Stories from 13 May 2011
Uganda: Women's Groups, Lawyers Join Walk to Work Protests
As Uganda's Walk to Work protests enter their second month, the original group of opposition politicians has now been joined by women's organizations and lawyers who are angered not only by high fuel and food prices, but also by the brutality of the government's response to the protests.
Cuba: Different Sides of the Soto Story
The Cuban Triangle defends his position on the controversy surrounding the death of Juan Wilfredo Soto, saying: “What I was doing, in a case where police brutality is alleged and third-hand information abounds, was to present the various accounts for readers to chew over for themselves.”
Trinidad & Tobago: The Firing of King
Bloggers are still reacting to the firing of the Minister of Planning, with aka_lol saying, tongue-in-cheek: “I think it is wise for any Government to promptly get rid of any Minister who can’t even manage to carry out an everyday piece of corruption effectively.”
South Korea: Blogger's Phone Review Deleted by Samsung
In South Korea, an influential blogger's review on a Samsung smartphone was removed due to pressure from the manufacturer. Internet users have harshly criticised the nation's biggest conglomerate, Samsung Electronics and Naver, the nation's biggest web portal, for censoring the blogger.
Haiti: Taking Responsibility for Cholera
Stanley Lucas thinks that “this [UN] mission needs to be held accountable for its actions, including the cholera, and should be more responsibly managed – or it needs to be closed.”
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Warner & the UK's World Cup Bid
“The allegation by English officials that four FIFA members acted inappropriately is beginning to gain some traction in the United Kingdom”: Barbados Underground wonders whether Jack Warner has “bitten off more than he can munch on this one”.
Jamaica: The Simple Life
Diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac wants to keep things simple.
India: 34 Years of Communist Rule Ends in West Bengal
West Bengal today witnessed history in the making when the Indian state's 34 year long Communist rule was ousted from power by Mamata Banerje - leader of the All India Trinamool Congress. Netizens react to this landslide victory.
Uganda: Police Paint Protesters Pink
Ugandan police have responded to the past month's ongoing Walk to Work protests by spraying protesters with tear gas and live bullets. During a demonstration on Tuesday, they took a different tack, firing water cannons filled with pink liquid at demonstrators who were attempting to walk to Constitution Square in the center of Kampala.
Germany: Learning German with a Blog
Every Tuesday, Canadian expat Marie in Berlin uploads recordings of the peculiar new words she learns in German to her blog.
Greece: Wave of Racist Attacks on Immigrants in Athens
In the past days, right-wing extremists in Athens, Greece have launched pogrom-like attacks on immigrants in the downtown Athens area. Dozens have been injured. It began on May 10, one day after a 44-year old escorting his pregnant wife to the hospital was mugged and stabbed to death.
East Timor: Cartoons on Development and Everyday Life
The website Sapo.TL features a photo album from an exhibition [pt] in Lisbon with a selection of illustrations from the portuguese architect and cartoonist João Baptista. Baptista created the blog Timor Cartoon, five years ago, and has published since then dozens of cartoons about the development and everyday life of...
May 11, 1981: 30 Years Ago, Bob Marley and François Mitterrand
“François Mitterrand and Bob Marley, united for eternity on May 11th 1981″, [fr] is a post on the blog Calédosphère commemorating the 30th anniversary of the passing of the “God of Reggae”, Bob Marley, and the election of former French President François Mitterrand. Bob Marley fans can visit the blog [fr]...
Eritrea: The Plight of Eritrea Refugees in Egypt
Release Eritrea, a charity based in the UK, is concerned about the plight of Eritrean refugees in Egypt: “In recent days, five Eritreans have been shot by the Egyptian border guards on the border with Israel. They managed to cross the border despite their wounds, but later died in Israel...
Russia: Blogger Continues to Fight for Right to Photograph
Popular photoblogger Ilya Varlamov (zyalt) continues to report on the violations of his constitutional rights to freely photograph in any public place. Varlamov's latest attempts to take pictures in the Moscow-City, a business district of Moscow, led, as always, to confrontation with private security services.
Uganda: Museveni’s Swearing in Overshadowed by Rival's Return
Ugandan netizens discuss the swearing in ceremony of Uganda’s president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni which was overshadowed by the arrival of his rival and three time challenger Dr. Kizza Besigye who had been flown to Nairobi for medical treatment from injuries sustained during a violent arrest last month.
Russia: Quantitative Research Proves Blogs Set an Alternative News Agenda
Bruce Etling, Berkman Center scholar and one of the authors of the “Mapping of the Russian Blogosphere” research, posts the initial results of the Russian online media content analysis. While the “Russian TV channels and newspapers (traditional and Web native) cover topics similar to each other and to the Russian government,”...
Russia: Opposition Blogger's Trial Starts After a Year of Detention
Caucasian Knot reports on [ru] Alauddin (Aleksey) Dudko's trial that started only on May 10, 2011, year after his arrest. Dudko (LJ-user ingushetiya_ru), opposition blogger, had been charged with drug and explosives possession. Dudko's lawyers claim, police set him up in order to prevent his blogging activity. According to the...
China: Police Violence and Public Anger
C. Custer from China Geeks translated two ordinary news stories and netizens’ reaction about police violence and public anger.
Russia: North Caucasian Website DDoS-attacked and Hacked
Caucasian Knot reports [ru] a hacker attack on golosingushetii.ru (Voice of Ingushetia), an independent North Caucasian website. In March 2011, the website was subject to a DDoS attack. This time the online offenders managed to hack the website and delete its content. The content has been backed up and now the...
Ukraine: The Untold Story of the Victory Day Clashes in Lvov
Russian television footage this week showed hooded young Ukrainians attacking World War II veterans, giving Nazi salutes, and chanting nationalist slogans. As they ripped St. George ribbons from people's shirts, it seemed that Ukrainian youth had forgotten the terrible sacrifices made by the Soviet Union to defeat Germany. Will Partlett reports on what the Russian press is not saying about the May 9 clashes in Lvov, Ukraine.
