Stories from 18 September 2012
Saudi Arabia: Authorities Threaten to Block YouTube
Saudi Arabia is threatening to block YouTube, if the latter does not block access to all the clips which lead to the 14-minute trailer of the movie Innocence of Muslims. Saudis, who have ranked first in worldwide YouTube views, overall, reacted to the statement with anger and sarcasm.
Mauritania: The Burden of Being Black
How is it not to know what it is like to be free? To have your every waking, sleeping and living moment and your whole life and destiny in the hands of another that owns you? [..] this is not about history or a hypothetical question, but the here and now:...
Russia: Continued Scandals Plague the Registration of Opposition Candidates
Earlier today, blogger Maksim Kononenko highlighted [ru] the Coordinating Council candidacy of convicted terrorist and neonazi Nikolai Korolev, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 15 people in 2006.
Russia: Omsk Telecom Temporarily Bans YouTube
For roughy seven hours earlier today, Rostelecom's customers in Omsk were unable to access YouTube. The short-lived ban prompted a flurry of panicked online activity, including urgent tweets [ru] from the city's most vocal netizen, Viktor Korb. The short-lived ban was apparently in response [ru] to YouTube hosting clips from the film “Innocence...
Armenia: Homophobic Editor On Air
Unzipped: Gay Armenia says that it is glad the pro-opposition A1+ TV, a station deprived of its broadcasting frequency in 2002, now has a program aired on another channel. However, the blog also notes that it is disappointed to see that a homophobic newspaper editor is involved in its production.
Georgia: Brutality Behind Bars
A video showing prisoners being beaten up in one of Georgia's modernized prisons has been uploaded onto YouTube. Other videos appears to show more graphic incidents with one comment on Facebook hoping that they ‘provide impetus to serious structural reforms’ and that ‘prison personnel are held responsible.’
Russia: SocialCamp, Crowdsourcing and Open Data
A SocialCamp Russia 'unconference' took place in Moscow from 7th to 9th of September. Over the course of three days social activists spoke about projects aimed at raising awareness, improving mutual understanding, promoting philanthropy, and much more.
Bringing the Venezuelan Literature Boom to English Speakers
In the first part of a two-part interview, blogger Guillermo Parra shares his experience with Venezuelan literature, social media, and the encouragement he has received from Venezuelan readers to publish some of his translations of the work of poet Jose Antonio Ramos Sucre into English.
Bolivia: 4 Injured in Clash Between Miners
Clashes between private cooperative miners from the La Paz Departmental Federation of Mining Cooperatives (Fedecomin in Spanish) and unionised miners from the state-run Bolivian Mining Corporation (Comibol in Spanish) are reported from downtown La Paz, Bolivia's seat of Government. The confronted groups are attacking each other using dynamite. Four injured...
Latin American Women as Key Development Partners
Moms, students, working professionals and women from all walks of life are the driving force behind a gender revolution that has made huge contributions to our region’s prosperity. In Americas Quarterly, João Pedro Azevedo and Louise J. Cord write about how Latin American women are driving the region's prosperity.
Trinidad & Tobago: Sinking Ship?
After the debacle of Section 34, diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch says that it's time to call a new election.
Jamaica: Time for Twitter
Twitter gives you the ability to tune in to any locality you wish as long as there are people from there on Twitter. Active Voice explains why she makes time to tweet.
Guyana: Seeking Justice for 17-Year-Old Victim of Police Shooting
Today marks a week since 17-year-old Shaquille “Georgie” Grant was killed as a result of a police shooting. The police claimed that a shot was fired and that they were simply returning fire - but this version of the events was contradicted by an anonymous eye witness.
Argentina: Online News Sites Embrace Social Media
The Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA [es] for its initials in Spanish) presented the results of a survey of more than 70 online news editors in Argentina. Some of the survey's conclusions [es] refer to the use of social networks: 94% of online media editors think that social networks favor journalistic...
Bangladesh: Draft Online Media Policy Draws Criticism
There are almost 200 online newspapers in Bangladesh but no specific regulations exist for them. The government of Bangladesh has taken steps to administer them by preparing draft regulations, but netizens have expressed concerns already.
Italy: Workers Occupy Sardinian Coal Mine
When threatened with the future closure of Carbosulcis coal mine in Italy, miners from the pit occupied their workplace some 373 metres underground in protest. The occupation may have ended but over all the situation remains uncertain.
Central African Republic: The Cities of Sibut and Damara Attacked by Rebels
The RJDH-RCA (The Human Rights Journalists Network of the Central African Republic) reports that [fr] armed rebels claiming to be a faction of the CPJP (Convention of the Patriots for Justice and Peace) attacked the national army in the cities of Sibut and Damara in the North of the country....
Bahrain Censors UN Website for Human Rights Session Live Stream
Human rights activist Mohammed Al Maskati, who is attending the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, tweets: @MohdMaskati: Authorities in #Bahrain put obstacles to access #UN website for live stream because of my intervention in the #HRC21 http://twitpic.com/aucktm He shares the screenshot above which shows the blocked site with...
Russia: Ksenia Sobchak's Civil Platform Candidacy
Earlier today, the Central Elections Committee officially registered a bevy of candidates for the coming elections of the first Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition. Among today's new entries to the General Civil category was socialite and opposition activist Ksenia Sobchak.
