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  • Jimmy Carter Plans Trip to Venezuela Amid Unrest

    Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will travel to Venezuela in April and hopes to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles to help ease tensions in the politically-torn country.

    Carter expressed concerns about Venezuela’s escalating political crisis in a private letter sent this week to Capriles and President Nicolas Madura.

    In the letter, Carter said that for dialogue aimed at easing tensions to succeed both sides must “send signals of their willingness to alleviate the present state of tension.”

    Carter urged the Venezuelan president to guarantee the right to the opposition to protest peacefully and for impartial justice for protesters already imprisoned.

    “It is difficult for elected officials from opposition parties to resolve differences when they feel threatened and persecuted,” Carter wrote.

    According to the Washington Post, Carter contacted Capriles urging him to make clear the opposition’s commitment to act within constitutional limits and strongly reject violence. He says the government must guarantee the right to peaceful protest and impartial justice for jailed protesters.

    According to the Associated Press, Maracay Mayor Mario Briceno Iragorry said an anti-government protester had died in a confrontation. He said the protest turned deadly when gunmen opened fire on demonstrators who blocked a street to protest Maduro’s government.

    At least 16 have died during protests that began Feb. 12.

    On the same trip in April, Carter will promote a health program in Venezuela and Brazil that seeks to eliminate river blindness in one of the last areas where the disease is still present in Latin America – among the Yanomami Indians who live on the two countries’ border, said Jennifer McCoy, Americas director for the Carter Center.

    This isn’t the first time Carter has intervened in Venezuela. The Carter Center mediated talks between Venezuela’s government and opposition after coup against then President Hugo Chavez in 2002.

    Image via YouTube

  • Antonio Cermeno Shot To Death In Venezuela

    Violence in Venezuela continues to be in the news after former world boxing champion Antonio Cermeno was kidnapped and killed in his native country.

    Local police chief Eliseo Guzman said they found Cermeno’s body on Tuesday on a road in the state of Miranda.

    Guzman added that Cermeno and other family members, including Cermeno’s wife, were kidnapped on Monday in Caracas near the La Urbina neighborhood. While the kidnappers stopped for gas the family members got away, but Cermeno was still held captive.

    Cermeno, nicknamed “El Coloso” (The Colossus), won the world title twice. He retired in 2006 with a record of 45-7. Cermeno was 44 years old.

    Cermeno’s death comes just weeks after soap opera actress and former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear and her ex-husband Thomas Henry Berry were killed during a car robbery. The couples 5-year-old daughter was also in the car at the time. She survived, but suffered a wound to her leg.

    This recent killing comes during a highly violent time in Venezuela, where protests against the government has former President Jimmy Carter planning a trip to the country to try and mediate between the current regime and the opposition.

    According to the Associated Press, “The United Nations ranks Venezuela’s homicide rate as the fifth highest in the world.”

    Many took to Twitter to mourn the passing of Cermeno.

    Image via Hilmar Rojas Erazo, Twitter.

  • Jimmy Carter Heading To Venezuela

    Jimmy Carter Heading To Venezuela

    With the current political unrest in Venezuela right now – violent protests against the government killing many innocent victims – former President Jimmy Carter is planning a trip to the troubled country.

    Carter sent a letter to President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Henrique Capriles, offering his help. In the past Carter has served as a mediator in political conflict in Venezuela.

    In his letter Carter said it is a must that both sides “send signals of their willingness to alleviate the present state of tension,” adding, “It is difficult for elected officials from opposition parties to resolve differences when they feel threatened and persecuted.”

    It is important that the opposition does not act violently and works within their constitutional limits. It is also important that the current regime allows the opposition to protest, albeit peacefully, and be impartial to the protesters who are currently in jail.

    The planned trip to meet with the current Venezuelan president and opposition leader will (hopefully) coincide with Carter’s trip to Caracas on April 29 to discuss a health program with Venezuela and Brazil. According to Americas director for the Carter Center, Jennifer McCoy, the program “seeks to eliminate river blindness in one of the last areas where the disease is still present in Latin America — among the Yanomami Indians who live on the two countries’ border.”

    Many people have voiced their opinion on Twitter about Carter’s upcoming trip to Venezuela. Many of those people think Carter should just stay here in America.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Simón Diaz, Venezuelan Singer, Dies At Age 85

    After a long life and musical career in Venezuela, renowned folk singer Simón Diaz has passed away. He was affectionately known as Uncle Simón in his homeland of Venezuela, and had released several albums during his lifetime.

