Stories from 3 January 2012
South Korea: Satirial Podcast's Popularity Continues Despite the Host's Arrest
Naggomsu is a satirical podcast which gained tremendous popularity in South Korea for lampooning the country's President. Even after one of its host was jailed for raising allegations of stock price manipulation against the President, the podcast's popularity continues to grow. The nation's influential blogger IamPeter picked [ko] it as...
Bangladesh: Titas is the Name of a Murdered River
In Bangladesh a long diversion road has been hurriedly built through the Titas river and its tributaries obstructing its flow in many parts. It was done to facilitate transit of Indian over-dimensional cargo lorries through Bangladesh. Netizens are outraged by the developments.
Georgia: Return of the Meskhetian Turks
Over 100,000 Muslims were deported from the Meskheti region of Georgia by Joseph Stalin in 1944. Now, more than 60 years later, some are slowly starting to return as part of the country's obligations to the Council of Europe.
Latin America, 2012: A Year of Land-Related Protests?
In his blog Latin American Thought, Alejandro Sánchez looks ahead at what could happen in Latin America in 2012 and argues that “we will see more land-related issues (read protests) in several countries, more so than we have seen already.” Read more about some of last year's land-related demonstrations in...
Mexico's ‘Political-Civic Disconnect’ in the Search for Peace
Fred Rosen, from the NACLA blog Mexico, Bewildered and Contested, explains that when it comes to movements that seek an end to violence in Mexico, “there is a major disconnect between, on the one hand, the movements that have arisen from (and remain in) civil society and, on the other...
Israel: Protest Against the Deportation of Children of Migrant Workers
On Facebook, Elizabeth Tsurkov shares this set of photographs she took during a protest held against the deportation of the children of migrant workers in Tel Aviv, Israel, tonight.
Chile: Wildfire in Torres del Paine Shocks Netizens
A massive fire in national park Torres del Paine has shocked Chilean netizens, who have expressed their concerns, anger, sadness and hope that it will soon be controlled. "Torres del Paine" and #salvemostorresdelpaine have been used to inform and comment this disaster on Twitter.
Yemen: A Parallel Revolution from the Streets to the Institutions
Over the past few weeks, Yemen's revolution spread from the streets to institutions across the country, calling for an end to corruption in the governmental and public sectors. Netizens react to the new development.
U.S.V.I.: Water Woes Cause Anger
“It’s gotten graphic there – waste that’s piling up in toilets that cannot be flushed; people crawling around in cisterns trying to retrieve a bucket of water to meet a small part of their needs. And this is 2012″: No See Um blogs about the untenable water rationing situation in...
Puerto Rico: Violent End to 2011
Reports of “excessive gun fire” ringing in the New Year in Puerto Rico; Dondequiera comments.
Cuba: Internet in a Flash
At Havana Times, Alfredo Fernandez blogs about Cuba's “strange form of the Internet” – the flash drive.
Bermuda: Race, Politics & Society
Catch-a-fire says that when it comes to race, “there are few issues which are as controversial or fundamental in understanding Bermudian politics and society.”
Iran:Iranian internet users to be cut off from World Wide Web
Several bloggers report [fa] that Iran's Corporate Computer Systems [fa] says that Iran will be cut off from the World Wide Web once the country launches its own national internet network in near future.
Caribbean: Looking Back on 2011
The regional blogosphere in 2011 saw a few territories, most notably Cuba, taking front and centre - especially when it came to digital activism. The rest of the Caribbean meanwhile, grappled with everything from homophobia to states of emergency, weathered hurricanes and questioned the boundaries of online privacy.
Yemen: A Year of Revolution and a Story of Struggle
Yemen's Revolution is the longest ongoing revolution of the Arab Spring. It started with a protest on February 3 and has been ongoing ever since. Noon Arabia lists the posts covering the main events that happened in Yemen throughout this year and features the videos that tell the story of Yemen's struggle for freedom, democracy and justice.
Brazil: Military Police Strike and Looting Cause Panic in Fortaleza
On the eve of the New Year's festivities, the population in the state of Ceará, Brazil, was taken by surprise with a strike by the military police and firefighters. Propagating both facts and rumors surrounding the violence, the hashtag #CaosEmFortaleza (ChaosInFortaleza) has brought together general grumbling, formal complaints, ironic musings and misinformation on the social and political atmosphere in the capital city of Fortaleza.
Lebanon: Non-Political Blog Stories of 2011
In an end-of-year post, Mustapha compiles a collection of top non-political Lebanese blog posts he wrote during 2011. He introduces the collection by saying: “The Arab spring and the turmoil in Lebanese politics dominated the 1,210 posts in this blog in 2011. But this year also witnessed other stories and...
Afghanistan:The number 39 is associated with prostitution
A Facebook campaign has been launched to fight against wrong mentality about number 39 in Afghanistan. This number is associated to prostitution. Read more here.
Iran: 100 Bloggers Boycott Parliamentary Election
About 100 bloggers has boycotted [fa] the next parliamentary election in March. They call it a circus and ask the opposition to use the creative way to protest against it.
Bahrain: Journalist Mazen Mahdi Detained, then Released
Bahraini journalist Mazen Mahdi tweets that he was detained by police today, and later on released. The Committee to Protect Journalists says the Middle East political turmoil and protests is proving to be deadly for journalists.
Philippines: Manhunt for ‘Human Rights Violator’ Goes Online
A 'people's manhunt' was organized to catch Major General Jovito Palparan who is accused of committing human rights violations in the Philippines. After an arrest warrant was issued by the Court, netizens started uploading “Wanted: Palparan” posters on blogs, Facebook pages, and other social media platforms.
