Stories about Humanitarian Response from May, 2007
Lebanon: More on the Crisis in the Country
For the second week, Lebanese bloggers have posted anecdotes, reflections, updates, photos, videos, jokes, sarcasm and drawings on the issue that is taking precedence over all other topics. The issue is the ongoing violence which is taking the form of clashes in the north between the army and the militants and the terrorist explosions jumping from one location to another around the country, writes Moussa Bashir.
Hong Kong: A Mall in Central
Chia ching, a mainland Chinese reporter, wrote in her blog that IFC (international financial center) is a mall in central Hong Kong (zh). It has been raining for at least 4 hours and the workers have been standing and working outside the mall for 4 hours, drying the floor which...
Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome
If you read nothing else in Global Voices today read this post. I mean it. Everything is here from going to schools in a war zone, review of the latest political scene in Iraq, must-see video blogs, stories of extreme bravery and extreme pathos, a $1000 KFC meal, and if you read to the end, how gays cruise in Amman.
Bulgaria: George Michael For Tripoli Six
Eternal Remont reports that George Michael has joined the “You Are Not Alone” campaign to raise awareness of the Tripoli Six, “the six Bulgarian nurses who await death by firing squad in Libya.”
Syria: Presidential Referendum and Lebanon Clashes
Today, Syria is reelecting president Bashar Assad for a new seven-year term in office. The process is done through a referendum, which means there will be no other challengers. The referendum paper has a green circle that says "Yes" and a gray one that says "No". The result is expected to be 99.xx% in favour of the president - as is the tradition in Syria for the last 37 years. Yazan Badran sums up the reactions of Syrian bloggers here.
DRC: Congolese Curious About Money Ocean's 13 Stars Raised for Darfur
Bien au Bout… writes about his neighbor, Karim, who asked to be shown photographs of Brad Pitt and George Clooney (Fr). Apparently, Karim was listening to the BBC and heard about an event in Cannes organized by Ocean's 13 stars Pitt, Clooney, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle that raised $9.2...
Colombia: Bloggers Campaign for the Release of a 3-Year Old Hostage
Libertad para Emanuel is a blog that was started in order to call for the release of a 3-year old hostage taken by FARC guerrillas. Many other Colombian bloggers joined the campaign and wrote their support for the cause, while others who supported the cause did not want to forget about the other thousands of hostages currently being held.
Serbia: Kosovo Shelter for Stray Dogs
Prishtine: Independence and Kanun writes about Kosovo Shelter for Stray Dogs.
Yemen: Censorship of tow opposition news websites
The Yemen's Ministry of Telecommunications has blocked access to tow opposition news websites (www.al-shoura.net and www.aleshteraki.net) because they are reporting about the humanitarian situation and the fighting in the northern province of Sa'ada between the army and Shia rebels. According to aid workers the clashes “led to the deaths of...
Darfur: The Reality, the Agenda & the Proposed Solution
Darfur, in the minds of different people, constitutes and means different things. This is due to the fact that we, the general public around the world are getting exposed to a tirade of conflicting views and information. As that continues, so will our polarization. Therefore, the long and seemingly endless...
Join the Debate on Darfur 10am (EST) TODAY!
Further to our earlier post, here's a quick update on the Reuters Newsmaker event on Darfur, which takes place in New York starting at 10am EST today. Our Sub-Saharan Africa editor Ndesanjo Macha will be live-blogging the event at his blog, Jikomboe, so you'll be able to follow the proceedings there. Reuters will be tossing to the GV team from time to time for questions and feedback, so please leave any comments you may have either on this post or on Ndesanjo's blog. In related news, Reuters Alertnet this morning released the results of its poll on the situation of Aid workers in Darfur (full coverage here).
Sudan: Blogging From the Conflict Zone
Increasingly, aid workers, volunteers and even peacekeepers use blogs to share their unique experiences and insights from conflict zones. Take the Darfur conflict in Sudan, for example. Sleepless in Sudan was one of the first blogs to highlight the untold suffering of innocent people in Darfur. Sleepless in Sudan, which was nominated in the 2006 "Bloggies" Weblog Award contest, was maintained by a female aid worker stationed in Darfur. For nine months, Sleepless in Sudan told stories of life in Darfur from the ground.
Brunei: AIDS Awareness Walk
EmmaGoodEgg in Brunei informs readers of an AIDS Awareness walk on Sunday. Emma says “Wake up bright and early on Sunday morning to be at the starting point by 6.30 am”
Ukraine: Kyiv Street Kids Video
Michelle Knisley of Greetings from Kyiv links to two CrossRoads Foundation's videos of Kyiv's street children – on YouTube, here and here.
Sudan: I wish the damn thing was freaking televised
Sudanese Thinker wishes the debate on Darfur was televised: “Told ya! I just wish this damn thing was freaking televized. I’m expecting a heated debate to go down especially since the Sudanese Ambassador to the U.N. is going to be present. I predict that he’ll get banged with many questions....
Sudan: how many envoys are needed for peace?
Black Cush on special envoys to Sudan: “How many special envoys will it take to bring peace to Darfur? 10, 20, 50? All the ones there are no good enough, or just not doing enough. Any country with a conscience wants to be seen doing something for Darfur by having...
Sudan: uninformed about Darfur
Nigerian blogger, Omodudu, writes, “I dropped the ball on Darfur“: I have rocked a banner or two or even made a post on this blog to push the save-Dafur-message. But beyond that I have been so uninformed about this conflict. I assumed the Dafur conflict was one and the same...
Join the Debate on Darfur on May 24
On Thursday May 24, 2007, starting at 930am EST, Reuters will be holding a Newsmaker event on the topic of the crisis in Darfur. We invite you to participate by submitting questions and comments for the panel of specialists and journalists. Continue reading for details on the event and how you can get involved.
Sudan: dealing with Darfur
Jeff Msangi writes about Darfur: “The way the international community have and still handles the Darfur issue is a good proof of how priorities have changed lately.What we don't understand is that by neglecting cases like Darfur we are not only doing a massive injustice to humanity but also continue...
Sudan: divestment update
“As many readers of this blog know, PetroChina, a Chinese oil company, is one of the highest offenders in funding the genocide in Darfur. As of the end of 2006, Fidelity, a US based investment firm, was the largest PetroChina shareholder on the New York Stock Exchange,” writes Zahara Heckscher...
Morocco: Free Haleh Estandiari
Moroccan blogger Laila Lalami calls for the signing of a petition to free Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari, the director of the Middle East Programme at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, was detained in Iran on December 30.
