10 July 2012

Stories from 10 July 2012

Uzbekistan: ‘National’ Social Network Not Quite a Facebook Clone

  10 July 2012

Youface, the "national" social networking service launched in Uzbekistan, has been criticized by some netizens as a "bad copy" of Facebook. Yet, the service which reportedly aims to "boost patriotism" is different from both Facebook and Russian-language social networks popular with Uzbek users. Some netizens and experts fear that the real aim of the "national" platform is to control Internet users in the country.

Macedonia: Quoting Havel

The link to the famous open letter – “Dear Dr. Husák” [en, cz] (1975) – written by the then-dissident Václav Havel to the Czech Communist Party leader, has been shared by many Macedonian Facebook users, accompanied by excerpts such as this one: ‎”The number of people who sincerely believe everything...

Madagascar: Enjoying the 2012 Africa Cup of Rugby

  10 July 2012

Madagascar is hosting the Confédération Africaine de Rugby (CAR) Championship Division 1B competition from July 4 to 11. The other nations in the group are Morocco, Namibia and Sénégal. While the country has been marred in severe economic and political crisis since the 2009 coup, the Malagasy population is trying to escape their daily struggles by rooting for the Malagasy National Rugby Team also known as the "Makis de Madagascar."

Africa: London 2012 Olympics – We Are Coming!

  10 July 2012

With a few days remaining before the start of the London 2012 Olympics, the whole world is revving up for this sporting bonanza. For Africa, there are many prospects and for some countries, these games will be a culmination of years of preparation as well as renewed rivalries such as the one between Kenya and Ethiopia.

Kyrgyzstan: Caught Between Nationalists, Court Fines Journalist

In a controversial case, a court in Kyrgyzstan has fined Vladimir Farafonov, an ethnic Russian journalist, for publishing articles that allegedly incite national hatred. Netizens are divided in their assessment of the court ruling. While some believe that the journalist deserved a harsher punishment, others argue that the verdict sets a dangerous precedent.