Stories from 1 March 2011
Mexico: Subcomandante Marcos on President Calderon's “War from above”
On February 14, 2011, the website enlaceZapatista published "About the Wars: A Fragment of the First Letter from Subcomandante Marcos to Don Luis Villoro, beginning the correspondence about Ethics and Politics." The letter immediately started circulating on blogs and through links on Twitter.
Azerbaijan: Discrediting Facebook?
Global Voices’ Caucasus editor posts a translation of an article naming prominent alternative voices in Azerbaijan who have Facebook friends in Armenia. The reaction from many in the country still effectively at war with its neighbor is that the article was intended to discredit those activists and the the use...
Iran: Protests to Free the Opposition Leaders (Videos)
Demonstrations in Iran on Tuesday in Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad and several other cities were sparked by reports this week that opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi have been jailed, a claim which is denied by the authorities.
Libya: The African Mercenary Question (Videos)
One of the more distressing sub-plots in the ongoing two-week uprising against Colonel Muammar Al Gaddafi in Libya has been reports of the Libyan leader's alleged use of "foreign" or “African mercenaries” to prop up his falling regime, meaning "Sub-Saharan African" and “Black.” Why put a Black face on the mercenary story?
Bahrain: Two Separate Rallies for National Unity
Peaceful protesting continued in Bahrain on Tuesday as seven of the main opposition groups organized a National Unity rally towards Pearl (Lulu) Roundabout. On Wednesday, a different rally is planned by another group called the Gathering of National Unity, with their own demands.
Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega Accepts Nomination to Run for Third Term
Mike reports that President Daniel Ortega was renominated as the presidential candidate of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party: “Ortega's seventh campaign for the presidency is widely seen as unconstitutional and has been condemned by the Catholic Church and former Sandinistas. The Constitution prohibits both consecutive presidential reelection and...
Cuba: Discussing the Crackdowns
Bloggers continue to discuss the crackdown on the Ladies in White and other dissidents, following the first anniversary of the death of prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo.
Bolivia: How to Help Victims of Massive Mudslides in La Paz
Recent mudslides in La Paz destroyed around 400 homes, according to local authorities. Luis Ramos in Citizen of La Paz [es] informs readers that the Municipal Library of La Paz is receiving clothing, food and other needed items for the victims. Luis calls on the people of La Paz to...
Haiti: Manigat's Chances
“We might have a race after all”: Toussaint on Haiti thinks that Mirlande Manigat's campaign “might be picking up steam”, while Dying in Haiti wonders “if the registered voters in [a particular] tent city are going to vote for Madame Manigat, Michael, or….nobody?”
Suriname: On Beauty
Srananart's Blog republishes Wim de Pauws’ views on the true meaning of beauty.
Bahamas: Protests Over Company Sale
“We should be celebrating that politics will finally be removed from the day to day operation of the phone company and in a few short years we will have an open market where other phone companies can enter the fray”: Weblog Bahamas blogs about recent protests over the sale of...
Jamaica: You Gotta Have Faith
“Our society is so riddled with corruption and frustration-inspiring situations that Jamaican people seem to have lost faith in a LOT of things and people”: Ruthibelle blogs about some of them.
Sri Lanka: Two Fighter Planes Have Crashed
Two Kfir fighter jets of Sri Lankan Airforce have crashed. Indi.ca comments: “Wikipedia says that the SLAF had 12 Kfirs as of 2009, meaning that we just lost a significant percentage of our fleet.”
Russia: Moscow Prosecutor's Office Requests to Acknowledge LiveJournal As ‘Extremist’ Website
LJ user nb_licantrop posts copies of court request filed by Moscow district prosecutor's office in which the prosecutor asks to recognize LiveJournal as “extremist website” based on the title of nb_licantrop's personal blog title “Hail to the Russian Riot – Wise and Merciful.” If the court acknowledges it as extremist,...
Mauritania: Will protesters take to the streets tomorrow?
rotesters took to the streets in Mauritania on Friday calling for political reforms and an end to President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz rule. Young people continued a sit-in the following day. @abbassbraham reports that protesters will be back to the streets tomorrow.
Yemen: Thousands Protest on Day of Wrath
Thousands of protesters are marching across Yemen, in a Day of Wrath, to condemn Friday's attacks on protests in Aden and call for the end of the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime. A defiant Saleh has meanwhile accused Israel and the US of orchestrating the wave of protests across the region.
Ghana: Interview with Kajsa Hallberg Adu
A few weeks ago, I got the chance to conduct an e-mail interview with Ghana-based Swedish lecturer, freelance writer and blogger, Kajsa Hallberg Adu about her experience as a blogger in Ghana as well as her thoughts on the future of blogging in Ghana. Adu is the founder of GhanaBlogging.
Japan: Controversial documentary The Cove released free online
Joi Ito announced on his blog that the award-winning documentary The Cove has been dubbed in Japanese and released for free online. In the post, Ito-san wrote: “Why the online release of the film in Japan is so important is that the Japanese people should watch the movie and make...
China: How to do a Uyghur homestay in Xinjiang
Josh from Xinjiang: Far West China gives the readers some tips on how to arrange a Uyghur homestay in Xinjiang.
China: Outrageous sexual harassment in Chinese wedding
Olivia from China Hush reported an outrageous sexual harassment case happened recently in a Chinese wedding. 9 bridesmaids were allegedly molested by the bridegroom’s escorting friends in front of relatives and friends.
China: Not Tweeting a Revolution
Why did China tweet a revolution and then have almost no one show up? See what Chinese idealists were posting to Twitter leading up to February 20, the day of the first rallies in what many hoped would become the country's own "Jasmine revolution".
