Stories from 5 October 2012
Kazakhstan Joins the Ban on Anti-Islam Film
Kazakhstan has joined a number of other countries in banning the controversial anti-Islamic film "The Innocence of Muslims." The ban has sparked debates in the country about the effectiveness of this measure and its potential implications.
Cuba: Blogger Yoani Sánchez Arrested
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
China, Taiwan: Is Taiwanese democracy changing Chinese students?
Amanda Bullington followed the BBC News's discussion on whether Taiwanese democracy is changing mainland Chinese students in Tea Leaf Nation by looking into the students’ micro-blog conversations on what they have learned in Taiwan.
Trinidad & Tobago: Attacked Whilst Eating Fast Food
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
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
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
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.
Russia: The Opposition Coordinating Council's Great Debates, Day 1.0
"What should the next Duma adopt as its first new law?" "Does Russia have any friends?" Just some of the questions thrown at the candidates for the upcoming elections of the first Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition. Read the debate transcripts here.
Bangladesh: Video Contents In Students’ Reach
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...
China: Reactions to U.S. Visa-free Status to Taiwan
Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu translated some mainland Chinese netizens’ reaction to the U.S government's granting of visa free status to Taiwanese.
Bangladesh: The Value Of Co-existence
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.
China: Same-Sex Marriage in Fujian
Beijing Cream introduces a video of a symbolic same-sex marriage event in Fujian province. A joyful event with many blessings.
