Stories from 2 August 2012
Macedonia: Decades-Old International Poetry Festival in Focus
Portugese filmmaker André Soares published a short video documentary about the Struga Poetry Evenings, an international poetry festival held in Macedonia since 1962.
Pakistan: Engineer Claims to Invent Water-Fuelled Engine
A Pakistani engineer claims that he can run a car on a water-fuelled engine. Pakistan is currently going through a severe power crisis, so the proud inventor Agha Waqar Ahmad is the talk of the town in mainstream and social media, with some praising the innovation, and others making fun of it.
Colombia: Eye on Fashion Week
Fashion fair Colombiamoda was held in Medellin, Colombia, between July 24 and 26, 2012. The fair, which includes runway shows, lectures and other events related to fashion, was followed closely by experts and citizens who used social networks to cover and discuss the event.
Global: BRICS vs. NATO – Battlefield of Ideas on Interventions
China’s and Russia’s recent decision to veto the United Nations Security Council resolution against Syria -has reignited the debate over the relationship between 'new' powers Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - the BRICS - with 'old' powers - NATO - in international interventions.
Latin America: LibreBus Preps for Southern Cone Tour
The LibreBus project, born in Central America, is getting ready for their upcoming trip to the Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay): “Travellers from various countries, with different skills,...
Chile: Olympic Athletes Bring London 2012 to Fans
Chilean athletes who are competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games have been active on Twitter, sharing their experiences and hopes, and also chatting with their fans.
Create UNAOC 2012: Apps and Games for Intercultural Dialogue
The recently launched Create UNAOC 2012 competition is an opportunity for developers across the world to produce innovative apps and mobile games to promote intercultural dialogue, in a bid to avoid global conflicts and tension. Find out how to submit your idea.
Bangladesh: High Hopes for Bangla Supported Mobiles
In Bangladesh use of SMS is very low because most imported handsets do not support the Bangla language. To deliver the benefits that mobile technology can bring, development of Bangla language support for mobile phone is essential.
MENA: Bridge Blog for Maghreb and Arab Gulf States
A Moroccan-American blogger Samia Errazzouki and a stateless blogger from Kuwait Mona Kareem have joined hands to start a new blog which tackles the stereotypes between the Maghreb (North Africa) and the Gulf. The aim is to start a conversation to bridge differences between them.
Russia: Politician Presents Handgun Ownership Proposal
"Given the most humble assessments, weapons barons stand to earn more than 746 billion within a decade.. bureaucrats will get their own cut from issuing licenses, carrying and purchase permits, and certificates" - a blogger reacts to the proposal.
Hungary: Olympic Social Media Content Remains Scarce
With the total of four Olympic medals so far, the Hungarian team is now #12 in the London 2012 medal count. Something to be proud of, for sure - but discussions of these results and other Olympic news are hard to find in the Hungarian social media.
