6 August 2012

Stories from 6 August 2012

Brazil: Will the Pioneering Internet Bill of Rights Pass?

  6 August 2012

The Marco Civil, a “bill of rights” for Internet users proposed in Brazil, will come to a vote on August 8. While the majority of the community seems to support the approval of the law, some are against the broad freedom that the initiative will bring about. Whatever the result, Brazil once again has the opportunity to pioneer in the arena of digital policymaking.

Tajikistan: Female Boxer Breaks Stereotypes

  6 August 2012

Mavzuna Chorieva, a female boxer representing Tajikistan at the London Olympics, has moved to the semifinals of the lightweight tournament after eliminating China's Dong Cheng. She is now guaranteed a medal. Jasur Ashurov writes on Twitter: “Go Mavzuna! You have already broken major stereotypes about Tajik women, particularly female athletes.”

Video: ‘Human Rights Now!’ Campaign Launched in Costa Rica

  6 August 2012

Last Friday, August 3, the group Citizens for Human Rights launched the campaign "Human Rights Now!", in which different Costa Rican personalities call for the need for the State to guarantee the human rights of all people. The promotional video discusses issues like same sex unions and the sexual and reproductive rights of women.

Afghanistan: Girl's Murder Sparks Anger and Protests

  6 August 2012

Shakila, a 16-year-old girl, was reportedly raped and murdered by a powerful politician in Afghanistan's Bamyan province some six months ago. Although the politician's supporters claim that Shakila took her own life, activists and netizens believe that the strongman is misleading the investigation and urge the authorities to ensure that he does not go unpunished.

Venezuela: Fencing Win Brings First Gold Medal in 44 years

  6 August 2012

Venezuela enthusiastically celebrated their first Olympic gold since 1968 as Rubén Limardo won a gold medal in fencing at the London 2012 Games. One blogger commented: "Known around the world for their beauty queens, oil richness, and love of baseball, the olympic gold of fencer Rubén Limardo deepens Venezuela's foray into the sporting world."

Bhutan: Trending On Twitter For Helping India

  6 August 2012

Last week, power grids across Northern India collapsed and neighboring Bhutan's hydroelectricity was used to run the Delhi Metro. Indian Twitterati were bemused by this fact and reacted on Twitter so much that ‘Bhutan’ ended up in the top ten trending hashtags on Twitter, reports Boaz Shmueli.

Armenia: Conan O'Brien's Yerevan T-Shirt

  6 August 2012

Ianyan curates responses to the appearance on air of U.S. TV host Conan O'Brien wearing a T-Shirt sporting the name of Armenia's capital, Yerevan. The Storify post also details how the garment came into the television celebrity's possession.

Angolan and Mozambican Politicians Among Most Influential Africans

  6 August 2012

Brazilian blogger Marcio Pessoa comments [pt] on personalities from Portuguese language countries who have been featured on the list of the world's most influential Africans of the magazine The Africa Report: the Angolan Manuel Vicente, former president of the state oil company (Sonangol), and the Mozambican Daviz Simango, the founder and...

Video: Dreaming of the Olympics in Colombia

  6 August 2012

The short film "Speed" by student Esteban Barros from Barranquilla, Colombia, shows an Olympic hopeful's dream of competing in the Olympics. Will hard effort, good results and perseverance be enough to get him to the competition? Watch the subtitled two minute video and find out.

Colombia: Caterine Ibargüen Wins Silver in Triple Jump

  6 August 2012

This post is part of our Special Coverage of our London 2012 Games. During the afternoon of Sunday, August 5, Colombian Twitter users expressed their emotion, expectation and tension due to the performance of  Caterine Ibargüen, who represents the country in long jump, high jump, and triple jump at the...

Mexico: Ranchera Singer Chavela Vargas Dies

  6 August 2012

Ranchera singer Chavela Vargas, born in Costa Rica but of Mexican nationality, died on the afternoon of August 5 after respiratory arrest at the age of 93. After learning the news, various netizens from Mexico and other countries published their condolences under the hashtag 'Murió Chavela Vargas' ("Chavela Vargas has died").

Myanmar: Outrage Over ‘Buddha Shoes’

  6 August 2012

Myanmar netizens are outraged over the ‘Buddha shoes' created by a United States company called Icon Shoes. They flooded the website and Facebook page of the company with complaints and it seems to have worked because the controversial shoes have been removed from the online store