Stories from 7 May 2013
Crowdsourcing a Fair Election in Bulgaria
In less than five days, on May 12, Bulgarian citizens will elect a new parliament. There are doubts, however, about the fairness of the upcoming vote. To help monitor the violations of the electoral process, Bulgarian activists have created several online tools. Ruslan Trad reports.
Gas Tanker Explosion in Mexico Leaves at Least 19 Dead
The alleged accidental explosion of a gas tanker caused the death of at least 19 people in the Greater Mexico City.
US Invitation to Sudanese Official Draws Wide Condemnation
The United States government faced a wave of criticism when news surfaced about an official invitation it has extended to a senior delegation of the Sudanese government, particularly including Nafie Ali Nafie, Sudan's ruling party controversial strongman and Presidential adviser to President Omar Hasan al-Bashir.
Yemen: Open Letter to Obama
Yemeni blogger Noon Arabia writes an open letter to US President Barak Obama in which she says: All Yemenis are against terrorism and condemn Al-Qaeda, yet are also against the violent and unethical use of predator drones in combating them. We are against the death of civilians, whom you refer...
Remembering Dennis Kimambo
We're sad to report the untimely death of Dennis Kimambo from the Rising Voices grantee project REPACTED in Nakuru, Kenya. Close friend and colleague Janet Feldman writes this tribute to the life and work of Dennis.
Spanish Aristocrat is Link Between North Korea and the World
Alejandro Cao de Benós, from Spain, is a foreign spokesperson for the North Korean regime. He has been very busy recently as, being the only foreigner with official permission to discuss the regime, he has been giving interviews and speaking at conferences non-stop.
The Team Tanzania TV Drama Series
The Team Tanzania is a TV drama series about: […] Ms. Wito, a dynamic civics teacher, who turns the world of 3 teenagers upside down when she challenges them with controversial questions like “Who are you”? The three 16-year olds, who have known each other all their lives. On the...
Congolese-Italian Woman Joins Italy's Cabinet
The nomination of Cecile Kyenge, an Italian professor of medicine originally from the DRC, to the position of Integration Minister in the new Italian government, was applauded by commentators on the African blogosphere.
Photos of Modern-Day El Salvador
These are not pictures for tourism purposes — these are pictures to educate and illustrate issues facing modern day El Salvador. Tim's El Salvador Blog links to a collection of photos on Global Eyes Media. The project by Jeff Hammond, Noah Bullock, and Doriana Westerman, “focused on documenting Salvadoran themes that...
Dar Sketches: Art for Sustainable Development
Dar Sketches is part of the Street Level project in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania initiated by artist and illustrator Sarah Markes: It is a celebration of the cultural and architectural heritage of Dar es Salaam as well as an effort to raise awareness of the threats to this heritage posed...
Wiretapping Scandal, Voter Disillusionment Ahead of Bulgaria's Elections
Bulgarian citizens will have to make some difficult choices as they go to the polls on May 12, 2013, to vote in the parliamentary election. Nevena Borisova reports.
The Voice of Africa From All Over the World
Africa on the Blog is a blog by people of African heritage: The big deal for us here is that we as Africans are telling our stories in our own words as well as talking about issues that affect us.
Spanish Blogger Goes After Anti-Catalan Prejudice in Viral Video
A YouTube video featuring an Andalusian Spanish blogger criticizing xenophobic attitudes in Spain toward the region of Catalonia has gone viral.
Lebanon's Happy Offshore Oil Billboards
Qifa Nabki writes: “Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water has launched a new [billboard] campaign promoting the benefits of off-shore oil exploration for the average citizen. The ads contain shots of smiling people aside captions like: “My children and I are staying in Lebanon“ or “I’m going back to work in Lebanon!“”...
Lebanon's Migrant Workers Mark May Day
KAFA (Enough Racism and Violence) posted [Ar] that the migrant domestic workers in Beirut celebrated Labor's Day by holding a demonstration in which they demanded an end to the Kafala System [Sponsorship System]. The demonstration culminated with a gathering in a public park where the workers shared different aspects from their...
Social Media and Sarcasm in Lebanon
The Eleventh Room posted some funny tweets about Beirut’s first Social Media Awards event. They said the Social Media Awards hashtag #SMABeirut was going strong on Twitter days after the event. They added: “As we were going through them, we couldn’t help but laugh out loud at some pretty sarcastic/hilarious ones....
Lebanon's First Social Media Awards
Najib at Blog Baladi won the “Blog of the Year” award in Beirut's first Social Media Awards event. He wrote this post about the ceremony in general with comments on some aspects of its organization. He also includes comments about the attitudes of some of the attendees such as those of celebrity Haifa Wehbe, among others.
Mozambique Activist Withdraws Candidacy
Lack of transparency and professionalism when choosing candidates, besides a tendency to determine in advance who will take the institution's positions. Those were the reasons given by the human rights activist, Benilde Nhalivilo, to give up candidacy for a seat on the National Elections Commission of Mozambique[pt], a body responsible...
Turf War Brewing in Brazil Over Corruption Investigations
On the heels of a landmark corruption case in Brazil that saw former members of ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government convicted of participating in a vote-buying scheme, a proposed constitutional amendment in Brazil would hand over much of the investigative powers of the public prosecutors' office, which prosecuted that case, to police.
Avoid Mycetism, Mushroom Pickers!
“Never eat overripe, clammy, flabby, wormy or spoiled mushrooms,” writes Ian Claytor, translating advice from Kyrgyzstan's Department for Disease Prevention and Expertise in his blog, Postcard from Bishkek. With the mushroom picking season underway in the former Soviet state, the Ministry of Health have come up [ru] with guidelines to help pickers enjoy the pastime safely.
New Captain for West Indies Cricket
The West Indies Cricket Board has announced its team for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy, but what has the region talking is the decision to replace St. Lucian Darren Sammy with Trinidad-born all rounder Dwayne Bravo as captain of the One Day International (ODI) team.
