Stories from 2 January 2013
New Year and Old Habits in Bahrain
While countries around the world ushered in the New Year with fireworks and celebrations, a special line-up of treats from the authorities was awaiting Bahraini protesters. Luckily, netizens were up and running, and documenting some of them for the rest of the world to see.
Cats, Guns and Spoils of War in Rural Idlib, Syria
Maaret Misreen, Syria–Omar, a former marketing student at a private university in Damascus, is living a life he never could have imagined. He’s originally from Idlib, one of Syria’s smaller cities in the heart of the northwest olive groves. Now he’s living in the line of fire as a media activist, documenting violence and escorting foreign journalists and human rights workers through Syrian terrain.
Mauritanian Women Speak up against Rape
A group of Mauritanian women launched an initiative against rape and all other forms of violence against women in their country. Entitled “Etkelmi or Speak up” [ar and fr], this campaign aims according the blog “Al Tasfera” [ar] to break the wall of silence surrounding rape and encourage victims to demand their...
Sixteen Teachers Arrested in Mauritania
On December 23, Mauritanian authorities arrested 16 teachers who had heckled the Education Minister in protest against their arbitrary transfer to remote posts, for having taken part in last year's demonstrations. The police sent these teachers to its various offices in Nouakchott. Journalist Mohamed Salem comments: يجدد نظام العقيد ولد...
Harasser Identified by Bloggers in Bangladesh
An unknown guy posted a prank video of slapping a girl online and shared through social media apparently to harass her. Some Bloggers took notice and used crowdsourcing to expose the identity of that guy. E-Bangladesh has details.
Trinidad & Tobago: Tech Trends, 2013
ICT Pulse shares six ICT/tech trends that the region is likely to see this year.
Jamaica: The 2012 Aaron Matalon Award
We must dream backwards / Towards the source / We must row back up the Centuries… The National Gallery of Jamaica Blog notes that jeweller and sculptor, Jasmine Thomas-Girvan, has been awarded the prestigious Aaron Matalon Award for 2012.
Honey Singh's ‘Misogynist’ Lyrics Divides Bollywood
Indian Punjabi rapper Honey Singh’s new year performance was canceled after an online petition was circulated on social media. A First Information Report (FIR) has also been lodged against him in Lucknow for offensive lyrics.
Ted Henken's Review of Cuban Blogosphere
The academic and blogger Ted Henken offers his year in review of the Cuban blogosphere.
Mauritius and Reunion Island Brace for Cyclone Dumile Impact
Lexpress.mu reports that Mauritius is on high alert [fr] as cyclone Dumile makes landfall on the island. Agaléga island was hit hard [fr] and was in blackout for 24h. Réunion island is also on high alert [fr].
Podcast: China's Blog Scene
How has the China blog scene changed in the past two years? Sinica Podcast hosts two bloggers writing on China: Eric Fish from the Economic Observer who also writes for Sinostand, and Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream.
TEDxSanaa: Inspiring Hope In Yemen
Despite the turbulent year Yemen experienced in 2012, a group of Yemenis worked very hard to end the year on a positive note. The TEDxSanaa team succeeded in staging, for the first time in Yemen, an inspirational TEDx event in Sanaa on December 31 under the befitting slogan “Inspiring Hope.”
Struggling to Make Sense of the Deadly Stampede on New Year Day in Abidjan
Tree trunks laying on the road seem to have triggered the stampede that killed 60 and injured 49 during a new year celebration in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The fact that the area was not adequately lighted may have contributed to the terrible tragedy. Israel Yoroba in Abidjan reports on a...
Social Media Buzz: Rebels Lose a Charismatic Commander in Syria
Millions of Syrians are using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype to disseminate and discuss the conflict. Each week our Mohammed Sergie monitors the online conversation in English and Arabic, pulling out the highlights in a feature called the Social Media Buzz.
WCIT and its Relationship to the Internet: What Lies Ahead
With this third installment, we conclude Vía Libre Foundation's analysis of the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), held in Dubai from December 3 to 14, 2012.
