5 October 2012

Stories from 5 October 2012

Cuba: Blogger Yoani Sánchez Arrested

Advox  5 October 2012

Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez was arrested last night in the eastern province of Bayamo, Cuba, where she had traveled to attend and report on a trial. Although there are very few details of the arrest, social networks and other media have provided some information.

Spain: Police Violence During Protest Outside Congress

  5 October 2012

The 25S movement brought thousands of people together to protest in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid on September 25. The atmosphere became tense, just as predicted, with police charges coming soon after. Once again, social networks were the most commonly used means of sharing information.

Spain: The Banks Win, the People Lose

  5 October 2012

The consulting firm Oliver Wyman, which assesses the solidity of the main Spanish banks, has made public its conclusion: the banks will need 52 000 million euros to get out of their precarious economic situation. Lourdes Sada analyses the situation and covers some reactions on the net.

Dominican Republic: Proposal to Toughen Sentences for Minors

  5 October 2012

The House of Representatives has approved a controversial bill to increase the maximum sentences for minors who commit crimes. Although some support the measure, believing it will decrease the delinquency rate, various sectors of civil society insist that this is not the answer to the current wave of delinquency in the Dominican Republic.

China Updating North Korean Television News

  5 October 2012

North Korea Tech blog has revealed what had suddenly changed the archaic look of North Korean Television news. A government-run Chinese broadcaster has allegedly donated around US$ 800,000 to North Korea’s Korea Central Television to help improve the look of its news broadcast.

Venezuela: ‘Faces and Voices’ of an Election

  5 October 2012

Through a series of photographs and quotes, Portuguese photographer Eduardo Leal captures the thoughts and feelings of the Venezuelan people as they explain who they will vote for in the presidential election on Sunday, October 7.

Collaboration on Crowdsourced Mapping in Venezuela

  5 October 2012

A lot of people will be Tweeting, Facebook updating and texting about the presidential election in Venezuela this weekend -and many will be using social media to share reports of violence or misconduct. A few enterprising citizens have set up systems to catch and save these reports.

Trinidad & Tobago: Attacked Whilst Eating Fast Food

  5 October 2012

Trinidad businessman Gregory Wight was recently attacked whilst patronizing a doubles stand (doubles are a common street food sandwich). The incident was vehemently condemned on social media, with many bloggers using it as a platform to discuss other issues in Trinidadian society.

El Salvador's First International Literacy Brigade

  5 October 2012

Madeleine Conway, a member of the University of Santa Cruz CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) chapter, writes about El Salvador's National Literacy Program (NLP) for Upside Down World. CISPES is “the first international volunteer brigade to answer the government’s call and support the literacy program”:...

Japan: Prime Minister's Office Starts Using LINE App

  5 October 2012

The Japanese prime minister's office has opened an account [ja] on LINE, an instant messaging application for smartphone and PCs, to provide useful information to citizens, such as disaster information in case of emergency.

Guatemala: 7 Indigenous Protesters Killed in Totonicapán

  5 October 2012

At least 7 civilians were killed on October 4 when combined armed forces violently removed indigenous demonstrators from Cuatro Caminos, a well-known road intersection in Guatemala. Demonstrators were protesting the rising price of electricity, and the education and constitutional reforms proposed by the government.

Bangladesh: Video Contents In Students’ Reach

  5 October 2012

A growing number of contents available online become useless to people, who do not have access to the internet. Agami, a project based in San Jose, CA has made it possible to provide access of educational videos of Khan Academy translated in Bangla to underprivileged students in Khulna, Bangladesh using...

Bangladesh: The Value Of Co-existence

  5 October 2012

Fundamentally, we enrich each other in this life not by merely co-existing but by seeing the value in each other’s existence. And, by helping each other grow, thrive, and prosper, we enrich ourselves.