Stories from October, 2012
Brazil: Wikileaks Reveals Officials’ Disdain Towards the Guarani Kaiowá
Brazilian investigative journalism website Pública reports [pt] on documents leaked by WikiLeaks on the plight of the request for land of the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá. A cable from 2009 reveals disdain by local authorities from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul towards Guarani-Kaiowá's demands for the demarcation of the lands...
What Exactly is a Hackathon? And What is Open Data?
We previously announced the next hackathon for Latin America: Developing Latin America 2012. But it's likely that some readers are not sure what a hackathon is or above all, what it's for. Here we try to answer those questions with definitions, examples, and two video interviews with Argentinian hacker Mariano Crowe.
Iran: Four Facebook Users Arrested
According to several Iranian news sites,four people were arrested and charged with “propaganda activities against the regime and insulting officials in Facebook” in the southern city of Sirjan.
Tajikistan: Students Forced to Love President
As the president of Tajikistan tours the country's northern province of Sughd, blogger Teocrat reports [ru] that thousands of students were mobilized to greet the president wherever he goes. This has become a standard practice in Sughd. In June, thousands of students were sent to the streets to greet the president's...
Retio: A Free Application to Fight Drug Trafficking in Mexico
Paula Gonzalo from Periodismo Ciudadano (Citizen Journalism) tells us about Retio, a free application used to map the war against drug trafficking in Mexico through citizen reports sent via Twitter.
El Salvador's Tough Abortion Laws
Voices from El Salvador highlights several stories of Salvadoran women affected by the country's abortion ban, ” which includes cases of rape, incest, and when the health of the woman is at risk.” The issue is compounded by other women’s rights issue, including femicide (El Salvador has the highest rate in...
Greece: Public TV Journalists Fired After Criticizing Minister
On October 29, two journalists, Kostas Arvanitis and Marilena Katsimi, were fired by the Greek Public Television (ERT) after analyzing claims by British newspaper The Guardian of police torture of Greek anti-fascist protesters in Athens, and criticizing the Greek Minister of Public Order. Explore this and other recent censorship examples.
Kenya: The Influence of Technology in Governance
Will Mutua writes about a report investigating the use of Twitter by various presidential candidates ahead of the 2013 national elections: This first report (a mini-report really) investigates Martha Karua’s engagement on Twitter: mentions, hashtags, sentiment analysis, key words used in tweets by her or about her and other such...
Africa: The Challenges of Building African Platforms
John Karanja discusses the challenges of building African platforms: What is an African platform? What does it look like? and perhaps more importantly what does it do? Will it address a Need or a Want? What exactly will make it African? Will it work elsewhere in the World?
Thailand: Gun Crimes on the Rise
Thailand's homicide rate has declined since 2006 but criminal cases involving guns are on the rise. Bangkok Pundit analyzes some statistics on gun crimes, homicide cases, and gun ownership in Thailand
Thailand: Hotline to Help Children
Childline Thailand Foundation is an NGO that runs a nationwide 24-hour telephone hotline to help children in Thailand. The “SaiDek 1387” hotline is also maximized to urge government compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child.
China, South Korea: Gangnam Style in Chinese Universities
South Korea PSY pop, Gangnam style has landed in China. Around 3,700 people danced the Gangnam Style together at Nanjing Hehai University and a few dozen students danced on the stage of the Peking University International Cultural Festival… But Ooops, the stage collapsed. (Via Beijing Cream)
China: Medicinal Alcohol
A netizen (Derek) has introduced the Chinese tradition of medicinal alcohol online, in particular the three-penis alcohol that apparently enhances a man's power.
Tajikistan's ‘Million Dollar Baby’ Hangs Up Her Gloves
Mavzuna Chorieva, Tajikistan's female boxer who brought the country its only medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, has married and hung up her gloves, at least for a year. While many people in the country are happy for Chorieva, some have been disappointed over her decision.
Thailand: Bangkok Launches Bike Rentals
To decongest traffic and encourage people to use public mass transport system, Bangkok has recently launched a bicycle rental program. Richard Barrow attended the launch and provided ideas on how to make the program successful in Thailand.
Puerto Rico: The Unwritten Rule of the Puerto Rican Press
Luisa García Pelatti talks [es] in her blog Sin comillas (Without Quotation Marks) about the alleged illegal use of government funds by the newspaper El Vocero [es] (The Spokesman) that was denounced by the newspaper El Nuevo Día [es] (The New Day). García, a former employee of El Vocero, said the following: What El Nuevo Día published...
Philippines: Online Shame Campaign Against “Epal” Politicians
With less than a few months before the 2013 national elections, various groups have launched an online shame campaign against the common practice of Filipino politicians to attach their names to government projects that are funded or assisted by their office. These politicians are labelled “epal,” a Filipino slang term meaning “attention grabber”
Sanctions in Iran: Who Stole My Medicine?
The lives of six million patients in Iran have been adversely affected due to shortages of medicine, as an immediate result of unprecedented sanctions. Patients with cancer and multiple sclerosis - who cannot afford interruptions or delays in treatments - are most affected.
India: Dengue Outbreak In Delhi Spreads Fear
Last week when India's veteran film director, scriptwriter and film producer Yash Chopra (80) died from Dengue fever, people became aware and panic spread in some parts of Delhi. Delhi has seen an increased number of dengue cases over the last one month with number of cases reported close to 1000 with several deaths.
Facebook Donations Support Volleyball in Tajikistan
A new Facebook page, Volleyball for Tajikistan, has recently been launched to raise funds for two volleyball teams created in the country's south. Within eight days after the launch, people from across the United States donated enough money to purchase uniforms for 26 young Tajikistani volleyball players, including 13 girls.
Pakistan: Increase In Crime Affects Eid Celebrations
Omair Alavi reports that increase in crime rate in Karachi marred the recent Eid-ul-Azha celebrations.
