12 March 2013

Stories from 12 March 2013

Mercedes for President of Dilapidated Slovak University

  12 March 2013

Blogger Tomáš Homola blogs [sk] about a new Mercedes Benz E car recently acquired for 63,096 Euros for Professor Karol Mičieta [sk], the Rector/President of Comenius University in Bratislava. Homola describes Mičieta's connection to politics, and also recalls that the Ministry of Education just a short time ago was forced...

World Day Against Cyber Censorship

March 12 is World Day Against Cyber Censorship. Reporters Without Borders and other advocates for Internet rights are calling on activists, movements and organizations around the world to participate by reminding their constituents of the importance of protecting free expression online.

Indian Censor Board Restricts Papilio Buddha, A Gandhi Critic Movie

  12 March 2013

Papilio Buddha, a Malaylam language feature film, had initially been banned by the Indian censor board for defaming the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi until it got cleared for screening with the “adult” certification. Netizens question the decision of the censor board and the underlying reason.

Propaganda & Mystery in Russia's Browder-Magnitsky Case

RuNet Echo  12 March 2013

Conspiracies are the stuff of Russian politics, and the anarchy of online political discourse makes the RuNet an especially exciting place to watch conspiracy theories unfold. Consider Bill Browder and the late Sergei Magnitsky, the two key figures in a multimillion-dollar tax fraud scam. For years, Russian federal investigators and Browder’s firm have traded accusations about who’s to blame for the theft of 230 million dollars.

Challenges in Learning a Foreign Language

  12 March 2013

Eileen from the blog Bearshapedsphere writes about language learning and how native speakers can sometimes be insulting or “diminish the value of good performance by minimizing the effort that’s put into [learning their language].” I’ve been [in Chile] for almost nine years. And yes, I speak [Spanish] well (though I...

Myanmar's Exiled Broadcaster to Return Home

  12 March 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma or DVB, which has been broadcasting news about the democracy movement in Myanmar from its head office in Oslo for more than 21 years, has announced its plan to return to Myanmar soon. The group said recent reforms in the country has allowed its “former underground...

Digitizing the National Library of Vietnam

  12 March 2013

Since 2006, the the National Library of Vietnam has partnered with the Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation to digitally preserve the special collection of the library which features some 4000 ancient texts in Hán and Nôm, the former ideographic writing systems of Vietnam.

Thousands of Dead Pigs Found Floating in Shanghai River

  12 March 2013

Thousands of dead pigs have been found floating in the Huangpu River, which flows through the middle of Shanghai. While the local authorities asserted that the dead pigs have not polluted the city's water supply, people are skeptical of these claims.

Video: Chinese Journalist Fights Censorship

  12 March 2013

Committee to Protect Journalists features a special report about media censorship in China. In the report, Jonah Kessel tells a video story about Chinese Journalist Liu Jianfeng who reports on social issues amidst pressure from China’s state-controlled media.

Video: The 70's Generation in China

  12 March 2013

WORDS OF A GENERATION records personal stories and perspectives from the 70's generation in China who grew up on the perimeter of China's past and live at the forefront of its future. The videos focus on seven core topics: work, consume, love, connect, play, explore and dream.

TV Journalist Attacked In Maldives

  12 March 2013

Ibrahim ‘Aswad’ Waheed, Head of News of Raaje TV, an independent television channel, was attacked by unidentified persons recently in the Maldivian capital Male. Maldivian journalists joined in protests demanding press freedom and protection of journalists which can be seen in pictures at photo-blogger Bug's blog.