16 March 2010

Stories from 16 March 2010

South Africa: Julius Malema and the future of freedom of speech

  16 March 2010

The ANC Youth League President Julius Malema has been found guilty of hate speech because of comments he made about a woman who accused President Jacob Zuma for rape. South African bloggers and legal experts have reacted quickly to the judgement. Opinions about the judgement and the future of freedom of speech in South Africa are deeply divided.

Trinidad & Tobago: Issues with the Academy

  16 March 2010

KnowTnT.com links to “a report entitled The Tragedy & The Hidden History of NAPA” and comments: “I'm hoping that the accusations are fully investigated and that, if they are true, that the powers that be are stung into changing their reprehensible treatment of our artists.

Bermuda: Taking a Gamble

  16 March 2010

“I am generally ambivalent on gambling, I don't see it as a tourism silver bullet or a social death knell, and while I have little interest in it myself I do have some serious affiliated concerns”: Politics.bm thinks that Bermuda needs to “reform first. Gambling might follow.”

China and Hong Kong: Police and media

  16 March 2010

ESWN translated mainland blogger Yang Hengjun's eye witness report on the protest outside the China liaison office in March 13, 2010. Yang criticized the excessive police force and the self-censored practice of local media in Hong Kong.

South Korea: Birth rate

  16 March 2010

Andrew Gruen from Ohmynews! wrote an article addressing the problem of low birth rate in South Korea and pointed out that gender equality is more important than policy in raising birth rate.

Egypt: IslamOnline Employees Strike

Hundreds of employees, editors, and journalists started an angry sit-in in the widely read Cairo-based IslamOnline news website after 250 employees were sacked. For the first time, strikers are using new media efficiently and effectively to draw all the attention needed to support their cause, from continuous Twitter updates to live streaming.

Thailand: “Bloody” Tuesday?

  16 March 2010

The Prime Minister of Thailand has refused to step down despite the big protest rally of the anti-government Red Shirts last weekend. Now the protesters are ready to stage a "bloody" form of protest action. Bloggers and twitters continue to document the ongoing political crisis in Bangkok.