text:
Kosovo & Serbia: Independence Blogging · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kosovo‘s declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday, Feb. 17, has caused both celebrations and protests – as well as plenty of media coverage and an avalanche of blog posts.
Below is a selection of some Anglophone bloggers’ views (Elia Varela Serra's earlier Global Voices roundup on Kosovo is here).
Prishtine: Independence and Kanun is celebrating and taking “tons of pics” (but hasn't posted any of her own yet):
I-DAY is Here!!!
Less than 2 hours away from the eventual announcement. I wish I could feed you a live video feed but I am not that tech savy … It's a regional party and apparently, everyone is invited. […] No politics talk today. I just want to be happy for a people who seem happy. […]
***
REPUBLIC OF KOSOVA!!!
[…] and the party is on…. please, be careful with the “happy shooting”. […]
Living in Shkoder and Stepping Stones report on the celebrations taking place in Albania.
Ed Alexander of Balkan Baby writes:
[…] Today is a celebration, a country is born. Kosova has played its part with the utmost of humility and today is a reward and recompense for the trials which preceded it. There will be countless problems which the new Republic of Kosova will encounter but there is no doubt that with the same determination that has brought them independence anything can be overcome. There will be time for analyses in coming days, but for now, as is always the case with events that truly define our history, it is best to watch them unfold. […]
Viktor Marković of Belgrade 2.0 reports on and posts video footage of the rioting in Serbia's capital:
Except for the broken windows, destroyed public property in front of the [U.S. embassy] and several mildly bruised antiriot policemen, due to the stones and flares throwing, nothing big happened. Group of mostly younger people, probably football hoolingans, tried to enter the embassy at one point, but all they managed to do is to break all the windows and a gate.
[…]
Slovenian embassy is, as I understand from the news, heavily damaged.
Viktor is also posting updates on Twitter; here's one of the latest mini-reports:
McDonallds restaurant destroyed, some reports say hooligan groups heading towards mosque […]
Here are some of Viktor's earlier reflections on Kosovo's independence:
[…] Our prime minister says that European Union, together with the US will “kidnap” a part of Serbia. But the reality is, Kosovo is not going anywhere, Albanians are not really going to take the part of the land and carry it over to a whole different place, as the word “kidnap” suggests. The border will stay where it was, with probably the same crossing fluency. Monasteries will stay where they are, hopefully. The name will change, instead of “Kosovo province” it will become something completely different – are you ready? wait for it… (drumroll) – “Kosovo”.
But the biggest question remains as it has been for the last eight years – non-Albanians’ safety and the right to live and move freely in Kosovo. In the future, this issue will be the responsibility of Albanians only, since our prime minister and our politicians have done very little to show that they care about the people as much as they care about the territory, monasteries and the name. […]
Jasmina Tešanović, guest-blogging at Boing Boing, writes:
[…] Last week in Geneva, I talked to a young Albanian blogger. He told me: this time “independence” will be declared for real, because it is not our independent decision but that of the world community. Nobody asks us anything anymore. They just give us orders and set rules.
Most young Serbian people have never visited Kosovo. There is nor reason to go to Kosovo if you are not trapped in Kosovo already. It is a hard place. Since the fall of national Yugoslav radio and television, Serbian has fallen out of use there. The Serbs never bothered to learn Albanian.
[…]
The last sentence in my 1999 diary was: I hope they don't build a wall. Today I must say the same: I hope the Serbian population in Kosovo survives, and I hope they don t build a wall: them, us, their armies, our armies, foreign armies.
[…]
May it be a beginning of new era; may our children never have another war with their neighbors just because they speak a different language and have a different sign on their graves. The Balkans have always been a multiethnic territory. No matter who wins the battle, nobody will be able to win a war.
Alan Jakšić of Balkan Anarchist is worried about the fate of Kosovo Serbs, too:
[…] Personally, I'm mostly worried about the Kosovo Serbs, my fellow ethnics in the province who live as a beleaguered minority. I hope that they will stay in the province and maintain links with the perhaps soon-to-be reduced Serbia, and not leave in great number from their homes and villages. However, I have seen on the news that the UN is already prepared to offer aid to these could-be future refugees in the north of the province.
One idea I heard the Serbian president Boris Tadić mention is a possible Kosovo Serb parliament to represent all the Serbs in the province. I think this could be a good idea, as such an institution could make the province's Serbs feel represented by a major institution whose members they would be able to elect. And as such, it could provide Serbs with the reassurance they need to stay in Kosovo. […]
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes:
[…] Some people will undoubtedly be celebrating the event, but it will take serious and committed work to assure that the new situation means something more than jobs for a new crowd of politicians. I am neither thrilled nor outraged, but rather think that what matters most is how the problems that have been left from the past and the new ones that are going to be generated are going to be addressed. Kosovo and Serbia are both now states, and each one has the opportunity now to show that it has the capacity to behave like a responsible one. […]
Dejan of Anegdote is being serious in a non-serious kind of way. He has re-posted a photoshopped image of PM Vojislav Koštunica as a contestant in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? quiz show (uploaded from a Serbian-language forum with a mystifyingly telling name of Parapsihopatologija – “Parapsychopathology”) – and has translated the question and four answer choices:
Kosovo is…
A. Serbia [Koštunica's pick]
B. independent [correct answer]
C. less than independent
D. more than autonomous
Hugh Griffiths, on his B92 blog, explains why the current rioting in Belgrade may signify the “imminent departure” of PM Koštunica:
[…] For the first part, shouting offensive remarks about Albanians while crying “Kosovo is Serbia” in one breath, and support for mass murderer Ratko Mladic in the next is a general blow to  the “international law” themed PR that's been doing the DSS rounds.  Burning cars, attacking police, smashing traffic signs and punching journalists while waving the Serbian flag does no favours to what some refer to as the “branding” process and others call “national pride”.
[…] what really signals Vojo's imminent departure, bar some more wailing, is what the ne'er do-well flag wavers were chanting.
“Save Serbia and kill yourself, Kostunica”
[…]
Why this should worry the current leader of the party of international law, is that despite pandering to the views of ignorant extremists, Kostunica has lost their support. And by betraying the DS over not endorsing Tadic for president, Kostunica has finally irrevocably alienated the more decent with whom he was in coalition with. […]
Having made his premiership about hanging onto both Kosovo and [Montenegro], and failing to do either; making enemies out of all these king-makers means that he will be removed in the not too distant.  Unlike Djindjic, this will be a democratic process, but  history will be none too kind.
In an earlier post, Hugh Griffiths writes about two rallies that took place in Belgrade last week, prior to Kosovo's declaration of independence:
[…] The latest two demonstrations in Belgrade continue to present a vision of two very different Serbias. The first, on the February 11 would not look out of place in any European capital: a civic procession with peaceful purpose, smiling faces but a serious message, cheerful whistles and drums, good humour and witty posters. A pretty girl kissing a policeman. Good street theatre in a capital city moving forward.
This was a youth demonstration in support of Serbia's integration into Europe, an event backed by more than 70% of Serbia's population and a majority of those who bothered to vote in the presidential elections, despite the Kosovo red herring.
Then there was a second protest on 16 February. Around 1000 people demonstrating for the Kosovo red herring. A small, yet violently vocal group of misfits. […]
In the comments section to this post, one Serbian reader (badreligion) responds:
neither of two is mine
Both rallies represent extremes, and I find it hard to identify with either.
I just wonder why do all the foreigners see us Serbs so black and white? It seems one has to shout his head off or blow his bollocks through the wistle to be heard… There are some quiet and disgusted people here as well, you know. Those are people who are pro EU and against independent Kosovo.
Lucy Moore, on her B92 blog, criticizes John Bolton, former U.S. representative to the U.N, for a remark he made at “The Implications of Kosovo’s Independence for U.S. Foreign Policy” event in Washington, D.C., last Friday:
Calling Kosovo’s pending independence a “fundamentally European solution,” he noted that independence for Kosovo came out of not one but two instances in which the authority of the U.N.’s Security Council was largely dismissed — first in NATO’s 1999 air strike and now in the current failure by the international community to back a change in Kosovo’s status with a U.N. resolution.
And in a moment of bold directness, Bolton told any European citizen sitting in the audience to take this message back to Europe:
“It should be a long time before any of you criticize action without Security Council authorization.”
Wonderful. South Eastern Europe is again on the cusp of destabilization. What democratic headway Serbia had made has been kicked into reverse. Europe must now find a way to incorporate an economic wasteland into its already strained folds.  And all Mr. Bolton — once America’s voice at the UN — has to say is America may have F*ck up but we're not alone. […]
Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros comments on Kosovo's prospects of being recognized internationally:
[…] As for international recognition: somewhere between 20 and 30 countries are poised to recognize Kosovo pretty quickly, with a larger number inclined to recognize but planning to wait a bit. There’ll probably be a UN Security Council meeting next week, which will lead to much discussion but nothing concrete.
So, unless Serbia does something stupid — which is certainly possible — in the short run, not much will change. In the longer run, well, I’ve used the phrase “Balkan Taiwan” before. It’s not very close; really, Kosovo is unique. But I expect a long war of diplomatic attrition rather than a crisis. Again, we’ll see soon enough.
Mark MacKinnon writes about the precedent-setting element of Kosovo's independence and the “Pandora's Box” effect it may lead to in Eastern Europe – and, as a reader points out in a comment, elsewhere in the world:
[…] My point here is not to argue for or against independence for Kosovo. But I do find myself wondering how the United States and the European Union find it reasonable to argue that the Kosovars deserve the right to determine their own fate, Serbia be damned, but other peoples of Eastern Europe in similar situations do not.
If Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence is going to get the support of the international community, let's make the right of national self-determination the new global standard. Let's set about determining the real will of the Abkhaz and the South Ossetians and back open and fair (not Russian-sponsored) referendums on whether they want to remain in Georgia. Then let's help them enforce the results.
Hell, while we're at it, let's do the same for the Transdniestr, the Respublika Srpska , Chechnya and the Crimea. If we're going to open this Pandora's Box in Eastern Europe, let's open it all the way. […]
While MacKinnon mentions Russia's foreign ministry's allusion to Abkhazia and South Ossetia in its last week's statement on Kosovo's independence, James of Robert Amsterdam's blog reports on Vladimir Putin's remarks on Kosovo and Spain's Basque and Catalan regions:
When Russia speaks out against recognizing Kosovo's independence, there are quite a few feathers to ruffle among other EU members that have separatist issues of their own. It appears that President Vladimir Putin struck a chord in making the Spanish comparison. […]


text:
Kyrgyztsan: Hate Crimes in Russia Target Kyrgyzs · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Asel writes that Kyrgyz society is highly concerned about recent hate crimes in Russia – only during the last month five Kyrgyzstani were murdered in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Adil Nurmakov


text:
Kyrgyztsan: Kyrgyz Authorities Cut Off Tajikistan  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Ayan Dane writes that the Kyrgyz authorities have decided to stop supplying electricity to Tajikistan, which, according to the Kyrgyz officials, refused to comply with its commitments. Tajikistan is in grave humanitarian condition now because of the harsh energy deficit.


