Stories from 5 February 2011
Egypt: Citizen Media Exposes Violence During Media Black Out (Graphic)
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?
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
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
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
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.
Afghanistan: Planning failure puts billions at risk
Nick Fielding reports that, according to an audit by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), $11.4 billion is at risk due to inadequate planning for the construction of nearly 900 Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF) facilities.
Uzbekistan: Contemplating life after Karimov
In the wake of Uzbek president visit to Brussels, the European Union seemed impotent in the face of one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships, because the EU isn’t engaging Uzbekistan’s other players, argues neweurasia’s Schwartz.
Kyrgyzstan: Threat of radical islamists
Rahat informs his readers that police is on a patrol in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital city, after the shootings between police and armed terrorists, who were identified by the officials as radical Islamic militants.
Kazakhstan: Referendum Cancelled, Elections Announced
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
Sri Lanka: Colombo Fashion Week 2011
Dee at Ranting in Colombo went to the day one event of the Colombo Fashion Week 2011 and shares some interesting pictures in her blog.
Egypt: Is Amr Moussa an Acceptable Alternative to Mubarak?
Arab League's Secretary-General and former Mubarak loyalist Amr Moussa's interest in becoming Egypt's next President has drawn a range of reactions, as Egyptians continue to call upon Hosni Mubarak to resign for the 12th day in a row. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter.
Egypt: Did Mubarak Resign as Head of the Ruling NDP?
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.
Egypt: Tahrir Square Calm Once Again
After two days of violence from pro-Mubarak forces, February 4 brought a new sense of calm to Tahrir Square. Though the day did not end in a Mubarak departure, protesters were rejuvenated by the new atmosphere.
Egypt: Mubarak has changed his Facebook status to “it's complicated”
Egyptian and other Middle East activists used the language of social media as means of humor to describe the events as they unfolded. Fake accounts for Mubarak are also in abundance, and kept the moral high in the #jan25 Twitter stream, even in the darkest hours of the clashes on Wednesday and Thursday. Carmel L Vaisman Takes a closer look.
South Asia: A Visa Free Region?
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
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
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...
China: The coming of age of Political Confucianism?
The unveiling of the Confucius statue in Tiananmen Square last month has renewed the debate about Political Confucianism as the state ideology of China.
Comparing China and Egypt
Johan Lagerkvist from China Roader compares the socio-political structure between China and Egypt.
China: Afraid to go home for the New Year
ChinaHush has translated the lyrics of a popular Internet song, Afraid to go home for the New Year, written by He Puxian a drifter singer from Hubei.
A Visual Glance At the Gov. Censorship Around the World
Jone Pavlus posted on the Fast Company’s Co. Design site a stark set of infographics visualizing the governments censorship on the internet around the world. (Click here to see its interactive version)
