8 July 2012

Stories from 8 July 2012

Few Surprises in East Timor Parliamentary Elections

East Timor conducted its parliamentary elections on July 7, 2012. There was a lower voter turn out this year but at least there were no alarming cases of violence and poll fraud. Netizens used the hashtags #eleisaun2012 and #timorelections to cover the elections.

8 July 2012

Uganda: Netizens Tweet Top Ugandan Lies

The hashtags #TopUgandanLies and #TopKenyanlies trended on 13 June, 2012, where tweeps shared top lies in the region. To Twitter use, @PhenomenalPPP, top Ugandan lie is "On my way, il be there in 15mins." Read what other lies made to the top Ugandan lies list.

8 July 2012

Kenya: Call for Unity Amid Terror Attacks

Only few days before the opening of Global Voices Summit 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya experienced bloody blasts and kidnapping in Mombasa and in the town of Garissa. On 1 July, 2012 masked attackers killed 17 people and wounded 45 in a gun and grenades attacks on two churches in Garissa.

8 July 2012

Russia: Krymsk Footage & the Reservoir's Owners

RuNet Echo

Krasnodar environmental activist Suren Gazarian blogs videos from the wreckage in Krymsk, dismissing the theory [ru] that the flooding was caused by water released from the Neberdzhaevsky Reservoir. Marina Litvinovich, meanwhile, provides background [ru]...

8 July 2012

Rwanda: From Colonialism And Genocide to Recovery

1 July was a very special day in Rwanda as the country celebrated 50 years of Independence and 18 years of liberation which brought an end to Rwandan genocide. It is estimated that over a million people died in a period of 100 days.

8 July 2012

Zambia: A President's Joke Gone Too Far?

Zambian netizens have condemned President Michael Sata's apparent lack of diplomatic etiquette after he told former American President George W. Bush that Zambians are grateful when a former colonialist like him come back to pay back what was stolen during his country’s colonial and slavery past. George W. Bush was in Zambia to promote cervical cancer detection and treatment programs for women.

8 July 2012

Myanmar: Students Detained for Commemorating Historical Event

Leaders of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions were detained by the government for planning an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a military crackdown on student protesters. The arrest sparked online discussion about the historical event and Myanmar's transition towards democracy. The government said students were not detained but merely invited for 'discussion'

8 July 2012

Hong Kong: New “Red” Elementary School Curriculum Flames Concern

Under pressure from mainland China, Hong Kong's elementary schools have to start a new curriculum on "national education." Recently revealed, its module on the "China model" is full of political propaganda, such as the claim that one party dictatorship is more effective than any other democratic political system.

8 July 2012