12 May 2012

Stories from 12 May 2012

Lithuania: Alleged Child Abuse Case

At OpenDemocracy.net, Violeta Davoliūtė draws attention to “some of the more sober realities of life in today’s Lithuania,” highlighting a highly publicised case of alleged child abuse that is “being played out against a background of mob rule, support from politicians and complicity on the part of the police.”

Serbia: May 6 Elections Results

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia sums up the results of the first round of the elections in Serbia and predicts what is to come after the May 20 runoff: “Assuming that Tadić defeats Nikolić by his usual narrow margin in two weeks, a government that looks a lot like the...

Bhutan: The King's Birthday Celebration

  12 May 2012

Sabrina from USA is visiting Bhutan and she is in love with the country. She blogs about her adventures and here is one post in which she describes how the birthday of the King of Bhutan is celebrated.

Greece: HIV-Positive Sex Workers Brutally Exposed Online

  12 May 2012

A multitude of reactions came after the Greek police uploaded photos and personal data of HIV-positive sex workers to a website. NGOs and hundreds of netizens, condemned through social media, those responsible for this campaign, as well as mainstream media for their biased coverage.

South Korea: Continuing Mad Cow Controversy Over US Beef Imports

  12 May 2012

Since last week, South Korea has seen continuing protests against importing beef from the United States after mad cow disease broke out in California. Korean government dispatched its inspection team to the US to quell the public anger incited by the government's unkept promise to halt the beef import immediately when the disease was detected. However, the inspection team's lack of control over the investigation process and the biased member selection process further deepened South Korean's distrust of the government.

Greece: Police Violence Against Immigrants on the Rise

  12 May 2012

Greek social media has been in uproar over a video posted on Facebook and Twitter, showing police officers overtly abusing a detained immigrant in downtown Athens. Racist and police violence in Greece has been on a worrying rise in recent years, while the promised administrative police reform is still pending.

Spain: Many Reasons to Take to the Streets on 12M

  12 May 2012

On 15 May in Spain the first anniversary of the 15M will be commemorated. The events begin on 12 May (12M) in cities and neighborhoods. Spanish netizens have been anticipating the commemoration for days. The hashtags #YoVoy12M (I'm Going 12M) and #ALaPlaza (To The Square) have been TTs in Spain and throughout the world.