Stories from 24 January 2012
Russia: Community of Election Observers Launched
Creators of popular citizen crowdsourcing projects RosYama and RosPil Alexey Navalny and Georgiy Alburov launch a new project RosVybory [ru], a community of election observers. Users submit their data to the...
Madagascar: What Next, After Former President Is Denied Entry?
Malagasy citizens anxiously witnessed former President Marc Ravalomanana's attempt to return home after three years in exile, last Saturday. A few days after the issue, bloggers analyze the state of the nation and what may come next.
Cuba: “Bad” Reporting on Hunger Striker's Death
“Wilman Villlar was a political activist accused of murder, contempt and who knows what other charges. Now we can expect our press to report it, belatedly and badly”, says Bad...
Haiti: Haitians at Tuskegee
The Haitian Blogger republishes a story about the Haitian Tuskegee airmen.
Haiti: More Cases of UN Sexual Assault
Following new allegations of sexual assault against minors by UN troops in Haiti, mediahacker notes that “the peacekeeping troops accused of sexually abusing the young man in Port Salut have...
Trinidad & Tobago: Manning Has Stroke
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog reports that the former Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, has suffered a stroke.
Jamaica: Bogle, Rastas & Dons
“It may be unseemly to some folks to see a commonality between Jamaica’s national hero Paul Bogle, the Rastafari and the dons who rule the island’s so called politically defined...
Egypt: revolt's anniversary at Tahrir
Egyptian Twitter-sphere reports that jailed blogger #Maikel Nabil has just been released, while people are gathering for tomorrow's big rally at #Tahrir to celebrate the revolt's first anniversary: “feels chaotic...
Guyana: “Controversial” Kissoon
Bloggers report on the recent firing of journalist and political science lecturer Freddie Kissoon from the University of Guyana.
Africa: Sex, Love and Magic at the Africa Cup of Nations 2012
2012 is undoubtedly a significant year for football lovers in Africa as Gabon and Equatorial Guinea host the main football competition in Africa, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). After been held every two years since 1968, the tournament will now move to odd-numbered years from 2013.
Hong Kong Rethinks its Relationship with Mainland China
15 years after Hong Kong's return to mainland China, Hong Kongers have little mood for celebration. Tensions run deep between Hong Kongers and mainlanders. Bloggers and social critics explore recent conflicts from the social, cultural and economic perspectives.
Chile: Crowd Funding a Mapuche-Inspired Mobile Game
Digital communication and social network consultant Paloma Baytelman [es] explains crowd funding in her personal blog. She shares the experience of “Pewen Collector” [es], a mobile game inspired by the...
Latin America: Museum Releases Digital Archive of 20th-Century Art
The International Center for Arts of the Americas (ICCA) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has released a digital archive of 20th-century Latin American and Latino art, which, “is...
Afghanistan: Coverage in US papers falls in 2011
Nick Fielding writes that coverage of Afghanistan in American newspapers fell in 2011 compared to the previous year, although overall coverage of international issues jumped by more than a third.
Afghanistan: Sahar Gul’s story as an illustration of women’s rights
basir ahang writes about 15 year old girl, who had been forced into marriage and later was imprisoned, tortured and violently beaten by the husband and his family because she...
Kyrgyzstan: MPs Told to Ride the Bus
A suggestion that Kyrgyz MPs should give up their state-funded cars and take a minibus to work has moved netizens towards a reappraisal of what their elected representatives should and shouldn't be entitled to.
China: Tibet Burns, But Where Are the Chinese Public Intellectuals?
Since 2009, there have been at least 17 Tibetan self-immolation incidents in China. The public discussion about Tibetan protests is dominated by state controlled media, while those who usually speak out against injustice online often remain silent.
Russia: “Mikhail Dmitrievich Prokhorov: An Unpredictable Kremlin Project”
Although some believe the 2012 Russian presidential election's outcome to be pre-scripted, the complexities surrounding Mikhail Prokhorov's candidacy should not be overlooked. Donna Welles reports.
