Stories from 10 May 2012
Bahamas: Power of the People
“It no longer feels like hatred for me when the PLP wins, it no longer feels like time to panic”: A reflection on the country's recent elections, from Womanish Words.
Trinidad & Tobago: SEA “Ordeal”
Today, children across Trinidad and Tobago sat the SEA Entrance Examination for admission to secondary school. Coffeewallah calls it an “ordeal so intense, that it can be likened to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games novel”, explaining: “While these children do not have to kill anyone to survive, their self esteem, peace...
Video: Robot Shows us How to Stay Safe Online
Online security is a complex issue that is sometimes hard to understand or to know how to face. Using a lovable animated robot, the Tactical Tech Collective is trying to get more people aware on how to stay safe online through short online video animations.
Venezuela: Video ‘Caracas, City of Farewells’ Sparks Discussion on Emigration
It only took a matter of days before the Venezuelan blogosphere heaped an avalanche of criticism and mockery on the video documentary "'Caracas, ciudad de despedidas" ("Caracas, City of Farewells"). The video compiles 17 minutes of interviews focused on emigration in Venezuela and the reasons which have pushed many to join the growing Venezuelan diaspora.
Europe: Economic Crisis Fuels Rise in Anti-Immigration Politics
The French presidential election may be over, but the fact that outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy chose immigration as the core theme of his campaign is still the subject of much debate on the Web. Many netizens have wondered whether his choice to flirt with the far-right wing of his party helped temper his defeat or whether, on the contrary, it was one of the reasons his electorate deserted him.
Greece: Olympic Flame Lit in Ancient Olympia
Following the traditional ceremony, the Olympic flame was lit at the Hera Temple of Ancient Olympia. The high-priestess, Ino Menegaki, delivered the flame to the first runner, world champion Greek swimmer Spyros Giannotis. The Flame will travel to London for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Madagascar: Teachers Strike over Stipends Repressed by Armed Forces
The teachers association in Madagascar has been on strike for a week [fr] over disagreement regarding their monthly wages. The protests have been repressed by tear gas launched by the armed forces [fr]. Students have also joined in the protests [mg] (via Jentilisa's photoblog).
Zambia: Bloggers Form Zambian Bloggers Network
Zambia bloggers have formed a network called the Zambian Bloggers Network with the help of HIVOS. The network's aim is to help generate local content, mentor and train upcoming bloggers.
Bolivia: Protests Sweep Across the Country
A wave of protests are sweeping across Bolivia, affecting at least six of the largest regions of the country. Although conflicts are not initially linked to each other, they have generated a climate of political instability, raising challenging questions for the government of Evo Morales. Netizens share videos, reports, and reactions to these protests.
Paraguay: How the Media Silenced the Chaco
“The media flew over the drama and didn't land over the human stories that were waiting below.” Carlos Rodriguez from the blog Rescatar [es] writes about the media's lacking coverage of the floods that hit the Paraguayan Chaco.
Spain: #NoMoreEuros for Bankia
The web in Spain has been seething since it was reported that the government is preparing a plan to inject public money into Bankia, the fourth largest bank in the country and the most exposed to the real estate market. Since the crisis started in 2008, the government has supported Bankia with more than 33 billion euros. The current bail-out plan could be as much as 10 billion.
Bolivia: Development at What Cost? New Conflict Over TIPNIS Road
A proposed road project in Bolivia that plans to cross right through the middle of the Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS for its initials in Spanish) is once again generating conflict. Indigenous organisations insist on their right to be consulted about policies concerning their territories.
Iran: Government prohibits ‘foreign’ mail services
Iran's minister of communications prohibited using ‘foreign’ mail services like Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and MSN, since he believes ‘they are tools for information leak’. Reza Taghipour has asked Iranian state offices, universities and companies to use Iranian mail services ‘which are hosted in Iran’.
China, Philippines: Scarborough Shoal Sovereignty Tension Rises
Tension between China and the Philippines over the disputed waters of the Scarborough Shoal or Huangyan Island has been elevated, with the state-controlled Chinese media reporting that China can no longer tolerate the presence of Philippines naval ships in the South China Sea.
Zambia: Netizens Question Judges’ Suspensions
When Zambian president Michael Sata suspended a Supreme Court judge and two high court judges and set up a tribunal to probe their alleged misconduct, he probably did not foresee the intense offline and online public debate the issue would attract, even threatening the tenure of his Director of Public Prosecutions.
China: Political Space of the Weibo Blogging Platform
Chicago University Sociology Professor Zhao Dingxin recently delivered a speech entitled "Weibo, Political Space and Chinese Development", which has triggered off some debate and reflections amongst Chinese netizens. Oiwan Lam reports.
Russia: Ustream.tv Attacked Over Russian Blogger
On May 9, unknown parties launched a DDoS attack on the live feed website Ustream.tv. The attack was carried out from thousands of unique IPs based in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Iran, and was centered on one particular user, reggamortis1, who for the past four days has been covering opposition rallies and protests in Moscow.
