Stories from 15 February 2012
Singapore: Politician's Expulsion Triggers By-Election
A by-election has been triggered in Singapore's Hougang Single Member Constituency after the Worker's Party expelled Member of Parliament Yaw Shin Leong amidst allegations of extramarital affairs. Netizens used the #hougangbyelection hashtag to express their comments about the issue
Madagascar: The Aftermath of Cyclone Giovanna in Videos and Photos
Cyclone Giovanna made landfall on February 13 at 20h00 local time. The cyclone is classified as a category 4, with winds of up to 194km (120mph) ripping up trees and electricity pylons. Official reports stated that there are at least 10 casualties as of now.
Bermuda: 88 year old Citizen Publicly Acknowledged for Spreading Happiness
Johnny Barnes is an 88 year old citizen of Bermuda who every morning spends 6 hours waving and greeting people, just to let them know that they are loved. The documentary by Matt Morris Films, Mr. Happy Man, shows what an important part of the island he's become. (via Neatorama)
Honduras: Prison Fire Kills Hundreds
A blaze broke out on Tuesday night, February 14, in a prison in Comayagua. The blog Honduras News has published several posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ) on the fire, while Adrienne Pine recommends watching “Oscar Estrada's film El Porvenir for background.”
Morocco: Student Jailed for Insulting King in Video
A 24 year-old Moroccan student, Abdelsamad Haydour, has been sentenced to three years in jail for criticizing the king of Morocco in a video posted on YouTube. The news of the sentence provoked strong reactions on social networks.
Introducing Bloggers and Twitter Users from Ecuador
During the Campus Party Quito, held in October 2011, Juan Arellano interviewed outstanding bloggers and Twitter users from Ecuador with the aim to describe the wealth and variety of ways in which Ecuadorians use the Internet and social media. In the following videos you will get to know some of those who inspire the Ecuadorian Internet.
France: Racial Profiling by Police Officers
The Local blog posts a Human Rights Watch report that states : “French police use broad powers to conduct abusive identity checks on black and Arab young men and boys despite the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.”
France : Dozens of Anti-ACTA Protests
Despite freezing temperatures, a few thousand netizens joined the Saturday Feb. 11 worldwide protests against ACTA, in Paris and some 40 other cities in France. One can find pictures on clubic.com, a video of the protests [fr] on Madmax's blog, an Anti – Acta France Facebook page and the details [fr] of a petition on the Gizmodo blog.
Rwanda: Sharp Poverty Reduction
Edward Ojulu wrote on The Rwanda Focus blog: “…. over the last five years, more than one million more Rwandans gained access to adequate food, safe drinking water, good health and education services among others.”
“Dying to Live”: Khader Adnan's Hunger Strike for Palestinian Rights
Adnan Khader is on strike to protest a raid on his family home by Israeli occupation forces and to bring worldwide attention to the fact that Palestinians are held without being charged on a daily basis.
Italy: New Volunia Search Engine Intrigues Blogosphere
Volunia is a brand new search engine which encourages interaction between people searching for the same topics in different languages. It's creation was only recently announced, but already Volunia has caused quite a stir in the blogosphere.
Cuba: Cleaning Up for Papal Visit?
El Cafe Cubano reports that residents who live close to the Basilica of the Patron Saint of Cuba, a destination that is on Pope Benedict XVI's itinerary when he visits Cuba next month, are being evicted in en effort to “[cover] up the prevailing misery that the Cuban people are...
South Korea: Online Petition Requestiong Presidential Pardon to His Vocal Critic
South Korean net users have created an online petition [ko] requesting the Korean President to grant a presidential pardon to his vocal critic, Chung Bong-ju, who was jailed for raising stock price manipulation allegations against the president. Within less than a day, this petition has already gathered more than 8...
China: Bum Rushing The Bus
Some buses in Beijing are so swamped with throngs of people that some have begun climbing over one another just to get a seat or a place to stand.
Martinique, Guadeloupe, France: MP Letchimy Against Minister Guéant
Bloggers and mainstream journalists around the French-speaking blogosphere have been buzzing once more about French Minister of Home Affairs, Claude Guéant, who is notorious for suggesting extreme right-wing policies about national identity, religion and immigration.
China: Cosplay Star Loses Battle With Cancer
A popular figure in China's cosplay scene has passed away after an 18-month-long fight against cancer.
Martinique: All together around Creole
The Creole language in the Caribbean and the cooperation between islands were recently discussed during the Creole-speaking Regions Days, as explained in this post on Tous Créoles [Fr Cr/Fr]. One of the most debated issues was a visa waiving program between the French Caribbean islands and the rest of the...
Greece: 13th International Guitar Festival in Volos
On 18-19 February, 2012, the 13th International Guitar Winter Festival will take place [el] in Volos, Thessalia, with participants both in classical and electrical guitar competitions. The event's aim is to bring together guitarists of all ages from Greece and abroad to develop their musical skills and be united under...
Bahrain: Tweeting the Revolution's First Anniversary
February 14 marked the one year anniversary of the Bahrain revolution, which has been severely repressed by the regime backed by the troops of the Gulf Cooperation Council's Peninsula Shield Force. Mona Kareem presents a social media round-up of events of the day.
Pakistan: Hate Campaign Against Products Of Ahmadi Owned Companies
Imran Jattala exposes more hate campaign against minorities in the capital of Pakistan as an association of bigoted lawyers recently banned products made by a minority-owned business from courthouses.
Poland: Gossip Portal Accuses Mainstream Media of ACTA Ignorance
A Polish gossip portal's take on the massive anti-ACTA protests has highlighted issues that are truly relevant for today's young people. Katarzyna Odrozek reports on the avalanche of reactions from netizens and the mainstream media that this unlikely source of serious reporting has created.
