24 October 2012

Stories from 24 October 2012

Cuba: Cell Phone Use on the Rise

Puertasabiertas [es] reports that thousands of Cubans are purchasing cell phone service for the first time because of a new plan offered by Cuba's cell phone company, Cubacel, that began...

24 October 2012

Kyrgyzstan: Child Abduction Caught on Tape

A spine-chilling video caught on a CCTV camera in a small provincial town in Kyrgyzstan appears to depict an abduction of an 11-month-old child in a crowded market place. The video has become a focal point for discussion among Kyrgyzstani netizens, with many blaming the child's mother for neglect and even complicity in the abduction.

24 October 2012

Mexico: Central American Mothers in Search of Missing Migrants

In the last six years around 70,000 migrants have disappeared in Mexico. Central American mothers of abducted and missing migrants are traveling in a caravan all over Mexico looking for their sons and daughters who have disappeared on their way north. The women also hope to capture the media's attention and raise awareness on this issue that has been largely ignored.

24 October 2012

Grenada: Remembering a Revolution

October 19 marked the 29th anniversary of the bloody military coup in Grenada which ousted leader Maurice Bishop from government and prompted the United States-led invasion of the country. Two bloggers marked the occasion with detailed posts about what happened and how it forever changed the course of Grenada's history.

24 October 2012

Brazil: Rethinking Drug Policy

Rio Real blog wrote about the launch of Pense Livre (Think Free) [pt] in September 2012, a network to urge a rethink of Brazil’s drug policy. The author stresses that drug decriminalization...

24 October 2012

Arab World: Salafi Awkward Moments

Recognised by their long beards, and short garbs (thobe), Salafists, who follow a strict interpretation of Islam, were the butt of jokes on Twitter under a new hash tag #SalafiAwkwardMoments. While the West ponders on how to deal with them, let's tune into Twitter to see how funny netizens think they are.

24 October 2012

New Realities of the India-Russia Defence Partnership

India has traditionally enjoyed warm defense ties with Russia. However, New Delhi’s recent tilt towards Washington has prompted Moscow to enhance its defense and diplomatic states with other South Asian countries, most notably Pakistan.

24 October 2012

FIFA Approves Use of Goal-Line Technology

Yesterday, 23 October, international football association FIFA announced that Hawk-Eye and GoalRef goal-line technology can be used, starting with the Club World Cup championship in December. Read blogger responses to the news.

24 October 2012

Ukraine: Homophobic Bill Considered Ahead of Election

Shortly after scrapping the infamous defamation bill in early October, Ukrainian MPs passed another scandalous proposal in the first reading, aimed at “defending children from the propaganda of homosexual lifestyle and the HIV/AIDS infection associated with it.” Tetyana Bohdanova reports.

24 October 2012