Stories from January, 2011
Trinidad & Tobago: In Solidarity Over Kato's Death
gspotttt and Globewriter join their voices in offering “tribute to the life of slain Sexual Minorities Uganda human rights defender David Kato Kisule.”
Cuba: Arrest & Release #3
A third arrest and release for Guillermo Fariñas in three days: Uncommon Sense has the details.
Jamaica: Leah & Dog Paw
“Will she herald a new kind of representational politics since she has personally breached not only the uptown/downtown divide but also the legit/illegit one by literally commingling with a Don?”: Active Voice thinks that Leah Tavares-Finson “is a fascinating character.”
Ukraine: “Three Nations”?
Paul Goble of Window in Eurasia cites an interview [ENG] with a member of the Lviv City Council, who explains [UKR] that the real conflict in contemporary Ukraine is not between ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians – instead, three different national projects are competing for dominance within the country.
Guinea-Bissau: Ready to face the truth?
Journalist Helena Ferro de Gouveia, in her blog Domadora de Leões [Lions Tamer, pt] reflects on what could be the impact if Guinea Bissau decides to create a Truth and Reconciliation Comission. She adds that “when the present is not resolved it is not easy to heal the past”.
Russia: Valeria Novodvorskaya's Blog Hacked
Vladimir Pribylovskiy reports [RUS] hi-jacking of Valeria Novodvorskaya‘s (Russian liberal politician and a former Soviet dissident) LiveJournal account [RUS]. “The Brigade of Hell,” dispersed group of generally pro-Kremlin hackers, took the responsibility for the attack. For the time being Novodvorskaya's account has been suspended.
Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi's party launches new website
Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, has launched a new website. The NLD is the main opposition party in Myanmar.
China: Law student almost got arrested for attempt to capture cadre’s privilege moment
A Beijing University student ran into trouble when trying to take some snapshots of a cadre who enjoyed privilege in the train station. Full story see Olivia from China Hush.
China: The eight most read China blogs
Dan from China Law Blog introduces the eight most read English written China blogs to his readers.
China: Role in resolving Africa's conflicts
Safeworld, a NGO on peace and conflict, published a report on China's glowing role in resolving Africa's conflicts.
Egypt: On Twitter, the Search for Wael Ghonim
On Twitter, friends express concern for blogger and Google staffer Wael Ghonim, who's been missing since January 27 in midst of the demonstrations in Cairo.
Israel: Social Media Offers Alternative Egypt Commentary
On social media and blogs, Israelis express mixed feelings about Egypt: intuitive support of the demand for freedom alongside concerns. Carmel L. Vaisman reports.
Egypt: Sixth Day of Uprising Tweeted
The Egyptian protesters have been defying the night curfew on Sunday, as they continued demonstrating against the 30 year-old rule of Muhammed Hosni Mubarak. In a dramatic day that saw the closure by the Egyptian government of the Al Jazeera TV network's bureau in Cairo, the rapidly changing situation on the ground was largely relayed by social media networks on the Internet, especially on Twitter.
Palestine: Netizens React to First Batch of Palestine Papers
On the 23rd of January, 2011, Al Jazeera released the Palestine Papers. Shaden Abdulrahman rounds up reactions from Palestinian and pro-Palestine blogs to the first batch of 1600 documents.
Egypt: “We are No Longer Afraid”
It's past midnight in Cairo, Egypt, where anti-Mubarak demonstrations continued for the sixth day. As the protests grow stronger, so does the will of the people to oust president Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 30 years.
Saudi Arabia: Jeddah's Youth Come to the Rescue in Floods
Following Jeddah's flood at the end of January, the young generation of Saudis used social media websites to help with relief operations by providing aid, shelter, food or transportation to those who got affected by the rain.
Venezuela: Explosions Rocked the Maracay Night
Early Sunday morning the city of Maracay was rocked with explosions from 5 government ammunition warehouses which caught fire. Some are calling it gross negligence while others suggest it might not have been accidental at all.
Qatar: Thousands of ticket-holders turned away from Asian Cup final
Qatar hits a snag with Asian Cup final, as thousands of ticket-holders are banned at the gate for security reasons. Irate, disappointed and heartbroken fans fill the Internet with their stories. Shabina Khatri reports on some of them.
Egypt: El Baradei – Protesters’ Friend or Foe?
Egyptian opposition figure Dr Mohamed El Baradei paid a short visit to thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters, camped at Tahrir Square in Cairo, a few minutes ago. Reactions from Twitter follow.
Egypt: Military Jets Fly Over Protestors as US Policy Questioned
As thousands of protesters continued to chant anti-Mubark slogans in Tahrir Square, Cairo, with military jets flying overhead, criticisms started pouring on over the lack of a definitive stance for the US administration with regards to Egypt. Here's a snapshot from the conversation on Twitter.
Egypt: Solidarity Pours in from Around the World (Videos)
On Saturday, in different cities around the world, people demonstrated in solidarity with the Egyptian protesters. This is a round up of some of the videos of the marches posted online.