text:
Madagascar: Cyclone Ivan Wrecking Havoc.    · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Tropical Cyclone Ivan has landfalled in the Northeastern region of Madagascar on February, 17th and it is now categorized as a category 4 Hurricane.
(via meteo france)
Even though Madagascar is  better prepared for cyclone season, having already taken the blunt of  many cyclones (most recently cyclone Fame), the region was still devastated by the shear force of the combination of wind and rain.
Avylavitra reports that because of lines of communications being cut off, 9 people died already on the island of Sainte-Marie [mg] (translated in French here)
“Omaly dia nisy vehivavy niantso maika ny rainy  taty Antananarivo nilaza fa nianjeran-javatra ny hotely nisy azy ary dia nirodana ka tototra ao miaraka amin’ny olona valo hafa izy. Ary dia io rainy io kosa nandefa antso vonjy tao amin’ny RNM (Radio National Malagasy). Naverina tao amin’ny Radio io antso io sao mba misy afaka mamonjy azy ireo  any an-toerana. Rehefa avy nandefa ny antso tao amin’ny Radio ity raim-pianakaviana dia niverina niantso an-janany tamin’ny telefaonina indray, nefa indrisy fa tsy nisy nandray intsony izay antso rehetra nataony.
Na izahay nihaino ny radio aza dia nangitakitaka sy nientana anaty ihany niandry izay tohin’ity tantara ratsy ity mndra-paharainan’ny andro.
Tapaka daholo ny fifandraisana tany an-teorana taorian’ilay antso nataon’ilay ray mahantra. Eny fa na ny BLU tokony ho nampiasain’ny BNGRC (sampana misahana ny vonjy taitra mandritry ny tranga toy izao) aza dia tsy nandeha. Koa lasa antso tany an-tany efitra ilay filàna vonjy nataony.
Nivoaka tamin’ny gazety rehetra androany maraina fa tapitra maty avokoa ireo olona sivy tototra tao amin’ity hotely tra-doza ity. Indrisy, mampalahelo”
Mialisoa gives a thorough summary of the situation as Ivan moves toward the south (Fr):
” La partie Est de Madagascar est fortement touchée: Atsinanana, Analanjirofo, Alaotra Mangoro. Cette dernière avance un bilan provisoire d'un peu moins de 500 sinistrés ce matin, principalement dans le district d'Andasibe à cause de la crue des eaux. Aux dernières nouvelles relayées par la radio nationale grâce à son fameux “Ampitapitao” ( oui, l'émission existe toujours), la route nationale 2 qui joint la capitale à Toamasina est inondée, aucune navette n'est possible […] Le cyclone s'affaiblit mais la pluie persiste. Antananarivo boit la tasse ( comme vache qui pisse, me dit Anselme ) depuis samedi, vers 1h du matin. Aucune éclaircie en vue, la capitale est ses environs passent leur temps entre petite pluie et averses hargneux, coups de vents, coups de froid, boue et flaques. “L'eau monte à vue d'oeil”, me confie un riverain, “pas besoin d'averse, mais rien q'une fine pluie et dès demain, on y est”. Comme quelques uns de ses voisins, il est candidat aux premiers déménagements qui ont commencé depuis samedi soir du côté d'Anosizato.”
Jandre in Madagascar has more satellite images of Ivan and explains that considering that it takes 3 years for Vanilla to mature, the effects of Ivan are disastrous on many levels.
Tomavana  has aslo posted an exhaustive summary (mg)  about the recent updates from meteorologists on Cyclone Ivan in Madagascar.
We will update this story and the report from the ground as the story unfolds. We also would like to thank the folks at Rising Voices, Nari Jibon and Voces Bolivianas  for their words of support to the people caught in the storm and their valuable advices on keeping the  lines of communication open within the country and with the outside world.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Mexico: Attempted Bombing Expected to Change Things · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In a tourist district of Roma in Mexico City, a homemade bomb detonated before it reached its intended target, which was believed to be police headquarters, as notes Phillippe Saez of Defecito [es].  As a result, the suspected bomber was killed in the process, but left some unanswered questions regarding a motive and who was responsible.  Some are concluding that it was the work of organized drug cartels, as a way to repay the police for the escalation of law enforcement that had recently targeted these groups.  According to the Gabriel Infante of Esquisy [es], more arrests and drug seizures had been made, and resulted in a loss of over 60 million dollars to the cartel.
Even though the intended mass damage or casualities did not take place, some bloggers like Victor Hernandez of Sendero del Peje [es] thinks that the bombing had, “the OBVIOUS intention of creating a psychosis of panic, so that Marcelo Ebrard (the city's mayor) will militarize Mexico City.” Other bloggers are predicting changes in government and how society approaches daily life.  Sobreexpuesto [es] writes that Mexico City residents must be extra cautious:
Hay varios mensajes sociales, que nuestra sociedad se está contagiando de la violencia, que pudo ser respuesta del crimen organizado a las autoridades, que debemos estár alerta y que si no somos
precavidos, perderemos nuestra ciudad por completo.
There are various social messages, that our society is becoming more prone to violence, that it could have been a response from organized crime to the authorities, that we must be alert and if we do not take precautions, then we might lose our city altogether.
Emiliano Balerini of Humanos Los Derechos [es] worries about the consequences of the failed attempt:
Por eso es que el bombazo que hace unos días estalló en las calles de Chapultepec y Monterrey toma una importancia vital en estos momentos de absoluta confusión política. Seguramente los diputados y sanadores de esta país lo usarán como excusa para avalar la reforma de justicia y así con ello permitir, entre otras cosas, cateos a nuestras casas sin órdenes judiciales y la detención hasta por 40 días ilegalmente para averiguar los antecedentes que la gente tenga.
That is why the bomb that went off in the streets of Chapultepec and Monterrey becomes of vital importance in these moments of absolute political confusion.  Surely, the deputies and senators of this country will use this as an excuse to guarantee the judicial reform, and with that, permit, among other things, house searches without warrants and the detention of up to 40 days to investigate the background of people.
However, one blogger is not concerned considering the amateurish attempt by the bomber(s).  Tome Chango Su Banana [es] writes:
Ahora resulta que el terrorismo y los bombazos llegaron a mexico, personificados en el infame chapubomber, que explotó en avenida chapultepec intentando demoler las oficinas de la ssp, parece que le falló la sincronia con el amigo que tenía el detonador. A quien quieren engaÑar? Toda la escena fue grotesca y completamente actuada, lo mas divertido fue la chambonez del personaje que no atinó a salvarse de su propio bombazo. La verdad si estos son los terroristas en méxico, estamos bastante a salvo.
Now it appears that terrorism and bombs have arrived to Mexico, personified by the infamous Chapubomber, who was blown up on Chapultepec Avenue in his attempt to destroy the SSP (police headquarters) offices.  It appears the synchronization failed with his friend who had the detonator. Who do they want to fool?  The entire scene was grotesque and staged.  The fun part was that the idiot did not even save himself from the bombing.  If these are the types of terrorists that we have in Mexico, then we are safe.
But that sentiment is not shared by the majority of Mexico City residents.  The blogger at La Vida es Sueño [es] was a little shook up by the news, and concludes:
Y de esta forma perdí lo poca noción de seguridad que me quedaba para caminar por las calles de esta Cuidad de México, en la cual he vivido durante 25 años
With this, I lost the remaining notion of security that I had left to walk through the streets of Mexico City, where I have lived for 25 years.

author: Eduardo Avila


text:
Morocco: Fun Day at the Fair · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Morocco, Maryam takes her little one to the fair – and shares some pictures with us.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Pakistan: Voting, Elections and Counting · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

As people in Pakistan were out voting today, the blogosphere discusses the elections. All Things Pakistan, is following the elections and urges its readers to share their accounts.
We are especially interested in hearing reports from our readers in Pakistan about what they see on the streets, what their own first-hand voting experience has been, and what they are hearing from others on the ground. In many wants such eye-witness reports are far more important than what we will all be seeing on our screens.
Crow's Nest explains why voting is a pointless exercise given that the outcome of the elections will have little to do with a democratic process. Even if the elections are not rigged, the political clout of certain people means that there is little scope for real change.
I will not vote because i know the outcomes of the elections have been pre determined. The electoral process is so deeply biased and flawed that the dictator will win. He has all his odds against me. Me and my idealistic approach has no chance of winning. Afterall he is a soldier at war with his own people and i a mere civilian. I will also not vote because no candidate in my constituency is worth voting for. I will not vote because i want to say no to a repressing rule by a feudal after feudal in my city.
On the other hand, at KO, the author seems keen on voting, but cannot because of the poorly managed electoral lists which seem to have excluded registered voters, with little room to address issues of missing names.
The voting lists turned out to be as bad as I thought it would – in fact they turned out to be even worse, despite my low expectations. The elections website is completely unusable, and missing a lot of names which were there on the old list. For example, it's missing the names of my family and many of my relatives – most of which are registered voters.
Despite our name not being on the list, I still set out to vote – I spent 3 hours going to all the voting stations near my area, and I wasn't registered in any of them. I met quite a few people I know, and over 50% of them weren't on the lists – so we came back vote less.
Shahab at Metroblogging Islamabad seems pretty excited about being able to vote, and states that too many people back off when they should be voting by claiming that all politicians are crooks. Parliament Watch tracks the outcomes of the elections region by region. The Pakistani Spectator is running constant updates on the outcomes of the electoral process.