    He did not gain the fame that some foreigners do in the United States, but it is likely that some people in the US would still be able to recognize some of his music. He died this morning at the age of 85.

    After suffering from a long battle with Alzheimer’s, Simón Diaz died peacefully in his home in Caracas, Venezuela. He was born Simón Narciso Díaz Márquez, in Barbacoas, Venezuela.

    The news was revealed to the world through his daughter, Bettsimar Díaz, who announced his death over Twitter.

    Diaz was beloved in his homeland, and was also the songwriter of the popular song “Caballo Viejo,” which was made popular by Julio Iglesias, Ruben Blades, and Placido Domingo, among others. “Caballo Viejo” in particular was able to make him internationally famous, due to the amount of people that have covered it–continually making it more and more popular.

    Throughout his lengthy career, Diaz released more than seventy albums, and has also worked in other ways, including time as a comedian in both film and television. As a man of many talents, he was also an interpreter of Venezuelan country music, and he was dedicated to keeping the gaita and other traditional genres alive, while sticking to his roots.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-5Vtcdcz1U

    In addition to his work in television as a comedian, Simón Diaz also had a children’s television show. He was known throughout Venezuela for the show Contesto por Tío Simón, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s.

    Simón Diaz will be remembered as one of the great singers, and songwriters, to sing in the Spanish language. He was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Latin Grammy Awards in 2008.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Venezuelan Beauty Queen Killed During Protest

    Venezuelan beauty queen Genesis Carmona, 22, has become one of the latest victims in the continued unrest in the troubled country. The young college student was shot in the head at a protest Tuesday and died later in the hospital.

    “How long are we going to live like this? How long do we have to tolerate this pressure, with them killing us?” a relative of Carmona’s said. He asked not to be named, but added, “She only needed one more semester to graduate.”

    The beauty won the Miss Tourism competition in 2013 and was actually studying tourism in school, according to Reuters.

    A total of five have died since an opposition rally last week wherein opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez turned himself in to authorities, but urged his supporters to keep fighting through a pre-recorded video that was to be released if he were to be arrested.

    “Today, more than ever, our cause has to be the exit of this government,” he said of current President Nicolas Maduro’s administration. “Let’s fight. I will be doing so.”

    Three people were shot at an opposition rally in Caracas last week and one was run over by a car at a rally in the coastal town of Carupano. Many protesters have been injured and scores have been arrested.

    “We cannot underestimate those fascist groups whose boss is behind bars,” Maduro said in his televised speech late on Wednesday. “I’m not playing with democracy. I do not accept that they challenge the Venezuelan people and our Constitution.”

    U.S. President Barack Obama has other ideas about their spiraling situation. He said Maduro should release protesters and focus on the “legitimate grievances” of his people. He also said that both parties had a responsibility to work together fix what is tearing their country apart.

    Demonstrators say that they are calling for the ouster of Maduro over essential issues such as inflation, crime, corruption, and unfair distribution of goods.

    Image via YouTube

  • Venezuela Protests Leave 3 People Dead

    Venezuela Protests Leave 3 People Dead

    Youth Day marches in Caracas, Venezuela turned violent with at least three people dead from gunshot wounds. Protests against the government have been escalating since the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro in April 2013. The violent events were another cry from the opposition hardliners, who have been denouncing Maduro through demonstrations in provinces weeks prior to the latest incident.

    According to the government, the opposition is trying to use violence to spark a coup against the president – the same scenario former president Hugo Chavez faced in 2002.

    Over a hundred student protesters in downtown Caracas were clashing with the security service when the event happened. The area was filled with gunfire coming from a vigilante group of government supporters who arrived on motorcycles. The startled crowd fled in alarm as 24-year-old Bazil D’Acosta fell to the ground bleeding with a gunshot wound to the head. A revolutionary and leader of the government support-group, 23rd of January Collective, known as Juancho was also killed in the incident. The third death happened on the streets of Chacao just after nightfall.

    The turmoil arose just after a day of peaceful protests by the opposition. Some students vented out their frustration and denounced the president for not being able to control the crime and violence. They also complained about the product shortages and inflation that has been rampant in the country.

