Stories from 9 March 2013
All About Social Curation
Gaurav Mishra explains social curation and describes how Media, organizations and brands can curate contents to drive social engagement.
Changing Attitudes on Child Marriage in India
In rural India, two out of five girls are child brides. Though Indian law has made child marriage illegal, girls and boys bonded by traditional social norms and values are most likely to get married early defying the legislations. But the situation is changing as a number of women, who had been married as children, are speaking out against child marriage.
Former Brazilian Minister's New Party Mixes Sustainability, Social Media
Former Brazilian presidential candidate and famous environmentalist Marina Silva is pushing for the creation of a new political party in the country, one that seeks to use the Internet as a tool for action on sustainability issues.
Saudi Court Sentences Reformists to 10 and 11 Years in Prison
Earlier today, March 9th, the Riyadh Criminal Court issued its verdict against the two prominent reformists and human rights activists Mohammad al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid, after being prosecuted for “breaking allegiance to the ruler and his successor” and “trying to impede the country’s developments”. al-Qahtani was sentenced to 10 years in prison and al-Hamid was sentenced to 5 years in prison in addition to completing his previous sentence (7 years, released after a year with a royal pardon).
Malaysians Support Army Offensive Against Sabah ‘Terrorists’
Members of the ‘royal army’ of the Sultan of Sulu arrived and occupied some parts of Sabah in North Borneo last month to assert their claim of the territory. After three weeks, the Malaysian government sent its troops to expel the 'terrorists'. Most Malaysians have expressed their support to the military offensive to drive out the invaders
A Zimbabwean Salute to Hugo Chavez
Zimbabwean blogger Takura Zhangazha salutes the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez: “In mourning Chavez from Zimbabwe and from Africa it is key that we remember him for his principled global leadership example and his people centered policies and politics.”
Hissene Habre Victims’ Long Road to Justice
Jacqueline Moudeina writes on Pambazuka.org about the inauguration of a special tribunal in Senegal, to bring Hissene Habre, former dictator of Chad, before the courts [fr]: “Being a victim, is a condition in which we languish without the ability to recover, as long as justice has not been served. The...
Benin Journalist Gets Three Months in Prison
Jolome News notes that the International Federation of Journalists has denounced the sentencing of Ms. Berthe Cakpossa to three months in prison and a fine of 500.000 francs CFA (the equivalent of $1,000 US) for insulting Boni Yayi, the Head of State. Ms. Cakpossa is the director of a private...
Education vs. Reality in Bolivia
On his self named [es] blog, Eduardo Bowles reports [es] on changes to Bolivia's education system. According to the new school programme: “in elementary school there won't be any failed students. According to the new education trends, children should not be educated in a competitive environment”. As part of his...
Blogger to Ahmadinejad: Watch ‘The Godfather’
Hossein Derakhshan, a jailed Iranian blogger, wrote a letter to President Ahmadinejad and advised him to watch The Godfather movie and learns lessons from it. The blogger said Ahmadinejad had a “thirst to serve people but now it seems he has thirst for power”.
Archetypes of Iranian Internet Use
The Iran Media Program at the Annenberg School for Communication, present a new study: “Fights, Adapts, Accepts: Archetypes of Iranian Internet Use” by Arash Abadpour and Collin Anderson.
How Using Twitter Can End Your Political Campaign in Russia
Earlier this week, a judge in Krasnodar disqualified a politician running for city council, after determining that his campaign materials infringed on copyrights of three popular Internet social networks: Twitter, Facebook, and Vkontakte. What exactly was this man’s crime? He ran a black-and-white newspaper advertisement that included the three websites’ logos.
