· October, 2010

Stories about Politics from October, 2010

Brazil: Dilma Rousseff elected president

  31 October 2010

Winning 55.7% of the total votes, Dilma Rousseff today became Brazil's first female president [pt]. Voter turnout was also high, with estimates lying between 92 and 96%. We will bring you views from the Brazilian blogosphere as they come in.

India: Free Speech Or Sedition?

  31 October 2010

Indian novelist, essayist and activist Arundhati Roy's recent statement on Kashmir stirred a debate across India. Along-with Indian media, the Indian blogosphere and social networking sites have exploded with reactions for and against her statement.

Caribbean: Hurricane Tomas

  31 October 2010

Trinidad and Tobago, the twin island republic that seemed to be directly in Tomas‘ path on Friday, was spared its effects, but as the storm veered north, islands that had previously been out of its path were suddenly thrust into storm warning mode. Tomas is now situated south-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico; the hope remains that the Category 2 storm, which is expected to gather more strength, will steer clear of Haiti.

‘Bloggers for Malaysia’ group

  30 October 2010

The ‘Bloggers for Malaysia’ group was formed this month to protect the welfare of bloggers in Malaysia in light of the recent cases filed by the police against online critics of the government.

Tanzania: Vote, don't wage war

  30 October 2010

“Today is the last day of campaigning before Tanzania and Zanzibar go to the polls to elect a new Government. Elections in Zanzibar are extremely close-fought events, though you wouldn’t guess it to look at the results over the last forty years. The ruling party, CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi, The...

Tanzania: God Bless Tanzania

  30 October 2010

God bless Tanzanians as they vote tomorrow: “Tomorrow is an important day for Tanzanians. It's the day to exercise their democratic right in the 2010 General Election. I would have loved to have been there in the run up as I know it has been quite different to the campaigning...

Iran:Palin, Crowley in Twitter Duel

  30 October 2010

According to several news sites “a tongue-in-cheek US birthday message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over Twitter [by PJ Crowley State Department spokesman] may not have reached the intended recipient, but triggered a rebuke from someone else — Sarah Palin.”

Barbados: Rihanna Not Attending PM's Funeral

  29 October 2010

Barbados Free Press republishes the opinion of Barbadian blogger Kammie Holder, who says of Rihanna's inability to attend the late Prime Minister's funeral: “America has made her famous, but as a Cultural Ambassador with a diplomatic passport she also has a responsibility to her country.”

Tanzania: 2010 General Elections Roundup

  29 October 2010

Tanzanians will go to the polls on 31 October 2010 to elect the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, President of Zanzibar, Members of Parliament and Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. This is a roundup of blog posts written by Tanzanian and non-Tanzanian bloggers about the elections.

Brazil: citizen coverage of election runoff

  29 October 2010

As Brazil gears up for the second round of presidential elections, 48 Horas Democracia [pt] will again provide citizen-produced videos, news reports and bulletins of the event to offer non-mainstream coverage.

China’s image in posters

  29 October 2010

Annie Lee from China Hush translates a feature article [cn] which looks into China's image in political posters in the past 61 years.

South Africa: Dear Government

  28 October 2010

Controversial South Africa radio personality Gareth Cliff writes a letter to the South African government: “OK, I get it, the President isn't the only one in charge. The ANC believes in “collective responsibility” (So that nobody has to get blamed when things get screwed up), so I address this to...

Kenya: Will New Constitution Improve Governance?

  28 October 2010

Will Kenya's new constitution improve governance in the country?: “There are many people who seem to believe that it will not. A prominent journalist was recently quoted in Nairobi's Daily Nation as saying that the constitution is just a piece of paper, and “a piece of paper can't transform society”....

Tanzania: Government threatens press before election

  28 October 2010

Tanzanian government threatens press before election: “As the October 31 national elections draw near, Tanzania's media is in a frenzy trying to cover the close race between the two leading presidential candidates. But government threats and draconian media laws may be getting in the way of objective coverage.”