    After the riot, both the opposition and government supporters pointed the blame at each other. Leopoldo Lopez, the opposition leader, says that the students were peacefully protesting and the government supporters were responsible for the violence, which was done to make it appear as if the students were at fault. The fighting that occurred will be investigated further, as it was caught on video, according to Attorney General Luisa Ortega.

    Amidst the controversy, President Maduro says that he will do everything he can to bring back peace. He also said that no one will be exempt from the consequences of illegal protesting.

    Reports say 4 police vehicles were burned, 25 were arrested, and 23 were injured in the protest.

    Image via YouTube

  • Miss Venezuela And Ex-Husband Shot Dead By Robbers

    Former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear was shot dead, alongside her ex-husband Thomas Henry Berry during an attempted car robbery, police said Tuesday.

    The 29-year-old former model and Telenovela star was travelling towards Valencia City in a grey 2002 Toyota Corolla with her ex-husband and daughter when their car broke down. The car was then lifted into a tow truck. Upon seeing the bandits coming, the couple and their 5-year-old daughter ran into the Corolla and locked themselves in.

    Their refusal to open the car window was met with gunfire. Spear and Berry died but their daughter survived with an injury to her leg and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

    The case of the slain popular soap-opera actress and her former husband now joins other cases of high profile crimes in Venezuela, where armed robbery, killings as well as kidnappings have become rampant. Even professional athletes and foreign ambassadors have been victims. Spear had earlier confessed to HuffPost Voices that she left her native Venezuela due to insecurity.

    The director of the country’s investigative police Jose Gregorio Sierralta said that the police have arrested four suspects in connection with the murder. Some of the suspects are under 18 years of age.

    Luis Carl, a friend of Thomas Berry, said the family had spent the holidays in the Merida mountains of western Venezuela then travelled to the plains. He described the slain couple as people who had a good relationship despite the fact that they were not together at the time.  Carl said the couple loved the country a lot.

    Carl hoped that their deaths may spur the country’s fight against crime which increased dramatically during the rule of the late Hugo Chavez, who died last year due to cancer.  The country has one of the highest crimes rates in the world and is plagued by other problems such as food shortages.

    Image via YouTube

  • Air France Bomb Threat May Be False

    Air France Bomb Threat May Be False

    Air France flight 385 to SEBIN was delayed on Saturday due to the possibility of an explosive device being on board.

    “The information we have is that a terrorist group intended to place an explosive on a flight between France and Venezuela,” said Miguel Rodriguez Torres, Venezuela’s interior minister. “It was assumed that explosive had been placed on a plane to detonate in flight between Caracas-Paris or Paris-Caracas.”

    Officials worked hard into the night to get to the bottom of any potential bomb plot. It’s been reported that dozens of individuals, including a canine unit and explosive experts, were sent through the plane, examining everything in minute detail. The interior minister expressed reluctance to speculate as the investigation was currently ongoing and information was still being processed.

    Torres couldn’t really offer any further information about the threat.

    “So far the information we have is the intent of a terrorist group to place an explosive on a France [to] Venezuela flight.”

    The involvement of French intelligence suggested a potential international incident, though it’s unclear at present what type of individual or organization would have been involved. The United States had expressed concerns about certain terrorist groups gaining a foothold in the region, but much of that concern related to narcotics and money laundering. The presence of explosives would signal a troubling turn of events.

    As for those due to leave on the flight, passengers found themselves stranded with no warning or explanation. Apparently, the decision to halt the flight was practically last minute, with passengers preparing to board the plane. Stranded and bewildered, it wasn’t until individuals checked Twitter that they even learned what had happened. It was later announced that the flight would be rescheduled for Sunday after an exhaustive search had taken place.

    As of a few minutes ago, there are claims that information regarding a bomb on the flight are not true:

    Image: euronews (Türkçe) Youtube

  • Miss Universe 2013 Crowned, From Venezuela

    Yesterday, a new Miss Universe was crowned. The new reigning Miss Universe is from Venezuela, making her the 7th winner from the South American country, according to Time. According to People, Venezuela has more winners of beauty competitions than any other country.

    Pageants rank up there with baseball as one of the country’s most followed diversions. There is, in fact, a booming industry built around beauty in Venezuela. The industry is based around beauty salons, plastic surgeons and grooming schools that prepare girls for the thousands of various pageants that take place in Venezuelan schools, army barracks, and sometimes, even their prisons.

