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Yemen: Suicide Blast on Eve of Unification Anniversary
Nearly 100 people were killed and at least 200 injured when a suicide blast targeted a military parade rehearsal in Yemen's capital Sana'a on May 21. The bomber detonated his explosives in the middle of soldiers rehearsing for the celebrations of the anniversary of the country's unification.
Mauritania: Al Qaeda Execution Stirs Debate
A YouTube video posted on the Al Akhbar website on May 12 has angered Mauritanians. The video shows a 40-year-old Mauritanian man being interrogated by members of Al Qaeda, who accuse him of espionage. He was later executed after confessing to working with Mauritanian intelligence.
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Yemen: Millions Go Hungry in Ongoing Food Crisis 21 May 2012
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Thailand: Red Shirts Back in the Streets 21 May 2012
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Pakistan: Twitter Goes Through Weekend of Censorship 20 May 2012
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Science Blogging in Sub-Saharan Africa 20 May 2012
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Malawi: President Promises to Lift Ban on Homosexuality 19 May 2012
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23 May 2012
Egypt: First Free Presidential Election Underway
Egyptians are voting in the country's first free presidential election. While large queues have formed at some polling stations, the turnout seems to be lower than for the parliamentary elections in November 2011. This may reflect a disillusionment with the candidates felt by many.
Tajikistan: The Economics of Drug Trade in a Poor Country
In Tajikistan, an article run by the The Economist triggered a conversation on news websites about corruption among the country’s officials and their involvement in the drug trade.
China: Campaign to Clean ‘Foreign Trash' Out of Beijing
A campaign to rid Beijing of illegal foreign residents has created controversy in China, with Chinese people expressing widely differing viewpoints on social media. A famous television host has labelled a reporter for Al-Jazeera as 'foreign trash' and invited police to run background checks on the blogger who has criticised his xenophobic remarks.
22 May 2012
Cuba: Diaspora Bloggers Blame “Aggressive Acts” in Grandmother's Death
Two Cuban diaspora blogs are talking about the death of a senior citizen that took place in the region of Santa Clara this past weekend. Despite the fact that the woman was in her nineties, bloggers are speculating that the elderly woman's fatal stroke may have been brought on by “violent acts of repudiation”.
Mali: Protests Call for National Unity in Gao and Timbuktu
Following protests in Timbuktu in April 2012, citizens of the city of Gao have taken to the streets to protest about the demands and orders imposed by the Islamic groups currently occupying northern Mali. Malian bloggers and their readers react to the protests as well as to the current situation in Northern Mali.
Africa: Regimes Under Attack From Satire and Cartoons
The use of satirical language and cartoons in the media is relatively new in most African countries. Abdoulaye Bah explores the history behind these comic tools.
Russia: The RuNet's Top 10 Slang Words
Understanding political discussions in the Russian blogosphere requires a certain fluency in RuNet slang. For anyone interested in grasping the nuances of online satire and blogger arguments (or for those who seek to "troll" their own virtual opponents), the following list of ten popular slang terms should be particularly useful.
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Philippines, China: Scarborough Shoal Dispute Goes Online
Tension rose in the past month between the Philippines and China when the governments of the two nations accused each other of illegally occupying the territorial waters near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. It sparked nationalist sentiments in both countries and the ‘word war’ has gone online.
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Thank you for weighing in Muza, your blog was an inspiration for this post. A few people on twitter...
A survey of African science blogging would be useful to see who is blogging, where and about what and as...