author: Neha Viswanathan


text:
Palestine: Internet is Racist · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“So, someone sets up a blog about things white people like one month ago, and already it is getting more hits than our blog, which is basically about what Arabs like. It just lists anti-white stereotypes such as their supposed affinity for natural medicine (which the Arabs invented), recycling, and coed sports,” writes Will from Kabobfest.


text:
Paraguay: Yellow Fever Emergency · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Muna Annahas reports that Paraguay has declared an emergency due to presence of Yellow Fever in the country, and that close to 1 million vaccines are expected to be provided to Paraguayans.


text:
Poland: U.S. Satellite Fears · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A discussion of whether or not Poland is “in danger from exploding US spy satellite” – over at the beatroot.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Puerto Rico: Total Eclipse · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Voice of the Taino People Online reports that there will be a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday: “The entire celestial event will be visible from South America and most of North America on Feb. 20 as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia on Feb. 21.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Qatar: Who Speaks for Muslims? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

PM, from Qatar, shares with us a digest of a talk she attended entitled Who Speaks for Muslims.


text:
Russia: Medvedev’s “Vision” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about Dmitry Medvedev's “vision” – “a vision that when boiled down doesn’t look to rock the boat too much.”


text:
Slovenia: Keeping Quiet in China · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dr. Filomena reports: “A few days ago, Slovenia’s Minister of Education and Sport Milan Zver apparently recommended , in an interview for the Associated Press, that Olympic athletes avoid talking about human rights while they are in Beijing. By today, his words have been quoted in over 300 sources online.”


text:
South Asia: Against domestic violence · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Out Against Abuse – dedicated to discussing issues of domestic violence affecting the South Asian community urges readers to share their stories.


text:
Sri Lanka: Not Obama · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Deane's Dimension from Sri Lanka on why rooting for Obama is all fine, but why one really needs to look at his foreign and economic policy.


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Protecting the Ocean · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Whether it's the Buccoo Reef, the Gulf of Paria, Mayaro, or Cap-de-Ville and Otaheite, there has long been concern about the delicate marine ecologies of Trinidad and Tobago's bodies of water in the wake of human activities”:  Discover TnT Blog explains.


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Vision for Development?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“You turn old Port of Spain into a slum, you block off the city from the sea (you leave the sea in such a mess that no one would want to be exposed to it anyway), and you build enormous faceless towers, and you call it development”: Jeremy Taylor rails against bad architecture in Trinidad's capital city.


text:
Turkmenistan: American priorities with Ashgabat · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula opines on American policy towards Turkmenistan and compares the significance of this country for the US with that of other Eurasian states.


text:
Ukraine: Baloha’s New Project; Rudkovsky’s Crime · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes reports on a new political project of president Yushchenko's chief of staff Victor Baloha, and on how Mykola Rudkovsky's alleged crime – “misappropriation of state funds and flying abroad on private visits” – is actually pretty common in Ukraine's governing circles.


text:
Uzbekistan: Education Officials Underrates Students · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

David Walther reports that the universities in Uzbekistan have been ordered by the Ministry of Education to purposely lower the quantity of students receiving A’s in order to economize on stipends.


text:
Uzbekistan: Rights Activists Comment on Release of Colleagues · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nathan posts a statement by the human rights watchdog for prevention of torture in Uzbekistan concerning recent release of imprisoned human rights activists and the increased lip service the Uzbek government is paying to human rights as it tries to recultivate ties with Europe and the United States.


text:
Uzbekistan: Tracing Uzbek cotton · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Libertad writes about Tesco’s initiative to boycott Uzbek cotton on the international market, because of the use of organized and forced child labor in producing the cotton.


text:
Zimbabwe: Is Dr. Simba Makoni a puppet?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Is Dr. Simba Makoni, Zimbabwe's former finance minister, a genuine contender for the presidential election in Zimbabwe or simply part of a political ploy to keep President Robert Mugabe in power? Is the electoral process in Zimbabwe ready for a free and fair elections? These are some of the hot issues and questions in the Zimbabwean blogosphere.  Zimbabwe presidential, parliamentary and local government elections will take place on March 29 2008.
Kubatana blog argues that the electoral process in Zimbabwe is completely flawed:
Fellow blogger Dewa Mavhinga has discussed Zimbabwe’s unfair electoral environment in his latest postings. Unfair is possibly the wrong word – let’s rather call it completely flawed.
Further evidence of the completely flawed electoral process is illustrated in this recent ZLHR communication which I received today.
The administration of elections in Zimbabwe continues to be a monumental joke and the whole process is buried under a mountain of red tape. After we ran an advert in the local press for persons who have been denied access to registration or inspection of voters roll we have been inundated with distress calls from persons who want to inspect/register but denied the right to do so. For most prospective voters, trying to access the voters roll is an adventure whose success is not guaranteed. Even nominees in the forthcoming elections have been denied access and ZLHR have approached the courts for relief. Such developments in our view testify against the conscience of democracy and rule of law.
The blog outlines steps that need to be taken before the elections:
Firstly, now, before the elections take place, the opposition and independent candidates must declare that the playing field is not level and detail all areas of concern from lack of access to free media, inability to campaign freely, a litany of repressive laws and widespread violence and intimidation. They and civil society must demand that Thabo Mbeki declares his initiative a failure before elections take place and point to the SADC standards and guidelines for the conduct of free and fair elections. Advocacy for regional action must target individual members of the SADC block because there are some culprit governments in SADC that share a passionate dislike for human rights and democracy alongside Zimbabwe and are preventing SADC from taking a more robust stance on Zimbabwe – these are Angola, Namibia and Swaziland. There is some hope in looking to South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania to put pressure on Zimbabwe.
Secondly, SADC should now be dispatching observers to monitor Zimbabwe’s elections and additionally, South Africa should send its own team of observers in order to assist in the post-election period when the legitimacy of the election is called in question. Local groups must also be collecting evidence now of how the election is being rigged and not be sidetracked by the appearance on the horizon of the likes of Simba Makoni. For instance, l am highly suspicious of the figure being peddled in State media that 5.6 million people registered to vote in Zimbabwe, can this figure be independently verified?
It appears that some Zimbabweans are election weary already:
A colleague of mine was talking about how so many seem to be election weary already when the date has only just been announced. He gave the example of a young man that he gave a lift to the other day.
The hitchhiker was a student at NUST, and he wasn’t aware that the election date (29th March) had been set. On hearing the news, the student became tired and defeated. He told my colleague that he had been hoping and praying that the elections would be much later in the year. Instead, he said he now had face the likelihood that his final exams, due for May this year, would be in jeopardy because of the furore that always surrounds elections.
Apparently, elections in Zimbabwe have a negative impact on students:
But why, he asked, if elections are in March does that affect you in May?
The student replied that elections brought massive unrest to the universities. The police became hyper-sensitive to student activities and unfair crackdowns often ensued, proving anger and a state of tension at the universities. He said that previous elections, even when Mugabe ‘wins’, were usually followed by reprisals against those who dared to disobey the regime in the lead-up to the elections. But Mugabe’s men didn’t discriminate and they extended the reprisals to absolutely everyone. He also said that staff, sturggling to earn a living often used election time as a chance to strike for more money.
Mugabe's victory is a foregone conclusion:
“Don’t be stupid, we all know the score! They’ll be stolen the way they always have been; we just need to find a way to get through them so we can continue figuring out how to survive the next day”.
Mugabe Mukaipa writes about Zimbabwe Diaspora Vote Protest:
Calling ALL the Zimbabweans in Diaspora
Join the PROTEST for the right to vote in the elections
Zimbabwe Diaspora Vote Protest
No Diaspora Vote, No Free, Fair or Credible Elections in Zimbabwe
Washington DC February 21 – 22
Contact persons
Canaan Mhlanga 604 461 3072
Zvidzayi Ruzvidzo 614 622 0427
Stanford G. Mukasa 724 467 0001
Handel Mlilo 240 505 0179
Last Rhodesia reports that a large number of political parties are emerging in Zimbabwe since the beginning of the year:
As you might have heard, there is suppose to be an election in March -
An unusually large number of newly-formed fringe political parties
have emerged since the beginning of the year, all promising to turn around Zimbabwe’s fortunes once elected to power.