    These beauty competitions, along with baseball, break down the usual barriers imposed by social class and politics to bring the country together to stand behind their contestant.

    Last year’s winner, American Olivia Culpo, had the honor of crowning her successor in the over-the-top ceremony. Gabriela Isler, whose full name is Maria Gabriela de Jesus Isler Morales is a Television host in Venezuala on Venevision. She won out of 86 other competitors for the title of Miss Universe.

    This title is a dream come true for these contestants, who work for years to get in the Miss Universe competition. Saturday’s outcome had Isler understandably a little shaken up. “I have a lot of emotions. I can’t describe all the things that I feel at this moment because I’m shaking,” she said.

    Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro congratulated Gabriela Isler on her win, calling it a “triumph” for their country. Isler’s first job as Miss Universe 2013 will be to pose in a custom $1 million dollar swimsuit for photographers.

    Image via youtube

  • Firefox OS Is Now Available In South America

    Last month, Europeans were the first to get a taste of Firefox OS. Now two South American countries will get to see for themselves if Mozilla has something that can finally take on iOS and Android.

    Mozilla and Telefonica announced that they will be launching two Firefox OS devices today in Colombia and Venezuela. The devices in question – the Alcatel One Touch Fire and ZTE Open – will be available through Movistar.

    “Firefox OS powers the first smartphones built entirely on Web technologies and will stimulate an inspiring new wave of innovation for the Web,” says Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Chief Operating Officer. “We are proud to work with partners like Telefonica which see the potential to deliver an experience for first time smartphone users which will delight them and really put the power of the Web in everyone’s hands.”

    So, how much are these things to going to cost? In Venezuela, the One Touch Fire will retail for Bs. 1,739 ($277) and the Open will retail for Bs. 1,159 ($184) on contract. As for Colombia, both devices cost 199,900 pesos ($106) on a prepaid plan, or 99,900 pesos ($53) with a one-year contract. It’s a little unfortunate that devices cost so much in Venezuela as it kind of undermines Mozilla’s mission of providing cheap entry-level smartphones to lower income households.

    Even if the devices cost a little too much, Telefonica thinks Firefox OS is essential to restoring the balance of the mobile ecosystem:

    “There is strong momentum building behind Firefox OS as we bring more devices to more of our markets. But this is just the beginning as the platform, content ecosystem and range of devices continues to expand,” says Yotam Ben-Ami, Director of Open Web Devices at Telefonica. “There is an inherent imbalance in the smartphone market at the moment and we believe that Firefox OS represents the best opportunity to restore balance and provide a more open smartphone experience to customers.”

    So, where will Firefox OS be headed to next? Telefonica says that it will launch the HTML5-powered smartphones in Brazil later this year. As for a U.S. release, your guess is as good as mine.

  • Edward Snowden: Venezuela Says the Door’s Open

    The presidents of Venezuela and Nicaragua have extended a hand to Edward Snowden. In the wake of the grounding of Bolivian president Evo Morales’s plane, on which Snowden was rumored to be aboard, Latin America has banded together to express support for the American fugitive and defiance against the countries that are assisting the US manhunt.

    Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro said, “as head of state, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden” so that he can live without “persecution from the empire [the United States].”

    Maduro made this statement during a speech celebrating the anniversary of Venezuela’s independence. He did not specify what conditions Venezuela would attach to Snowden’s asylum.

    While this is the first semi-concrete offer of asylum, Maduro’s detractors have accused the president of grandstanding. Venezuela is undergoing severe economic strife, suffering one of the world’s highest rates of inflation and a shortage of many basic needs, including toilet paper.

    “The asylum doesn’t fix the economic disaster, the record inflation, an upcoming devaluation (of the currency), and the rising crime rate,” Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles tweeted.

    Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega has followed suit. When asked whether his country would also offer asylum, he replied that it would “if circumstances allow it.” “We have the sovereign right to help a person who felt remorse after finding out how the United States was using technology to spy on the whole world, and especially its European allies,” Ortega said.

    Nicaragua has acknowledged that it is evaluating an asylum request submitted through its Moscow embassy.

