27 February 2012

Stories from 27 February 2012

Bahrain: #Hungry4BH Trends Worldwide

Bahraini netizens, backed by the international community, helped raise the voices of detained political activists on hunger strike, by making their plight a trending topic on Twitter. Mona Kareem reports on the efforts of activists online and on the ground in Bahrain.

27 February 2012

Tunisia: McCain's Visit Stirs up Anti-US Feelings

Senator John McCain's visit to Tunisia on Thursday, February 23, left Tunisian Internet users angry over what they called Ennahda's 'double standards.' Hundreds of Facebook comments, dozens of tweets and many pictures filled social media platforms frequented by Tunisians after a controversial picture of Tunisian Prime Minister, Hamadi Jebali, hugging the Senator.

27 February 2012

Yemen: Hadi President After 33 Years of Saleh

After 33 long years of Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule, Yemen finally inaugurated today a new President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, for the transitional phase, following a whole year of protests. Hadi had assumed his position as president according to a GCC-brokered power deal which made him the sole consensus presidential candidate in the one man election, in which he won 99.8 per cent of the votes.

27 February 2012

Cuba: Working for “The Enemy”?

Havana Times reports that “the leading Cuban government website…unleashed a front page attack on blogger Yoani Sanchez…with an article accusing her of working for the enemy (USA) for pay”; Sanchez...

27 February 2012

Latvia: Flagging for Free Speech

Juris Kaža of Free Speech Emergency in Latvia reports that Latvian security police has closed an investigation into an Internet call to desecrate the Latvian flag, which is illegal in...

27 February 2012

Portugal: Web Users Debate Portuguese Private Copying Bill

Currently being debated in the Portuguese Parliament is a new bill (PL118) which proposes a tax on any equipment or software capable of recording, copying or storing analogue or digital content, in the name of author's rights. The online community has wasted no time in wading in on the debate, with the hashtag #PL118 duly trending on Twitter.

27 February 2012

Myanmar: Visiting the Kachin Refugee Camp

Nang Nyi wrote about her experience when she and her friends visited a Kachin Refugee camp near the Shan State borders of Myanmar and China. Over 1000 Kachin people have...

27 February 2012