Stories from 9 May 2010
Cambodia: Freedom of Assembly in Freedom Park
Cambodia has designated a Freedom Park where citizens can use to air their grievances against the government. The Freedom Park is located far from government buildings. Protesting in other areas is outlawed.
Haiti: Preval's Term Extended
The Haitian blogosphere has been buzzing about the modification of the Haitian electoral law, which would enable President Preval to remain in power longer (should the elections not be held this November). Here are RadioKiskeya's and Haiti RectoVerso's posts [Fr] on the issue.
Guadeloupe: “No to Violence” Day
In Guadeloupe, both Bondamanjak and Anba pyé mango-la post the announcement of an event designed to say “Yes to peace, No to violence” on May 8th, 2010.
Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana: Nestlé Going Local
Blogger Anba pyé mango-la [Fr/Fr Cr] is sharing skeptical opinions about the new moves of multinational food company Nestlé towards the adaptation of local products and recipes from the French Caribbean.
Puerto Rico: Bloggers Meet
Bloggers, journalists, entrepreneurs, and activists participated yesterday in the Second Blogger Meeting in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Speakers talked about blogs as a business tool, the role of women in the blogosphere, blogging for social activism, moblogging, the Caribbean blogosphere, and open source software.
Japan: Caterpillar, by director Wakamatsu
The Tokyo Reporter gives an overview [en] on the latest movie by Japanese director Koji Wakamatsu Caterpillar [ja], a film that “attacks the hypocrisy inherent in nationalism and the suffering of innocent civilians.”
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Jeans Turns Six
Saudi Jeans celebrates its sixth anniversary today, writes Ahmed Al Omran.
Bahrain: Blame Ahmed Zainal!
Got anything to complain about in Bahrain? Disgruntled about something in your life? Look no further. Just Blame Ahmed Zainal! Who is Ahmed Zainal and why is there a #BlameAhmedZainal hashtag on Twitter, a blog and a Facebook group? Read this post to find out.
Macedonia: Can the Country Go Bankrupt?
Participants in the conference “Can our country go bankrupt?”, organized by the Open Society Institute-Macedonia on May 5, consider that ‘the Greek scenario’ seems unlikely at this time, but urged for caution, especially in regard to increasing public debt/pressure on the private sector.
Bosnia: Waltz Guinness Record Broken in Tuzla
Tuzlarije reports [BOS] that 1,510 couples of dancers broke the Guinness Record in simultaneous mass waltzing in Tuzla during the evening of May 7. Previous record holder was Vienna with 317 dancing pairs. Participants included people living elsewhere, including the Austrian ambassador in Bosnia and his spouse.
Pakistan: The Making Of A Terrorist
Pervez Hoodbhoy at All Things Pakistan thinks that the prevalent anti-Americanism in Pakistani media creates terrorists like Faisal Shahzad, the failed Pakistani born car bomber from New York City.
Mozambique: Aid spat
Donor countries briefly suspended budget support to the Mozambican government over corruption concerns, sparking analysis and debate about aid, corruption and governance.
Africa: Traveling in Africa with a blog
Border Jumpers is a blog written by Bernard Pollack and Danielle Nierenberg as they travel in Africa.
Kenya: Proposed Constitution is idiot-proof
So, the Kenyan proposed constitution is idiot-proof as blogger Maina puts it: “Anybody can read this katiba and understand what each article says without needing an expensive lawyer or re-reading it severally.”
South Africa: Social media and Cape Town gangsters
Marlon posts a video about social media and Cape Town gangsters.
Africa: African entrepreneurs you should know
Ory writes about African entrepreneurs: “Anyway, I thought I’d share the profiles of some of these entrepreneurs with you…always important to keep telling the success stories, no? First is Erik Charas (@erikcharas), he is the president of @Verdade (the truth), which is Mozambique’s biggest circulation newspaper. @Verdade reaches more than...
Tanzania: Aids activists deported
Nine well connected AIDS activists were deported from Tanzania minutes after meeting up with South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, reports Hot Secrets.
China: Naked official debate
A “naked official” is an official whose wife and kids have left China to live in a foreign country, leaving only him behind to take care of things at home. Juilian from DANWEI translated a debate from Southern Weekend on whether or not these naked officials should be fired as...
Africa: Homophobia exists in Africa
“Homophobia exists in Africa, as does influenza,” argues blogger Gukira: “This comparison is only partly gratuitous as I am interested in scales of virulence. We know that African bees are the deadliest; the sun in Africa is hotter than anywhere else in the world; viruses from Africa are the most...
China and the U.S: The fake chips
Angry Chinese blogger comments on the U.S government's accusation of the inflow of low grade technology products, such as fake chips into the U.S military.
Palestine: Gaza Hosts Its Own Soccer World Cup
Football (soccer) fans are preparing for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa next month, but right now another football World Cup is going on – in Gaza.
