Stories about Breaking News from October, 2011
Russia: Izhevsk City Manager Caught on Camera Talking About Election Bribery
Udmurtia.tv publishes a video [ru] of Denis Agashin, Izhevsk city manager, telling the representatives of veteran organizations that the next year's financial support will depend on the results of “United Russia” party in their district. As Alexander Kynev, a prominent political analyst, points out: “Progress it's not only forcing students...
Egypt: Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah Detained for 15 Days
Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah has been detained for 15 days, after refusing to be interrogated. He appeared at the Military Prosecutor, along with fellow activist Bahaa Saber, today as supporters gathered outside, denouncing military trials.
Yemen: VP Hadi Leaves to the US for Treatment!
Today's main headline in Yemen was the sudden departure of Vice President Abdu Rabbu Mansoor Hadi to the US for medical treatment. Hadi's absence adds a new snag to the signing of the unpopular GCC deal, which Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has been putting off for months. Noon Arabia has more.
Israel: Netizens Prepare to Take to the Streets in a New Social Justice Protest
Rallies are planned across Israel tonight - in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Rishon LeTzion, Kiryat Shmona, Haifa, Modiin and Eilat. Elizabeth Tsurkov checks out netizen reactions before the protests.
Madagascar: New Prime Minister Omer Beriziky Arrival Tweeted Live
Twitter users in Madagascar followed the announcement of the new prime minister and reported it live. Avylavitra wrote succintly [mg] : “Omer Beriziky is the new PM in #Madagascar.”
Russia: Prison Officer Who Abused Female Inmates Arrested After a YouTube Leak
Anonymous male prison officer from Amur region who had been captured beating and abusing female inmates was arrested, Ria.ru reported [ru]. The arrest was conducted after the shocking video [warning: graphic content] of prison violence was uploaded by the YouTube user MrArtur113.
Saudi Arabia: Prince Naif is Coming
Saudi Arabia has appointed its Interior Minister Naif Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud as the Kingdom's new crown prince. The news has been received with fear and caution by netizens, who say human rights and freedom will reach a new low as a result.
Russia: 24,300+ Personal Records Belonging to Pro-Kremlin Youth Camp Participants Leaked
Russia is entering a personal data leak war led by anonymous hackers. After the partly-fake contents of the Alexey Navalny's mailbox was published, the RuNet was struck with another massive leak of personal data belonging to 24,324 participants of the pro-Kremlin youth camp “Seliger 2011,” ridus.ru reported [ru].
Brazil: Belo Monte Dam Construction Site is Occupied
Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) reports [pt] that 600 people have occupied Belo Monte Dam construction site in Altamira, brazilian state of Pará. Journalist Beth Begonha (@BethBegonha) said [pt] that Kayapó people from the village of Gurupira will join the protest shortly. This action was decided yesterday, with news that the...
Russia: Author of “the Barracks Blog” De-Anonymized, Allegedly Threatened
Vasiliy (@sosigusyan [ru]), military conscript and the author of “the Barracks Blog,” a Twitter-account telling about the life in the army (see transcripts of his tweets here [ru] and here [ru]) had been de-anonymized by the military authorities. The content of the micro-blog had been deleted and someone else started...
Egypt: Revolution Call Renewed After Khaled Said Murder Trial Verdict
Two police officers have been sentenced to seven years in prison for the assault that led to the death of Khaled Said, the young man whose murder in Alexandria has fueled the Egyptian revolution. Netizens are angry at what they describe as a lenient sentence.
Russia: Hacked Mailbox of Anti-Corruption Blogger Published Online
Private mailbox allegedly belonging to Alexey Navalny, famous anti-corruption blogger, has been hacked and published at navalnymail.kz by an attacker nicknamed onenavnav [ru]. Navalny hasn't confirmed the authenticity of the leaked e-mails yet. Observers suggest that the leak might be connected to the plan of Navalny's discreditation.
Mexico: President Signs Law Two Years After Daycare Centre Fire
On June 5, 2009, a fire in a daycare centre claimed the lives of 49 children and left 76 injured. The childrens' parents campaigned for a bill to improve the country's daycare centres, which has just been signed into law by the Mexican President.
Russia: Government Official Tries to Force Websites to Remove Discrediting Video
On October 23, 2011 Kseniya Sobchak, celebrity journalist, had shot a video of Vasiliy Yakemenko, the head of the Federal Agency for Youth, in the most expensive restaurant of Moscow. Criticism followed the video [ru] upload: according to his tax declaration [ru], Yakemenko could hardly afford attending such place. Later Anna Biryukova,...
Chile: State Security Law, Violence Deterrent or Repression?
On October 18, Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter invoked the State Security Law to punish the persons responsible for the burning of a bus during the protests supporting the student movement. The country's citizens comment on this controversial measure.
Argentina: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Re-Elected President
Presidential elections held in Argentina on October 23 resulted in a sweeping victory for current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, according to preliminary results. This post looks at how Argentinians reacted on Twitter.
Cameroon: French Politician Denounces Irregularities in the Cameroonian Election
Eva Joly, the green party candidate for the French 2012 presidential election, denounced on her blog the re-election of Paul Biya, Cameroon incumbent president. She points out that even the usually prudent US State Department expressed strong reserves with the electoral process. She is surprised that the French Ministry of...
Russia: Government to Launch Content Monitoring in December 2011
Roskomnadzor, Russian telecommunications control body, will launch content monitoring system in December 2011, Kommersant.ru reports [ru]. The system ordered in March, 2011 (see GV analysis here) is now in pre-release condition. Its documented abilities allow the monitoring of up to 5 mln keywords published at the websites registered as online mass media...
Russia: President's Visit to Journalism Department Under Attack of Social Media
The New York Times explores the role of social media in exposing staged nature of Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the Moscow State Univerisity. The Twitter hashtag #журфак (shortened for Journalism department) as well as many posts on LiveJournal and Facebook made the controversy a trending topic and forced the president's spokesperson...
Tunisia: Voting NOT Extended by Two and a Half Hours
Journalist Yasmine Ryan tweets: “Tunisia's polling booths will be open an extra 2 and a half hours due to such high turnout, until 9.30pm.” She then amended her tweet: “CORRECTION: polls still shut at 7pm, but all those with people still inline are to remain open.”
Turkey: 1,000 People Feared Dead in Van Quake
A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit eastern Turkey a few hours ago. Up to 1,000 people are feared dead. The quake hit Ercis, in the mountainous province of Van close to the Iranian border, the hardest. On Twitter, users are checking on loved ones and exchanging updates on the death toll and rescue efforts.
