· May, 2007

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

  29 May 2007

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.

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.

Colombia: Bloggers Campaign for the Release of a 3-Year Old Hostage

  25 May 2007

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.

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

  24 May 2007

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!

  24 May 2007

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

  23 May 2007

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

  23 May 2007

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”

Sudan: I wish the damn thing was freaking televised

  22 May 2007

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?

  22 May 2007

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

  22 May 2007

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...

Sudan: dealing with Darfur

  21 May 2007

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

  21 May 2007

“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.