    Snowden, accused of leaking confidential US documents that have, among other things, revealed a massive spy program carried out by the NSA in Europe, is currently rumored to be living in a Moscow airport. To date, he has applied for asylum in 27 countries, though Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Bolivia are the only three to have suggested they would take him in.

  • Hugo Chávez Near Death, According To Reports

    There have been rumors going around that Venezuela President Hugo Chávez had died, but reports have come out to the contrary.

    The country’s vice president reportedly said on Thursday that he is “still fighting for his life,” and according to the AP, the majority of Venezuelans polled believe he’ll actually return to power.

    According to VP, Nicolás Maduro, Chávez “is battling there for his health,” and “for his life”.

    On Friday, senior aides and relatives of Chávez also spoke out to counter the rumors of his death. Reuters quotes some of them:

    “There he is, continuing his fight, his battle, and we are sure of victory!” his brother Adan Chavez, the governor of Barinas state, told cheering supporters during an event.

    …

    “The launching of absurd and bizarre rumors by the right wing simply discredits them and isolates them further from the people,” Chavez’s son-in-law Jorge Arreaza, who is also Venezuela’s science minister, said via Twitter.

    Chávez reportedly underwent his fourth surgery for cancer in December, and has not been seen in public since, though he is said to have gone to a military hospital in Caracas last week.

  • Gas Prices Worldwide [Infographic]

    Financial planning firm Credit Sesame has just released a new infographic which describes gasoline prices and usage rates around the world.

    First off, a gallon of gas is 6 cents in oil-rich Venezuela. The lowest price I can recall in the U.S. was 84 cents, when I was like 7, during the Reagan administration. Six cents is much cheaper than the cheapest of bottled water in this country. Six cents is cheaper than a stick of gum. Six Swedish Fish are six cents. Ridic.

    Regardless, prices aren’t so bad in the U.S., as compared to the rest of the world. A gallon costs $9.63 in Turkey and $9.16 in Italy. Granted, people in those countries don’t drive nearly as much as those in the U.S. or Canada, which see average gas prices of $3.94 and $5.68 respectively. Gas in China is $4.54 a gallon, similar to what it costs in the U.S., though Americans use about 39 times more.

    The biggest gas consumers are the U.S., Canada and Australia, which has to do with the sheer vastness of the land masses. Also, driving is a cultural thing in these countries. One of the reasons mass transit might not be so popular, is that people like their cars. And one literally can’t just drive 8 or 30 hours straight in many European counties – there isn’t enough space. In the U.S., gas is most expensive in California, at $4.19 a gallon, and cheapest in Oklahoma, at $3.48.

    As the presidential election draws near, expect gas prices to fall for a while. Also, a recent study has revealed that 36% of Americans are now having to give something up in order to pay for gasoline.

    gas prices

  • Twitter Use Taking Off In Many Foreign Markets

    comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) has just released a report on Twitter’s explosive growth worldwide. The comScore study found that in June 2010, about 93 million Internet users visited Twitter.com. This is an overall increase of 109 percent over last year. Indonesia reported the highest number of users, with 20.8 percent of Internet users in Indonesia visiting Twitter.com in June of 2010, followed by Brazil and Venezuela. Venezuela’s growth fueled in large part by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s decision to join Twitter in late April 2010. This just goes to show that if you do not have a Twitter social media account for you or your business, then you need to set one up right away.

    In June 2010, about 93 million unique global users age 15 and older visited Twitter from a home or work location. This is an increase of 109 percent from last year of June 2010. Keep in mind that this data excludes usage of Twitter-based applications such as TweetDeck and Hoot Suite.

    An analysis by comScore of the five major global regions revealed that Latin America experienced the strongest audience growth, surging 305 percent to 15.4 million users. Asia Pacific ranked as the second-fastest growing region, climbing 243 percent to 25.1 million visitors. The Middle-East Africa jumped 142 percent to 5 million visitors, while Europe soared 106 percent to 22.5 million visitors. North America, where Twitter has reached a higher maturity level than other regions, saw a growth of 22 percent to nearly 25 million visitors in June.

