Stories from 20 March 2012
Bangladesh: The Plight of the Indigenous People
In Bangladesh there are more than 45 indigenous tribes (adibashis). Every day some of them are being subjected to discrimination, oppression and abuse. Their plights can be heard in indigenous blogs and other social media platforms.
Egypt: Baheyya Weighs in on Khaled Ali
Renowned Egyptian blogger Baheyya writes about Egypt's youngest presidential candidate – Khaled Ali, who turned 40 last month. “In this maiden presidential race, electability is hard to gauge. But if credibility is a criterion, then Khaled Ali has it in spades,” writes the blogger.
Egypt: Pope Shenoda's Funeral
From Egypt, Zeinobia covers Pope Shenoda's funeral in Cairo in this blog post.
Macedonia: Making a Humanitarian Book of Interesting Tweets
DarjanR, ArsovaM, and Angie_Mkd have issued a call [mk] for participation in creating a pocket-size book with the most interesting tweets, and invited other Macedonian Twitter users to submit their favorites. They are also trying to crowdsource the design, printing and publishing. Proceeds will go to charity. One of the...
Macedonia: Blogger Reviews “In the Land of Blood and Honey”
Vnukot joined the debate about Angelina Jolie's movie by emphasizing the technical imperfections, and was especially unnerved [mk] that “all the characters in the film speak the languages related to Bosnia, the Serbo-Croatian as it was known then, or today's Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian language. However in Angie's ‘masterpiece’ all...
Israel: “We Love Iranians”
Paul Mutter blogs about the newest permutations of a social media campaign started over the weekend by two Israeli graphics designers that is called “We Love Iranians,” aimed at raising public awareness against the steady march to war the Likud government has been taking Israel on towards Iran. The meme,...
New Book on the African Fashion World
Helen Jennings wrote on the editor's blog of Arise Magazine: ” New African Fashion is the first good-looking coffee table compendium of the most talented African and diaspora designers, models and street style photographers putting African style on the map today.”
Mexico: Videos of the 7.8 Earthquake Felt in Mexico
On 20 March, an earthquake struck off the coast of Acapulco in Mexico, reportedly between 7.6 and 7.8 on the Richter scale. So far, no casualties have been reported. Following, some videos of how the quake was felt in different regions of the country. All audio is in Spanish.
Turkey: Riot Police Continue to Clash with Kurds Celebrating Newroz
Kurdish people are the largest ethnic group in Turkey. They have been subject to state-sanctioned discrimination and human rights violations. Today, in Yuksekova, which is a district in the Hakkari province of Turkey, Kurdish people were attacked for gathering to celebrate Newroz - the Kurdish new year.
Cuba: Black Spring, Nine Years After
The Cuban Black Spring - a term that has come to describe the government crackdown on dissidents that took place in 2003 - marks its ninth anniversary this year. Cuban bloggers remember their history and wonder whether anything has fundamentally changed - especially in the context of the impending papal visit and the pontiff's inability to meet with opposition groups to discuss the country's human rights record.
Portugal: Picket to the Prime Minister on the Day of General Strike
Citizens from Porto are organizing a flash picket [pt] via Facebook to “welcome” the Prime Minister of Portugal, Pedro Passos Coelho, on the day of the anti-austerity general strike, March 22. The Prime Minister will be on an official visit to the University of Porto [pt], that celebrates its 101st...
China: Shanghai International Adult Products Expo
The 9th Shanghai International Adult Products Expo kicked off with pole dancers and adult movie stars from Japan on March 18, 2012. Off-beat China has posted a set of photos on the exhibition's opening.
Poland: The ‘Web Kids’ Manifesto’
Originally written in by Polish photographer and poet Piotr Czerski, the 'Web Kids’ Manifesto' is appearing on the web in many other languages since its publication on February 11. Samy Boutayeb explains more.
China: Reactions to India's Poor and Homeless
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated Chinese netizens’ reactions to a set of photos that show India's poor and homeless.
Colombia: Video Contrasts Ads Vs. Reality of Oil Extraction Companies
In Is Pacific Rubiales Really Colombia? [es] the people of Puerto Gaitán contradict the statements made by oil and mineral extraction corporation Pacific Rubiales’ television ads where community members state they are better off and happy with Pacific Rubiales.
Senegal: Meet Cheikh Bethio Thioune, President Wade Divine Helper
On the blog “Teranga, ici et là”, M-L Jossselin and M-A Boisvert share a video [fr] of Cheikh Bethio Thioune, a prominent leader of The Mouride brotherhood, a promiment order of Islamic Sufism in Senegal. In this video taken at a meeting on March 17, the religious leader declared that the late founder of...
Cuba: Diverse Opinions on Pope Benedict's Visit
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Cuba has caused a great deal of controversy and debate in the Island. Blogs and social media have been a platform for an array of opinions. Elaine Díaz takes a look at some of these online conversations.
Norway Hosts First Journalism Award for Indigenous Broadcasters
Norway is widely known for hosting the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Awards. This month, the Scandinavian country is hosting the debut of another important yet largely unknown journalism award ceremony for the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) on March 29, 2012.
Bolivia: New March Against TIPNIS Road to Start in April
Dario Kenner, a blogger based in La Paz, reports that “a majority of community leaders from the TIPNIS indigenous territory and national park decided to begin a march towards La Paz on 20 April to oppose a road project through their territory. This is the second time these communities will...
Panama: “I'm Ngäbe, I'm Bugle, I'm Panamanian”
After police forcibly removed the indigenous Ngäbe-Bugle who were blocking the Pan-American highway to protest mining in their territories, a video campaign titled "I'm Ngäbe, I'm Bugle, I'm Panamanian" aims to raise awareness and tell Panamanians that the struggle of the Ngäbe-Bugle should be a national concern.
Postscript to East Timor Presidential Elections
The incumbent president of East Timor conceded defeat in the recent presidential election which was hailed by both citizens and international observers as generally peaceful and credible. Here are other online reactions using the hashtag #eleisaun2012.
