17 May 2011

Stories from 17 May 2011

Ukraine, U.S.: Chornobyl Songs Project

Maria Sonevytsky writes about the Chornobyl Songs Project: “To mark the 25th Anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, raise awareness of the continuing environmental damage created by the nuclear disaster and...

17 May 2011

Cambodia: Blog to promote LGBT welfare

Cambodia LGBT Pride! is a blog established by volunteers who “work together with NGOs and local businesses to reduce discrimination based on sexuality and co-ordinate events to help nurture and...

17 May 2011

Why East Timor should join ASEAN?

José Ramos-Horta, the President of Timor-Leste, lists the country's accomplishments to convince ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders to include Timor Leste as one of its members

17 May 2011

Egypt: Online Campaigns to Release Arrested Protesters Underway

Egyptian cyber activists went back to their keyboards to demand the release of protesters and bystanders arrested on Sunday for being at a protest outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to commemorate the Nakba (Day of Catastrophe as it is known in the Arab world) which marks the day the State of Israel was created in 1948.

17 May 2011

Spain: Thousands of People Take the Streets

Spanish citizens have taken to the streets this week to protest against corruption, unemployment, and a political structure that favors a two-party system. "We're not merchandise in the hands of bankers and politicians," was the motto of tens of thousands who demonstrated all over the country on May 15. Protests and sit-ins will continue.

17 May 2011

Bermuda: New Politics

Bloggers are “energised by the emergence of the One Bermuda Alliance”, saying: “We can’t afford any more ‘professional politicians’ who simply demand respect as our Leaders while wallowing in a...

17 May 2011

Zambia: Whistle-Blowing Or Personal Vendetta?

In Zambia, it is very rare for politicians holding ministerial positions to resign on their own without a hint of scandal. Bloggers have been discussing the shock resignation of former Defence Minister George Mpombo back in July 2009, and the various unusual incidents that have involved him since.

17 May 2011

China: Another Failed Grassroots Election

A retired worker from Jiangxi province, China, Liu Ping, had decided to run an economic justice campaign in the grassroots level election for her local seat in China's People's Congress. In the process, she and her supporters have been harassed by local police and on May 13, 2011, she was forcibly detained.

17 May 2011

Equatorial Guinea: A New Blog is Born

A new blog was born in Equatorial Guinea: The Colectivo de Jóvenes de Guinea Ecuatorial [es]. The Colectivo is  a youth organization born clandestinely that uses a digital platform to...

17 May 2011

Tunisia: Internet Censorship Makes a Comeback

Tunisian netizens have enjoyed an unprecedented access to the Internet, following the fall of the Ben Ali regime in mid-January and the end of the country's previous web censorship. This short honeymoon seems to be coming to an end however, with a military court's recent order to block four Facebook pages. Netizens react to the new development in this post.

17 May 2011

Mexico: Teachers March on National Teachers Day

Aguachile reports: “During the National Teachers Day in Mexico this Sunday, more than 10,000 teachers, most of them from the dissident teacher union Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE),...

17 May 2011

Jordan: Debating a Possible GCC Union

The announcement that Jordan and Morocco might join the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) caused an immediate shockwave of reactions. Many Jordanians were elated at the news, saying that it would lead to better economic conditions for their country. Betsy Fisher rounds up more reactions from netizens in this post.

17 May 2011

Jordan: Marches to Palestine

Salem Husseini posted a Storify article on the Jordanian marches in honor of Nakba, or catastrophe, on the anniversary of the founding of Israel.

17 May 2011