Battlefield internet: Belarusian civil society active despite censorship

frederic — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:05:07 -0300

MINSK (Pavel P Antonov for APCNews) -

Zelyonaya Set’s headquarters are no different from any other non governmental organisation (NGO) office in Central and Eastern Europe. Still, something is a little different here, where an online network for environmental groups is being set-up for Belarus.

Greening IT event: Europe’s way to an environmentally sustainable information society

webmaster — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:00:00 -0300

BELGRADE (Pavel Antonov for APCNews) -

Individual activists and organisations are invited to join an online discussion on the potential of information technology for environmental sustainability. APC, BlueLink Bulgaria, and Ekoforum Serbia will produce a live online talk show from Belgrade in partnership with the UNECE Aarhus Convention Secretariat as a side event to the Sixth Ministerial “Environment for Europe” Conference.

Central and East European online environmentalism targeted

webmaster — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:00:00 -0300

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (Pavel P Antonov for APCNews) -

Fidanka and Eoin McGrath, a family soon expecting their first child, spent two of the hottest August days in a quite unusual way – having a friendly talk with police officials. The family life was disturbed abruptly this summer, when the two were called in by the local unit of the Bulgarian secret service.

NEW REPORT from APC monitors political will to make the information revolution reality for all

webmaster — Wed, 23 May 2007 01:00:00 -0300

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY (APCNews) -

A new watchdog report from APC and the Third World Institute monitoring promises made by governments and the United Nations to ensure that information technology is used to benefit millions of people, was launched in Geneva on May 22. Studies of the ICT policy situation in twenty-two countries from four regions are featured: Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda); Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines); Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru); and Eastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania), with one report from a Western European country (Spain).

Bulgaria: Local and international freedom of expression networks turn up the heat

webmaster — Tue, 22 May 2007 01:00:00 -0300

MONTREAL, CANADA (FD for APCNews) -

Amendments to Bulgaria’s Access to Public Information Act were passed by the National Assembly at the first reading. Many of the proposed changes breach established international standards on the right to information and appear specifically designed to hinder access to public records.

Metamorphosis, a think and do tank

webmaster — Wed, 09 May 2007 01:00:00 -0300

MONTREAL, CANADA (FD for APCNews) -

Metamorphosis is a think and do tank from Macedonia, gathering experts and activists devoted to the development of an information society, which we see as crucial element in bettering people’s lives. Most of the people currently involved rely on a background in the IT industry and the NGO sector, but in general, we favour an interdisciplinary approach and broad involvement of stakeholders. APCNews interviewed Bardhyl Jashari, director of this newest APC-member.

ZaMirNET joins a Croatian free software cluster

webmaster — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:00:00 -0300

GOA, INDIA (FN for APCNews) -

The APC member in Croatia, ZaMirNET, has joined an industrial cluster working on free and open source software. Read part one (of two) of this new adventure which might help transform Croatia’s software sector. The full interview in part two reveals the specific role ZaMirNET will play in the still-in-formation economic network.

Fresh air and free networks in Denmark

webmaster — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0300

BERLIN, GERMANY (FD for APCNews) -

The Djurslands International Institute of Rural Wireless Broadband (DIIRWB) is not joking about free information infrastructures. Its advocates study and plan projects, and then go out in the open field to help to start up wireless networks. But before antennas are glued to barns and receivers taped to posts, summer camp participants convened in rural Denmark for some fresh air. APCNews talked to one of them.

WSIS PrepCom 2: A Bulgarian civil society perspective

webmaster — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0300

SOFIA, BULGARIA (Milena Bokova, BlueLink) -

Milena Bokova, executive director of the BlueLink Information Network, a digital network supporting environmentalists and civil society in Bulgaria, had the opportunity to participate in PrepCom 2. She shares some reflections with APCNews as an East European civil society activist and a new participant in the WSIS process.