We have the United Democratic People’s Constitution (UDPC), Zimbabwe Integrated Party (ZIP), Voice of the People/Vox Populi (VP), the Zimbabwe Development Party (ZDP), Progressive Anarchy Party (PAP), Let’s Party (LP) etc etc.
The latest on the scene is – I Have No Party (IHNP), which, as we have just learnt, is run by a stray cat called Simba Mukoni…
There might not even be an election in March. Well, not until terms have been well hammered out…
Just in case there is an election, Bob has been handing out loads of presents to the top boys in the police and army.
Zimbabwe’s police chief Augustine Chihuri this week told senior
officers to back President Robert Mugabe reminding them the veteran leader had given them farms, resources and other perks, authoritative sources told ZimOnline. According to our sources one officer, Nonkosi Ncube, who is in charge of police in Mashonaland East province, turned down a white truck she had been allocated insisting she preferred the truck black. She was assured she would receive a car with the “right colour” next week when middle-ranking police commanders would receive their vehicles.
Is Dr. Simba Makoni Genuine?
The recent announcement by the former Finance Minister, Dr. Simba Makoni, to challenge Robert Mugabe as a private candidate has received mixed feelings in the Zimbabwean blogosphere. Kubatana blog writes:
The only people who don’t seem vaguely fazed by Simba Makoni’s election bid are the beauticians in Cleopatra’s Beauty Parlour next to my office. They seem to have fallen asleep face first in their towels. Yesterday, a friend of mine called Anna, told me that its a good thing that Simba is posing some sort of challenge to Mugabe because, in her words, “Mugabe is an old man and doesn’t listen to the people”. There’s truth in that.
Dr. Makoni's victory will be a miracle:
It appears to me that there is much excitement around Zimbabwe’s forthcoming elections, and even naive hope that Simba Makoni may somehow, by some miracle, defeat Mugabe at the polls. People seem to have forgotten that democracy and good governance are not part of Zanu PF’s political DNA. President Mugabe was not elected by his party to be Presidential candidate – in fact l believe that if the matter had been taken to the vote then Mugabe would not have been the candidate – but through hook and crook Mugabe emerged as Zanu’s sole Presidential candidate. The same thing is likely to happen with presidential elections, that Mugabe will somehow claim victory, regardless of the credentials or stature of candidates running against him. The electoral field does not allow for any other outcome. Already, pseudo-war veterans are threatening to deal viciously with Makoni.
Is Dr. Makoni a last minute spoiler?:
In our office Dennis suggested that Simba’s entry into the race is a ploy by Mugabe to steal votes from disillusioned MDC supporters.
Yes, it’s quite likely that Makoni will attract a large number of Zimbabweans who would have voted for Tsvangirai. If Makoni does attract this support it means that Zanu PF’s chunk of the vote, one way or another, gets bigger. So how independent is Simba? How genuine is his bid? Is he a late minute spoiler, or Mugabe’s running puppet?
Zebra-Mbizi is not sure how significant his candidacy will be:
Having said all this we are rather amused to see now that Zanu PF has split. A faction headed by Simba Makoni, a former finance minister has seized the initiative and had entered the presidential race. We are as yet not sure of the significance of this entry all we do know is that Morgan Tsvangirai the leader of the Movement Democratic Change may well lose support. A breakaway faction of the MDC, the Mutumbara faction (Senator Arthur Mutumbara) has already declared its suppoort for Simba Makoni. Makoni appears to have a radical programme, to reconstruct the nation but he has surrounded himself with some of the dregs of the old regime: General Mujuru, Jabulani Moyo just to name two of his supporters; these men are not known for their democratic credentials and were principal supporters of the old regime.
It is strange, writes The Bearded Man, that Mugabe has been so silent on Makoni's candidacy:
Once again I question Mugabe's silence on the Makoni participation in the Presidential ballot. Whilst ZANU PF has expelled Makoni, Mugabe himself stays mum on the matter. He has informed the watching world that he is ‘raring to go’ and only seems intent on beating the MDC (with votes – as opposed to physically beating them), and has stated that he will not recognise any result unless it is a ZANU PF win.
Does Makoni count as ZANU PF?
Why is Mugabe reluctant to comes out fighting in his normal belligerent style?
Yes, Makoni may beat Mugabe – but that would only be for the top job. The ruling party may win the lion's share of seats, leaving Makoni effectively marooned on a ZANU PF desert island.
What then?
I remain a little concerned that Mugabe keeps quiet. The main worry I have is that the ruling party is selling the population a dummy. What if the Makoni candidature is really orchestrated by the ruling party? Offering a wolf in sheep's clothing. An alternative to Mugabe, knowing full well that the offered alternative is really much of the same?
Why else would Mugabe chose to keep quiet? He is renowned for his withering speeches and his handing out accusations as if they were confetti…
Zvenyika E Mugari at TalkMedia, a blog of media scholars and academics at Midlands State University, defends Dr. Makoni:
Like it or not Makoni is now man of the moment. Let people not waste their precious time speculating about the appropriateness of the timing or wheter this or that force is behind the man. Zimbabwe deeply needs a respite from the binary nature of the political talk that had come to characterise Zimbabwean politics, the Mugabe good Tsvangirai bad kind of talk. The Makoni factor simply makes such talk irrelevant. His bold step challenges us to step forward, set aside our petty differences and rededicate ourselves to the service of our beloved country. What can be more patriotic?
Zimbabaloola asks, “Is he a competitor or part of of the devious plan by ZANU PF?”:
Everyone is talking about Simba Makoni. It’s a measure of how sclerotic Zimbabwean politics has become that this 57 year is considered a youthful challenger. But then our president is 84, and most of his closest colleagues are in their late 70’s and early 80’s, so by current standards Simba is indeed the Young Lion.
The big question is this: is he a serious competitor to the existing order, or is this all part of a devious plan by ZANU PF to further muddy the waters of the election that is now less than 50 days away?
The optimists argue that Simba has powerful backing, probably from Solomon and Joice Mujuru – she is Vice President, he is former head of the armed forces, and both are known to have run out of patience with Mugabe. It looks like Simba may also be backed by Vitalis Zvinavashe, Solomon’s successor as head of the armed forces, and that there is a cadre of what might be called “ZANU PF Lite” lining up behind him.
This is the word on the street, and around the dinner tables of smart Harare. Problem is that, as of today, the only people who have actually DECLARED their support for him are a retired Major in the army who is known to have links to General Zvinavashe; and Dr Ibbo Mandaza, an academic, author, and one time newspaper owner.
Of course it is a dangerous game, standing up against President Mugabe. Zimbabwe’s recent history is littered with the remains of those who have turned against the old man, and subsequently had fatal accidents, or found their businesses dismantled, relatives arrested, passports revoked…. This is, after all, a dictatorship, despite the regular round of elections.
But the electorate are angry. And hungry. And fed up. And very ready for change.
According to Zimbabaloola, Mugabe might win without even the need for rigging:
But now, with two MDC candidates competing against each other, and Simba Makoni rounding up the undecideds, Mugabe only has to win a million votes – 15 percent of the electorate – to walk back into State House on April Fool’s Day; and he probably doesn’t even need to cheat.
OK, maybe I’m being cynical. Maybe in the next few days and weeks there will be a groundswell of support for Simba. Maybe Mutambara and Tsvangarai will decide to put aside their personal ambition for the good of the country. Maybe ZANU PF’s grassroots party structures will swing behind Simba, leaving a few scared, angry old men to stand beside Mugabe as his election victory vanishes.
Dr. Makoni's life might be in danger, writes Zebra-Mbizi:
We do feel however, that to put oneself in opposition to Mugabe and Zanu PF does take a certain amount of courage. The regime despises opposition and Simba Makoni’s life may well be in danger as indeed is anyone who opposes Mugabe.
The Role of Citizen Media
As it happened in Kenya recently, citizen media in Zimbabwe is set to play a key role in reporting and monitoring the electoral process. Kubatana will run an SMS Election Information Service during the elections:
Kubatana will be running an SMS Election Information Service during Zimbabwe’s March 2008 election in an effort to keep citizens both informed and inspired. I’ve just been told that both The Herald and The Sunday Mail newspapers have rejected Kubatana’s classified advertisement publicising this service to Zimbabweans. This is just one example of how Zimbabweans access to information is being curtailed.
If this makes you feel agitated and outraged than please email the editors of these two Mugabe mouth pieces and criticise their behaviour. You can reach The Herald at theherald@zimpapers.co.zw and The Sunday Mail at sundaymail@zimpapers.co.zw and to make sure that we record their abuse of power please send a copy to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on: press [at] zlhr [dot] org [dot] zw
The organisation also has a special index page of aggregated information on Zimbabwe Elections 2008:
Another organisation, Zimbabwe Civic Action Support Group (Sokwanele), has set up a Zimbabwe Election Watch.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Africa: Bush in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Imnakoya points out to what the mainstrem media aren't talking about regarding George Bush trip to Africa: “George W Bush, the president of the greatest and biggest democracy is currently in Africa, in what some call a “barnstorming trip” involving 5 countries, starting from Sunday through Thursday. Today is Day 2. As expected, the mainstream have successfully laundered the trip, loaded with reports of the “warm reception” GWB is receiving. However, it’s not so rosy as the media as painted.”


text:
Africa: The Grassroots Reporting Project · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Afrigadget has launched a new project, The Grassroots Reporting Project: “A combination of mobile phones and computers will be assigned to individuals in 10 African countries for the purpose of getting more on-the-ground reporting of stories of African ingenuity to the world. An AfriGadget editor will be in charge of identifying the best candidates for inclusion in the program. This editor will also travel to each country to train and equip the new AfriGadget reporters for the program.”


text:
Argentina: Free Hugs in Buenos Aires · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

La Espada Vengadora [es] announces that the “Free Hugs” campaign will be arriving to Buenos Aires, Argentina on Thursday, and is something must needed in this violent world.


text:
Armenia: Presidential Election Today · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Polls have been open for today's presidential election in Armenia for eight hours now in a crucial vote which will determine the successor to the incumbent but outgoing president, Robert Kocharian. Until a more comprehensive post after polling stations close, my Armenia Election Monitor 2008 and The Armenian Observer are being updated on a regular basis until then.

author: Onnik Krikorian


text:
Bahamas: Legalize It?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The legalization of this habit will not lead to an exponential rise in the number of gamblers. It will, however, allow government to fund programmes that can have a positive impact on our youth…”: Craig Butler at Bahama Pundit blogs about legalizing gambling – and Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com thinks “it's about time!”


text:
Bangladesh: Hatered and a website · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Voice of South on a A Saudi-based website, aiming to stir hatred against 1.2 million Bangladeshis working in the oil-rich Saudi Arabia.


text:
Barbados: National Strike?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Barbados seems headed towards a national strike tomorrow, Cheese-on-bread! says: “Well, well. The last time I saw this level of adamance a whole Government fell.”  Notes From The Margin adds: “National strikes are like atom bombs, they are great weapons to threaten with, but actually using them makes both combatants losers.”


text:
Bermuda: Open Government · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Back in November, Bermuda was fixated on our little race war, I mean election, so it’s understandable that the release of Barack Obama’s Technology platform did not get much attention”: Vexed Bermoothes thinks it's worth a read, adding: “We have no vision for open government. Obama is talking about doing wheelies when Bermuda still has training wheels on.”


text:
Bolivia: The Real Causes of the Flooding · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Bolivida [es], a blog devoted to environmental topics, asks, “What are the causes of the increases in severe floodings, which are affecting thousands of families..?” He points out that some government leaders blaming global warming, but studies by two independent universities are placing blaming on deforestation.


text:
Central African Republic: Farmers struggle to rebuild lives · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

HDPT Central African Republic blog on the challenges faced by Central African Republic farmers: “Affected by years of relentless fighting in the North West, Central African farmers now face great difficulties to maintain their livelihood. Their seeds and tools have been destroyed by the repeated assaults of bandits, rebels and armed forces, turning the former bread basket of Central Africa into a disaster zone.”


text:
Colombia: Movie About Pablo Escobar · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In Colombia, Reticente [es] reviews the latest movie about Pablo Escobar called “Angel or Demon,” and recommends not to take a date because the movie is bad.


text:
Cuba: Castro Steps Down  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers are abuzz with news of Fidel Castro's retirement: Babalu Blog: “My emotions are in turmoil”; Child of the Revolution: “I know that when it comes to Castro, nothing ever is what it seems”; Review of Cuban-American Blogs: “Nothing has changed for him or Cuba”; 1Click2 Cuba: “Monarchs excepted, Castro was the world's longest ruling head of state.”


