Stories from 8 February 2012
Brazil: Comments On A New Wave of Privatization As Airports Are Sold
Blogger Mauricio Caleiro comments [pt] on a new wave of privatization – “masked” as “concessions” – led by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff who, during the electoral campaign, said she was against this instrument. So far three of the biggest Brazilian airports were sold to private companies.
Russia: New .Ru Domain Registration Rules Allow Easy Domain Seizure
Andrey Rylkov Foundation writes about the first case of enforcement of the domain seizure rules in the “.ru” and “.рф” domain zones. The rules [ru] (Article 5, point 5.5) , updated on November 11, 2011 allow any law enforcement agency (like police, Federal Security Service, Prosecutor's office or Federal Drug Control Services (FDCS)) to request...
Brazil: New Minister Denounces Torture Against Her Daughter
Blogger and writer Antônio Mello reproduces a denouncement [pt] by the new Minister of the Special Secretariat for Women, Eleonora Menicucci, in which she says that her 1 year old daughter was tortured during the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985) in 1972, in front of her.
Cuba: Bloggers Say Pope Should Postpone Trip
Cuban bloggers have been making their feelings known about the impending papal visit to Cuba, their main concern being that the Vatican is putting its stamp of approval on the Castro government despite regular reports of human rights violations coming out of the island.
Russia: The Anonymous Hacks and Publishes E-mails of Pro-Kremlin Youth Group
Read The Guardian's take on the so-called “Potupchik-gate,” a series of scandals surfaced as a result of hacking and publishing of private inbox of Kristina Potupchik [ru], press-secretary of Nashi, notorious pro-Kremlin youth group. All hacks were published by twitter-user @OP_Russia who uses Anonymous symbolics. Representatives of Anonymous, previously never seen involved...
Bolivia: Blogger Interviews Indigenous Leaders on TIPNIS Conflict
Blogger Dario Kenner from Bolivia Diary interviewed indigenous leaders who are against and in favor of building a road through the Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro Sécuro (TIPNIS).
Cuba: Cell Phone Power
“Cell phones have changed our lives,” writes Generation Y, adding: “If, in March of 2008, Raul Castro had imagined the role cell phones would play in Cuba’s incipient civil society, he probably never would have authorized their use.”
Barbados: Take The Prisoner
An interesting development in the case of the Cuban prisoner being held past his sentence in Barbados, is here.
Tunisia: Reports About a Court to Decide on “Interim” President's Title Refuted
The office of the ¨Presidency in Tunisia denied rumors initiated by a local newspaper claiming that on February 13, a court in the capital will issue a verdict about the use of the term “interim” by the state media when referring to the current President Moncef Marzouki and his government.
Morocco: Busted for Posting Caricatures of the King on Facebook
On February 7, Walid Bahomane appeared before a court in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The 18-year-old is accused of "defaming Morocco's sacred values" by posting pictures and videos on Facebook mocking king Mohammed VI of Morocco. Moroccan netizens are closing ranks in solidarity with Bahomane.
Spanish-Language Digital Magazine on Using ICTs in Human Rights
Digital magazine Revista Calle Sol 28 [es] looks at how human rights activists can use information and communication technologies (ICTs). The issue includes the article “The Right to the Internet” by Venezuelan journalist and Global Voices author Luis Carlos Díaz on the use and impact of blogs and social networks.
Yemen: Yemen S-Election!
Yemen's Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi - unanimously nominated by parliament as the only presidential candidate for Yemen's February 21 election - has kicked off his campaign. Netizens comment on this one-man election race.
Peru: A blogger's proposition
Peruvian blogger Cyrano makes a proposition on his blog [es]: “today February 7, 2012, without fail (or whenever you read this), let's make a call to someone we don't talk to for a while and let's simply tell them: ‘I care a lot about you'”.
Armenia: Eurovision Hopefuls
Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts the video and lyrics of a song by Armenian rock band Dorians. One of the three most likely contenders to enter this year's Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, the blog says that the group is also his favorite to represent Armenia in...
Tunisia: Decision to Expel Syrian Ambassador Sparks Heated Debate
On February 1, Tunisia, the birthplace of the so-called Arab Spring, has started procedures to expel the Syrian Ambassador in Tunis, and to withdraw recognition of the Syrian regime. Netizens react to the decision.
Georgia: Independent Media Gone Mobile
Following the removal of traditional newspaper booths in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, and out of concern that the independent media will suffer as a result, Democracy and Freedom Watch reports that newspapers are now being sold via mobile newsstands including those attached to bicycles. A video report [GE] is also...
France: The first Muslim public cemetery
Hanan Ben Rhouma of Saphir News reports [fr] that: “The first Muslim public cemetery in France was open in Strasbourg on Monday, February 6. In a sense, it is a unique cemetery of that kind because it is the first to be managed by local public authorities based on the Alsace-Moselle Accord...
Italy: Volunia, a Serendipity-based Search Engine
On the blog Presse-citron, Jean-Marie Le Ray wites about”Volunia” [fr], the new search engine in 12 languages invented by Professor Massimo Marchiori of the University of Padua (Italy) : “this is a new concept of navigation of our times I think a test, a laboratory of ideas , also with a prospective vision...
Hong Kong, China: Netizens Mock the University of Hong Kong
One netizen has recreated the University of Hong Kong's logo to mock its centennial celebration last year, arranged to take place during premier Li Keqiang's visit to Hong Kong.
China, North Korea: Spreading Meth Across the Border
Jende Huang from Sino-NK has written an investigative report on the spreading of meth across the China and North Korea border.
Hong Kong: Oldest English Newspaper Turning Red?
Asia Sentinel has a news story about the latest development of the oldest English newspaper, South China Morning Post, in Hong Kong. The writer believes that the appointment of the newspaper's new Chief editor, former China's Daily's reporter and a
