Stories from 14 February 2011
Bahrain: The Day of Wrath
Protests took place in many places in Bahrain today, in what has been called Bahrain's Day of Wrath. Netizens gasped in horror as they saw how police forces dealt with peaceful protesters from the early morning, quickly exchanging links to horrible videos showing police atrocities on Twitter and other social networking sites.
Indonesia: Attack on religious minorities
Ahmadiyah followers were attacked by a mob in Indonesia resulting in several deaths. Netizens are asking the government to protect religious minorities
India: More Awareness Required To Fix The Education system
Himanshu Rai advocates for more awareness of the complexity of the problem in the Indian education system. The blogger opines that “the education model needs to be transformed from teacher-centric to a learning-centric.”
Pakistan: Love Or Hate Valentine's Day
In Pakistan there is a growing opposition against Valentine's Day celebrations on religious and cultural grounds. But Pakistani blogger Adil Najam asks: “since when is mohabbat (love) not part of our saqafat (culture)?”
Venezuela: Remembering a Historic February 14
Alejandro Tarre in Caracas Chronicles writes about February 14th 1936: “In my view, February 14th 1936 was the initial spark that marked a process of democratization without precedent in our history. Democracy might not have “flowered” that day, but it did begin to gain ground against an authoritarian inheritance of...
Colombia: A “dry canal” to rival the Panama Canal?
Bloggings by boz reports: “Colombian President Santos told FT there is a ‘real proposal… quite advanced’ for a rail link connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Colombia, serving as a “dry canal” to rival Panama's.” He adds: “For Colombia, it's a fantastic opportunity that comes only because it has...
Panama: Crowdsourcing to Map Corruption and Crime
Periodismo Ciudadano [es] describes Mapa Transparente [es], a crowdsourcing initiative in Panama which allows users to track corruption, theft, homicides, sexual assaults, kidnappings and other forms of crime on a map.
Bahrain: Snapshots from a Day of Protest and Injury
Bahrain was rocked by violence today as the latest country to stage protests in the so-called Arab revolution time-table inspired by uprisings in Tunisa and Egypt. Police quashed demonstrations in various cities today, and both videos and photos of the crackdown are dodging internet censors, and making their way around the web.
Russia: Blogger Detained for Spreading Bombing Rumors
Masha Egupova analyzes the cases of Ilya Korol, Far East blogger who got detained for a terroristic act rumor, and the new government initiatives that are aimed to monitor and control such "dangerous content."
Bahrain: Police Quash Today's Protests (Videos)
A series of 'illegal' protests took place in Bahrain today, February 14, as demonstrators marked a 'Day of Wrath' inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Several videos from the protests have been shared on YouTube showing how demonstrations were quashed by force. One death has been confirmed, as well as many injuries.
Colombia: Outrage after failed FARC hostage release
On December 8, 2010, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced they would release five hostages in an open letter to former senator Piedad Córdoba. However, things did not go as planned on Sunday: two hostages were not present at the coordinates provided by FARC. Many Colombian Twitter users expressed their outrage as a result.
Senegal: Book for Africa Partnership
Peace Corps/Senegal is partnering with Books for Africa to bring textbooks and reading materials to schools and community libraries throughout the country. Volunteers in about 35 communities are working with teachers and village leaders to open libraries and reading spaces…”
El Salvador: Citizen Reactions to disclosure of wages in the Legislative Assembly
The disclosure of Legislative Assembly employee wages, some a lot higher than expected, has sparked outrage among Salvadoran bloggers.
Iran: Today's Protests in Videos
Despite a government ban, Iranians demonstrated in several cities today, including Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Rasht. The Iranian opposition had sought permission to demonstrate in solidarity with the Egyptian and Tunisian people but the Islamic regime ignored the request.
Zimbabwe: Zimbabweans celebrate with Egyptians
Read text messages from Zimbabweans who are celebrating with the Egyptian people for removing a dictator from power.
Rwanda: Africa's newest stock exchange
Africa’s newest stock exchange is the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), launched on 31 Jan to start trading the shares of brewer Brasseries et Limonaderies du Rwanda BRALIRWA (www.bralirwa.com). The exchange replaces the Rwanda-Over-The-Counter (OTC) market which has operated since 31 Jan 2008.
Ghana: The Witches of Gambaga premiers in Accra
The Witches of Gambaga premiers in Accra, Ghana: “Tomorrow the 15th of February at 10 am Yaba Badoe‘s documentary film premiers at the British Council in downtown Accra. The film, the Witches of Gambaga, shows us the destiny of women arriving at the notorious camp for witches that has been...
Bahamas: Is Cuba Next?
“I would love to see a non-violent uprising for human rights…sparked by blog writers and fed and sustained till victory by the power of the internet. As we have seen it is entirely possible”: Womanish Words would like to see Cuba follow in Egypt's footsteps.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Dear Heart
Abeni writes a letter to her heart on Valentine's Day.
Trinidad & Tobago: Literary Awards
“It’s shortlist time — for at least a couple of literary awards”: Antilles has the details.
Jamaica, Cuba, T&T: Egypt's Revolution
Regional bloggers rejoice over Egypt‘s “Revolution 2.0″
