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Since the bloody conflict in Mali began one year ago, the crisis has evolved in fits and starts, all the while immersed in a historical framework that the mainstream media too often oversimplifies. Here we will try to unpack the complexities of the conflict by putting into context the violent fighting currently engulfing the northern African country.
On February 14, 2013, a worldwide event "One Billion Rising" was held, in which women were invited to gather and to dance, to demonstrate against gender violence. On this occasion, Barbara Auger raises a question still faced by women today: what role should they take ?
A video featuring a group of masked Carnival revelers in Dunkirk, France chanting "we don't like tourists" has some web users ruing the flood of visitors who come year after year unprepared for the festival's madness.
The development of digital communication has allowed the voice of the people to be carried further, whilst at the same time liberating words, images, ideas and actions that were previously restricted to specific areas. The virtual world is ultra-connected, full of ideas and teeming with innovative entrepreneurial initiatives. People in the real world then use this digital interconnection to protest, organise and express dissident ideas.
This photo of a French soldier wearing a scarf depicting death's face has been shared around the world and has become a concrete symbol for many of the start of French military operations in Mali. But why has this soldier captured imaginations on the Web?
A great fuss has taken over the cyberspace after the French citizen Florence Cassez was released from a Mexican prision where she stayed seven years charged with kidnapping, illegal gun possession and organized crime. Reactions are diverse, all of which demonstrate the complexity of the case.
With interim president Rajoelina announcing that he withdraws from a bid to run for the presidential elections following a similar announcement by former President Ravalomanana in December 2012, Malagasy people are likely to have a new president in 2013, provided that elections take place as planned in the electoral agenda. Many of the observers are skeptical about the elections timeline in light of the statements of Rajoelina after his announcement and his wishes to change the electoral agenda.
The French military intervention in Mali, known as Operation Serval started on January 11 following the advance of terrorists groups towards Bamako. Lauded by a substantial part of the Malian population and many outside observers, the military intervention diverts, however, from the non-interventionist line professed by French President Hollande in Africa.
This second part of our 2012 review in the Francophone world features civil rebellion and governance problems in Togo, Chad and Madagascar, citizen initiatives in Senegal, fight for more transparency in public affairs in Cameroon and ongoing debates on social issues in France.
The hashtag #SiMonFilsEstGay made waves on Twitter on December 22, 2012, in the French twittersphere. The hashtag is basically a homophobic incitement to violence accompanied by some poor taste "humorous" tweets. The alleged jokes consisted of telling other Twitter users the punishment you would give your son if he turned out to be gay. Some posts expressed a disturbing penchant for violence.
A daily skype conversation (in french) between Awa Traoré in Bamako and Anne Morin in France (via @annagueye)
Anne Morin and Awa Traoré exchange on daily life in Bamako, fragile wages, cost of living and political uncertainty as the war rages on in the country.
Jihadis venture capitalism extended to an even more lucrative business: kidnapping western hostages all over the Sahara yielded over 90 Million Euros over a decade [..] The modus operandi was very simple: why get killed trying to create an Islamist emirate in “apostate-ruled” neighboring countries when you can build your own sanctuary AND have the West pay for it?
Nasser Weddady unpacks the reasons for the current troubles in Mali. He opines that the roots of the problem are more complex than the existing narratives in the media lead us to believe.
We must regroup so that airplanes can tell us apart from the targeted ismalists fighters who will be on the move.
Tuareg refugees in Borj and Timeaouine in Northern Mali are hurrying to gather around their family members in order to avoid airstrikes by French planes against islamist groups, Tamoudre reports [fr]. Tamoudre adds that Tuaregs are in favor of the military intervention but that they should be part of the post-intervention stabilization.
Puerto Rican students visiting the town of Bastia in Corsica, France – via Vallendrea- Public domain
Puerto Rico and Corsica (France) share a common bond that is often revisited by an exchange program led by the university of Puerto Rico [fr]. Notwithstanding their similar geographic and agricultural traits (Cultivation of Corsican Citron), the islands are also link by history when hundreds of Corsicans immigrated to Puerto Rico as early as 1830.
The “new” pills are not without risks. The risk of phlebitis or pulmonary embolism is increased two fold, from 2 to 4 accidents per 10,000 users. This increase might seem low in terms of public health but it is significant at the individual level considering the fact that other satisfactory alternatives are available..
Dr Pascale This weighs in [fr] on the intensely debated subject of the risks of 3rd generation contraceptive pills in France. France health insurance will stop reimbursing [fr] for these pills in 2013 but others wonder whether the current media frenzy over the issue could also lead to detrimental measures towards [fr] women's health.
At this point, there is virtually no one left in president Bozize's cabinet. His religious advisors and his sons are the only left to help him in manage a storming crisis that might blow all of them away.
Centrafrique Press Info CPI reacts to the news that rebels are about to seize control of Bangui [fr], the capital city of Central African Republic. The USA have asked their citizens to leave the country [fr] while the UN is only keeping essential staff [fr] in the field.
I was given a harsher sentence here in America, Riverside County California by the new...
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please keep us updated with english here. we are trying to follow the protests from...