text:
D.R of Congo: Political manoeuvre by the President · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Chica writes about the unexpected retirement of 92 magistrates in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “On Friday President Kabila announced out of the blue, seemingly without consulting anyone (except presumably the Minister of Justice), the immediate retirement of 92 magistrates (who were either over 65 or had been magistrates for 35+ years)…It is seen by some as an unapologetic political manoeuvre by the President to promote his sympathisers within the judiciary ahead of major reforms due to be voted at the next Parliamentary sitting, thus positioning them for top posts in the new institutional set-up.”


text:
Environment: Learning from the snow crisis in China. · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

From ChinaDialogue, Tang Hao writes of the lessons gleaned from the snow crisis in China. “Environmental action alone will not combat the social problems that will arise or worsen with greater disasters. Sustainable development requires that politics and the environment are given equal consideration. The efforts we make will not stop disasters happening, but they will better equip us to deal with them and reduce losses.”

author: Juliana Rotich


text:
Ethiopia: On Afar women · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Zenobia review an article by The Telegraph about female genital mutilation in Ethiopia: “The Telegraph did an  article about Afar women , female genital cutting (FMC) and their “life of drudgery”  as they called it, but neglected to mention how successive Ethiopian regimes have done little to develop their desperately poor region.”


text:
Morocco: Bloggers Rally Behind Fouad Mourtada · Global Voices
Lydia Beyoud

Moroccan media and bloggers have rallied behind Fouad Mourtada since the 26 year-old's arrest earlier this month.
Some media sources  have called Mourtada “a Martyr of the Net” and others have described the case as a “media lynching” pushed by “les SAR et consorts” [all those bearing the title “Son Altesse Royale” (His/Her Royal Highness) and consorts].  Still others have proclaimed the only way the Moroccan government could justify its five-year sentence would be through charges of trying to defraud the Moroccan Treasury or targeting state security.
Francophone bloggers write that Mourtada's arrest reveals the tensions between modern Morocco and Morocco of the Middle Ages.
Stephan Carville, a French free-lance journalist splitting his time between Casablanca and Paris writes that this event provides further proof of the wide cultural and social gap between “East” and “West” on his blog:
La plaisanterie avec la famille royale a ses limites, comme celle de caricaturer le prophète. On touche ainsi du doigt une civilisation qui nous semble à des années lumières de notre culture, celle qui nous donne le droit de critiquer Sarkozy, ou de balancer dans la presse en ligne que Nicolas aurait envoyé un SMS à son ex Cécilia avant de se marier avec Carla. On mesure ainsi le gouffre qui sépare les deux pays. Il est insupportable. L'affaire Fouad Mourtada ne grandit pas encore un soi-disant “Maroc en mouvement” de façade qui use de pratiques et comportements dignes du Moyen-Age.
On the blog Culture Maroc, the author decries the Moroccan government's response to Fouad's actions:
Je ne vais pas refaire l'histoire mais tout le monde est au courant de ce qui arrive à Fouad Mourtada. Ce jeune marocain de 26 ans, ingénieur en informatique, arrêté à Casablanca le mardi 5 février.
La raison de cette arrestation ? Une blague, une idée insouciante sans arrière pensé aucune. Bref une connerie comme en fait tous. Enfin, une connerie pour le Maroc seulement.
En effet, Fouad a simplement crée un profil sur le réseau social du moment : Facebook. Ce profil était un faux du prince Moulay Rachid. Une personnalité donc.
Pour information, il existe des dizaines de profils de personnalités sur Facebook, de Sarkozy à Bush en passant par….Mohamed VI. Hey oui!
Fouad risque 5 ans de prison. 5 ans! De quoi ruiner la vie d'un homme pour toujours.
On en revient à l'éternel problème : Le Maroc moderne Vs le Maroc du Moyen âge.
The reason for this arrest? A joke, a thoughtless idea with no ulterior motives. Really just the same kind of stupid stuff we all do. Or at least, only stupid for Morocco.
In fact, Fouad simply created a profile on the popular social website Facebook. It was a fake profile for the prince Moulay Rachid. So, a celebrity.
For your information, there are dozens of celebrity profiles on Faceback, from [Nicolas] Sarkozy to Bush to…Mohamed VI [the king of Morocco]. That's right!
Fouad is facing 5 years in prison. 5 years! Enough to permanently ruin a man's life.
It always comes back to the same eternal problem: Modern Morocco vs. the Morocco of the Middle Ages.
Larbi, author of the blog Comme une bouteille jetée à la mer!, views Fouad's trial as a unique opportunity for the Moroccan judicial system not to kowtow to the Moroccan regime's policy of harsh sentences when it comes to the “sacrality” of the King and company:
Un procès surréaliste dans son objet (création de faux profil sur Facebook), abusif dans son déroulement (placement sous détention provisoire) et inéquitable par ses parties prenantes (un simple citoyen et un Prince) . Il crée de surcroît un précédent inacceptable : On pourrait désormais tenir à merci n’importe quel internaute et lui réserver n’importe quel sort. Dans un Etat qui se respecte le procès de Fouad ne devrait même pas avoir lieu.
Bien entendu, il incombe au juge seul d’apprécier les faits et de statuer, mais il est des raisons de s’inquiéter. Faut-il rappeler ici que toutes les affaires judiciaires relatives aux délits de presse et d’opinion ou aux délits d’atteinte à la sacralité de la famille royale se sont systématiquement soldés par des condamnations et que jamais aucune relaxe n’ait été prononcée ? Faut-il rappeler ici l’excès de zèle des tribunaux dès qu’il s’agit du Roi et son entourage ?
Le Tribunal de grande instance de Casablanca peut faire l’Histoire en brisant cette série de jugements arbitraires. Le juge peut entrer dans l’Histoire en officiant en arbitre indépendant de toute pression, en ne cédant à aucune crainte , en ne redoutant nulle colère, en disant la loi dans la sincérité de sa conscience, en homme d’ honneur et de dignité. Il ne peut alors qu’acquitter Fouad et clore ce triste et insupportable chapitre judiciaire.
Le Tribunal de grande instance de Casablanca a une occasion unique : en rendant justice à Fouad il peut, ne serait-ce qu’une seule fois, donner raison de ne pas désespérer de la justice du Maroc et des juges du Maroc.
Of course, it's all up to the judge to appraise the facts and to adjudicate, but there are reasons for worry. Need I remind you that in this country all judiciary cases relating to infractions by the media or personal opinion or that sully the sacredness of the royal family are systematically condemned and there has never been an acquittal? Need I remind you of the [Moroccan] courts’ zealousness as soon as the King and his entourage are concerned?
Casablanca's Tribunal of First Instance [E.U.; “State Court” or similar U.S.] could make history by breaking with this series of arbitrary judgements. The judge could go down in history by acting as an arbitrator, independent of all pressure, by not giving in to any fear, by not dreading any anger, by stipulating the law with sincerity and conscience, as a man of honor and dignity.  Then, he could not but acquit Fouad and close this sad and disgraceful chapter of judiciary history.
Casablanca's court has a unique opportunity: by delivering justice to Fouad it can, if only this once, give a reason not to lose faith in Moroccan justice and Moroccan judges.

author: Lydia Beyoud


text:
Ghana: Elections in Ghana · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ghana Elections 2008 blog's short history of elections in Ghana: “The leader of the then opposition NPP party John Kuffuor won year 2000 and 2004 elections. As per the constitution, John Kuffor can not stand for elections again in year 2008. Apart from the national elections for the post of head of state and president, there is going to be legislative elections to elect 230 members of parliament. The year 2008 election is going exciting, interesting and closely fought one.”


text:
Ghana/Kenya: The bamboo Bike Project · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

AfriGadget writes a story about bamboo bikes in Ghana and Kenya: “The Bamboo Bike, an endeavour that aims at building bicycles in a sustainable fashion using bamboo as the primary construction material, is a joint project run by Craig Calfree of Calfree Design, a high tech bicycle design firm based in California and The Earth Institute at Columbia University.”


text:
Guyana: State of Insecurity  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It seems like only yesterday the Government said they had a plan, today 13 more souls lay cold as gunmen strike bold”: Guyana 360 experiences deja vu, saying: “This is the worst ever state of insecurity.”


text:
India: The Alma Mater · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

balancing life on how the sheer presence of bureaucracy is an obstacle for  alumni wishing to contribute to the growth of their college.


text:
Israel: Kosovo or Palestine, the Balkan is Here! · Global Voices
Gilad Lotan

Unilateral declarations have played a central role in Israeli politics over the past years. Israel's withdrawals from both the south of Lebanon and the Gaza strip have been controversial in the region's politics. On the one hand, Israeli leaders were awarded by major support both internally and internationally, resulting from withdrawal. However, Israel is still dealing with the consequences: Hizbollah arming in Lebanon and the daily escalating violence in the Gaza Strip. When diplomacy fails and all hope is gone, unilateral actions tend to follow.
Kosovo's recent declaration of independence results from the failure of both sides to reach common grounds over diplomatic talks. Kosovo's Albanian citizens are not willing to wait anymore. As major European powers, including France, Germany, Britain and the United States officially recognized Kosovo's declaration, countries like Spain, Russia and China have been reluctant to recognize the State, claiming that the declaration did not respect international law.
The Israeli government has not formally announced its opinion. However, several Hebrew bloggers have been reacting and comparing the political fatigue in the Balkans to that back home. Ilan Goren's post, in Hebrew, caught my attention for its descriptive comparison between the two regions. It is translated below:
“If they continue to behave so wildly we'll simply cut off their electricity supply”, promises a senior politician to his supporters. “Lets see them behave that way in the dark and cold”. The audience applauds and flags are waived. National pride in its full force while all stand still. Foreign diplomats are far from thrilled.
The senior politician is not alone. This is an accepted tone in the wild east of 2008. At least 75 per cent of the electricity supplied to the stubborn region saturated with blood and hate comes from the larger, more powerful neighbor's power plant. The region is rebellious and stubborn, wanting independence and sovereignty as a country. The big war resulted with mass exile, killings and the war criminals on both sides declaring themselves as leaders. Now the local Muslims dream of independence; demand it. If by means of force, or even through heavy violence. Whatever price is necessary.
Nationalists from the big, powerful country, surrounded by enemies, will never concede. If necessary, they will limit the population's access out of the region. Also, a ban on trade and commodities will certainly be possible… As we are dealing with peoples’ claim of right to the land of their fathers, we are also dealing with national rights of a poor and deprived population, including the right for refugees to return to their land. The local national party swears by this, and is willing to use terrorist methodology. From its point-of-view, this is a fight for freedom.
Yes. You guessed right. I am obviously writing about Serbia and Kosovo. I did not refer to Israel and the Palestinians (written in cynical font).
Serbia and Kosovo are not Israel and Palestine. There are many substantial differences. Over there, international military forces intervened, here only diplomacy. From some 50 years ago, the amount of death and exile is not similar. At least not in recent years. But one thing the conflicts do have in common: restraint is not in fashion. Politicians who want to succeed, especially in times of elections, choose the extreme: throwing inflammable material into the already existing fire is a sure sell. And what about the citizens? At first, they will be enthusiastic, but later scurry to purchase emergency lights and fire extinguishers.
In that sense, the Balkan is here.

