Stories from 5 March 2013
Venezuela: Hugo Chávez has Died
This evening, vice-president Nicolás Maduro announced the death of the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías. Twitter users reacted immediately to Maduro's announcement.
Turkmenistan: With Enemies Like These, Who Needs Friends?
People in Turkmenistan and Turkmen dissidents in exile are unhappy about the fact that criticisms of the country's political regime come from various 'foreign experts,' while Western policymakers and politicians inside the country remain mute.
Venezuelan VP: Hugo Chávez Dead
Murió Hugo Chávez (Hugo Chávez has died) is a worldwide trending topic on Twitter after Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro announced the passing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. In Venezuela, QEPD Chavez (RIP Chávez) is a local trending topic. You can read more reactions via the hashtag #MurioChavez (Chávez has...
Democratic India's Shrinking Freedoms
Proloy Bagchi comments that political corruption, government pressure, misuse of public resources, intolerance on criticism, intimidation and threat are some of the reasons that are limiting freedom of expression in the largest democracy of the world, India.
Violence Flares in Bangladesh Over Islamist Leader's Death Sentence
Renewed violence has erupted across Bangladesh, leaving 80 people dead, after the vice president of the country's largest Islamist political party was sentenced to be hanged for war crimes on February 28, 2013. Supporters of the Shahbag movement, who have protested for nearly a month to demand the death penalty for war criminals, rejoiced at the verdict.
Uruguayans Push for Sustainable Transport
Uruguayan citizens collect over 10,000 signatures to pressure their government to provide adequate infrastructure for sustainable transport, starting with bicycle lanes. The initiative seeks to address the omission to consider bicycles as a valid form of transport in the country's long-term transport plan.
Pirate Bay's ‘Defection’ to North Korea a Hoax
The Pirate Bay, one of the internet's oldest pirate sites, claimed Monday that it has stopped using its Swedish hosting provider and now running from the North Korean Internet. However, within less than 24 hours, it came clean and explained it was a hoax, reports North Korea Tech.
Medellín, Colombia: Innovative but Unequal
On March 1, WSJ Magazine announced that Medellín had been chosen as the most innovative city of the world in the contest “City of the Year.” That same day, the press reported the UN had declared the city one of the most unequal in the world. The big contrast in these two reports has generated various reactions on social networks.
Colombia's President: Nobel Peace Prize?
During the afternoon of March 4, 2013, Colombians found out [es] that their current president, Juan Manuel Santos, is one of the 259 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. Various netizens showed their disagreement using the hashtag #SantosNobeldelainfamia [es, Santos Nobel of Infamy].
Peru: Are Safety Concerns in Lima Justified or Overblown?
In Peru's social networks, the level of anxiety is rising over perceptions of a spike in violent crime. The police, the government, and even the media are being held responsible, but there are those who point to recent statistics that indicate crime may actually be decreasing.
Kenyans Flood Polls Despite Election Day Violence
Machete-wielding separatists left at least 13 dead in Kenya as millions of people turned out in historic numbers to cast their votes on March 4, 2013 in one of the most watched general elections in Africa since the country's elections in 2007 ended in ethnic bloodshed. Sporadic acts of violence marred the otherwise peaceful election.
Carnival Samba Takes Aim at World Cup in Brazil
With forced evictions and competing political interests surrounding the run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, a group of concerned Carnival revelers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil have put the discord to a samba beat. Listen to this year's winner of the carnival marches contest, “Imagina na Copa” (Imagine in the Cup), created by a group of citizens recalling who really benefits from the cup.
Viral Japanese Animated Video Leaves Internet Misty-Eyed
A short animated video created by popular Japanese comedian Tekken, better known for cracking jokes in black-and-white makeup than producing stop-motion tearjerkers, still has the Web talking a year after it was first went viral.
Why Do Russia's Newsmen Keep Quitting?
Two editors-in-chief lost their positions on March 4, 2013: Mikhail Kotov left one of Russia's biggest online newspapers, Gazeta.ru, while Alexey Vorobiev is no longer the head of the Kommersant FM, a Kommersant affiliated radio station with a heavy online presence.
Nepali Newspaper Gives Voice to Hong Kong's Neglected Minorities
inmediahk.net interviewed the editor-in-chief of a Nepali independent newspaper, Ethnic Voice, based in Hong Kong. The weekly newspaper encourages Nepalese living in Hong Kong to speak out and participate in public affairs.
Ecuador: Seven Days Without Water, Loja's Residents are Enraged
The province of Loja is currently under a state of emergency: around 60 neighbourhoods are now without a supply of drinking water. Residents of the province are expressing their indignation over this and other problems with the #Loxaindignada hashtag.
