15 January 2011

Stories from 15 January 2011

France: A Show of Tunisian Pride in Paris

  15 January 2011

Today, January 15, marks the "day after" and the first day of a Ben Ali free Tunisia. Despite their concern for the continuous violence in Tunisia, their relatives and the future, the 600 000 Tunisians in France granted themselves one day to rejoice, celebrate and share an overwhelming collective emotion. Here are a few pictures from a Tunisian show of pride in Paris.

Mexico: Singer Accused of Rape Tweets in Defense

  15 January 2011

28-year-old Mexican pop singer Kalimba is using Twitter to defend himself against accusations that he raped two underage girls. His fans tweet to support him, but others criticize the media and public attention the case is getting.

Rwanda: iPhone on the Kigali buses

  15 January 2011

Pimping buses in Kigali, Rwanda: “Rwanda’s city buses are quite as tricked out or chaotic as the matatus of regional neighbours. However, there are plenty of bus owners in town who take the time to pimp their rides. As far as I understand it so long as the yellow line...

Uganda: Introducing Maisha Film Labs

  15 January 2011

Tambay introduces Uganda's Maisha Film Labs: “The goal of the Maisha Film Labs is to give aspiring filmmakers in the East African country the tools & knowledge they currently lack, to tell their own stories through film, which would then help foster a self-sustaining film industry in Uganda and vicinity,...

Rwanda: Bloggers take on Stephen Kinzer

  15 January 2011

An article by Stephen Kinzer criticizing Human Rights Watch’s position on Rwanda was not well received in the blogosphere. In the piece, which appeared in the London’s Guardian, Kinzer laments that human rights groups are spreading what he refers to as human rights imperialism. With specific reference to Rwanda, Kinzer favors a dictatorship that allows for stability.

Kenya: 1 Million Campaign

  15 January 2011

Support 1 Million Campaign in Kenya: “…we are hoping that a simple declaration by 1 Million of Kenya's voters saying Kenya should stay in the ICC will convince parliament to stop their plans of withdrawing us from the court.”

Brazil: Police brutality during student protest

  15 January 2011

The blog Vi o Mundo [Saw the World, pt] shares a video by the cartoonist Carlos Latuff and a letter from the Workers Union of the University of São Paulo about the police brutality against students who were protesting in the streets on January 13 against the price increase of...

Kazakhstan: President consolidates power

  15 January 2011

KZBlog reports that the Parliament in Kazakhstan approved an amendment to enshrine the incumbent president's status as Leader of the Nation and the right to prolong his authority without elections on a referendum, while Germany, the US and the OSCE express their concerns.

Tajikistan: The death of a newspaper

  15 January 2011

Alpharabius draws a bottomline under the last ear's historical multimillion lawsuit that had been brought against three newspapers in the Tajikistan’s Supreme Court. One of the publications has disappeared from the market, while the two others became less brave and more self-censored.