    Here are the numbers from comScore:

      Visitation to Twitter.com by Global Regions
  -------------------------------------------
  June 2010 vs. June  2009
  ------------------------
  Total Audience, Age 15+ -Home & Work
   Locations*
  ------------------------------------
  Source: comScore Media Metrix
  -----------------------------
                        Unique Visitors (000)
                        ---------------------
                     Jun-09      Jun-10    % Change
                     ------      ------    --------
  Worldwide            44,520      92,874       109
  ---------            ------      ------       ---
  Latin America         3,792      15,377       305
  -------------         -----      ------       ---
  Asia Pacific          7,324      25,121       243
  ------------          -----      ------       ---
  Middle East -
   Africa               2,058       4,987       142
  -------------         -----       -----       ---
  Europe               10,956      22,519       106
  ------               ------      ------       ---
  North America        20,390      24,870        22
  -------------        ------      ------       ---

    *Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

    Across the 41 individual countries currently reported by comScore, Indonesia at 20.8 percent had the highest proportion of its home and work Internet audience visiting Twitter.com. Brazil ranked second with 20.5 percent penetration, followed by Venezuela at 19.0 percent. With Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez joining Twitter in late April, Twitter.com penetration in the country spiked 4.8 percentage points in a few short months. The Netherlands (17.7 percent) and Japan (16.8 percent) rounded out the top five, while countries in Latin America and Asia Pacific represented many of the remaining top markets, including the Philippines (14.8 percent), Mexico (13.4 percent) and Singapore (13.3 percent).

      Top 20 Markets by Twitter Penetration
  -------------------------------------
  June 2010
  ---------
  Total Audience, Age 15+ -Home & Work
   Locations*
  ------------------------------------
  Source: comScore Media Metrix
  -----------------------------
  Location                     % Reach
  --------                     -------
  Worldwide                             7.4
  ---------                             ---
  Indonesia                            20.8
  ---------                            ----
  Brazil                               20.5
  ------                               ----
  Venezuela                            19.0
  ---------                            ----
  Netherlands                          17.7
  -----------                          ----
  Japan                                16.8
  -----                                ----
  Philippines                          14.8
  -----------                          ----
  Canada                               13.5
  ------                               ----
  Mexico                               13.4
  ------                               ----
  Singapore                            13.3
  ---------                            ----
  Chile                                13.2
  -----                                ----
  United States                        11.9
  -------------                        ----
  Turkey                               11.0
  ------                               ----
  United Kingdom                       10.9
  --------------                       ----
  Argentina                            10.5
  ---------                            ----
  Colombia                              9.6
  --------                              ---
  South Korea                           9.3
  -----------                           ---
  Ireland                               8.4
  -------                               ---
  India                                 8.0
  -----                                 ---
  Malaysia                              7.7
  --------                              ---
  New Zealand                           7.5
  -----------                           ---

    *Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

    What’s interesting is that an analysis of Twitter usage via mobile for the six mobile markets currently reported by comScore (U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Italy) revealed that Twitter is gaining adoption among smartphone users. In the U.S., 8.3 percent of smartphone users (4.2 million people) accessed Twitter.com in a month via the browser on their mobile devices, outpacing each of the European markets. In Europe, 2.8 percent of smartphone users overall accessed Twitter.com (1.7 million users), with the U.K. experiencing the strongest penetration in the region at 5.8 percent, followed by Germany with 3.1 percent and France with 2.1 percent.

      Twitter Penetration Among Mobile
   Smartphone Users*
  3 Month Avg. Ending June 2010
  Total Audience Age 13+
  Source: comScore MobiLens
  -------------------------
                  Twitter    % Reach of
                  Audience   Smartphone
                     (000)      Users
                 --------   -----------
  United States      4,246          8.3
  -------------      -----          ---
  Europe             1,681          2.8
  ------             -----          ---
  United
   Kingdom             793          5.8
  --------             ---          ---
  Germany              322          3.1
  -------              ---          ---
  France               173          2.1
  ------               ---          ---
  Spain                165          1.5
  -----                ---          ---
  Italy                227          1.4
  -----                ---          ---

    *Includes only mobile browser access to Twitter and does not include other Twitter-based mobile applications.

    comScore says that “For applications such as Twitter that function as an instantaneous broadcast medium, the mobile device represents the ideal platform to engage with this content anytime and anyplace,” added Mr. Mudd. “The advanced web browsing features of smartphones enable this behavior, making it likely to accelerate as these devices gain continued adoption. While desktop-based Internet usage is still king, mobile web usage is surging on a global scale placing applications like Twitter at the forefront of that paradigm shift.”

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