19 June 2012

Stories from 19 June 2012

Panama: A Country For Sale

Panama is for sale: or at least that is how a large group of Panamanians see the situation after watching with indignation how President Ricardo Martinelli's government is aiming to liquidate a large portion of state assets. The outrage of the Panamanian people can be seen both in the streets and on social networks.

19 June 2012

Ethiopia: Disconnecting Citizens From the Future

"Well we Ethiopians have never had dragons in our mythology and folklore like Chinese but so far there has been attempt by Ethiopians to bring on dragons to our culture in the most nauseating manner – internet censorship," writes Endalk in his analysis of the controversial bill which criminalizes the use of internet services such as Skype and Google Talk.

19 June 2012

Afghanistan: Another Diplomatic Conference, But What About Results?

Following an international ministerial conference in Kabul on the future of Afghanistan after 2014, a popular TV show asked Afghan Facebook users to express their opinions and share expectations of the event for the country. The netizens' reactions have been tepid at best, demonstrating their fatigue of frequent events that focus on Afghanistan but fail to improve the situation in the country.

19 June 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse

The case of a 12-year old girl, who recently gave birth to her stepfather's child in Guyana, gets Outlish talking about feminism, education and the everyday reality of women in the Caribbean, while journalist and blogger Lisa Allen-Agostini says it is time to speak out about child sexual abuse.

19 June 2012

Myanmar: Netizens Celebrate Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday

Myanmar netizens sent online birthday greetings to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who is in Europe for her first foreign trip after two decades. Netizens are wondering why state media networks didn't report the Nobel Peace Prize lecture which Suu Kyi recently delivered

19 June 2012

Cuba: Two Protests, Many Arrests

The Ladies in White (Las Damas de Blanco) are again top of mind with Cuban diaspora bloggers. As one of the oldest and most respected opposition entities on the island, their peaceful protests - and regular arrests by state security forces - continue to attract attention. The most recent confrontation happened this past weekend as members of the group attempted to carry out two protests in Havana.

19 June 2012

South Korea: Former Dictator's Cadet Review Sparks Public Anger

In South Korea, a former president notorious for directing a massacre and oppressing democratic activists during his term (1980-88), has been criticized for participating in a cadet review at the Korea Military Academy and enjoying perks as a former head of the state, despite his criminal records.

19 June 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Problems for People's Partnership

Much of the political discourse in the Trinidad and Tobago blogosphere of late has been about the shortcomings of the People's Partnership Government. It was no secret that there was dissension within the party ranks, but yesterday's news that the Movement for Social Justice has officially pulled out of the Partnership Government has got a few bloggers talking about possible repercussions.

19 June 2012

Jamaica: Windscreen Murder

Jamaica Woman Tongue blogs about the murder of a man who cleaned windscreens for a living, saying: “This murder seems to be about rank class prejudice. We have to find...

19 June 2012

Guyana: Stories in Photos

“These young photo enthusiasts now are capturing not only life and landscape but vibes, passions and feelings…in years to come, they will be reminded, as will generations to follow, of...

19 June 2012

Algeria: Twitter Protest Against the State of Education

Algerians on Twitter staged a protest against the state of education in their country, with Aboubakr Benbouzid, the Minister of Education, serving as a focal point. Borrowing from the slogan "Ben Ali dégage" (Ben Ali get out) made famous by the Tunisian revolution last year, they adopted the hashtag #BenbouzidDégage.

19 June 2012

Malawi: New Government, Costly Livelihood

The rising cost of living in Malawi has forced some Malawians to come up with innovative ways of making ends meet. Dalitso Chimwaza and several other friends earn a living from collections they make on a wooden brige they constructed across Lilongwe River in the capital city.

19 June 2012

Iran: Is LGBT an Online Reality?

Homosexuality, which is banned in Iran, is punishable by prison or death. Fred Petrossian speaks to a researcher who led a team which studied how Iranian LGBT communities use internet in their daily lives.

19 June 2012

Togo: Violent Police Clash With ‘Save Togo’ Protesters

A peaceful march by the 'Save Togo' collective on June 12 degenerated into a stand off with security forces and around 120 injuries were recorded. Amongst other things, the protesters are calling for the implementation of recommendations relating to torture and wide ranging constitutional change. Other demonstrations are scheduled for the coming week.

19 June 2012