author: Gilad Lotan


text:
Japan: Edo-period Monster Paintings · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Edo from Pink Tentacle introduces Edo-period monster paintings by Sawaki Suushi.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Jorge Jurado Raps About Citizen Media · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Originally published on Rising Voices.
I know, it probably sounds a little cheesy – someone rapping about video-blogging – but the lyrics of Jorge Jurado's song ‘ConVerGentes’ are not only poetic, they also reflect a truth a about participatory media in general: we create because we are compelled to, not because we are told to.
The most active members of ConVerGentes. Jorge Jurado is on the far right.
Jorge is one of about 20 young people in the peripheral working class community of San Javier La Loma who form the citizen media group “ConVerGentes.” They are one of three groups who make up the larger outreach project HiperBarrio. ConVerGentes is a play on words which combines the Spanish words for convergence, seeing, and people.
Jorge, who produced a short documentary about La Loma's graffiti culture and blogs at La Voz del Silencio, is also a talented graphic designer and hip-hop artist. His song “ConVerGentes”, which he performed live above in early January 2008, discusses the potential of using participatory media to rescue the forgotten history and culture of local communities. He also somehow manages to mention the title of every ConVerGentes weblog in a way that describes both its content and the person behind it. You too can visit each of their blogs by going to the ConVerGentes site and clicking on each of the links on the right-hand side beneath the header “Blogroll”.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS

author: David Sasaki


text:
Kazakhstan: Repeated Inter-Ethnic Violence? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Lena B-va reports on the strange incident of an alleged inter-ethnic fight in Kazakhstan between Turks and Kazakhs – the case had been covered by the Turkish press, but omitted in the Kazakhstani media.


text:
Kosovo: Legality; Economy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont discusses the allegedly missing “legal basis” for Kosovo's independence and Kosovo's allegedly missing economy.


text:
Kosovo, Serbia: A Pessimistic View From Albania · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Living in Shkoder “can't see Kosova getting a smooth run in their new state.”


text:
Kosovo, Serbia: “Chants of Killing” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A discussion of “chants of killing and slaughtering” in Serbia and in Kosovo – over at East Ethnia.


text:
Kosovo, Serbia: Crisis · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Reluctant Dragon writes about Kosovo's independence: “…and once again, there is a crisis, a long-term and potentially far-reaching crisis, and we are at the heart of it.”


text:
Kosovo: The Flag · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about Kosovo's flag and other independence issues.


text:
Kyrgyzstan: Church Wants to Sue LGBT Organization · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

GenderStan informs the readers that Russian Ortodox Church of Kyrgyzstan allegedly plans to sue “Labrys”, an NGO dedicated to LGBT rights, following the organization's press conference, where an LGBT-friendly priest Maksim from Apostolic Orthodox Church spoke about his church’s views on homosexuality.


text:
Lebanon: Escalations Continue · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Hizballah and Amal continue to pit the Lebanese Shiite community against the rest of their compatriots in an effort to satisfy the agendas of their regional allies,” remarks Blacksmith Jade, who also links to videos of the latest political situation in Lebanon.


text:
Lesotho: Missionary healers  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Black Looks opinions about missionary healers in Lesotho: “The clip shows Basotho being healed miraculously. The clip shows the visitors, the healers, through the grace of God, giving sick Basotho their sight back, their legs, their hearing. And it shows the healers insisting that the healees have now been forgiven and saved. I do not disbelieve in miraculous healing. I have been touched by it. But I disbelieve healers…”


text:
Mexico: Cable Car in Mexico City · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In order to alleviate some of the traffic difficulties in the area of Santa Fe in Mexico City, the government has proposed the construction of a cable car, writes México Para Los Mexicanos [es].


text:
Morocco: Facebook’s fake prince could face five years in prison · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

Fouad Mourtada, a 26-year old IT engineer has been held under arrest in Casablanca since February 5th for “villainous practices linked to the alleged theft of the identity” of King Mohammed VI's younger brother, Prince Moulay Rachid, on the popular social networking website Facebook. Fouad appeared in court on Friday February 15th. The trial has been postponed until February 22.
According to a statement released by the Committee of Support for Fouad Mourtada, following the first visit to Fouad on February 12th at Oukacha jail in Casablanca, Fouad provided more information about the circumstances of the arrest and claimed he was “beaten, spat on and insulted”:
I was arrested on the morning of Tuesday by two individuals who embarked me on a vehicle then blindfolded my eyes with a black band. After about fifteen minutes, they changed vehicles, then took me along to some building to undergo an interrogation there. I was persecuted, beaten up, slapped, spat on and insulted. I was also slammed for hours with a tool on the head and the legs. This calvary lasted such a long time that I lost consciousness several times and also lost the notion of time. I was completely surprised to learn, when I was taken again to another location, that it was Wednesday.
In the same statement, Mourtada stressed that he created the Facebook account of Prince Moulay Rachid as a joke. It's not clear how the Moroccan police found out who was behind the account or whether there was any kind of collaboration between Facebook and the police.
I actually created this account on January 15, 2008. It remained online a few days before somebody closed it. There are so many profiles of celebrities on Facebook. I never thought that by creating a profile of his highness prince Moulay Rachid I was harming him in any way. I, as a matter of fact, did not send any message from that account to anyone. It was just a joke, a gag. I regret my gesture and beg my forgiveness from my whole family for the harm that I have caused them.
Fouad Mourtada could face five years in prison “for having done what thousands of people throughout the world do everyday: Create a profile of a celebrity or a star on Facebook,” his lawyer Ali Ammar said, adding: “This is a cultural problem. This is the first time that a Moroccan poses as a very important personality on the Internet (…) This is already a common practice in Europe and the United States.“
“There are on Facebook 41 Nicolas Sarkozy, 10 prince William of England, Many Jacques Chirac (former French president), Roger Federer, George Bush, Osama bin Laden” lamented Fouad's sister, Amina Mourtada, in the Facebook group “Help Fouad Mourtada” she created to campaign for his release. So far, 1636 members have joined the group and 1807 other have signed the Help Fouad petition.
Today, the Moroccan blogosphere is showing its solidarity with Fouad and his family. Many prominent Moroccan bloggers are on strike, such as Ibn Kafka, Larbi.org, Lionne d'Atlas, Fhamator, Ayoub, 7didane, Jihane, Eatbees, Laïla Lalami, Reda, Farid Taha. Many of them are displaying this text:
Today, Tuesday, February 19, is the fourteenth day of Fouad Mourtada's imprisonment. He committed the error, but not the crime, of creating a Facebook account in the name of Prince Moulay Rachid. This account contained no insults against the Prince nor was it the instrument of any swindling attempts. His name was immediately given wide publicity by the authorities, in breach of the presumption of innocence he's supposed to enjoy, and he alleges having been beaten and mishandled during his arrest. He initially had trouble finding a lawyer willing to defend him. The trial, due to begin on February 15, has been postponed to February 22, while his habeas corpus application has been rejected.
(…)
For this reason, this blog will be on strike on Tuesday, 19 February as a gesture of solidarity with Fouad Mourtada and the other prisoners of opinion currently jailed in Morocco.

author: sami ben gharbia


text:
Nigeria: Nigerian upcoming designer, Toju Foyeh · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bella Naija features an upcoming Nigerian designer, Toju Foyeh: “What inspired you to start designing?
When I was younger I used to go through my mum's magazines. Stuff like Harpers and Queens, Tatler and Vogue and I thought fashion is something I would like to do some day. I was particularly intrigued by the creative art of high fashion and started putting my ideas on paper from the age of nine.”


text:
Pakistan: Goodbye Musharraf! · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

With the results of the elections in Pakistan becoming more clear, it is obvious that Musharraf, despite his promises hasn't won the confidence of the voters. Crow's Nest writes, reflecting on those associated with Musharraf.
In the election results of the year 33 former ministers who were closely associated with Musharraf have lost their seats. PML-Q has suffered losses to the seats of those who were stalwarts of the previous administration and were thought to be close to Musharraf himself. the results express more so a disgust and hatred with Musharraf and anything even closely related to him.
Meanwhile, contrary to expectations and despite the flaws, the electoral process appears to have been relatively free of rigging. KO writes
It seems like every single political commentator (which these days is most of Pakistan) was wrong about the elections being heavily rigged.
To be fair, there was a massive and transparent attempt at rigging by the outgoing government, and it would have been enough if the results had been closer – but the difference is so vast in the actual polling results that the rigging was just not enough!
Picked Politics has an account of a British resident.
I spent the whole days on roads, visiting different polling booths. The turn-out was slow but at some booths I saw crowds. In particular, seeing women voters in large numbers was reassuring. I also met British residents like myself, keen on voting. There were also Pakistani American and Pakistani Australian voters.
It was refreshing to see and talk to them but it was not surprising. Pakistan politics over the past few years have become international news with the world’s eyes focused on the region. These European and American residents of Pakistani origin were keen on making a difference.
Over at Metroblogging Lahore, the blog discusses the wins and losses in the city. The Pakistani Spectator seems to think that the outcome of this election signals a departure from tyranny. Pak Tea House asserts that the process and the outcome are a clear sign that the people of Pakistan have chosen to reject extremism of any kind.
They undo the Musharraf paradigm of ousting the two mainstream parties from the political arena; and instituting real democracy that is hostage to the bogey of Islamism and local feudal cliques through non-party local governments.
These elections are also a slap on the face of the global corporate media (and their backers, the global military machine) that had painted Pakistan as a breeding ground for Islamic extremism and dare I say terrorism.
Sepia Mutiny greets the news with a little caution, asking if this really is victory for the people of Pakistan.
So what will we see play out in Pakistan? There will be celebrations for a few weeks. Everyone will denigrate Musharraf some more for good measure. Then the people will see that their new democracy, probably composed of a weak and continually warring “coalition,” isn’t all that and that their leaders are as corrupt as they were the first time around. Eventually the new general in charge of the army will be forced to take over, just like Musharraf did eight years ago.


