July, 2010
Stories from July, 2010
30 July 2010
Latvia: Concerns Over the Future of the Largest Daily, Free Press
With the ownership of the largest daily newspaper, Diena, in question, many journalists in Latvia fear business interests and political influence would rule the news coverage ahead of the October parliamentary elections.
Chile: Mapuche on Hunger Strike over Anti-terror Law
On July 12, 2010, fourteen Mapuche indigenous detainees began a hunger strike to denounce the Chilean State’s treatment of Mapuche communities in southern Chile. The strike is aimed mainly at ending the use of Chile’s Anti-terrorism Law against Mapuche prisoners, a Pinochet-era decree widely used during the seventeen years of the Pinochet dictatorship.
Global Threat of Wheat Killer Rises
The risk posed by a fungus that is deadly to the world's second largest crop, wheat, continues to rise. The killer fungus, called Ug99, causes stem rust disease, which can destroy entire wheat fields.
Brazil: Copyright Reform Proposal Under Consultation
A public consultation on the Brazilian Copyright Act has received over 1,200 contributions. The proposed changes have fuelled intense debate in the blogosphere and twittosphera.
29 July 2010
Italy: NO to Restrictions on Online Free Speech
A newly revised Media and Wiretapping bill before the Italian parliament today could introduce a threatening "liability risk" for all bloggers and online media.
Afghan Bloggers on Wikileaks War Logs
Afghan bloggers writing in Dari appear to be relatively quiet in the aftermath of the leaked military reports posted on Wikileaks. Here are reactions from two Afghan bloggers.
China: Social media as political subversion tool
This past month has been an interesting one in the cat-and-mouse game between Chinese Internet censorship and its non-conformists. Microblogs in the People's Republic had begun to feel the weight...
Russia: Online Cartoon Character - Mr. Freeman - Deconstructs Reality, Mocks Netizens

Gregory Asmolov writes about Mr. Freeman, a sarcastic, gloomy and enigmatic online cartoon character, who has made millions of young Russians think about the way they live their lives.
Malaysia: Drop in Foreign Direct Investments
The recently released United Nations World Investment Report 2010 brought to light the shape of the Malaysian economy to its citizens: Foreign direct investment has dropped by 81 percent. Here are some online reactions.
Venezuela: Allies in Technology, Women Who are Not Afraid of Mice
Venezuelan NGO Aliadas en Cadena (Allies in Chains) created the group Aliadas en Tecnología (Allies in Technology) to promote the use of technology to empower women affected by poverty. Through classes and workshops, many women who saw computers as strange and intimidating objects now find in them a tool for work, learning and self-fulfillment.




































Nice post Aparna. Good to see that Kolkata men and women are organizing against street sexual harassment. Kathmandu organized its...