Stories from 28 April 2010
Cuba: It's the Economy
“You can count on one hand the number of foreign investors who have kept their businesses in Cuba”: Iván's File Cabinet thinks that the Cuban economy is sinking.
Bermuda: Lack of Governance
Vexed Bermoothes calls the extension of a hotel's lease to 120 years “stunning”, adding: “This is a failure in governance and in accountability.”
Sri Lanka: Google Transliteration In Sinhalese Language.
Mayu Online informs that Google is supporting transliteration in Sinhalese language.
Pakistan: Ashamed Of National Dress?
MB criticizes Pakistan Prime Minister for not wearing national dress and failing to promote national culture at international levels.
Ghana: The Premier of Professor Azumah Nelson documentary
Ghanaian blogger Mac Jordan attended the the premiere of Professor Azumah Nelson‘s documentary, “ZOOM ZOOM – The Career of Azumah Nelson.” The documentar is written and directed Sam Kessie; a Ghanaian film-maker based in Atlanta, USA.
India, Pakistan: Please Discuss
Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan urges the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, who are in Bhutan to attend the SAARC Summit, to start bilateral talks and to keep talking.
Nigeria: Forced marriages and the age of consent
Sokari discusses forced marriages and the age of consent after the former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Sani Yerima marries a 13 year old Egyptian girl for whom he paid her family $100,000.
South Africa: The woes of a South African blogger
Project Me blogs about the woes of a South African blogger: “I know, it’s nearly half way through the day and still ni blog. Well that’s because I’m a South African blogger who has days when I wake up to no electricity or no internet connection.”
Africa: Good news for Internet users in East Africa
Codrin Arsene has good news for Internet users in East Africa: “The second major fiber optic cable linking East Africa to the rest of the world, and specifically to Europe, known as the East African Submarine Cable System, was completed on Tuesday.”
India: Crowdsourcing Advertising Ideas From Consumers
Bhatnaturally discusses about a recent effort by a multinational brand in India to crowdsource advertising ideas from consumers and wonders whether it will really work or not.
Africa: Driving With Fanon
Driving with Fanon is a new film by a South African artist Kwena Mokwena. It is about violence, memory and the human condition in post-colonial Africa.
Sudan: We will never know who won the election?
Discussing the official results of election in Sudan Muawia Abdel Karim argues that nobody will ever know who really won the election: “The counting of votes has been so chaotic that it is simply impossible to find out the true number of votes cast for each candidate.”
Egypt: Gearing up for May 2 Protests
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia is urging her readers to mark May 2 on their calendars. A massive sit-in is being planned to call for a higher minimum wage in front of the Egyptian Cabinet. The official minimum wage has been LE35 ($6) for the last 26 years.
Sudan: Using Ushahidi to monitor Sudanese elections
Fareed Zein, the Project Leader for the Sudan VoteMonitor project Uswrites about using Ushahidi to monitor Sudanese elections: “The purpose of this initiative was to utilize the Ushahidi platform to support the independent monitoring and reporting of Sudan’s first multi-party election in 26 years.”
Egypt: Saudi Arabia Blocks ElBaradei's Site
Bikya Masr quotes the Arabic Network of Human Rights information saying that Saudi Arabia has “blocked the Internet website promoting Egypt’s leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei’s National Coalition for Change.”
Tunisia: Killing the Web
Tunisian Rafik describes censorship in Tunisia as “webcide.” He tweets: “what is happening in Tunisia with massive censorship these last days is webcide : kill the web.”
Brazil: Arrest of Indigenous leader increases tension in Bahia
On March 10th, unidentified armed police invaded Serra do Padeiro, a Tupinambá indigenous village, and arrested their leader and later his brother. They are still in prison and their detentions have increased the tension in the region.
Bahrain: Mideast Tunes Launched
Mideast Youth has launched a new project Mideast Tunes – which is dedicated to providing a platform for emerging musicians in the Middle East. “Our aim is to encourage, inspire and expose talented young artists across the region,” they write.
Jordan: The Nursing Profession
Emi, an American in Amman, reflects on the nursing profession in Jordan in this post.
Bahrain: Salman and Threatened Voices
From Bahrain, the Free Hasan Salman blog noted the inclusion of Salman in Global Voices Online's Threatened Voices. Salman was arrested on May 14, 2009, for allegedly leaking the names of security personnel to websites.
Paraguay: Journalist Santiago Leguizamón Murdered 19 Years Ago
Paraguay recently celebrated its annual Day of the Journalist on April 26, which is also a dark day for the profession because Santiago Leguizamón was murdered by hitmen in the border town of Pedro Juan Caballero.
