Stories from 29 January 2013
Google Debuts Crowd Sourced Map on North Korea
Google revealed on Jan 29, 2013 its newly revised, crowd-sourced map of North Korea. There are drastic changes of Google's North Korea map and instant web reactions have followed.
Kazakh Quake Sends Tremors through Twitter
After an earthquake hit southeastern Kazakhstan yesterday, hundreds of the country's netizens took to Twitter to tell the rest of the world about what they had experienced. Blogger Olzhas Salmurza has collected [ru] the most interesting tweets from all over Kazakhstan. Ravil Abdulov reports [ru] that Twitter has also helped spread rumors...
Spain: Catalonia's “Declaration of Sovereignty” Translated into 36 Languages
On January 23, 2013, amid rising tensions with the Spanish government, the regional parliament of Catalonia approved by majority vote a Declaration of Sovereignty [ca] — seen widely as a prelude to a referendum on independence, expected to be held by 2014. Thanks to a diverse team of collaborators, the online...
A Couple's Civil Marriage Rejected in Lebanon
A secular marriage in Lebanon is still not possible, but a couple's claim to the contrary reignites the debate and hope for partisans of civil marriage.
Google Maps Targets Hermit Kingdom, North Korea
Google debuted its Google Maps program for one of the world's most secretive countries, North Korea, as part of its crowd sourcing map initiative. North Korea Tech blog posted several pictures of it with some background information.
Iran's Newspapers Silent on Mass Arrest of Journalists
The world's leading jailer of journalists has struck again. At least 12 Iranian journalists were arrested by agents of the regime's over the weekend.
“The Un-European Union”
GV Author Filip Stojanovski, on his blog Razvigor, has translated into English a mock story [sr] by Njuz.net, “the Serbian equivalent to The Onion,” about the UK striving to join “the Un-European Union”: The Council of Ministers of the countries of the Un-European Union stated today in Skopje that a...
North Korea: A Sign of Change or the Same-Old Rhetoric?
Kim Jong-un’s New Year message emphasized, among other issues, the importance of inter-Korean relations. While many observers read this as a signal that North Korea plans to open-up in 2013, others say it contained the same old rhetoric of the past half century.
Indigenous Xavantes of Marãiwatsédé Fight for the Right to Their Land
Having inhabited the Marãiwatsédé territory in the north of Mato Grosso for centuries, natives of the Xavante ethnic group face occupation and threats from farmers who are trying to evictl them from their homeland, which was returned to them 14 years ago. On December 6, 2012, the justice department in Mato Grosso ordered the delivery of subpoenas for the removal of illegal occupants of these ancestral lands. A month and a half later the process has almost been finalized.
Critical Mass: Cycling Through Brazil's Salvador City
In our attempt to discover the route of Brazilian Critical Masses, we spoke with two organizers of the Salvador Critical Mass (also known as “Bicicletada”), Roque Júnior and Rosa Ribeiro. Here's the second part of the interview, in which we get to know a little more about the city’s urban mobility policies.
China: Campaign to Halt the Execution of a Woman Victim of Domestic Violence
Amnesty International launched a campaign against the execution of a Chinese woman, Li Yan, who shot her husband to death in self-defense. Li had been abused by her husband since they were married in 2009.
China: Land collapses in Guangzhou
A 300 sq metres piece of land sank suddenly in Guangzhou Kangwang Road on 28 of January, dragging surrounding buildings underground. The 9 meters deep is near a subway construction site. Shanghaiist has collected a number of photos showing the collapsed site.
Chinese apologize to Tibetans
A Facebook Page: Chinese Apologize to Tibetans has been set up by a group of overseas Chinese activists to collect information about the human right situation in Tibet.
Maxima Zorreguieta, the Argentinian that Will Be Queen Consort of the Netherlands
With Queen Beatrix of the Nehterlands abidcation from the throne is a cause of celebration and tweets for Argentinians. as Máxima Zorreguieta will be the new Queen Consort of the Netherlands.
Tibetans Outraged by Chinese TV Drama on Tibet
A recent TV drama, Tibet's Secret, has outraged many Tibetans who criticize that the director Liu Depin for distorting Tibetan culture and religion. As the drama was broadcasted in the state-run China Central Television (CCTV), the conflict is inevitably political in nature.
The Big Wet: Northern Australia in Grip of Floods
As uncontrolled bushfires continue in Victoria, major flooding is happening in Queensland and northern New South Wales in Australia. Nick Evershed sums up the national feeling about the latest weather and the climate implications: "Australia: if it's not on fire, it's probably underwater."