text:
Paraguay: Ex-Pat Bloggers Share New Experiences · Global Voices
Muna Annahas

Photo by Muna Annahas
The way foreigners see Paraguay, what, and how they feel when they first arrive to Paraguay can be quite an interesting subject.  Some stay for a short time as a tourist, while others stay for a couple of years for a mission or project, and even some choose to live there permanently, maybe even to retire there. For many the experience is novel, when they come across something new. For example, the first time someone drinks Terere can be a wonderful experience. In most cases this experience takes place in the company of a Paraguayan, and where new bonds can be made.
For many, these experiences are shared with family members back home or with others within the ex-pat community in Paraguay and abroad through their blogs. Here are few examples of blogs written by ex-patriates in Paraguay.  Many are involved with church-related activities, and all write about adjusting to a new culture, food, and people.
Brenda is a missionary living in Paraguay and writes Brenda's Blog about Paraguay, she tells about her daily experiences and the people she has met and their stories.  In addition, the blog is written with a great sense of humor and is written in a catchy style. One of her favorite subjects is all of the great food that Paraguay has to offer.  Here she amazes of the delicious mangoes that can readily be found:
Its mango season here in Paraguay and I am eating as many as I can get my hands on. There are two varieties in Paraguay, the yellow ones and the red ones pictured. The yellow ones are smaller and mostly good for juice. These red ones are great for eating.
Another interesting blog called Faithful in the Few Things is written by Jackie McCobb, also a Missionary,  she grew up in Venezuela but lives in Paraguay with her family writing about her daily experiences. It is a personal blog with a lot of interesting stories.  In addition, Jackie is trying hard to learn Guaraní, the country's indigenous language. She writes:
I've recently taken up a new project…I've decided to study the Guarani language. The pronunciation of this language is very similar to that of Yekwana and I can't help but think that perhaps God was preparing me with Yekwana, to learn Guarani. So, every Tuesday during the siesta hour, my friend, Graciela, comes over and gives me a Guarani lesson. If you've never studied a language before (this is my first time) it's kind of funny. You find yourself feeling very proud about being able to say the simplest (and weirdest) sentences.
Another blog I really like is The Jungle Hut, it is written by a Rita Vernoy, a missionary that is about to move to Paraguay. She is also the mother of the author of the previous blog, Faithful in the Few Things.  She writes about her frequent trips to visit her daughter:
One of my first impressions is that the Paraguayan people are very friendly! Even while waiting for our flight from Brazil to Asuncion, we had already made friends with many of the Paraguayan people on the flight.

author: Muna Annahas


text:
Serbia: Anger, disbelief over proclamation of Kosovo independence  · Global Voices
Ljubisa Bojic

Orthodox Church, cc-licensed photo from Flickr by decafinata.
Kosovo provincial parliament declared unilateral independence from Serbia, yesterday. In his reaction Vojislav Kostunica, prime minister of Serbia, criticized America for inspiring these acts against a sovereign country. He said:
“The United States have also humiliated the European Union, and forced it to trample on the principles it is built upon,” Koštunica added, and warned that Europe, “which has lowered its head”, will be responsible “for all the serious consequences that Kosovo's independence carries with it.”
Kosovo and Metohija is province in southern Serbia. Metohija means monastery land. This reefers to great number of historical monuments mostly represented in about 2000 Christian orthodox monasteries.
Ivan Jankovic sums up all the news that stroke southern Europe yesterday:
The declaration was celebrated loudly with firecrackers and music on the streets of Pristina and other cities in the province. On the other side [in Serbia], it was not so happy. Except few bomb explosions in front of UNMIK building in [northern] Kosovska Mitrovica [where Serbs are majority], riots happened in Belgrade, Novi Sad and other cities. Hooligans […] were mad, so they crashed everything that came in their way. They stoned Slovenian and American embassies, McDonald restaurants etc. […] This caused great material damage.
Petarj cited local news and president of Socalist Party of Serbia, Ivica Dacic:
[…] [Less than 100] of citizens and police have been wounded in street clashes that broke out after unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence. Protesters attacked police in front of American and Slovenian embassies. […] [Dacic said:] “We should protect all foreign embassies in Belgrade, but those countries should think about their attitudes. They took 15% of territory from us. What should we do? Should We Applaud them? Breaking story was that crowd destroyed a kiosk. Kiosks are destroyed every day, but Kosovo is taken from us only once […].
Popkitchen titledher blog post “confused”. She adds:
[…] There is no one reason why I would wish to have smaller […] country than it is. The fact, that international law is neglected indicates how unimportant we are […].
Zivot says:
[…]Of course I am against independence. This is similar to one simple situation. Think one person coming to my house and taking away one of the rooms from me. So if that person stays there so long and finally proclaims the room his or her own.  My comparison is ridiculous, because this [Kosovo] problem is greater in its proportions. […]
He then cites words of medieval Serb nobleman Stefan Nemanja ):
[…]Where our word is heard […], know my child, that is still our land, no matter who governs it.  Emperors change, countries vanish, but people and their language stay, so conquered people and land will come back to the people and country they originate to”
Cika Miloje reacts to B92 blog post titled Independent Kosovo by writing:
[…] Kosovo was under Turkish governance since Battle of Kosovo (in 13th century), all up to 20th century. This time, we shall wait less, until Muslims get into some kind of big conflict with America. Taiwan is produced by America so it can defend its “independence” from China. Relations of China and Taiwan are getting closer and it may take few decades until they merge on economical grounds. East Germany got stolen from Germany. Marionette regime was placed in power there. It lasted 50 years, and now the country is united. I know the latest news sound like Armageddon to us, but history is long term process, and everything changes. […]
Mariopan reacts to the same post by foreseeing implications of this unilateral decision:
[…] This is not end of anything […], this is beginning. As soon as tomorrow or day after tomorrow, every ethnic group in the world will start terrorizing someone and proclaiming independence of some territory. I am so glad this circus will kick off around the globe so [they will understand implications of their actions when its late]. The [international community] tried hard to find a model to make this happen. So they made it and deserve to suffer all the consequences. […]
In his personal blog Avram says:
[…] It’s all the same to me. I am not so patriotic [to say out laud, all the time] “Kosovo is Serbia but I see double standards applied by the West, in first row, USA and EU. They broke UN declaration which guarantees territorial integrity to all internationally recognized countries. To be frank I would love to see Kosovo independence triggers independence declarations of all autonomous regions around the world, like that one in Spain. Abut republic of Srpska [entity of Bosnia Herzegovina], I am not sure what the situation is there. This is not autonomous province like Kosovo, but it would be nice if they could proclaim independence too. If Kosovo can do it, why can’t the others?
This is only small chunk of reactions which are written throughout Serbian blogosphere as we speak.

author: Ljubisa Bojic


text:
Serbia: Bloggers Discuss Kosovo Independence · Global Voices
Sinisa Boljanovic

Kosovo's parliament passed the declaration of Kosovo‘s independence on Feb. 17. This decision came as a consequence of unsuccessful direct negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, which lasted for the past few years.
During Milosevic's regime, Albanian ethnic group was clearly expressing the desire to separate from Serbia. Albanians who live in Kosovo felt that basic human rights were endangered there because that NATO forces were bombing Serbia over 70 days in 1999.
Adopting the declaration immediately provoked many Serbs to organize mass protests in Belgrade and several other Serbian cities.
Dejan Stankovic, Serbian blogger, on his B92 blog (SRP) expressed his feeling regarding the vandalism in Belgrade on Feb 17:
Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica charged the U.S. President and his European followers for creating the false country Kosovo.
Serbia shall never recognize the independence of Kosovo.
Bombs are laid in the foundation of the false country, Prime Minister marked.
And the culmination: “A McDonald's restaurant in Terazije (Belgrade's street) was demolished.”
As wife divorces her husband, he decides to lose the dignity and humiliates himself.
I was ashamed of the smashing.
Dejan Jovic, a fellow B92 blogger, considers that Kosovo will never be independent and this situation is not a permanent solution. He wrote on Feb 17:
[…] If it happens, however, that some countries recognize Kosovo independence, I fear it will just lead to new problems, not to a permanent solution. Why am I so pessimistic?
Firstly, it is obvious that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo's independence. Serbia will treat Kosovo as its own territory. There is a broad political consensus about it among almost all parties. […]
[…] This situation will produce new political conflict with countries that have recognized the independence of Kosovo. […]
[…] Secondly, Kosovo issue is now a big problem even for Europe that agreed (did it agree?) to be a guarantor of public order and peace on that territory. At the same time, some countries, members of the EU, will not recognize Kosovo's independence and the question is who and how will make decisions about this mission in the name of Europe. […]
[…] Thirdly, if Republika Srpska tries to do what Kosovo has done (and decides to block to the state institutions), this will create a new crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If Russia, in that case, supports Republika Srpska, there'll be a new political conflict between Russia and the U.S. The Kosovo issue will be supplemented with the new Bosnia issue. That would mean no stability of Bosnia and canceling of all that was done so far. […]
On his B92 blog (SRP), Marko Jevtic invited Serbia's public to boycott Slovenia's shopping centers in Serbia. He wrote on Feb 18:
An e-mail, which was created by an intelligent person, has been circulating around the internet this days:
Slovenia hasn't yet decided officially about recognizing Kosovo's independence. Slovenia's government clearly wants to do that but Slovenia's business people are not happy because of their big investments in Serbia and a possible reaction of the Serbian public. Help business people to persuade Slovenia's government that it is not valuable to disturb the relationships with Serbia and make the investment risks for the sake of unnecessary recognizing of independence of Kosovo. We shall do the best if we demonstrate a decisiveness and begin a boycott of Slovenian merchandise and companies such as Mercator and Merkur. That would be a support for Slovenia's business people to resist their government. To accomplish this, don't go to any of Slovenia's shopping malls on Feb. 19 and 20. The goal of the boycott is to change the anti-Serbian politics of Slovenia's government, not to disturb the relationships between the two countries. And Slovenia's business people are strong enough to change the politics of their government, if they are motivated. So: motivate them!
And, of course, send this email to everyone you know. […]
Dejan Ristac, a B92 blogger, on Feb. 17, wrote ironically about Serbia's refusal to accept this situation:
[…] [Tennis player Novak], forget others Grand Slams, don't play tennis at the heart of the ecil until they stop dancing over Kosovo. […]
A few days ago, Maruska commented at one of the blogs and recommended:
[…] I have added a petition against Kosovo's independence to this web site:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/905791187 […]

author: Sinisa Boljanovic


text:
Sierra Leone: School for Sierra Leone  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

