8 July 2012

Stories from 8 July 2012

Few Surprises in East Timor Parliamentary Elections

  8 July 2012

East Timor conducted its parliamentary elections on July 7, 2012. There was a lower voter turn out this year but at least there were no alarming cases of violence and poll fraud. Netizens used the hashtags #eleisaun2012 and #timorelections to cover the elections.

Uganda: Netizens Tweet Top Ugandan Lies

  8 July 2012

The hashtags #TopUgandanLies and #TopKenyanlies trended on 13 June, 2012, where tweeps shared top lies in the region. To Twitter use, @PhenomenalPPP, top Ugandan lie is "On my way, il be there in 15mins." Read what other lies made to the top Ugandan lies list.

Kenya: Call for Unity Amid Terror Attacks

  8 July 2012

Only few days before the opening of Global Voices Summit 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya experienced bloody blasts and kidnapping in Mombasa and in the town of Garissa. On 1 July, 2012 masked attackers killed 17 people and wounded 45 in a gun and grenades attacks on two churches in Garissa.

Russia: Krymsk Footage & the Reservoir's Owners

Krasnodar environmental activist Suren Gazarian blogs videos from the wreckage in Krymsk, dismissing the theory [ru] that the flooding was caused by water released from the Neberdzhaevsky Reservoir. Marina Litvinovich, meanwhile, provides background [ru] on the reservoir's corporate ownership, including recent criminal charges against members of its board of directors.

Russia: Krymsk Floodgate Conspiracies

In the aftermath of flooding in Krymsk that has claimed over 140 lives, bloggers debate whether officials are to blame for water that may have been released from a nearby reservoir. Evgeny Shultz tries to debunk [ru] this theory, whereas local Yulia Andropova claims [ru] that her father was present when the...

Zambia: A President's Joke Gone Too Far?

  8 July 2012

Zambian netizens have condemned President Michael Sata's apparent lack of diplomatic etiquette after he told former American President George W. Bush that Zambians are grateful when a former colonialist like him come back to pay back what was stolen during his country’s colonial and slavery past. George W. Bush was in Zambia to promote cervical cancer detection and treatment programs for women.

Myanmar: Students Detained for Commemorating Historical Event

  8 July 2012

Leaders of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions were detained by the government for planning an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a military crackdown on student protesters. The arrest sparked online discussion about the historical event and Myanmar's transition towards democracy. The government said students were not detained but merely invited for 'discussion'

Hong Kong: New “Red” Elementary School Curriculum Flames Concern

  8 July 2012

Under pressure from mainland China, Hong Kong's elementary schools have to start a new curriculum on "national education." Recently revealed, its module on the "China model" is full of political propaganda, such as the claim that one party dictatorship is more effective than any other democratic political system.