14 February 2012

Stories from 14 February 2012

Iran: Blogger's wife and daughter got kidnapped

  14 February 2012

According to a report Mehdi Khazali‘s wife and daughter were kidnapped by the security forces and moved to an unknown place[update: they were released on bail]. Khazali is a blogger and publisher who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison but later a court revised his jail term to...

Caribbean: We'll Always Love You, Whitney

  14 February 2012

Following the untimely death of singer Whitney Houston, a handful of Caribbean bloggers are talking about her talent, her music and her legacy. From Trinidad and Tobago, The Liming House posts a video of the singer performing “I Look to You” and says: Goodbye, Whitney. Because your voice, even when...

Paraguay: Displaced Indigenous Community to Return to Land

  14 February 2012

Intercontinental Cry re-posts a report by Amnesty International: “After living next to a major highway for nearly two decades without access to water, regular food supplies or even land to cultivate–the Enxet community of Yakye Axa can finally return to a normal way of life on their ancestral lands in...

Tunisia: Social Media Campaign to Legalize Marijuana Underway

  14 February 2012

Legalize It was an album by the Jamaican and pro-marijuana consumption, Peter Tosh, in 1976. Now Legalize It! is a social media campaign for the legalization of marijuana in Tunisia. Ahmed Medien sums up netizen reactions to consuming marijuana ahead of a protest planned in front of Parliament to call for its legalization on Saturday, February 18.

Antigua, Guadeloupe: From the Common Past

  14 February 2012

For the past decade, the tight historical and geographical bonds between the West Indian islands of Antigua and Guadeloupe have been analyzed by historians. A recent conference entitled “Antigua: From the Amerindians to an Independant Nation” [Fr] was organized in Guadeloupe by the group Yo Té Pou Nou Sé. Bloggers...

Mexico Prepares to Elect a New President

  14 February 2012

As personalities and political parties in Mexico prepare for the presidential election this year, various bloggers and Twitter users are analyzing its implications while others are seemingly more interested in the ineptitude of the candidates.

Caribbean: It's V-Day; Can You Feel the Love?

  14 February 2012

Love is definitely on the minds and in the hearts of Caribbean bloggers today; here's a quick look at how many of them are honouring the feeling that makes the world - and apparently the blogosphere - go round…

Colombia: Romantic Movie for Men Premieres on Facebook

  14 February 2012

Lessons for a Kiss, a Colombian film categorized by writer and director Juan Pablo Bustamante as a romantic comedy for men, will premiere on Facebook on Valentine's day (Feb. 14) and will stay online for 3 months. It will be available for rental for $.99 cents.

Lebanon: Bloggers Get Together

  14 February 2012

The first Get Together for Lebanese bloggers organized by LebAgg took place on February 9, 2012. “It was a pretty casual one, the sole purpose was to kick-start a series of more get togethers for bloggers. We were hoping for some brainstorming and bloggers suggesting ideas, but the settings didn't really help whereas there...

Jamaica: Media Mandate to Provide Info

  14 February 2012

A man dies after being shot during a robbery at an ATM; Active Voice wonders “why Jamaican media seems to be conspiring with the bank concerned to keep the exact location of the ATM a secret”, adding: “Such an omission raises serious questions about the media and exactly whose watchdogs...

Iran: ‘Internet is an unwanted guest’

  14 February 2012

A member of Iranian council of internet filtering says [fa]: Internet is an unwanted guest in our country. Mohammad Reza Aghamiri adds: Due to the problems of this guest, we should apply severe monitoring. He believes Google is supporting ‘disruptions’ in Iran, helping opposition supporters. Several Iranian users have reported in...

Slovakia, Hungary: Shrouded in Smog

  14 February 2012

Blogger Ulrika Lejnarová, highlighting air pollution data from the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute [sk], wonders [sk] why Slovakia, while often paying attention to the critical conditions in Hungary [en], is doing little to inform its own citizens of the domestic situation adequately, in order to avoid health complications.

Hungary: Another Environmental Catastrophe in the Making

  14 February 2012

In October 2010, a toxic spill from a red sludge reservoir in Kolontár caused the greatest environmental disaster in Hungary's recent history. Atlatszo.hu and Greenpeace are now drawing attention to another hazardous waste reservoir, in the town of Almásfüzitő, which is "leaking like a sponge" and is already causing grave environmental and health damage.