From School for Sierra Leone Project blog: “The Voice of Sierra Leone Association wants to start by supporting a school by buying furniture, toilets and schoolmaterials. After this they plan to build a school and a clinic in an area where there is no education and healthcare for children at the moment”


text:
Somalia: Can a hijab-wearing blogger get a respectable job in the US?  · Global Voices
Abdurahman Warsame

This is our second roundup of Somali blogs discussing various topics including Somali politics, the challenges of wearing a hijab in the United States and the first Somali female pilot.
Idil, a Somali blogger who lives in US, writes about the difficulty of getting a decent job while wearing a hijab:
so trying to find a job? gosh how hard can that be? well apparently it's very hard i mean geez i cant even find a repspectful job i mean i am not going back to McDonalds no matter how broke i become i mean thats a major NO NO….but yes i think its the hijab i mean they take one look at me and probably just write me off…i wonder if my assumption is correct…i mean i probably am, i really just want to one day take my hijab of do the hair put on the makeup and go to a job interview…see what really happens you know? wether i get it or not…i really think i would since they wouldn't think twice they would probably go “oh a black women who sounds white” i really want to test out that theory…but once again i am a chicken!
Royale Somalia writes about the first Somali female pilot:
Asli Hassan is/was the first Somali women to fly in 1976. You could read her story and great accomplishment on a new site dedicated to the history of the Somali Air Force.  Asli , nicknamed “Calan-Side or the Flag-bearer” now lives in Texas.
Ainashe expresses his dismay at the Transitional Federal Government's actions. He writes:
Unfortunately, the TFG does not seem to have learned from the mistakes of the past. The solution to Somalia’s tragic political conflict is not bringing more foreign troop to the country. The key to a lasting peace is open and sincere political dialogue whereby the Somali people can sort out their difference through Somali, Arab and Islamic channels!
East African Philosopher, blogging from the US, talks about the freezing temperature in Minnesota:
Minnesota has officially been declared the icebox of the United State – really? Didn’t people already know that? Sitting in my comfortable therapeutic library chair, where the temperature of the day is expected to reach mid 50 degree fahrenhait, I can only send my sympathy to those folks who have to get up and go to work or school in a brutal weather like Minnesota….I’ve been there and it is not pleasant.
Kenya-Somali reports the outbreak of Cholera in Mandera (a town innorth east province of Kenya):
The Public Health department in Mandera District has closed all eateries in Mandera Town following a cholera outbreak.
Subsequently, the workers in the establishments have been rendered jobless. The workers have asked authorities to resolve the health crisis so that they can resume their jobs.
…
Six people have died and 125 others are admitted in the Mandera District Hospital following the disease outbreak.

author: Abdurahman Warsame


text:
South Korea: Income Inequality · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jamie picks up the editorial from local newspapers on the worsening income inequality situation in South Korea, with some back ups from 2007 statistic.


text:
South Korea: New City Hall Complex · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Robert Koehler from Marmot's Hole posts the new design of city hall complex in the heart of Seoul city.


text:
Sri Lanka: Live Cricket! · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

At groundviews, an author writes with much joy – having seen a live cricket match between India and Sri Lanka.


text:
Sudan/Uganda: African Rebels on YouTube · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Chris Blattman writes about African rebels on YouTube: “YouTube is turning into a surprising source of archival videos on rebels and rebel leaders. Tim Allen, a friend and anthropologist at LSE, shares with me his collection of links to short films and reports on the wars in Sudan and Uganda.”


text:
Syria: The Eighth Gate · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Sasa, from Syria, writes about Damascus’ new eighth gate.. and you only thought there were seven.


text:
Tajikistan: Waiting for International Aid  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim reports that the Tajikistan's authorities officially admitted inability to cope with the energy crisis by appealing to international community for aid, and wonders why should the foreign governments correct the mistakes of the Tajik officials.

author: Adil Nurmakov


text:
Tanzania: Paying for electricity without electricity · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Pernille writes about media, politics and change in Tanzania: “When the Tanzanians got their electricity bills for January 2008 there was an increase of 30%. Not because they had consumed more electricity, because power is still lacking. When the government ‘bought’ the generator from the Richmond firm, they borrowed 179 mio. US dollars in the bank. The generator was never delievered and the power problem was never solved. Now people don't have proper power, but they have to pay off the loan over their electricity bills.”


text:
Tanzania: Tanzanian actor in Bongoland II · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bongoland II blog writes about the Tanzanian actor, Shafii Abdul: “As we await the release of Bongoland II, we thought it is only appropriate to tell you about some of the special actors from Tanzania who were part of this amazing production. Meet Shafii Abdul a resident of Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania.”


text:
Uganda: Bloggers tangle with mainstream media · Global Voices
Rebekah Heacock

The blogren had their collective eye on Uganda's mainstream media this week.  Tumwijuke at Ugandan Insomniac took reporting matters into her own hands following the lethal collapse of a secondary school building constructed on top of a ransacked graveyard, including several powerful photographs in her coverage of the tragedy:
Following below are a few pictures of graves at a family cemetery that was located on land which St. Peter’s Secondary School is reported to have ‘unlawfully’ acquired.  The grave stones were carelessly knocked aside, bodies carelessly exhumed and dumped at an unknown location and this was on the same plot of land that the collapsed building was located.  In fact the grave yard was less than 20 meters away from the new dorm.
No one from the affected family was willing to speak to me on record about the desecrated graveyard.  They whispered about being paid to look the other way and being threatened into silence. Neither the school management nor the owner, Dominic Kavutse, were willing to comment.
Multiple comments on the post praised her for reporting the incident:
Those pix of the grave are so horrifying. How could they do that and go on as if everything is normally. You are a star for taking those photos. No newspaper has done that.
***
She treads where the brave dare not go. Girl, you deserve an award for uncovering these gruesome things in our very backyards.
***
i think this blog is finally teaching us all why there are blogs anyway. citizen journalism oyee!
Meanwhile, Moses Paul Sserwanga spoke out against the arraignment of two Daily Monitor senior editors following their exposure of a salary scandal involving the Inspector General of Government and High Court judge Faith Mwondha:
This is indeed a story of trepidation where offences which are against the spirit of our constitution are preferred against journalists to keep them forever in a state of fear.
The charges are basically designed to harass and intimidate journalists in the exercise of their constitutional rights to inform the public about the conduct of government/public officials.
But the citizens of this county must stand up and not allow our fears to be far outweighed by what we know is our obligation – to protect the provisions of our constitution. To help those who are victimised for the ideals they stand for; freedoms of liberty, speech, association and media not to feel alone.
And Nappy Brain took the government-owned New Vision to task over their response to a reader's question about statutory rape:
Did I get this wrong or didn’t this woman just say that a young girl/woman in her care was being raped repeatedly by her husband? Didn’t she say that the rape of this minor in her house has been going on for 2 years? Did she not also say that this young woman was in her care and that she had no one to turn to and nowhere to go after her father died?
So, why does the New Vision advise the woman to “work things out” with this rapist? Why does she advise her to send the girl away so she can work things out with her husband?
…
Our national newspaper advises women everywhere to mistrust the word of another woman who has been raped and instead side with the offender by attempting to restore some kind of relationship with him.
On a lighter note
In the past week, Uganda has played host to two famous visitors: the instantly identifiable Sex and the City star Kristin Davis and the somewhat less recognizable German president Horst Köhler. Glenna at Uganda's Scarlett Lion, assigned to cover Köhler's visit for the Daily Monitor, was bemused by his relative anonymity:
At one point during German President Horst Koehler’s visit to an [Internally Displaced Persons] camp just outside of Gulu, Northern Uganda, he looked to some of the IDP kids, then looked to his translator, and asked, “Do they know who I am?”
Pause.
“No.”
(I didn't know who Kohler was until I got the assignment last week.)
Both Köhler and Davis, who works as a global ambassador for Oxfam, toured northern Uganda to learn more about the region's ongoing civil war.  Ugandan celeb-tracker Rafshizzle caught up with Davis in Kampala:
…And we missed her arrival but Rafshizzle Sherlocks worked overnight and found her at Oxfam Uganda headquarters in Muyenga as she presented bicycles to youths who won the climate change competition.
Davis, who is also the global ambassador for the international aid agency Oxfam then said, “This is my first visit (to Uganda) and I am really looking forward to meeting the people and seeing the country.”
Well, we’re also happy to see you, Ms Davis, but why were you hiding from us?

author: Rebekah Heacock


text:
Afghanistan: Balkh Still Uneasy Over Language · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Mohammad reports that university teachers, students, cultural activists, writers, poets, journalists and youths dramatic held a protest rally against the information minister in Balkh, a city in Afghanistan. The protesters said they had staged the demonstration against the official persecution of three journalists for using Persian words in their reports.


text:
Afghanistan: The two Kandahar bombings · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Peter Marton analyzes the two recent bloody bombings in Kandahar, an uneasy province of Afghanistan, both of them with a lot of random killing.


text:
African Intellectuals Critique Sarkozy’s Dakar Address in New Book · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Anandoo.net announces L'Afrique répond à Sarkozy [Fr], a collective critique of Nicolas Sarkozy's infamous Dakar speech by prominent African intellectuals, published in Paris this week.

author: Jennifer Brea


text:
Albania: Kosovo/Serbia Cartoon · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Albanian Blogger posts an image “portraying Kosova’s declaration of independence from Serbia” – along with a “personal disclaimer.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova