Stories from 13 June 2012
North Korea Seems to be Testing Digital Radio Broadcasting
North Korea Tech blog wrote about evidence showing that North Korea tested digital radio broadcasting. The blogger also embeded a Youtube video posted by a radio monitor in Japan.
Sri Lanka: The Colombo Fun Ride
The Puppeteer participated in the “Colombo Cycle Fun Ride 25km”, a public cycling event organised by the Pedal Pushers cyclist group, and shares her experiences.
Puerto Rico: Plagiarism and Mainstream Media
Journalist and blogger Sandra Rodríguez Cotto wrote a series of three posts [es] on plagiarism and the common practice of not giving credit to the original sources of information in mainstream media in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico: Inspiring Digital Storytelling
Esta Vida Boricua (This Puerto Rican Life) is an interactive digital project that aims “to engage the reader/viewer in an experience of resonance and connection” with “spoken histories,” “autotopographies” (life narratives), memoirs and personal essays that combine textual, visual and audio elements by Puerto Rican who live on the island and...
Latin American Graffiti and Urban Art: Online and in the Streets
Urban art and graffiti are present throughout Latin America. Here's a look at some recent posts by bloggers who share photos and videos of this vibrant urban art movement in different parts of the region.
Uzbekistan: ‘Lavish’ Weddings Banned in Tashkent
Following in the footsteps of Tajikistan, the Mayor's Office in the Uzbek capital Tashkent has banned [uz] ‘lavish’ weddings in the city. However, as Marat Satpaev writes on NewEurasia.net, the ban will mostly extend to poor families because people with money and power will be able to defy the restrictions.
Egypt: Right to Housing initiative
Egyptian blogger and urbanism researcher Yahia Shawkat, in association with Mosireen, a citizen-journalism collective, and the Arab Digital Expression Foundation, ADEF have recently launched the “Right to Housing, a Socially Just and Sustainable Built Environment” initiative. This video, subtitled in English, entitled “No sir these are self-built communities” is the first episode...
Tunisia: Baccalaureate Exam Leaked
Netizens were struck by the leak of the Arabic test of the national baccalaureate examination, criticising the government for the fail. Salah Almhamdi rounds up reactions on Twitter.
Mozambique: NGO Launches “Corporate Interests” Transparency Platform
Mozambican NGO Centro de Integridade Pública (Public Integrity Center) [pt] released on June 12, 2012, the transparency database Interesses Empresariais (Corporate Interests) [pt]. This participatory platform aims to make the profiles of corporations and public figures more accessible, as well as to show their connections with the so-called Nomenklatura and national...
Myanmar: Protest Against Riot Attacks
CJ Myanmar reported[my] that Rakhine people in Yangon, Myanmar protested against riot attacks which already spread in nearby towns of the Rakhine state. The protestors include Rakhine ethnics and Buddhist monks and they prayed for the victims of the riot at Shwedagon Pagoda.
Indonesia: Sumatra Deforestation Mapping Tool
There is a new mapping tool that documents the disturbing loss of forest cover in Sumatra Island in Indonesia. Sumatra, one of the largest islands in the world, is known to be the only place where elephants, rhinos, tigers and orangutans coexist. The online map also provides valuable information about the island's rich biodiversity
Brazil: Online Impressions of Brazilian Identity
Since the declaration of Brazil as an independent nation in 1822, Brazilian identity has gone through several changes spurred by economic, social and cultural transformations. But is there a common Brazilian identity for every citizen? Fernando Sapelli reports some online impressions of what it means to be Brazilian.
Poland: Football Fans Clash Ahead of Poland-Russia Game
Over 180 people were detained due to clashes that broke out between rival Russian and Polish football fans in Warsaw on June 12. Anna Gotowska reports.
Portugal: Cartoon Satirizes Merkel's Influence on Upcoming Greek Elections
A cartoon of German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the Uncle Sam of Europe, with her finger pointed saying “I respect your right to vote, as long as you vote right”, is the way Portuguese ‘guerrilla’ designer Gui Castro Felga [pt] addresses the upcoming Greek elections on June 17. She wonders...
South Korea: Birth Control Regulation Changes Provoke Debate
The Korean Food and Drug Administration has announced that emergency contraceptives, known as morning-after pills, will become available over the counter. However, non-emergency oral contraceptives have become a prescription drug. This sudden reversal on birth control drug regulations has sparked heated discussions online.
China: Food and Love
YJ From Rectified Name wrote an article about the meaning of food share among Chinese people: “Food is life. But in China, it is so much more…it is love”.
Africa: Improving Governance and Accountability with New Media
L. Abena Annan speaks with Kwami Ahiabenu,II from African Elections Project about the impact of new media technologies in coverage of elections in Africa. African Elections Project enhances the ability of journalists, citizen journalists and the news media to use new media tools to monitor and cover elections.
Turkmenistan: Return of Russian Mobile Operator Ends State Monopoly
After an unexplained closure by the government in 2010, the popular Russian mobile phone operator MTS that had about half of Turkmenistan's population among its customers will soon resume its work in the country. Turkmen netizens are happy about the news, suggesting that the operator will provide quality mobile phone services and uncensored web connection, ending state monopoly in the sector.
Tajikistan: Students Sent to the Streets to Greet President
On Blogiston.tj, a local blogger writes [ru] about the Tajik president's visit to the city of Khujand in the country's north. To convince the president that people in the city love him, the local authorities have cancelled classes and exams at schools and colleges, sending thousands of students to the...
Tajikistan: Using Films to Promote Inter-Ethnic Tolerance
With the government of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan engaged in an ‘undeclared cold war‘ over regional water and energy resources, the conflict also stokes tensions between major ethnic groups in the two countries. A religious group in Tajikistan is using short silent films to teach people about the importance of inter-ethnic...
