18 September 2012

Stories from 18 September 2012

Saudi Arabia: Authorities Threaten to Block YouTube

Saudi Arabia is threatening to block YouTube, if the latter does not block access to all the clips which lead to the 14-minute trailer of the movie Innocence of Muslims. Saudis, who have ranked first in worldwide YouTube views, overall, reacted to the statement with anger and sarcasm.

18 September 2012

Russia: Omsk Telecom Temporarily Bans YouTube

RuNet Echo

For roughy seven hours earlier today, Rostelecom's customers in Omsk were unable to access YouTube. The short-lived ban prompted a flurry of panicked online activity, including urgent tweets [ru] from the city's...

18 September 2012

Armenia: Homophobic Editor On Air

Unzipped: Gay Armenia says that it is glad the pro-opposition A1+ TV, a station deprived of its broadcasting frequency in 2002, now has a program aired on another channel. However,...

18 September 2012

Georgia: Brutality Behind Bars

A video showing prisoners being beaten up in one of Georgia's modernized prisons has been uploaded onto YouTube. Other videos appears to show more graphic incidents with one comment on...

18 September 2012

Russia: SocialCamp, Crowdsourcing and Open Data

RuNet Echo

A SocialCamp Russia 'unconference' took place in Moscow from 7th to 9th of September. Over the course of three days social activists spoke about projects aimed at raising awareness, improving mutual understanding, promoting philanthropy, and much more.

18 September 2012

Bringing the Venezuelan Literature Boom to English Speakers

In the first part of a two-part interview, blogger Guillermo Parra shares his experience with Venezuelan literature, social media, and the encouragement he has received from Venezuelan readers to publish some of his translations of the work of poet Jose Antonio Ramos Sucre into English.

18 September 2012

Jamaica: Time for Twitter

Twitter gives you the ability to tune in to any locality you wish as long as there are people from there on Twitter. Active Voice explains why she makes time...

18 September 2012

Russia: Ksenia Sobchak's Civil Platform Candidacy

RuNet Echo

Earlier today, the Central Elections Committee officially registered a bevy of candidates for the coming elections of the first Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition. Among today's new entries to the General Civil category was socialite and opposition activist Ksenia Sobchak.

18 September 2012