Stories from 9 February 2011
Egypt: Strike! Strike! Strike!
Hundreds of thousands of workers have gone on strike across Egypt today, and more are threatening to join the action tomorrow. Reports of strikes started making their way online yesterday, and netizens are now calling for a nationwide general strike, in solidarity with pro-democracy protests, now on their 16th day.
Colombia: A trip to Colombia's gold mining region
“We watched miners handle mercury with their bare hands, empty chemical-laced water into open drains, and reuse empty vats of cyanide. One of the rivers in the area has been used for dumping cyanide-sodden dirt for so long that everyone calls it La Cianurada,” writes Jim Wyss in Inside South...
Mexico: Social Media Reacts After Influential Journalist Carmen Aristegui is Fired
Mexican Twitter users have been very active debating the news that influential anchorwoman Carmen Aristegui was dismissed from her MVS Noticias radio show 72 hours after she asked on air if President Felipe Calderón should "give a clear, pristine, formal answer" to whether he suffered from a drinking problem.
Egypt: Away from the Press, Netizens Report a Massacre in Kharga
With all eyes on Tahrir Square, the epicentre for pro-democracy protests now on their 16th day, a tragedy has been unfolding in Kharga, Al Wadi el Gedid, away from the prying eyes of the Press and international observers. Reports of protests being brutally put down by the security forces using live ammunition and excessive tear gas, and government-paid thugs released from prison to terrorise people and destroy property, are making the rounds online, as information slowly seeps from Kharga.
Senegal: Shaky start to Dakar WSF 2011
A shaky start to the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal: “At the first official day of the Forum, hundreds of participants from around the world were stranded as a result of the absence of a complete programme, inadequate and well-labelled venues, thus driving many event-organisers to either postpone or...
Sudan: Southern Sudan becomes Africa's newest nation
Southern Sudan has officially become Africa's newest nation after Southern Sudanese voted for secession from the north. Official referendum figures released on Monday showed that 98.83 per cent of voters from the south chose to secede from the north. This is a roundup of reaction to referendum results.
Jamaica: Watching Egypt Make History
“Social media play a role in the way popular discontent with government is communicated”: Pray, laugh grow! realises that “Egypt is at a crucial point in its history.”
Cuba: Church or State?
Uncommon Sense offers another example of why he thinks Havana's Cardinal Jaime Ortega “is on the wrong side” of the struggle.
Trinidad & Tobago: Making Carnival Locally
Guanaguanare applauds the announcement of the Minister of Culture about putting a stop to the importation of Carnival costumes, saying: “Supporting indigenous creativity and opportunities for employment of locals will ensure that more of the cultural and economic benefits of this festival will be shared more widely with our population.”
Egypt: Hunt Continues for Blogger Kareem Amer
The hunt continues for Egyptian blogger Abdulkareem Nabeel Sulaiman, known as Kareem Amer, who went missing after leaving Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo on February 7. The blogger previously served a four-year sentence and supporters fear he has been arrested.
Trinidad & Tobago: Keith Smith Passes Away
“The real measure of the man is the gap that will be left in…Trinidad & Tobago now…he was a one-of-a-kind, and there are precious few of those in this plastic world”: Bloggers mourn the death of iconic journalist, Keith Smith.
Belarus: 2,600 People Vouch for Political Prisoners
Gomel-based activist Pyotr Kuznetsov is one of 2,600 Belarusians who have publicly vouched for those who remain jailed after the Dec. 19 presidential election protests. He addresses (RUS) the Belarusian president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, among others: “[…] [Is he] prepared to accuse 2,600 people of a conspiracy to change the constitutional...
Africa: Reporting LGBTI news in East Africa
Kenne discusses shallow reporting on LGBTI topics in East Africa: “It’s about time queers started consciously nurturing their stories and those of their own so as not to be robbed of our dignity and integrity by the press, out to ‘tabloidize’ anything not directly related to politics.”
Guyana: Environmental Degradation
“We’re sorry Little Ones, so sorry. Please forgive we for this dying that we’s creating”: Guyana-Gyal grieves for the environment.
Belarus: House Arrest, with KGB Officers Stationed Inside
According to LJ user ng68 (RUS) and to this RFE/RL story (ENG), KGB officers are stationed inside – not outside – the homes of former presidential candidate Uladzimer Nyaklyaeu and journalist Iryna Khalip, who were released from jail on Jan. 29 but placed under house arrest.
Cote d’Ivoire: Manifesto for the respect of international law
A manifesto for the respect of international law in Cote d’Ivoire: “In the name of intellectual honesty, justice, democracy, peace and the dignity of Africa and the Africans, of whom we choose to be the mouthpieces, and against any geopolitical or financial calculations and anthropological prejudice, we declare that…”
Nigeria: D'banj performs with Snoop Dogg
A video of Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo (popularly known as D’banj Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009 in collaboration with American rapper Snoop Dogg.
Egypt: Tamer Hosni Changes Sides?
As pro-democracy protests continue across Egypt for the 16th day, netizens took a break from covering its fast-paced developments today to see what the fuss over singer and actor Tamer Hosni's tears is.
Malawi: The Piggy Bank Economist
Harold Williams says that Malawian President is a piggy bank economist: “Whoever said that Bingu wa Mutharika is an economic engineer, got it very badly wrong, as most of you may have concluded as you waste your precious time searching for and queuing for fuel.Come to think of it, it...
The Balkans: Turbo-folk and Rock Mashups
Mashup clips by YouTube user apostolski, which combine video footage of Coldplay, U2 and Queen with Serbian turbo-folk songs are poised to become the next big viral hit among Balkan social media users and bloggers [MKD]. Some have already “spilled over” into traditional media like TV call-in show Jadi burek...
Belarus: Photos of Turau and Other Locations
Photos from the town of Turau and other locations in Belarus – by LJ user xadnight (RUS, ENG)
