· May, 2008

Stories about Humanitarian Response from May, 2008

South Africa: Bloggers need to do more than just write

  31 May 2008

A few South African bloggers are thinking about positive steps to take with regard to the current xenophobia crisis in South Africa. Stii asks, “What can we as bloggers do about the Xenophobia crisis?” and Mike Stopforth calls on South African bloggers to do something. Meanwhile, Afrigator has launched a special Xenophobia Crisis Page.

Burkina Faso: Level four culture shock

  31 May 2008

In The United Kingdom a bit more than a week ago, the Office of National Statistics reported that in the past ten years, nearly two million Britons have moved abroad, making up the second largest emigration in the country’s history. Presently, that means that 5.5 million Britons live in foreign countries. So, what does this have to do with Burkina Faso? It proves a point, a fundamental truth really, about foreigners: They eventually go home. Or at least most of them do. It just happens that in Burkina Faso, a number of foreign bloggers are getting ready to pack up their things and head elsewhere.

Myanmar: Inadequate aid

  30 May 2008

Penguin Blog uploads an article by American journalist Emma Larkin who has a first-hand account of the cyclone disaster in Myanmar. Larkin notes the small aid reaching the Burmese: ” It is like throwing sesame seeds into the mouth of an elephant.”

  30 May 2008

Cédric Kalonji blogs the arrest of Jean-Pierre Bemba [Fr], Congolese president Joseph Kabila's main rival, in Belgium last weekend. The Central African Republic brought charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Bemba, who will be tried by the International Criminal Court.

China: After the quake, hoping for aid

  30 May 2008

From inside and outside China, concerned citizens are helping, and putting their hands out to help the victims of the devastating 7.9 in the Richter scale earthquake that leveled out industrial cities, transforming them into refugee camps where people are living under plastic bags, trying to find out their relatives and remake their lives. Four different videos bring us perspectives on how people are dealing with their losses all around the world, and how reaching out to help others could help help ease the pain.

China: Chinese Red Cross on corruption watch

  28 May 2008

Bloggers continue to monitor earthquake corruption, as they wait for the truth to come out as to why so many school buildings collapsed so easily in this month's massive earthquake. The parents of children who died, though, aren't waiting. On Sunday a group from Mianzhu city took photos of their...

China: Children Protection

  28 May 2008

Wang Xiaofeng criticized mainstream media practice in interviewing the children earthquake victims as such interviews may have negative impacts on children's psychology [zh].

China: No Corruption in Building Schools

  28 May 2008

The education ministry has denied corruption in the construction of school buildings in the Sichuan earthquake zone. The comments in Zhaomu's blog showed that no one believed in the official statement [zh].

China: Earthquake Relief Posters

  27 May 2008

Red Cross (China) together with other media companies launched a campaign, Together we are, and called for submission of earthquake relief posters for expressing solidarity with the earthquake victims. A list of posters can be found here.

Myanmar: Open and close borders

  26 May 2008

The Siam Sentinel sums up the inconsistency of Myanmar's attitude in accepting aid: “Burma opens its borders. Burma closes its borders. Burma agrees to allow foreign aid workers to enter its borders. Burma closes those borders again.”

China: Q&A with Premier Wen

  25 May 2008

An increasing number of questions are being asked as China continues to mourn for the massive number of lives lost in the earthquake in Sichuan earlier this month. Veteran news figure Rose Luqiu has posted her recent questions to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on her blog along with his answers, in full.

Palestine: Mass Exodus from Gaza?

“50,000 Arabs have left Gaza since last June,” writes Carl in Jerusalem. “In April, I reported that some 80% of Gaza residents want to leave, but this is the first time that the ‘Palestinian Authority’ admits it.” Bethlehem Conference organizer Hassan Abu Libdeh commented: “There is a Palestinian brain drain...

Stuff Egyptian People Like

There are sites like “Stuff White People Like“, “Stuff Educated Black People Like“, and even “Stuff Jewish Young Adults Like“. So a group of Egyptian bloggers decided to create the “Stuff Egyptian People Like” blog.