Stories from 13 August 2012
Sri Lanka: Noose Tightens Around Online Freedom of Expression
"This new regulation could potentially and very quickly embrace personal blogs, micro-blogs (Twitter), Facebook (pages and groups) .. anyone, anywhere in Sri Lanka is now liable for prosecution at the...
Afghanistan: When Bronze Means More than Gold
"In a year filled with suicide bombings, school poisonings and kidnappings, the bronze for Afghanistan was more than gold." The country celebrates its one and only Olympic winner - Bronze...
Colombia Adds Gold and Bronze BMX Medals to Their List
Carlos Oquendo and Mariana Pajón added two medals to Colombia's collection. The country ended the Olympics achieving a historic eight medals. Mariana Pajón's medal is the second gold medal in...
Uganda: Against Odds, Gay Pride Events Take Place in Entebbe
Uganda attracted worldwide attention in 2009 when a member of parliament introduced the so-called "Kill the Gays" bill criminalizing same-sex relations, and again earlier this year, when LGBT activist David...
Zambia: Four Women Murdered in Possible Ritual Killings
A recent spate of murders of women in Lusaka, widely considered to be ritualistic killings, have shocked the nation to the core. Some online have sympathized with the families concerned...
China's New ‘Black Five’ Categories – Social Threat or Core Strength?
During the Cultural Revolution in China, the term 'Five Black Categories' was used as a political label for cracking down on five social and political groups. Recently Chinese state media...
Africa: Moving Beyond the Resource Curse
Why is it that African nations endowed with many natural resources such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria or Madagascar to name a few are also plagued with endemic...
Russia: Church, Lies, & Opulence
A controversial photo blog post recently documented the 70th jubilee of the director of a Church-owned factory, striking a raw nerve in a society charged by the Pussy Riot trial....
Ecuador: Sprinter Álex Quiñónez Brings Country to Standstill During Final
Ecuador took to social networks to offer support for the Ecuadorian sprinter Álex Quiñónez as he represented the country for the first time in the London 2012 Olympics. Quiñónez reached...
