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.
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.
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.
Argentina: The Sarmiento Train Crash, an Accident Waiting to Happen
Simon Kofoed says that the train crash that took place last week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, “is the worst train accident in Argentina since the 1979 head on collision of two trains near Benavidez station when over 140 people lost their lives.” He adds: “Anyone who travels on the Sarmiento,...
Peru: Problems with Access to Information and Forestry Transparency
The Peruvian Press Council reported on a “Public Hearing: Access to Information and Transparency Forest,” accompanied by a training workshop on related issues in the town of Nueva Cajamarca, San Martin. Journalist and blogger Juan Carlos Lujan, who was one of the trainers, recounts [es] the problems faced due to...
Colombia: Using an Earthquake to Advertise
Geek The Planet writes about an earthquake in Colombia which took place during the morning of February 24 and the recklessness of some Community Managers who used the quake to come up with advertising material. The post criticizes what various companies published on Twitter [es], and the writer posts some...
Iranian News Agency “Improves” Oscar Speech by Asghar Farhadi
Iranians are overjoyed with the news that Asghar Farhadi's film “A Separation” was awarded an Oscar for best foreign language film. Farhadi's acceptance speech attracted even more attention after Fars News, a semi-official news agency added their own words to the transcript.
Kenya: Kenya Blogger Wins Annual World Media Awards
Kenyan blogger Collins Mbalo is the winners of the first Annual World Media Awards in Best African Blog category: “Collins Mbalo tells the African story from a different perspective. This blog covers issues and topics concerning the everyday African person. A recent interview of ” Sue” a Kenyan prostitute inspired...
Jamaica: “Intellectual Ghetto”
Jamaica Woman Tongue feels the backlash “for daring to suggest that [the late radio talk show host Wilmot Perkins] had feet of clay.
Haiti: Legislative “Assault” Against Civil Service
“Back in May 2011, undistracted by Haiti’s 4.5-million dollar presidential inauguration, I sounded the alarm about a brewing legislative coup d’etat“: Haiti Chery explains.
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 herself sees a news report “in which the blogger Miriam Celaya and other acquaintances appear, surrounded with epithets such as...
Cuba: More Sunday Detentions
Uncommon Sense blogs about yet another Sunday of repression as members of Las Damas de Blanco were again detained by authorities.
Jamaica: Lenten Songs
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem about Lent.
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 the country. The case was closed as there was no evidence of any victim of flag burning.
Tajikistan: Energy Loss Reduction project continued
Avicenna writes about the Energy Loss Reduction Project in Tajikistan, which has just received additional financing of $18 million from the World Bank Board.
Tajikistan: Culture and history conservation via a book
Tomyris reports that the “Book of The Historical Monuments of Tajikistan” was presented in Dushanbe, the capital of the Central Asian nation, by Tajik government and the diplomatic mission of the United States to Tajikistan.
Afghanistan: Useful database of Afghan personalities
Nick Fielding writes that the most complete database of prominent Afghans and Afghan political groupings can be found on a site called Who is Who in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Internal displacement risingInternal displacement rising in Afghanistan Internal displacement rising in Afghanistan Internal displacement rising in Afghanistan
Nick Fielding says more than 100,000 forced to leave their homes between January and June last year due to the spreading conflict in Afghanistan.
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.
Iran: Female blogger was released from prison
Parastou Dokouhaki, a female jailed blogger was released on bail on Sunday. She was accused of collaboration with foreign based media.
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 been staying at this refugee camp ever since fighting broke out between the government army and the Kachin Independence Army
