Stories from 9 October 2012
Libya: Blackberry Services Back
Journalist Jenan Moussa tweets from Libya: @jenanmoussa: Wut a great surprise! Blackberry services have been resumed in #Libya. I am tweeting for first time since rvltn from my phone.
Egypt: Remembering Maspero; Waiting for Justice to be Served
Egyptians recalled the tragic events of the Maspero massacre today, vowing to avenge the blood of martyrs and keep the revolution going. On October 9 last year, 28 Christian Copts were killed and another 200 injured when the army attacked protesters outside the Egyptian state media headquarters Maspero.
Iran: Green Movement's Leaders Under House Arrest For 600 Days
Here is a video film about Mehdi Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi, two Green Movement‘s leaders, who have been under house arrest for 600 days. Several Iranians in this video praise these two leaders’ courage.
France, World Bank to Help African Nations Negotiate Mining Contracts
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Franc Zone monetary cooperation agreements, the president of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, and the French Minister of Finance, Pierre Moscovici, have published a joint text advocating the establishment of an initiative to end "the excessive exploitation of Africa’s reserves". African bloggers have been giving their opinions on this development.
Puerto Rico: Boxer Orlando Cruz Is Proud to Be Gay
Puerto Rican boxer Orlando 'The Phenomenon' Cruz is breaking stereotypes with his recent announcement about his sexual orientation. Cruz, currently the number four featherweight boxer in the world, is the first in the history of boxing to publicly declare his homosexuality while active professionally.
Venezuela: Post-Election Reflections
Emotions ran high on Sunday night after the official results of Venezuela's presidential elections were released. Part of the country celebrated the continuation of the 'Bolivarian Revolution' under President Hugo Chávez, while the other side lamented another electoral loss.
Brazil: Speaking Out About Hydroelectric Plants and the Amazon
Last week we published the first part of an interview with Sany Kalapalo, a young indigenous woman from Xingu and one of the most active voices in the mobilization against the construction of the Belo Monte power plant. In the second part of the interview, Sany focuses on hydroelectric power plants, indigenous people and Brazil's development.
Got a Question for Jimmy Carter?
Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is accepting questions on Facebook and Twitter (#CarterQA) as part of a commemoration of the Carter Center’s 30th anniversary of “waging peace and fighting disease worldwide”. President Carter will be answering by video on October 19, 2012.
Barbados: Supporting Growth in Culture
The Concerned Creative Citizens Group expressed its concerns with a new bill in Barbados which is supposed to provide “incentives to encourage sustainable growth in the cultural sector” but may be more of a “revenue earner for the government,” and received a response from a Barbados Underground “family member”.
France: Online News Association Votes Rue89 “Best Foreign Site”
Our partners and friends at Rue89 [fr] won the Online News Association (ONA) prize for “General Excellence, Non-English” in San Francisco last weekend. Pierre Haski, co-founder, tells of the adventure [fr] that is Rue89. Launched in May 2007, it became a great success based on the concept of “Information from...
Côte d'Ivoire: Employees of Health Institutions Strike after Four Months without Pay
S.B comments on the start of health workers’ indefinite strike in Abidjan. On Connection Ivorienne, he states [fr] that: From the total no-fees for healthcare initiated by the state of Côte d'Ivoire after the end of the post-electoral crisis to free selected healthcare services, employees of certain health institutions have yet...
France, Africa: Black Fashion Week Marred by Visa Problems
Two renowned African fashion designers and several models have been denied entry to France for Black Fashion Week October 2012. This event was created by Senegalese fashion designer Adama Paris to show the world the diversity and influence of African creativity on contemporary fashion and has been held in Dakar, Senegal for the past ten years. The first show outside Dakar took place in Prague in November 2011, since then, it has travelled from place to place. The designers made public statements on their struggle to obtain short stay visas.
Trinidad & Tobago: Corruption and the Rule of Law
Recently, the rule of law has been taking a beating by this PP government. With the now infamous section 34, things have come round to another galloping dictatorship, and […] we can see how that corruption of power has changed the characters of those whom we viewed as pillars and...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Local Elections 2012
An Aussie in Bosnia writes – here and here – about the Oct. 7 local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Related Twitter hashtags [bo, en] are #IzboriBiH and #IzboriBiH_RSE; the latter refers to Radio Slobodna Evropa, which runs this elections liveblog [bo], quoting [bo] Kenan Efendić (@Kenoslaw), among others: The...
Kyrgyzstan: Lake Son-Kul in Photos and Prose
The lonely beauty of Lake Son-Kul has long caught the imagination of foreign visitors to Kyrgyzstan. At the beginning of October when the grazing season ends, when yurts are packed up and the herders head for their homes, Son-Kul fades into myth, its existence recalled only by the surreal photography and prose it has inspired.
Panama: President Martinelli Partially Vetoes Copyright Bill 510
Panamanian newspaper La Prensa reports [es] that President Ricardo Martinelli has partially vetoed the controversial copyright bill 510. According to La Prensa's report, the National Assembly approved the changes sent by President Martinelli on October 5.
