chief judge Zoltán Lomnici was blurred from the background...
Indonesia: Cost of Corruption
Colson writes about the cost of corruption in Indonesia. In the past five years, it's estimated that $3.3 billion of government funds were lost to corruption.
Indonesia's ‘Soft Power’
Awis Mranani believes Indonesia should enhance and maximize the full potential of its cultural ‘soft power’ in order to gain more influence in the region and the world.
