Stories from 27 January 2011
Ecuador: Blog Competition Focusing on Public Safety
Ecuadorian bloggers are encouraged to participate in a Blog Competition [es] organized by the Guayaquil Canton to, “encourage the use of blogs as a platform for expression of ideas by discussing proposals related to public safety in the canton.” Visit the site [es] for more details and follow the competition on Facebook and Twitter.
Israel: Bloggers Eye Gaza as Egypt Unrest Spreads through Sinai
This is a summary of Israeli perspectives, blog posts, and media shared online over the last two days, in reaction to the unrest in Egypt. Referenced by Israeli sources as the 'Egypt Intifada', bloggers are looking closely at the spread of the violence into Sinai and the possibility of igniting violence in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.
Ecuador: Netizens Discuss Referendum on Constitution
President Rafael Correa has presented 10 questions in a "popular consultation," a referendum which amends several parts of the most recent Constitution drafted in 2008. Ecuadorians are using blogs and Twitter to discuss the proposed changes.
Syria: Internet Users Race to Support Egyptian Protesters
As protests to take down the Mubarak regime in Egypt rage on, Syrians are rushing to aid the protesters in every way they can.
Uganda: Gay Rights Activist Found Murdered
Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato was found murdered yesterday, just weeks after winning a court case against a local newspaper that had called for Ugandans to “hang” homosexuals. Kato was an advocacy officer for gay rights group Sexual Minorities Uganda, which published a press release reading: David was brutally...
Egypt: Friday is the Day of Anger
The Egyptian Twittersphere is full of predictions of renewed demonstrations over the weekend. Dubbed the Million Egyptian March, Friday is expected to witness unprecedented protests across the country, despite government warnings that it would not tolerate any more unrest.
Jamaica, Cuba: Bye Bye, BBC
Cambios en Cuba [ES] and Jamaica Salt both note with sadness the BBC's decision to cut parts of its Caribbean service in a bid to save money: “The expertise and the daily news that will be lost will have consequences far beyond the loss of jobs and programmes.”
Lesotho: My visit to Lesotho
Sue blogs about her visit to a school in Lesotho called Leseli (the light) begun by Kieke Van der Zwaal. Leseli School started in Kieke’s gara
Cuba: Fariñas Arrested & Released
Uncommon Sense has been following the recent arrest of Cuban independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas and calls his detainment a “We told you so” moment. He has subsequently been released.
Egypt: Twittering from the Rooftops
The Egyptian Twittersphere on #jan25 is thick with stories of the ongoing unrest. For observers, the rooftops have become a favored vantage. Ivan Sigal shares this bird's eye view of developments, on the third day of the protests that have rocked Egypt.
Jamaica: “Dog-Paw”
“The cliche that truth is stranger than fiction is true”: Active Voice interviews the author of Dog-Heart about parallels with the story of Christopher ‘Dog Paw’ Linton, who was recently arrested by Jamaican police.
Jamaica: Wikileaks & “Dudus”
Jamaica Salt says that Wikileaks only confirmed what people already knew about the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition, which “pretty much makes this whole Jamaican govt enquiry completely redundant (at a cost of JA 40 million), but they carry on regardless and the Jamaican people have to eat it.”
Madagascar: Can you sketch journalism?
Bunmi writes about Bastien Dubois from Madagascar who has been nominated for an 2011 Academy Award in the category of animated short
Zimbabwe: Myopic Look East Policy
Upenyu analyses Zimbabwe's “Look East” policy: “When ZANU PF looks East I wonder what it is looking at. Is it examining the Chinese Communist Party’s successes and failures and how these may be instructional for them too?”
Sudan: What will be the new name for Southern Sudan?
A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 January to 15 January 2011 on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become Africa's new independent state. As of 27 January 2011, preliminary results showed that 98.81% of voters are in favor of secession while 1.19% are in favor of unity. Final results will be announced early February. This is our latest roundup of posts related to the referendum.
Syria: State Media Propaganda In Regards To Tunisia and Egypt
Syrian Blogger Maurice Aaek found[ar] that state-run media in Syria is publishing false information and half-truths about the protests in Tunisia and Egypt. He found that Tishreen daily left out the reason Ben Ali left leaving it open to interpretation, and that Al-Baath daily stated that the protests in Egypt...
Video: Life in a Day
Collaborative documentary recounting what the 24th of July of 2010 was like all around the world through people's uploads on YouTube will premiere later on today, live from the Sundance Film Festival on the YouTube Life In a Day Channel.
North Koreans Reportedly Consume the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Infected Cattle.
Reports have come out from NGO groups that North Korea, as well as South Korea, may hit hard by the foot-and-mouth disease. A more gruesome report[ko] came out from Open Radio for North Korea, a radio station founded and runs by North Korean defectors, that starving North Koreans are eating the infected cattle.
Egypt: Reports of Police Brutality, Arrests and Live Ammuntion
More reports are emerging of arrests and police harassment and brutality, as Egyptians rise for the for the third day in a row. There are also reports of deaths but the details and exact toll remain sketchy.
Russia: Domodedovo Bombings Expose Imbalance Between Traditional and Social Media
Social media played a significant role in the coverage of the terrorist attack in Domodedovo International Airport near Moscow. Russian bloggers and journalists discussed the consequences of increasing role of blogs and Twitter in emergency situations. Gregory Asmolov analyzes the roles of the government, traditional and new media in the coverage of the attack.
Iran:High school celebration before the Islamic Revolution
Here is a video film about a celebration in a high school in Iran before the revolution. You can see girls without veil with their male classmates.
