Stories from 18 February 2013
Japan's Porn Law is Strangling Artists
World renown Fashion photographer Leslie Kee was arrested for selling obscene images at his latest exhibition in Tokyo. But is his work art or porn? In this post we look at the regulation of 'offensive' artistic expression in Japan.
#Shahbag Protesters Bid Farewell to Brutally Murdered Blogger
As protesters continued their chants at Shahbag calling for Bangladesh's war criminals and affiliates of the Islamist party to be beheaded, one of their own, Ahmed Rajib Haider was brutally killed outside his home in capital city Dhaka on February 15, 2013.
South Korean Man Allegedly Kills Noisy Neighbors
A 45-year-old South Korean man allegedly killed his two upstairs neighbors during the hectic Lunar New Year holiday weekend. The reason? The man claimed they were too noisy.
Saudi Arabia: Hospital Gives HIV, Minister Gives iPad
Reham al-Hakami is a 13-year-old girl who got infected with HIV after being given a blood transfusion in a hospital in Jizan, in southern Saudi Arabia. The case sparked anger on social media after the health minister visited her - and gave her an iPad.
Pakistan's Hazara Shias Demand Arrests, Protection After Deadly Bombing
In the latest attack against Pakistan's Hazara Shia minority, a bomb ripped through a busy market in the southwestern city of Quetta in Pakistan on February 16, claiming as many as 63 people and injuring 180 others. Many have accused the government of inaction, demanding that authorities step in and put an end to the mass killings.
Egyptians Elected Morsi Because …
On Twitter, Egyptians who voted for Mohamed Morsi in the Egyptian presidential elections in June 24 are remorseful - and their regret is evident in a new hashtag which reads: I elected Morsi because .. The hashtag [ar] #انا_انتخبت_مرسي_عشان generated tongue-in-cheek and sarcasm. Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, won the presidential runoff elections against Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister of Hosni Mubarak, who resigned after 32 years following 18 days of country-wide protests against his rule.
Global Voices Launches Partnership with Brazil's Pública
Global Voices and the Brazilian investigative journalism agency Pública launched a new partnership on February 18 that will see a wealth of reports with a strong angle on citizen voices and initiatives added to our coverage.
Brazil: Newspaper and Satire Blog Battle
The main clash is between the version of Folha, which practices censorship under the guise of brand protection, and the version of Falha, which evokes freedom of expression. Brazilian journalist Lino Bocchini informs [pt] that the case of Folha de São Paulo newspaper against the satirical blog Falha de São...
Spanish Parliamentarians Tweet Secret Mario Draghi meeting
El Presidente del Banco Central Europeo (BCE) Mario Draghi pidió que su intervención en el Congreso español se realizara a puertas cerradas. Pero dos diputados desobedecieron la petición de Draghi y transmitieron en tiempo real en Twitter las intervenciones de Draghi bajo la etiqueta que ellos mismo crearon #OpenDraghi.
Videos from “One Billion Rising” Global Protests for Women's Rights
Every third woman falls victim to violence in her lifetime. On February 14, 2013 thousands of people all over the world protested against these daily acts of violence with dance.
500 Reasons to Love Colombia
The team of travel writers at the Colombia Travel Blog celebrated their 500th post by coming up with a list of 500 reasons they love Colombia. The truth is, there are hundreds more reasons to come and thousands more reasons that we love the country, but we could also boil it down...
With Corruption All Too Common, Brazil Pushes Back
More and more cases of corruption are reported all the time in Brazil. However, after the histicoral judgement of those involved in one the largest scandals of corruption in the country, the situation may be changing.
A Second Revolution in Libya?
The road to democracy is a bumpy one for Libyans, who are marking the second anniversary of their revolution this week. Fozia Mohamed charts the reactions of bloggers on the occasion. Could this be Libya's real second revolution?
Australian Senator Deported for ‘Interfering’ in Malaysian Politics
Australian senator Nick Xenophon was detained for 15 hours at the Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia before being deported after he was accused of being an ‘enemy of the state.’ Malaysian officials said Xenophon “could cause disorder and could be a danger to the community.”
RuNet Skeptical About Chelyabinsk Meteorite
The tendency of the RuNet to amplify conspiracy theory explanations of any given event cannot be overestimated.
Indonesia's Bill on Mass Organizations
This legal dragon in the making will seriously restrict fundamental liberties of freedom of association & assembly and freedom of thought & expression in Indonesia. For instance it potentially will effectively prevent civil organizations from revealing, denouncing, let alone charging, criminal practices, including human trafficking or corruption. Colson reviews the...
Ecuador Elections: Another Term for President Rafael Correa
On Sunday, February 17, 2013, 11.6 million people in Ecuador went to the ballot boxes to exercise their right to vote. Preliminary results show that President Rafael Correa has won.
Crowdfunders Empty Pockets for Catalan Independence
‘L'endemà. Respostes per a decidir‘, a documentary project about Catalonia's potential independence from Spain, produced by Isona Passola [ca], earned a record-breaking €150,000 on the crowdfunding platform Verkami on February 15, 2013. Passola, who produced the award-winning film Pa Negre [ca], hoped to reach that amount in 40 days, but reached that goal in just eleven....
Tax Holiday for Albanian Youth?
THREE YEAR TAX LIFT FOR EMPLOYED YOUTH In a significant boost to youth employment, the government will decide during the coming weeks about the lifting of taxes (social security, health and personal income tax) and expenses of new trainings of those employed in the private sector. We keep our promises! The...
High Energy Bills Keep Bulgarians Protesting
On Sunday, February 17, tens of thousands of people in Bulgaria's capital Sofia and other cities continued to protest against high electricity and heating bills. Ruslan Trad reports.
