15 August 2012

Stories from 15 August 2012

Video: What Egypt, Congo, Uganda and Colombia Have in Common

  15 August 2012

The search for justice in the wake of conflict is what Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Colombia have in common. The Case for Justice is a series of videos debating on the relevance of what is known as transitional justice, a set of systems that is put into place to allow for accountability in the wake of massive human rights violations.

Egypt: Essential Academic History Book Banned

The Egyptian authorities have banned the import of A History of the Modern Middle East by eminent academics William L Cleveland and Martin Bunton without giving reasons for the ban. On Twitter, @Milllyz reacts: “Now that they have banned William L. Cleveland's “A History of the Modern Middle East”, all...

Russia: Ugly Side of Olympic Nationalism

RuNet Echo  15 August 2012

"As a pureblooded Russian, and Russian patriot, it is distasteful to look at this disgrace. It’s better to have no medals, than to have Champions like this, ones who hardly speak Russian .." - Gold medal wins by Russian ethnic minorities anger some Russian nationalists.

Puerto Rico: Digital “No” Campaign Takes Off

  15 August 2012

The campaign in favour of voting “no” to the limitation on the right of bail in Puerto Rico's coming referendum on August 19 has taken off on the Internet. The feminist blog Mujeres en Puerto Rico [es] (“Women in Puerto Rico”) and the Facebook page No es lo mismo [es] (“It's not the same”) are...

Colombia: Salsa Musician Jairo Varela Dies

  15 August 2012

On August 8, Colombian musician Jairo Varela Martinez died at the age of 62. Varela is known for founding the famous salsa band Grupo Niche. There were many comments on Twitter under different tags (Jairo Varela, Grupo Niche and Cali Pachanguero) as soon as his death was known.

France: Stories of Everyday Sexism

  15 August 2012

After being harassed and insulted by men in the streets of Brussels, Belgian student Sofie Peeters made a hidden-camera film to denounce the male chauvinism experienced every day by unaccompanied women in the streets. Under the hashtag #harcelementderue (street harassment), French women are testifying to the verbal abuse and sexual harassment that they are subjected to in the streets.

#DearEgyptAir, Better Service Please

Over the past few years it has become apparent that, if one has a loud enough voice and a big enough audience—not to mention a good sense of humor—social media can serve as a great platform for change. On Wednesday, Egyptians took to Twitter to complain—and joke—about national airline Egypt Air.

Is China's Africa Policy Failing?

  15 August 2012

The news of a Chinese mining boss being allegedly killed by striking workers in Zambia has caught Chinese netizens' attention, prompting them to compare the working conditions in both countries and question China's policy of 'development-aid diplomacy' in Africa.