8 July 2010
Stories from 8 July 2010
Cuba: Ready for Release?
As news circulates of Cuba's intention to release 52 political prisoners, Guillermo Fariñas, who has gone on a hunger strike to protest the detainment of 25 prisoners of conscience that he says "the homeland needs as leaders", is reportedly close to death.
Diaspora and Development in the Francophone World
The diaspora of the developing countries worldwide is often mentioned as a potential driving factor for poverty reduction and the francophone region is no exception. Still, the suggested policies involving the diaspora are not without challenges and require more avenues for discussion between all development actors
Nigeria: The Facebook Page of Nigeria's President
Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan is now on Facebook. He opened his page to communicate with Nigerians at home and abroad on 28 June. He sends regular messages spelling out his vision for Nigeria, and responds to comments from his followers. The page has already attracted 97,443 followers.
Russia-Belarus: Godfather of refused offers
Is it a deliberate provocation, a government-engineered attack on a foreign head of state, a gas-giant's attempt to rock Russian foreign policy - or simply an example of good and critical journalism? Questions abound in the Russian-language blogosphere following Russian TV-channel NTV's 4 July screening of "The Godfather" - a documentary about Aleksandr Lukashenko, omnipotent president of neighbouring Belarus.
Sri Lanka: United Nations Office Under Siege
A Sri Lankan cabinet minister and a leader of the political party NFF began a hunger strike outside the UN office in Colombo to protest against an UN panel set up to probe allegations of war crimes during the civil war. On 6th of July, the NFF surrounded the UN compound in Colombo and today is the 3rd day of the siege.
Kuwait: My Blog is for Sale
As expected, news in a local newspaper that the Kuwaiti government is studying a proposal to monitor blogs did not go well with bloggers. One popular blogger decided to confront the news head on - announcing that his blog was for sale. Readers took the opportunity to vent.
Lebanon: Three Arrested for Facebook Postings
Lebanese Naim George Hanna, 27, Antoine Youssef Ramya, 29, and Shebel Rajeh Qassab, 27, have been arrested for posting Facebook statuses against the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. The Lebanese online community is outraged because of the invasion of their cyberspace and here are some of their reactions.
Serbia: Bloggers Make Health Care Scandal A Personal Affair
It would seem that Serbia’s bloggers have officially joined the ranks of citizen journalism. This week, just some 48 hours after several Serbian bloggers united to demand the resignation of...
Russia: New “One Day Rule” for Censoring Comments on Demand

Alexey Sidorenko analyses the new practice of comment removal on news media websites introduced by the Russian authorities. Although not direct and not efficient, it threatens to significantly limit online discussion.




































==> As Africans we need to let go of our victimhood, inferiority complex & acceptance of the mediocre. We deserve...