India

20 Moments in 2016 that took Indian Internet by Storm

Dhoni’s last ball run-out against Bangladesh in T20 World Cup

December 30, 2016

ipad-820272_960_720 — Representational image. Pixabay

December 30, 2016: The year 2016 has been a year of big happenings and loaded with shocks and surprises.However, it remains really difficult to churn out the positive happenings which has seen many terror attacks. With many unfortunate incidents, some positive things also occured in the year.

Here are some moments that took the Indian internet by storm-

When PM Narendra Modi declared Rs 500, 1000 currency notes to be invalid in an attempt to curb black money

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When images of currency notes inscribed in Devanagari “Sonam Gupta bewafa hai” had gone viral on social media.

When Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested and charged with sedition by the Delhi police for allegedly raising anti-India slogans in a student rally.

When daughters of India made us proud at the Olympics.

Dhoni’s last ball run-out against Bangladesh in T20 World Cup.

Hrithik Roshan received 1,439 emails from Kangana Ranaut.

Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut. Quora

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With the launch of Pokémon Go, the craze to get Pokémons went to an extent where people cared not where they are going, the only think they bothered about was, Pokémons.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan shocked everyone with her funky purple lipstick at the Cannes Film Festival.

When the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) refused the release certificate for Udta Punjab and asked the makers to make 89 cuts.

Virat Kohli slammed trolls targeting his former girlfriend Anushka Sharma on social media.

A 15-year-old boy, Pranav Dhanawade scored a world record 1,009 runs in a single innings during an inter-school match.

On 29 September, the Indian army said it had conducted “surgical strikes” against suspected militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

When Bollywood banned Pakistani artists.

We’ll miss you, Fawad!

When a blue-eyed handsome young chaiwala from Pakistan became an internet sensation.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa Jayaram, ‘Amma’ to millions passed away.

PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to Jayalalithaa. FacekookN

When Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief and President (News) of Times Now and ET Now resigned from Times Now.

Pakistani singer Taher Shah, who became an online sensation with his ‘Angel’ song.

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Coldplay’s electrifying concert in Mumbai, India

Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan blessed with a baby boy, named him Taimur

– Prepared by Ruchika Kumari of NewsGram. Twitter: @RuchiUjjaini

People of Lao Find Social Media For News Most Trustworthy

The number of the country’s social media users is now projected to reach 2.7 million or 39 percent of the population this year, according to the report.

NewsGram Desk

April 25, 2019

Lao residents are increasingly abandoning state-controlled news sources and turning more to the internet and social media to get news they can trust, sources in the communist Southeast Asian country say.

Facebook and the internet also provide news more quickly and feature live videos, a young woman living in Xayaburi province in the country’s north told RFA’s Lao Service on April 23.

“Lao TV just reads the news and doesn’t show the real thing,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“For example, when there was a flood in Attapeu province, social media very quickly reported the number of deaths,” the young woman said. “But the Lao government was not really open about any of this,” she said.

Also speaking to RFA, a man in Savannakhet province in the south of Laos said he now reads Facebook to get news not previously screened by authorities.

“[Lao] TV provides only restricted news and information, for example news about drug trafficking and other news about the country,” the man said, also speaking on condition he not be named.

“The stories broadcast on TV aren’t clear, and are screened ahead of time by the authorities,” the man said, adding, “The internet is not restricted, and the authorities can’t control the information we find on it.”

Both sources told RFA that they frequently check their smart phones when looking for news and other updated information whenever they can get a clear signal, looking also at the social media platforms Line, WhatsApp, and WeChat.

‘Absolute control’

In an annual report released earlier this month, Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) gave Laos a ranking of 171, close to the bottom of a 180-country survey of press freedoms worldwide, saying that the country’s ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) “exercises absolute control over the media.”

“Increasingly aware of the restrictions imposed on the official media, Laotians are turning to the Internet and social media,” RSF said in its report.

“But use of online news and information platforms is held back by a 2014 decree under which Internet users who criticize the government and the Marxist-Leninist LPRP can be jailed,” the press freedoms group said.

Speaking to RFA, a Lao government official dismissed the RSF report, saying, “We have a socialist media, and we serve a socialist regime, the Party and the government. I don’t believe in their ranking.”

“Our government doesn’t force us to do anything,” he said. “For example, if the government tells us not to publish a story, we simply don’t do it.”

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The number of people using social media in Laos is expected to surge this year, as telecom operators compete with each other to offer better services, a report released at the beginning of April by the state-controlled Lao National Internet Centre shows.

The number of the country’s social media users is now projected to reach 2.7 million or 39 percent of the population this year, according to the report. (RFA)