4 December 2012

Stories from 4 December 2012

Anti-Fascism Unites Hungary

  4 December 2012

Thousands of Hungarians stood united at a rally in Budapest on Sunday. Politicians from the ruling and opposition parties were there, too. The public debate on the far right gaining more and more support in Hungary has been re-opened - and, to some extent, it has united the Hungarian nation.

Remembering the Night the Russian Opposition Would Prefer to Forget

RuNet Echo  4 December 2012

Yesterday, The New Times published a retrospective on last winter's mass protests, highlighting how the Internet played a vital role in mobilizing thousands of people in a city that, until then, could only produce a few hundred demonstrators at a time. The middle class, the youth, and the technophiles of Moscow had awakened and the possibilities seemed endless. Then came the schism.

Trinidad & Tobago: What Direction For Creative Industries?

  4 December 2012

As the government moves to merge various creative entities (film, fashion, theatre, dance, the visual arts and Carnival) under the purview of one company - the Trinidad & Tobago Creative Industries Company (TTCIC) - some local filmmakers are sceptical about the plan, especially since it seems to be going forward without stakeholder consultation.

Ecuadorian Blogger Paúl Moreno is Freed

  4 December 2012

Ecuadorian blogger Paúl Moreno had been arrested on November 30, 2012, on charges of fraudulent access to computer systems and databases, after he demonstrated that the government website datoseguro.gov.ec lacks adequate security mechanisms for obtaining data on its citizens. Moreno was released on December 3.

Chinese Writer Foresees the Future of China in Social Media

  4 December 2012

Prominent writer and critic of censorship in China Murong Xuecun sees great potential in Chinese social media in pushing for a more democratic China. He tweeted on Nov 28[zh], translation here: In the 1980s, because of the limited power of the government, China experienced unprecedented prosperity in culture and thought, but...

2012 China Internet Report

  4 December 2012

How is Internet in China different from the rest of the world? IDG Captial Partners, a China-focued investment company offered us a glimpse into the internet situation in China in its 2012 China Internet White Paper.  

Crossing the Colombia-Venezuela Border

  4 December 2012

The Colombo-Venezuelan border is a two-faced, majestic beauty burdened by the protracted armed conflict in Colombia, the massive drug trade, and the illegal armed groups that enter and leave both countries as if there were no immigrations controls in a European-like fashion. The palm trees and false calm that may...

Brazil: Humanities Students Claim Right to Study Abroad

  4 December 2012

The announcement to exclude the humanities in the new government notice outlying the official rules for application to the federal program to send Brazilian university students abroad, Ciência Sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders), published November 20, 2012, infuriated a number of students who have created an online campaign to reverse the decision.

Australia: Plain Cigarette Packaging a World First

  4 December 2012

Australia’s new plain cigarette packaging law, which began on December 1, 2012, was greeted with pleasure by most onliners. Meanwhile, the tobacco industry has argued that plain packaging will increase illegal trade and smuggling.

Have M23 Rebels Really Left Goma, DRC?

  4 December 2012

Backed by the Rwandan government, M23 rebels seized control of the city of Goma in the Kivu region, near the Rwandan border. Despite reports that the rebellion have agreed to pull out of Goma, it seems that there is still a great deal of uncertainty over when they will effectively do so.