18 August 2012

Stories from 18 August 2012

Kuwait: The People Know Better

Kuwaiti netizens are expressing their disdain for an old-age tradition which gives the head of the tribe, or the Shaikh [Sheikh] absolute power. In a break with this tradition, they are tweeting under the hash tag #الشعب_أبخص‬‏ [ar], which translates to "The People Know Better."

18 August 2012

Togo: Is Your Mobile Phone Tapped ?

Syvlio Combey, a human rights activist in Togo, shares tips (via Allain Jules) on how to determine whether your mobile phone is tapped [fr] in Togo.  Togolese citizens have been subjected to various...

18 August 2012

Egypt: Decoding Morsi's Ousting of the Generals

Mohammed Morsi's recent decisions to terminate the jobs of Mohamed Hussein Tantawi as Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and Sami Anan as the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces created mixed reactions. The president also issued a new Constitutional Declaration that give him constitutional power. Morsi was first perceived as weak and torn between the Muslim Brotherhood and the SCAF but the latest decisions have asserted his position and enabled him to rebrand himself.

18 August 2012

Ethiopia: Powerful and Political Church Patriarch Dies

The head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Abune Paulos, has died aged 76. Abune Paulos, spent the last two decades as the sole figure of the popular Ethiopian Orthodox Church leading 40 million Ethiopians (half the country's population.) His death has sparked a debate on religion and politics and re-triggered speculation about the whereabouts of Prime Minster Meles Zenawi.

18 August 2012

The South Caucasus at the 2012 Olympics

This post is part of our special coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.   The three South Caucasus countries have been participating  independently in the Olympics since 1996, and they each...

18 August 2012

What Is A Chinese Orgy Actually Like?

A set of orgy photos leaked out online featuring three pairs of swingers, all are government officials and their wives. Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream picked up the buzz and...

18 August 2012