Stories about Humanitarian Response from November, 2008
Brazil under flood: Bloggers form solidarity networks
While mainstream media was first slow to report news of the grave floods that have devastated the south of Brazil and then sensationalized the tragedy, bloggers responded by creating a network of support. This post explores the difference in the approaches between conventional media professionals and amateur and freelancer produced news blogs.
Mozambique: Different views of condom use in Africa
In a country which struggles to combat AIDS, twenty million condoms are distributed every year. Considering that at least 4 million Mozambican men are sexually active from a population of 17.4 million inhabitants, this makes a personal allowance of five condoms for the whole year. Surprisingly, kids are the most faithful users of them.
China: Zeng Jingyan's Thanksgiving message
ESWN translated Chinese dissent Zeng Jingyan's Thanksgiving message. Zeng's husband Hu Jia is still in prison and Zeng herself is under monitored.
Ukraine: Daily Posts on Street Children
A whole month of posts and photos featuring street children in Ukraine – at Scenes From the Sidewalk. Some highlights: a photo report on a visit to a Ukrainian jail; photos of Ukrainian street kids from six years ago – here and here; the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures from the...
Is Secularism the answer to Egypt's Sectarianism?
Egypt has always been known as an Islamic country where Muslims, Christians, and Jews peacefully co-existed. Today this is no longer the case. Is secularism the solution? Following is an outline of the discussion taking place on Egyptian blogs today.
Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago: Letter to Zoellick
HaitiAnalysis.com republishes a letter from the former Trinidad and Tobago Ambassasdor to the US (and special advisor to the UN on Haiti) to the President of the World Bank.
Bangladesh: Bangla blogs react to the Mumbai terror attacks
This post is part of the Global Voices coverage on the terror attacks in Mumbai, India on November 26, 2008. Please stay tuned for more news and views as the event unfolds. The Bangla blogosphere reacted to the Mumbai terror attacks with concern. Condolences poured in with bloggers such as...
Middle East: Shock and Anger at Mumbai Terror Attacks
Bloggers from the Middle East were quick to respond to the Mumbai terror attacks with shock and anger. Following are immediate reactions from bloggers in Israel and Egypt.
Brazil: Over 80 deaths in the worst environmental tragedy
Over 80 people have been killed in landslides and floods caused by heavy rain in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, and the death toll is rising by the minute, as rescue workers sift through the wreckage of the flooding that started at the weekend.
China: An Eviction In Futian
ESWN translated a brief post with a number of pictures from MOP on a violent eviction in Futian, Shenzhen.
China: Yang Jia is dead
Yang Jia (杨佳), who killed 6 police officers at Zhabei District police station in Shanghai on July 1, 2008, was executed this morning (26 of Nov, 2008). A twitter account, foreveryangjia, has been set up to express grievance towards this legendary figure. Upon receiving the news from Yang's mother about...
Syria: What About the Palestinian Human Rights?
Majd Syria (Ar) writes: “Western countries show off their support for human rights.. at the time they turn a blind eye to the most basic rights of Palestinians – their right to live in an independent free state, with sovereignty, an army, a currency, language, identity and capital.
Russia-Ukraine: Denying the Great Famine
Finrosforum accounts for President Medvedev's view of Holodomor – the great famine in Ukraine 1932-33 – accusing those who speak about the “so-called Holodomor” of creating a rift between the two Slavic nations.
Cuba: Hurricane Aftermath
Generation Y takes a road trip to Cuba's Pinar del Rio and is even more convinced that “we have to avoid letting our tendency to forget cover up the situation…we have to go to the affected areas, deliver aid directly, and record the testimonies there. The hurricane-force winds are still...
Iran:”No blog action for Gaza”
Iranian FarsNews, a conservative and semi official site, reports[fa] that Iranian bloggers including Islamist ones, did not cover news about humanitarian crisis in Gaza Strip.
Humanitarian crisis in south Philippines
The fighting between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels in the last three months has not stopped. More than 610,000 people have been displaced already. The situation of refugees is deteriorating. Children are among those who are suffering the most.
Religious unity: The Charter for Compassion
As children we may all have heard the Golden Rule expressed in many different ways, but the basic idea is: Treat others as you would like to be treated. This is Karen Armstrong's TED wish, to create The Charter for Compassion, a platform in which the different Abrahamic faiths could focus on what was common to all, the moral backbone of all their faiths towards a greater unity and better communication among people of different faiths.
Cameroon: Questioning the Bakassi Freedom Fighters hostage exchange
A week after the 10 hostages (including 8 foreign nationals) kidnapped by the Bakassi Freedom Fighters were exchanged for the release of 13 prisoners, Cameroonian blogger Le blog du Prési wonders what a hostage is worth. “I don't mean ‘what does a hostage cost?'”, he writes. “Even though these would be...
China: When Your Son Is Kidnapped
ESWN translated a Southern Metropolis Daily news about a father seeking help online for finding his kidnapped son: the kidnappers demanded 30,000 RMB, but the police refused to accept the case because the amount has to be 50,000 RMB or more. The helpless father therefore went onto the Internet for...
Israel: Ceasefire with Hamas Ends
The temporary cease-fire (tahdiya) agreement between Israel and Hamas has come to an end earlier this month with an escalation of violence in the region and a re-implementation of the Gaza blockade. Gilad Lotan highlights conversations on the Israeli blogosphere on the escalation of violence and the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Jamaica: March for Peace
A recent upsurge in crime over the last few weeks has Jamaicans gravely concerned. Last week's discovery of the body of an eleven (11) year old boy was the latest in a string of attacks against the nation's children. Jamaican blogger (and mother) iriegal of A Fe Me Page Dis...
