20 July 2012

Stories from 20 July 2012

Argentina: Falklands Olympics Video Sparks Controversy

  20 July 2012

While Argentina prepares for the 2012 Olympics in London, an advertisement produced by the Presidency and filmed in the Falkland Islands has sparked a controversy with the phrase: "To compete on English soil, we train on Argentine soil."

South Africa: #HowMandelaSoldUsOut

  20 July 2012

An open letter to Nelson Mandela published on South Africa's premier news site News24, argues that the iconic leader 'sold out' black South Africans in negotiations that ended the Apartheid system. #HowMandelaSoldUsOut started trending on Twitter soon after its publication.

Colombia: Locals Demand End to Cauca Conflict

  20 July 2012

For years, the indigenous people of the municipality of Toribio in Cauca have put up with hundreds of battles provoked by the guerrilla, paramilitary groups, and the military. The conflict has generated the displacement of thousands of indigenous people. Now, the indigenous people of the area have decided to intensify their struggle to expel these armed groups from their territory.

MENA: Welcoming Ramadan

Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar has just begun. It is a time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, try to get closer to God and celebrate their blessings. Around the world, Muslims have been trying to capture the spirit of the month with photographs, sharing them on different social media websites.

Armenia-Georgia: Typography Without Borders?

Behance features a typographic project to write the Georgian word for hello phonetically in an Armenian script stylized in such a way that it resembles Georgian. Although some letters in the Armenian and Georgian alphabets can resemble each other depending on the fonts and case or styles used, they are...

Mali: What is The ECOWAS Waiting for ?

  20 July 2012

Francis Laloupo wonders whether the ECOWAS has a clear  purpose in the resolution [fr] of the crisis in Northern Mali. Laloupo argues that while the ECOWAS has maintained for the past 4 months that they strive to re-establish the unity of the Malian territory,  they have yet to draw a coherent strategy to...

Pakistan: Polio Vaccination Ban Affects 240,000 Children

  20 July 2012

The lives of 240,000 innocent children are at stake due to the recent ban on Polio inoculation by the Taliban in the region of FATA. The militants also consider this anti-polio campaign as an act of espionage, and the tribal leaders are backing them.

Pre-Olympics 2012: What’s Buzzing

  20 July 2012

With the 2012 London Olympics drawing closer, activities relating to the Games are heightening every day. From countries participating in the Games to their athletes preparing to score their best, the world's online audience is coming alive and getting ready for this extravaganza.

Israel: Media Learn About Shootings 8 Hours Later

@activestills, “a collective of Israeli, International and Palestinian photographers, united by a conviction that photography is a vehicle for social change”, says on Twitter this morning: “Israeli police informed media about the shooting incident against refugees only 8 hours after it happened”, pointing to a few images from the shooting....

Russia: Yaroslavl Court Bans LiveJournal

Earlier this week, a Yaroslavl court responded to a request from local police and ordered Internet provider Netis Telekom to shut off access to a handful of websites, including Russia's most popular blogging platform, LiveJournal. As a result, roughly 6,000 subscribers have lost all LJ access.

Togo: Keeping an Eye on a Budding Political Crisis

  20 July 2012

Paul Martial warns that despite very little international coverage, the recent events in Togo suggest that profound changes are underway [fr].  Martial argues that the Eyadema administration is fragilized by both the emerging social crisis and internal tensions within the governing body. A new prime minister, Mr Ahoomey-Zunu, has been named today [fr].

China: Ai Weiwei's Tax Evasion Case

  20 July 2012

In April last year, prominent artist Ai Weiwei was detained by the Beijing authority without giving any reason and eventually state-run media said that he was under investigation for tax evasion, bigamy and ‘spreading porn. In June 2011, Ai was asked to pay 12 million yuan ($1.85 million) in back...

Afghanistan as Seen by a Photographer

Kazakh photographer Oskar Shalmanov shares photos from his recent trip to Afghanistan. The photos come with insightful comments [in Russian] about the war-torn country and its past. The images can be seen here, here, and here.