26 December 2012

Stories from 26 December 2012

India Debates Capital Punishment for Rape

Shocked at the brutality of the recent gang-rape of a 23 year old woman in a Delhi bus, Indians are asking for stricter laws and harsher punishments for violence against women. There has been vigorous debates going on about capital punishment for rapists, started out by a member of Parliament, Sushma Swaraj.

26 December 2012

From Gangnam Style to Jailed Tweeter: Korea in 2012

Starting from North Korean leadership change, to Gangnam Style spreading over the world and finally the presidential election in December, 2012 has been a dramatic year in South Korea. Here are the top seven Korean stories of the year, which created major social media buzz.

26 December 2012

Rebel Attacks on Ndélé and Bria, Central African Republic

These last few weeks, with attacks on the the cities of Ndélé and Bria, rebels have been threatening the regime of Central African Republic President François Bozizé. This fresh wave of attacks, which caused significant civilian displacement, has rendered the peace agreements signed in 2007 definitively obsolete.

26 December 2012

Bangladesh: Mobile Health Service For Expecting and New Mothers

Both the Maternal and child mortality rates are high in Bangladesh. On the other hand the mobile penetration rate is close to 65% and many of the subscribers are female. Aponjon, a maternal health care service using mobile phone was launched recently targeting expecting and new mothers in Bangladesh to reduce maternal and newborn illnesses and deaths.

26 December 2012

Syria: Negotiating Defection on Twitter

Following reports that former Syrian spokesman Jihad Makdissi had fled to the US, on 25 December activist Rami Jarrah, also known as Alexander Page, released private Twitter messages that show Makdissi had been in contact with him for months. This could be, as Twitter users have named it, “the first defection negotiation in history.”

26 December 2012

Philippines: Catholic Church Offers Online Rituals

The Philippine Catholic Church has been actively using the internet to fulfill its evangelical mission. In recent years, it has launched several online platforms which allow Filipinos around the world to celebrate Christian traditions.

26 December 2012

China Considers Real Name Registration for All Internet Users

Following the call for more internet supervision by state-run People’s Daily newspaper last week, Xinhua news reported on December 24, 2012 that the Chinese government is considering a new law requiring real-name registration for its 500 million internet users.

26 December 2012