Stories from 11 September 2012
Nepal: Crowning Of Miss UK Nepal 2012
Lex Limbu comments on the Miss UK Nepal 2012 crowning ceremony: What a show : Miss UK Nepal 2012. Management and organisation was very poor. The show was quite a bore, too many performances, hosts getting the names wrong. Too many speeches.
Iran: “Soldiers of Islam” Hack Cartoonist's Facebook Page
The Facebook page of a leading Iranian leading cartoonist, Mana Nayestani, was hacked on Tuesday, 11 September 2012, by pro-regime hackers who call themselves “Soldiers of Islam”.
Kosovo: Prizren Comic Book & Cartoon Festival
Macedonian artist Vesna Nichevska-Saravinova blogged about her participation in the Prizren Comics Festival, organized by the Kosovo Comic Book Artist Association, Xhennet Comics [sq]. Four out of 15 featured artists at the festival were from Macedonia, Eddie Rebel reports [mk], alongside colleagues from Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, France, Kosovo, Bulgaria, and...
Cuba: Blackout Leaves 5 Million People in the Dark
An interruption of an electrical transmission line left five million people from Pinar del Río to Camagüey, including the Cuban capital, Havana, in the dark. Various Twitter users residing in Cuba used the battery life they still had on their laptops and dial-up connections to report what was happening.
Brazil: Youth Documentary on Pacification in Rio's Favelas
The Project 5X Favela (5 Times Slum), which aims to give a voice to young filmmakers living in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, is now addressing the pacification process in Rio's slums. Their new documentary, 5X Pacification, intends to portray the impact of police units presence in the daily...
Russia: New Competition in Social Media Analysis & Big Data Analytics
Former presidential staff member Konstantin Kostin [ru] and pro-Kremlin blogger Stanislav Apetian (online moniker: PoliTrash) have released new details about an upcoming initiative from their think tank [ru], the Civil Society Development Foundation. In an interview [ru] with Izvestia newspaper, Apetian says the group is deploying technology developed by the American firm Crimson...
Russia: Online Poetry's Vehement, Apolitical Politics
It's no surprise that a result of Russians' widespread interest in poetry is that there are plenty of online communities dedicated to its production and consumption. Stihi.ru, with a user base of almost half a million people, is the largest by far.
Spain: Storming the Streets (and Web) on Catalonia's National Day
A mass meeting under the separatist slogan 'Catalonia: new state in Europe' has been organised for today (September 11) in Barcelona and huge participation is expected.
China: Journalists Leaving the Field
Many investigative journalists in mainland China are leaving the field. The Tea Leaf Nation picked up and translated some of the discussions in Weibo to look into their reasons.
China: Yangtze River Turned Red
For some unknown reason, the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia, has turned red last week. China Hush translated the local news story.
Ecuadorian Views on Assange Asylum Case
The government’s attitude and journalists’ blatant disregard for their code of professional conduct makes it impossible for us to consider Ecuador as a haven of freedom of expression. Nor can the diplomatic asylum granted Assange be taken as evidence of this. Eduardo Varas writes in the post “The Assange Case: the...
Nigeria: First Lady's Sickness – Fact and Fallacy?
Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, is currently in Germany but uncertainty is surrounding her trip. SaharaReporters broke the news on September 2, that Mrs Jonathan was admitted to a German hospital and netizens have been debating the turn of events.
Nigeria: Lagos Students To Learn Mandarin in Public Schools
China continues to deepen her presence in Africa as students in Lagos will now learn Chinese.
Mayotte, Comoros: Tensions Rise After 36 Refugees Disappear at Sea
We cannot be part of the Indian Ocean Community and be indifferent to these tragedies. The solution must involve both countries Saïd Larifou reacts to the recent drowning [fr] of refugees trying to reach Mayotte by sea. Currently 36 are missing [fr] after their boat capsized as it approached Mayotte. M. Larifou warns...
Egypt: Teenager Confronts Militarization of Schools
As criticism of the military institution grows in Egypt, a young man takes a brave step to confront military interference in the education system. Ahmed Awadalla speaks to Ahmed Hassan, who has stood against the militarization of schools.
Libya: A Project to Support Blogging
Libyablog is a website that shares what Libyan bloggers write. The group blog is run by a team, from France24, along with l’Atelier des Médias. Some Libyan bloggers are also involved in editing. The first phase of the co-operation extends for six month, from July 2012 to January 2013. During...
Madagascar: Killings Between Villagers and Gangsters Rock the Southern Region
If the rebellion in the South is not quickly resolved, we risk to see the conflict extend farther and a scenario like the partition in Mali would become a distinct possibility. Fijery opines on the current fighting [fr] in the Southern region of Madagascar. More than 100 people were killed the...
Brazil: Mapping Fires in São Paulo Favelas, Land Values
After crowdsourced research on fires in São Paulo's slums and informal settlements, known as favelas, Patrícia Cornils and a group of São Paulo citizens are mapping the fires at a site called “Fogo no Barraco” which translates as “Shanty on Fire”. The site also reveals dramatic increases in land value near fire...
China: Political Lexicon
Qian Gang looks into the political lexicons since the 11th National Congress to show the power plays within the Chinese Communist Party.
China, Hong Kong: Controller of National Education
Hexie Farm's latest cartoon is about the “controller” of national education in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands local residents in Hong Kong protested against the curriculum, some of which is written by “researchers” in mainland China. (via China Digital Times)
Kosovo: “Cinematic Darkness Knows No Nation”
At Kosovo 2.0 blog, Belgrade-based journalist Dušan Komarčević writes – here and here – about his July 2012 trip to Prizren, Kosovo, to attend the DOKUFEST International Documentary and Short Film Festival: […] The cinemas were filled with movie lovers from Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia,...
