Stories from 20 April 2013
The Russian Opposition “Snake Pit”
The Russian opposition is at war with itself, and it’s thanks to more than the usual ideological tectonics. The various fault lines that infamously allow the Kremlin to “divide and conquer” Russia’s would-be saviors are indeed political, but the divisions are every bit as much about idiosyncrasies and shady dealings. Just look at May 6.
Monsanto Nominated for Puerto Rico's Agricultural Hall of Fame
As soon as the non-profit organization Acción y Reforma Agrícola announced that it nominated the agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto to the Hall of Fame of Puerto Rican Agriculture, many grassroots groups demonstrated their fiercest opposition.
Boston Bombings Opens Debate on Rights
After the explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday April 15, Twitter became a primary source of breaking news, and also of misinformation. Conversations were curated around the hashtags #bostonmarathon and #bostonexplosions the first days. On Thursday night, one of the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed during a police persecution...
Article 19 Mexico Threatened
An anonymous threatening message [es] was delivered to the Article 19 Mexico offices on April 19, 2013, as reported [es] by the pro-human rights and freedom of expression organization. As a result, its director, Darío Ramírez, has published a video [es]. You can follow the hashtag #articulo19 to stay informed,...
Iran: 60% of Population Online
An organization affiliated with Iran’s government says 60 percent of Iranians are connected to the internet, 40 percent of them are young people in their 20s. Iran’s “Center For Managing National Development Of Internet”, MATMA, says more than 45 millions are connected to the internet,almost 2.5 millions of them through...
Philippine Education Directory
Filipino student leader Cleve Arguelles has listed a comprehensive matrix of Philippine education-related social media accounts. The directory features the country's leading universities, student councils and publications, government agencies and education officials
Malaysian 2013 Elections Alphabet
Art Harun gives a primer on Malaysia's 13th General Elections by listing and explaining some keywords that define Malaysian politics. For example, letter A refers to Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the Opposition; while letter N refers to Najib Razak, the incumbent Prime Minister
Myanmar: Suu Kyi Beats Lady Gaga in Time Magazine Poll
Myanmar opposition leader and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi was voted as the Time Magazine's most influential person of the decade on April 17, 2013. Suu Kyi won against Lady Gaga by 61 percent of the total votes. Following her victory after the voting closed, many people in Myanmar shared their joy and enthusiasm on Facebook
Netizens Tell Red Cross China to Get Lost
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Lushan county of Ya'an city in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 8:02 AM local time today. The Red Cross Society in China posted in its official micro-blog [zh] expressing its concern over the disaster. However, many Chinese netizens who still remember the organization's corruption scandal...
Indonesia: Relief Still Needed for Rokatenda Refugees
The impact of the Rokatenda volcanic eruption in Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia is still felt by some 3,000 refugees from Sikka District. Rokatenda erupted last February and following the natural disaster, residents are still hesitant and afraid to return to their houses.
