Stories from 8 August 2012
Russia: Putin Refuses Controversial Kiss From Priest
"Father Mefodii has shown the way to all citizens, including Pussy [Riot]. In order to be forgiven, all must kiss Putin on the hand." While Putin was greeting local priests in Karelia, one of them suddenly lunged forward and tried to kiss his hand, the President instantly recoiled.
Dominican Republic: Pride and Celebration of Félix Sánchez's Gold
Dominican Republic celebrates the gold and silver medals of Félix Sánchez and Luguelín Santos respectively. This marks the first time the country takes home two medals in Olympic Athletics events. Domincan netizens express their happiness and pride on Twitter.
Myanmar: Barcamp X
As part of the successful BarCamp events in Myanmar, BarCamp Yangon organisers held [my] a three day BarCampX event focusing on Data Camp, Edu[cation] Camp & Health Camp from 3-5 August, 2012.
World: “Hackitat” – A Film About Political Hacking
Artists based in Sweden have launched a crowd-funding campaign to support and sustain their film project “Hackitat”. The documentary aims to highlight hackers, “the people building a nation on the Internet”, and searches for answers to: “What compels some people to spend a lot of time and energy on setting...
Libya: Fireworks Mark Tripoli's First Liberation Anniversary
Libyans are marking the liberation of their country tonight from Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule. Netizens speak of celebrations and share their feelings on this occasion.
Palestine: Swedish Ship Attempting to Break the Blockade Sails to Gaza
Scandinavian ship SV Estella will attempt to sail to Gaza in an attempt to break the blockade on the Palestinian enclave. The ship sailed from Oslo on August 7, 2012, and is backed by mostly Swedish and Norwegian groups. Organizers hope that other ships will join them before they reach...
Bahrain: Salafists Provide Aid to Syrian Rebels
Salafist MPs from Bahrain visited Syria, where they provided assistance to the Free Syrian Army, says The Angry Arab News Service.
Jamaica: The Caribbean-American Vote
“Even since I began the online petition for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey, I have been on a steep learning curve about politics”: Diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp notices that when it comes to Caribbean-Americans, “it seems as if we are going into the next election, just giving away our votes...
Jamaica, Bahamas: Long Way to Go?
Two bloggers, Stunner from Jamaica and Pure Fawkery from the Bahamas, consider how far their countries have come – or not – since independence.
Historic Photos Commemorate 1988 Myanmar Uprising Anniversary
August 8, 2012, marks the 24th anniversary of the largest uprising in Myanmar's political history - the 1988 pro-democracy protests. A Facebook page known as Myanmar Political Review was created in July and gathered 1,000+ fans in few days, shared several rare photos of the 1988 uprising.
Brazil: Claims Under Electoral Law Lead Two Parana's Blogs to Justice
Brazilian blogger Esmael Morais writes [pt] about two blogs from the state of Paraná which have been taken to justice under accusations of disobeying electoral law: Olho Aberto Paraná and Blog do Tarso. The country is preparing the municipal elections that will take place in October, 2012.
Philippines: Criticism of Government's Response to Major Flooding
"Ultimately, the Aquino administration reveals its true ‘bosses’: not the Filipino working class and the millions of other hard-working Filipinos, but the greedy corporations and capitalists."
Russia: Pussy Riot Doomed by its own Supporters?
Recent online coverage of the Pussy Riot trial makes it seem as if all of Russia is mobilized in protest against the inordinately harsh treatment the three arrested band members have received. In fact, many well-wishing bloggers continue to aggravate Riot's predicament by advocating leniency, rather than arguing with the entire premise of punishment.
Seven Cameroon Olympic Athletes Go Missing in London
"Their disappearance is not only an embarrassment, but a great surprise to members of the Cameroon delegation and Cameroonians based in London."
Myanmar: Appeal to Global Community
The Muslim Organisation of Myanmar has appealed [my] to the international community to stop threatening the country, manipulating and propagating news and insulting the national flag and country's leaders regarding the Rohingya issue and the violence in the western part of the country.
Egypt: “Not all the People of Sinai are Terrorists”
Sinai is making the headlines today after the Egyptian Army waged a war on militants accused of being behind a deadly attack on the Egyptian-Israeli border, in which up to 16 Egyptian officers and soldiers were killed over the weekend. From North Sinai, Ahmed Elghoul is using Twitter to tell us more about the region and its people; the discrimination they face and the lack of security in the area.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Power of Words
Online reaction to a statement that one of the country's athletes should retire after not winning a medal at the London Olympics prompts West Indian Mother to examine “how we, as a society, tend to function, and how it adversely affects our children.”
Puerto Rico: Racist Tweets Against Obama Cause Outrage
Heidi Wys Toro, one of the advisors of the current speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives Jennifer González, posted some racist comments about the president of the United States, Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle on Twitter. This is not the first time that Wys, who favors that Puerto Rico becomes a state of the United States, used this network to insult president Obama.
Iran: Celebrating ‘Historic’ Medals and Criticising the Referee
Iranians are celebrating their most memorable day in the history of the Olympics as their athletes won two gold and two silver medals. But one issue ruined the party: thousands of Iranians called Saeid Morad Abdvali's defeat in a wrestling match a conspiracy by the Olympic referee against Iran's World Champion.
Myanmar: Freedom of Press T-Shirt Protest
After three weekly journals were stopped from being published in Myanmar, journalists and editors in the country campaigned for press freedom by wearing black shirts saying “Stop Killing the Press” while they were attending events and covering the news on 4 August, 2012.
Mexico: Journalists Censored in July
A.L.S. in Vivir México [es] lists four journalists who were censored during July 2012: Pedro Ferriz de Con, Rubén Luengas, John Ackerman, and Lydia Cacho. The blogger concludes, “I think this is worrisome, because we are not just talking about journalists who have been censored, but also about journalists who...
