8 April 2008

Stories from 8 April 2008

Cuba: Blocked Blogger Yoani Sánchez Receives Prestigious Award

  8 April 2008

Yoani Sánchez, one of Cuba's most popular bloggers and a recent victim of blocking by the country's authorities, was recently awarded the Ortega and Gasset prize in Journalism from the Spanish newspaper El País. Several of her fellow Cuban bloggers celebrated the award and hope that it draws more attention to the difficulties for internet access on the island.

Turkey: What if Iraq is Split?

  8 April 2008

Turkish blogger Metin asks “What's in a name?” following Greece's vetoing Macedonia's bid to enter Nato. He also asks: “What if, when the U.S. troops leave Iraq (but not its...

Yemen: Mideast Youth Blocked

“Walid al-Saqaf, the creator of YemenPortal.net, whose ban in Yemen we are actively campaigning against, informed us that we have just been banned in Yemen. This is because Walid launched...

Nigeria: Condom ban

  8 April 2008

An article about condom ban in Anambra, Nigeria: “It is now illegal to encourage the use of condoms in southeast Nigeria's Anambra State. The state government has also banned the...

Zimbabwe: An eyewitness account

  8 April 2008

An eyewitness account of elections in Zimbabwe: “I travelled up to Zimbabwe on Tuesday the 25th March to help the MDC Tsvangirai faction with election preparations. I volunteered to help...

Zimbabwe: Verifying votes in secrecy

  8 April 2008

Brenda Burrel blogging about the latest turn of events in Zimbabwe: “According to the MDC’s latest press statement the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has disbanded the National Command Centre and...

Kenya: Cabinet talks suspended

  8 April 2008

Phil writes about the recent development in Kenya cabinet talks: “Tension is steadily building around the country following the collapse of talks between PNU and ODM towards the formation of...

Nigeria: A nation of police

  8 April 2008

Black Looks discusses two controversial Bills in Nigeria: “Although the Nigerian Same Sex Marriage Bill of 2006 appears to be at least temporarily shelved, no one knows if and when...

Kenya: SMS political campaign

  8 April 2008

Political use of mobile technology in Kenya: “Kenyans for Peace and Justice (KPTJ) have launched a SMS campaign to urge politicians to fight against a bloated Cabinet. Given the current...

Bahamas: Economic Implications

  8 April 2008

“There seems to be considerable fear among the local intelligentsia…that signing on to the European Partnership Agreement (EPA) is the thin end of the wedge that will ultimately force us...

Barbados, Cuba: Blogger Wins Award

  8 April 2008

Bajan Global Report notes that “Yoani Sanchez has been awarded one of Spain’s top journalism awards…for her ’shrewdness’ in overcoming hurdles to freedom of expression in Cuba, her vivacious style...

Africa: Africa-India Summit

  8 April 2008

Marian writes about Africa-India Summit: “April 8-9 mark the first-ever India-Africa Forum Summit. Might the Summit include any component addressing human trafficking and undocumented (i.e., illegal) immigration coming from the...