Stories from 6 June 2011
Peru: Ollanta Humala Wins Elections According to Early Results
In Lima, Peru, the initial results of the presidential election vote count confirmed the tendency expressed in the exit polls: 52.6% for Ollanta Humala and 47.4% for Keiko Fujimori. Reactions on online social networks were immediate.
Ukraine: Censoring Facebook? (Updated)
Tetyana Bohdanova reports on the case of Mykola Sukhomlyn, a Ukrainian blogger and one of the most popular Facebook users, whose Facebook account was terminated on June 1, 2011.
Egypt: IMF Deal Sparks Controversy
Helping Egypt overcome the cash crunch that ensued in the wake of the January 25 Revolution, the International Monetary Fund agreed on Sunday to a 3 billion dollar loan package to the Arab World’s most populous country.
Macedonia: Alleged Killing of Young Man by Policeman Sparks Protests
A sizable crowd gathered in the center of Skopje to protest the death of a young man who was allegedly beaten to death on the sidelines of the celebration of election victory by the ruling political party.
Syria: ‘Gay Girl in Damascus’ Seized
Amina Arraf has seen a quick rise to fame. Blogging pseudonymously, as Amina Abdullah, she writes about politics, the recent uprising, and being a lesbian in Syria. A dual citizen of the United States and Syria, her powerful words have shown the reality on the ground in Syria over the past few weeks. Today, on Amina's own blog, it was reported that she had been kidnapped by authorities.
Palestine: Hopes Dashed as Rafah Crossing Stays Closed
On May 28 Egypt opened the Rafah Crossing between it and the Gaza Strip, supposedly on a permanent basis. However, Palestinians soon discovered that Egypt was limiting the number of people who could pass through the crossing, and thousands were left waiting in frustration. A week later the crossing was closed again by the Egyptians, “due to renovations“.
Burkina Faso: Netizens Debate Political Turmoil on Facebook Group
The 2,000 member strong opposition Facebook group “Blaise Compaoré doit partir” ([President] Blaise Compaoré must go) is one of the platforms netizens are turning to to share news, updates and opinions [fr] about the tense situation in Burkina Faso, where mutinous militaries and presidential forces clashed last week in the town...
Egypt: Khaled Said, One Year Later
One year ago, Khaled Said was tortured to death at the hands of two policemen. And today Egyptians are remembering the anniversary of one of the main triggers for their revolution which ousted Hosni Mubarak.
Iran: “Another blogger arrested”
Hrna [fa], Human rights activists news agency, reports [fa] that Ali Pour Soleiman, a blogger and teacher was arrested in Iran a few days ago. He was a member of Association of Teachers and wrote [fa] in Sokhane Molem (means teacher's word) blog.
Cuba: Striking for “The Student”
Uncommon Sense blogs about the Cuban government's response to Guillermo Farinas’ hunger strike to demand an investigation into the death of dissident Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, while Mario Barosso says: “I have no doubt that the Regime will start to look for arguments to shake the death of Juan Wilfredo...
Cuba: The Younger Castro's Legacy
“In the pantheon of history Fidel Castro will have a place” – but what about Raul Castro? Iván García considers his legacy.
Dominica: Existing Sodomy Law
“Either accept it is part of the belief system the country wants to communicate to the world, or consider that controlling sexuality through a combination of religious thought systems and laws is dangerous and repeal the [sodomy] law”: For Caribbean Man, it's all a question of consistency.
Macedonia: Goverment Wins Elections After Tight Race
Filip Stojanovski sums up the preliminary results of the June 5 parliamentary elections in the Republic of Macedonia, and reports on the arrest of one of the opposition leaders.
Trinidad & Tobago: To Resign or Not?
Tattoo examines the arguments being put forward in favour of removing Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner from his post amidst FIFA bribery allegations, saying: “In the end only one argument may be valid.”
Guyana: Environmental Future
Guyana-Gyal thinks we need to clean up our act if we want to leave a proper environmental legacy for future generations.
Colombia: No to Cell Phones With Blood
Cell phone theft and its subsequent illegal commercialization have represented a problem of public order for Colombia, so much that this year the national government has decided to confront it. But as expected, the measure has generated various opinions.
North Korea: The Food Aid Dilemma
In the Council on Foreign Relations site, Toni Johnson published an analysis on North Korea's food situation and the dilemma in sending food aid to the country.
Peru: 5 Points About President Elect Ollanta Humala
According to the latest official results, with 88.375% of the votes from yesterday's run-off election counted, Ollanta Humala defeats Keiko Fujimori with 51.276% of the vote –Fujimori got 48.724%. Bloggings by boz writes “5 points on Humala” summarizing his victory and analyzing possible outcomes.
Mexico: Oaxaca Teachers on Strike Return to Classrooms
Aguachile reports that “After almost two weeks of demonstrations, the “dissident” Sección 22 of the SNTE teachers union […] returned to the class rooms today, Monday. In one of Mexico's absolute poorest states, with educational attainment at rock bottom, the teachers left the 1.4 million or so students without a...
Colombia: The ‘Bride of Barranquilla’ Dies
Singer and composer Esther Forero [es] passed away on June 3 after being admitted to the hospital on May 11 [es]. She was known as the “bride of Barranquilla” because of her contribution to the city's carnival. Twitter users quickly reacted to the news and shared their condolences with the hashtags #Esthercita and #esthercitaforero.
Uganda: Excitement as Cranes Edge Closer to African Nations Cup
Uganda is closing in on making a historic comeback to the Africa Nations Cup tournament. The country last qualified for the biggest continental stage in 1978. The Uganda Cranes recorded a 2-0 victory over Guinea Bissau in Kampala on Saturday June 4.
