Stories from 22 March 2011
Côte d'Ivoire: After Failed Mediation, Is the Worst Yet to Come?
The meeting of five African Union (AU) heads of states about Côte d'Ivoire's state of electoral deadlock made it briefly possible to believe for a short while that a détente in the country's political crisis was within reach. Alas, this mediation, called by many the "last resort meeting", seems to have failed, after incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo's representatives rejected the panel's conclusions.
Guatemala: Presidential Couple to Divorce to Allow First Lady's Presidential Bid
As previously reported, Guatemalan First Lady Sandra Torres announced her candidacy for president; a bid that violated the constitution which forbids that the president's relatives become president. As a result, the presidential couple will get a divorce, and Mike from Central American Politics argues that their decision “is another example...
Peru: The Presidential Campaign in Videos
Juan Arellano gathers several videos from this year's presidential campaign in his blog Globalizado [es].
Bolivia: Bike Path Project in El Alto is Rejected
Blogger Mario R. Duran in Palabras Libres [es] regrets a decision by the Municipal Council of El Alto, La Paz to reject funding from the World Bank to build a bike path (“ciclovía” in Spanish) in that area of the city.
Caribbean: Caribe Wave 11, the first simulated tsunami alert
On Wednesday, March 23, the first full-scale simulated tsunami alert exercise will take place in 33 countries in the Caribbean to test the effectiveness of alert, monitoring and warning systems (Hashtag on Twitter: EXERCISE – NOT REAL #CW11) . Open Street Map France [Fr] and Crisis Camp Paris [Fr] will...
Trinidad & Tobago: “Bocas” Launches
“Literature doesn’t just mean fiction and poems — it’s also about ideas, questions, and debates, and using the tools of reading and writing to understand the world”: The Bocas Lit Fest announces its programme and list of participating authors for its inaugural event.
Cuba: Curating Clandestinity
“In my neighbor city of Holguin, they are about to inaugurate the Museum of Clandestinity”: Crossing the Barbed Wire explains why, to him, it is a “museum of violence.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Upsetting Issues
From the state of health care to advertising campaigns, Plain Talk posts a list of all the things that are upsetting him.
Cuba: Last of the “Black Spring” Prisoners
Uncommon Sense has just learned that the two remaining prisoners of conscience from the “Black Spring” crackdown are scheduled to be released “and presumably allowed to remain in Cuba.”
Barbados, Bermuda: Cost of Development
“As Barbados citizens question the government’s decision to allow development at Cove Bay, our friends to the north in Bermuda are rising against a similar decision by their government to kill green space in pursuit of the almighty dollar”: Barbados Free Press reports.
Morocco: The Winds of Change
For the past month, Moroccans have taken to the streets to call for a reform of the constitution and for the establishment of a democratic parliamentary system. On March 20, 2011, the peaceful protests, which took place in cities both large and small, continued, inspiring bloggers in Morocco and the Diaspora to share their thoughts.
Haiti: Was Wyclef Shot or Cut by Glass?
Early on Sunday 20 March, 2011, while Haitians headed to the polls for the second round of a historic and controversial presidential election, a story about Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-born hip hpp star, being allegedly shot in the hand monopolized the mainstream media news cycle about Haiti for a good portion of the day.
Africa: African Youths and Internet Governance
Gamel discusses the role of Africa youths in Internet Governance issues: “Young people can play a variety of roles as Internet users: developers, designers, researchers, content builders (bloggers, writers, etc), technical people, policy makers, activists, community coordinators, marketers and end-consumers.”
Ghana: Are bloggers under threat?
Are Ghanaian bloggers under threat?: “Governments and corporations have approached bloggers and those active in social media in Ghana, to find new avenues to disseminate their information. We can be sure they are doing the same thing in other countries.”
Africa: Democracy in Africa
Computer language explanation of the democratic developments in Africa: “IVORY COAST: 60% [Alert: Virus-Gbagbo detected_Trojan Horse-Ouattarra in Quarantine], CONGO: Connection lost since 1997, NIGERIA: Starting Connection, ZIMBABWE: 404 Error – Server not found…”
Nigeria: Popular blogger arrested
The Nigerian State Security Service (SSS) on Sunday arrested popular blogger Ikenna Ellis Ezenekwe (ukpakareports.com) for allegedly attempting to blackmail Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, a House of Representatives member representing Aniocha, Njikoka and Dunukofa Constituency in Anambra State.
Russia: Bots To Look For Extremism Online
Lenta.ru reported that Roskomnadzor, Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Communication, intends to use a special software designed to spot extremist content online. The software will check text, audio and video footage on the Web for words and phrases containing calls for violence and social and...
South Korea: Students Arrested for Breaking Security Law
Three members of a college study group were taken into police custody for violating the National Security Law. While the student claimed the group a purely academic one, the police asserted that the organization has ‘praised and aligned with the national enemy- North Korea’. Twitterer @againthedayz posted photos of the...
Syria: Implementing Ushahidi to track protests
Syrian Revolution Map is a new Ushahidi instance launched in Syria to track ongoing protests in several cities based on citizen reports of protests, security patrols, dangerous locations, clashes, and anticipated gatherings. Six protesters have reportedly been killed in Daraa, and dozens have been arrested. The website is in Arabic...
Tajikistan: President’s Son Will Tackle Customs Crime
TajikVoice reports that the Tajik President’s son Rustam Emomali, 23, was appointed to a newly created government post within the Customs Agency to tackle contraband and customs violations.
Uzbekistan: Authorities intensify control over mobile operators
Abdulfazal informs his readers that Uzbekistan – in clear response to events in the Middle East and Northern Africa – is seizing control over cellular companies in the country. Mobile operators were instructed to report on any suspicious actions by their customers, including any kind of massive SMS distributions.
