5 February 2011

Stories from 5 February 2011

Egypt: Citizen Media Exposes Violence During Media Black Out (Graphic)

  5 February 2011

During the five-day long media and communications black out in Egypt, activists succeeded in circumventing censorship, filtering out videos that captured the violence occurring on the sidelines of the "revolution," away from the peaceful scenes of ordinary traffic in downtown Cairo broadcast by State TV. Videos are graphic in nature. Viewers discretion is advised.

Bahrain: Valentine's Day or a Day of Anger?

  5 February 2011

In Bahrain, both online and off, residents have expressed solidarity with Egyptians, even holding a protest at the Egyptian embassy on February 4. Though the rally was largely a solidarity action, for Bahrain's own opposition, the protest--which was sanctioned with a permit by the government--was an opportunity to vent their own concerns.

Nepal: At Last a New Prime Minister

  5 February 2011

Pradeep Kumar Singh reports that Jhalanath Khanal becomes the 34th prime minister of Nepal after numerous election attempts since the resignation of Madhav Kumar Nepal on June 30 last year.

Egypt: The January 25 Blacklist

  5 February 2011

On Facebook, a wall of shame is being compiled, under the title January 25 Blacklist (Ar), with the names of politicians, media personalities and celebrities who have spoken out against the protesters calling for an end of the Mubarak regime.

Colombia: Car-Free Day in Bogotá

  5 February 2011

On February 3, the city of Bogotá held a Car-Free Day --a day when restrictions are placed on the circulation of private vehicles. The day is designed as a strategy to raise environmental awareness and improve vehicular traffic. Twitter users from Bogotá tweeted their opinions and reports about the day.

Kazakhstan: Referendum Cancelled, Elections Announced

  5 February 2011

A group of citizens initiated a drive for signatures in support of a referendum to extend the incumbent president's authority until 2020 without elections, a move that was widely believed to be orchestrated from presidential administration. They collected more than 5 million signatures in less than three weeks during Christmas and New Years holidays

Egypt: Did Mubarak Resign as Head of the Ruling NDP?

  5 February 2011

News just came that Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak has resigned his post as head of the ruling National Democratic Party. This comes on the 12th day of massive demonstrations across Egypt, calling for his resignation as President. Update: The news has now changed: Mubarak may not have resigned his post. Here are Twitter reactions to the conflicting news.

South Asia: A Visa Free Region?

  5 February 2011

Ekram Kabir at Kotha-Chhilo opines that the urgent task for the South Asian countries would be to promote peace-building through conflict resolution before the talk of making it a visa free region can begin.

Global: Thoughts on interfaith harmony and world peace

  5 February 2011

In this, the first, World Interfaith Harmony Week, people from all faiths have been getting together to forget about differences and promote religious tolerance and dialogue based on the mantras "Love of God and love of one's neighbour" or "love of the good and love of one's neighbour". Worldwide bloggers share views on why this dialogue is so important – and why it is not impossible to achieve it.

Africa: The African Union and its problems

  5 February 2011

Ken looks at problems facing the African Union: “The just concluded AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia had two key problems to address: the political crisis in Ivory Coast and the legal battles involving six Kenyans who face charges at the ICC. So far the continental body appears to have...