Stories from 19 July 2012
Singapore: Law Society Faces Criticism From Online Community
Singapore's Law Society is in hot water on social media platforms after allegations were made that they had attempted to prevent human rights lawyer Madasamy Ravi from continuing to fight his cases in court.
Bangladesh: Mourning the Death of a Legend
Bangladesh's most famous writer and film maker has died from colon cancer. Humayun Ahmed was a popular author, playwright and film director. Tributes are pouring in for the creator of iconic characters Himu, Misir Ali, and Baker Bhai, from mourning fans on social networking sites.
Video: Internet Society Discusses International Freedom of Speech and Censorship
Will the technologies of anonymization win out over new digital monitoring tools? And will new wireless data technologies foster democracy–or lead to more effective tracking and surveillance? A panel discussion in Washington, DC on 25 June, 2012 with 6 activists from Syria, India, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Venezuela and Azerbaijan aimed to answer these questions.
Georgia: Elections Portal Goes Online Ahead Of Parliamentary Vote
Democracy and Freedom Watch reports on the launch of an online monitoring platform ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2012. The site, Elections Portal, is available in Georgian and English at http://www.electionsportal.ge.
“Copy, Paste, Create”, a Free Online Book in Spanish on Open Culture and Piracy
Venezuelan writer, lawyer and Global Voices contributor Marianne Díaz Hernández has published the first installment [es] of her book “Copy, Paste, Create: Why I defend piracy and think that open culture is a good strategy for creators” [es]. Marianne will publish her (free) book in various installments on her personal...
United States: Spanish TV Series on Pablo Escobar Breaks Ratings Record
Telemundo, the second largest Spanish-speaking TV network in the United States, premiered a new series “Escobar: The Evil Patron,” about the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. During its first days, the series rated an average of 2.2 million viewers, sparking lots of comments, in favor and against, on social networks.
Spain: Deputy Apologizes for Insult
Due to the outcry produced by parliamentarian Andrea Fabra's declarations, she had to publicly retract [es] (PDF) and present a written apology after having declared “¡qué se jodan!” (“Fuck them!”) when President Mariano Rajoy announced the harshest social cuts in the history of Spanish democracy. The letter is an apology to the House of Representatives...
Puerto Rico: Strong Support for Land and Agriculture
Various organizations have warned about the food dependency of Puerto Rico and the urgency of revitalizing the agriculture of the country. It was with this reason that a demonstration was held to demand that the University of Puerto Rico not be forced to give part of its agricultural land to the municipality of Gurabo for the construction of infrastructure.
Paraguay: From Forced Labor to Indigenous Leader
Meet Margarita Mbywangi, at the age of five, she was taken from her parents and sold several times into forced domestic labor. Since then she has become a key Aché indigenous leader and even a Cabinet Minister. Mbywangi is now sharing her personal story through Rising Voices.
Bahrain: Tweeting Appalling Conditions at Jaw Prison
Bahraini netizens are rallying online to draw attention to appalling conditions at the central Jaw Prison, which houses political detainees, among others. Following the crackdown on Bahrain's February 14, 2011, uprising, hundreds of people were arrested, put on trial and imprisoned for taking part in anti-government protests.
Sri Lanka: The Disappearing Dogs Of Colombo City
Since 2010 the Colombo City Corporation has been removing stray dogs from the streets of Colombo and whereabouts of them are unknown. People are worried about the fate of the canines, reports Canging Perspectives blog.
Egypt: No to a Military Funeral for Omar Sulieman
Hosni Mubarak's vice president and Egypt's former head of intelligence Omar Suleiman is dead. News of his death has triggered a storm of reactions on social media networks. On Twitter, netizens from around the Arab world, couldn't find much good to say to lament his loss.
Iran: “If Bashar Gets Killed, the Iranian Regime Will Call Him a Martyr”
Iranian bloggers reacted with humour to the Syrian rebels attack in Damascus and the bomb blast that killed three top security chiefs in the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's regime. Iran and Syria enjoy excellent relations and netizens have resorted to poking fun at how impacted the Iranian regime would be should Al Assad finds himself out of power, following the 16 month revolution raging in Syria.
Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia Compared
Katie Going Global visits the South Caucasus and compares Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Assessing the three countries on many levels, the travel blog considers that Georgia is the most tourist-friendly.
Jordan: Women's Rights Demonstrators Face Barrage of Criticism
On June 25, 2012, more than 200 people created a human chain in the streets of Amman to raise awareness for some of the most controversial women's rights issues in Jordan. The reaction by readers of news websites in the following days reflected how unprepared Jordan was for this type of protest.
Bulgaria: Security Services “Do Not Serve the Public”
Maya M of Maya's Corner comments on today's deadly bus explosion in the Bulgarian city of Burgas: “[…] While I understand that even the best intelligence can overlook the preparation of a terror act, I am angry, because our “services” are overstaffed and overfunded. They have generous subsidies even in...
Indonesia: Charismatic Entrepreneur Charmed Jakarta Voters
Residents of Jakarta, Indonesia went to the polls to elect a new governor of the country's capital. In a surprising twist, voters supported Joko Widodo, an entrepreneur and mayor of central Java city of Solo. For the first time in Jakarta elections, social networks were recognized as tools that promote voters' education and campaign awareness
