14 March 2012

Stories from 14 March 2012

Cuba: Debate on Yoani Sánchez's Twitter Account

  14 March 2012

An opinion article published in the Mexico City-based daily newspaper La Jornada has called Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez a "fraud" because of her high levels of activity and popularity on Twitter. Critics and supporters weigh in.

India: Don't Work at Night and You Won't Be Raped

  14 March 2012

The police of Gurgaon has asked women working at commercial enterprises, malls and bars in Gurgaon to stop working after 8pm to prevent rape incidents. Netizens express their anger towards this unreasonable directive and question the negligence of the authorities.

A Documentary of the History of Black People in France

  14 March 2012

The blog Afro Europe reports on a new film about the black community in France: ” Noirs de France” (“Blacks of France”) is a new documentary of the history of black people in France. It's based on the book “La France Noir” of French historian Pascal Blanchard. The documentary is aired on...

Both Koreas Appear on Reporters Without Borders’ Annual List on Internet Censorship

  14 March 2012

Reporters Without Borders released its annual report on internet censorship. North Korea again appeared on the “enemies of the internet” list and South Korea joined the list of “countries under surveillance” due to the government's clamp down on online contents considered “Pro-North Korea”. North Korea Tech blog wrote a brief analysis on this.

Senegal: Discovering Exotic Local Produce

  14 March 2012

Khady discovers exotic local produce in Senegal: “Recently I challenged myself to start discovering some of the more exotic local produce available on the vendors’ stands in Senegal. I started this week. Well, kind of. I ventured beyond my norm, but the fruit that appeared in my kitchen came from...

Hong Kong: UNHCR's Subsidy Cut and Donation Black Hole

  14 March 2012

The UNHCR in Hong Kong is being questioned by several non-governmental bodies regarding its reduction in the day-to-day financial aid for refugees in Hong Kong, in spite of the huge amount of donation coming from private donors in Hong Kong.

Trinidad & Tobago: The Gender Card (and other political missteps)

  14 March 2012

The Eternal Pantomime is upset that the Prime Minister has played the gender card in her attempt to justify the state paying for travel expenses for her sister: “If you take what is fundamentally an issue of misuse of public funds and turn it into a plea for sympathy because...

Trinidad & Tobago: Constitutional Reform

  14 March 2012

Of “the Constitutional Reform Series being piloted by the Congress of the People”, Plain Talk says: “The [issue] that sticks in most people's craw is the inability of the people to fire non-performing or abusive public officials, especially members of Parliament and the Prime Minister.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Poverty of Spirit

  14 March 2012

As another gang leader is killed, B.C. Pires says: “The poverty he grew up in – poverty of education, opportunity, example, love, poverty of everything except prejudice and licks – prepared him fully for the final deprivation: 50 more years of life.”

Cuba: 50 Years of the “Libreta”

  14 March 2012

“Citizens are divided between those who fear that its disappearance will result in hunger among the poor and those who believe that it is cheaper to subsidize people than products”: The Cuban embargo isn't the only thing that recently turned 50 – so has the Cuban ration book. Havana Times...

Georgia: Bloggers assaulted

  14 March 2012

Shota tweets that two bloggers were physically assaulted allegedly by representatives of Tbilisi University's Student Union, itself reportedly controlled by the ruling party of power in the country. News of the alleged attack [GE] was spread on Facebook and in the form of a video report by Net Gazeti on...

Armenia: Bridging the divide?

  14 March 2012

Global Chaos comments on the launch of a new web site by the Armenian Ministry of Diaspora. Charged with the task of bridging the divide between Armenians in Armenia and communities abroad, the blog explains why the site fails on so many levels.

El Salvador: Netizens Cover Legislative and Mayoral Elections

  14 March 2012

Netizens covered the legislative and mayoral elections held on Sunday, March 11, through blogs and on Twitter with the hashtag #eleccionesSV. As results were reported, bloggers analyzed what the new National Assembly will look like after a victory of the conservative party ARENA.