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Malaysia: Boot Camp to “Help” Effeminate Boys · Global Voices
Syafique Shuib

Based on their effeminate tendencies, 66 schoolboys from the state of Terengganu in Malaysia were recently sent to a boot camp aimed at “helping them behave in a proper manner”.
The New Straits Times writes:
The four-day camp in Besut, the first-ever to be held here, started yesterday. It is to help address the problem afflicting secondary schoolboys.
“They were listed by their schools who were instructed last year to identify students who displayed feminine qualities,” said department director Razali Daud.
He said the remedial effort was prompted by the rising number of effeminate schoolboys in the state.
“The severity of the symptoms vary, but the 66 schoolboys were showing behaviours that is not usually displayed by a normal male of their age.”
In a separate article published by The Star, the country's Women, Family and Community Development Minister Sharizat Abdul Jalil says that the boot camp should be abolished:
“It is in clear violation of the Child Act,” she said, adding that under the Act, every child was entitled to protection and assistance in all circumstances, regardless of characteristics like race, language and physical, mental or emotional disabilities.
The blogoshere in Malaysia was divided over this issue. Whimsical Lair writes:
I really think there should be a clear division between morality / legality / politics / religion. Whilst the government in any nation is charged with maintaining order (hence the difficulty in distinguishing between law and politics), do they really have any right to dictate social norms and morality? Freedom of expression (whether verbal or actions) whilst to a certain extent curbed to maintain peace may be a necessary evil, does GT really think that they have a right to intrude on how I choose to walk, eat, think, like, etc?
Some Malaysians are still homophobic. Ugly Malaysiana explains:
well i dont really care if someone becoming gay or not, its not matter, really, that just left me with more chick i guess, but i still concern, but try to imagine if all of the human being becoming gay? what would happen to this world? what would you do to reproduce? tube baby? uuuhhh…yes i am homophobic, you guys not believe in god, thats what you are, gay people are disgusting, period
On Twitter, @motivationMY asked their followers what they think of the camp, here are some of the responses:
@niennessa: that will make them even more outcast than accepting. trust me it will do no good to anyone at all, such a stupid idea.
@weejunt: Singling them out like that is likely to make them more confused and probably rebel against authority
@fabiannarcis: they need friends and people to understand them, not help dude
@sherylhosulynn: I think that it is ridiculous and a form of oppression of self-expression!
After much criticism from various quarters, in his latest press statement, the program director of the boot camp Razali Daud has said:
[…] the programme was aimed at boosting the self-confidence of students who are inactive in co-curricular and sports activities, but it had been misconstrued as a boot camp for effeminate boys.”

author: Syafique Shuib


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Nigeria: Elections commenced in peaceful atmosphere · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The governorship and state assembly elections commenced in a peaceful atmosphere, 234Next reports: “At about 10am, some polling booths began to witness large crowds as more people came out for the accreditation exercise. At some polling units, residents brought plastic chairs and canopies to provide shelter for the voters to ease the stress seen to accompany the exercise as observed during the last two elections.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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North Korea: Three Films Denouncing Kim Jong-il Regime · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Three films which give a rare glimpse inside the North Korea have been introduced during the North Korea Freedom Week, an annual event jointly held in Seoul and Washington hosting lectures and film screenings focusing human rights abuses in the North. Mike Paarlberg posted a detailed introduction to the films in the City Paper blog.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Palestine: Survey for Netizens  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A survey (Ar) is available for Palestinian netizen to update their information, for the Amin Media Network. Questions on the survey include: location; age; blogging language; and favourite citizen media platform.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Portugal: Employment and Social Inclusion for the Physically Disabled · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

On the blog 52 Histórias (52 Stories) [pt], journalist Lúcia Crespo writes about Aristides Santos, a portuguese social entrepreneur who has been fighting against social exclusion through a business he created in 1995 to employ the physically disabled people.

author: Sara Moreira


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Russia: Blogger Found Guilty in Harsh Criticizm of Bashkir Authorities · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Alexander Izmailov was found gulty in posting 649 comments online criticizing the authorities and not shying away from curse words, Ufimskij Zhurnal reported. Izmailov also frequently produced photo collages making fun of the President of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov who is notorious for limiting Internet freedom in the republic. Izmailov will have to pay around 10,000 U.S. dollars in fines.

author: Vadim Isakov


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Russia: Eco-bloggers and Journalists Learn to Solve Environmental Problems · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

The first international forum of eco-bloggers and journalists took place in Moscow on April 18-19.  The forum aimed to create an international community of people writing about environmental issues and deploy the power of new media to help overcome the challenges in the field.


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Russia: Regions Reduce Digital Divide  · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

More than 90 percent of new users are not from Moscow or Saint-Petersburg, Yandex regional Internet development report says [ru]. Authors note a significant increase in Internet use nation-wide, 30-60 percent decrease in broadband prices, 10 percent raise of everyday user share. The report, quite optimistically forecasts that country's Internet penetration rate will reach 70 percent by the fall of 2014.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Two Bloggers Sentenced for Extremism  · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

The Ufa city court in Bashkortostan sentenced bloggers Robert Zagreev and Ayrat Dilmikhametov to three and six years in prison for extremist activities “with the use of media,” Russian news agency Interfax reported. The bloggers pleaded not guilty.


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South Sudan: Taking Prevention Message to Times Square · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

According to Sally Smith South Sudan takes its message to Times Square: “As we inch closer to July 9, the date when South Sudan will become the world's newest independent country, the Sudan Now campaign is working hard to remind everyone – from average citizens to world leaders – that our work for peace in Sudan has just begun.”


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Syria: Defamation Campaign Against Human Rights Activist  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Syria, human rights activist Wissam Tarif tweets: “Sorry guys but I had problems with my twitter account, email, and website. And a defamation (hate) campaign in #Syria”


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Tajikistan: Women between a rock and a hard place · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Christya Riedel writes about gender issues in Tajikistan and about difficulties that women are facing there – rules for weddings, violence, denied property rights after a divorce.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Trinidad & Tobago: Carib Queen Dies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Review of the Indigenous Caribbean and The Voice of the Taino People Online acknowledge the passing of Valentina Medina, the Carib Queen of the Santa Rosa Carib Community.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Destroying Food  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

B.C. Pires blogs about “the Housing Development Corporation’s bulldozing of several acres of crops ready for harvest in Trinidad.”


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UK: The Royal Wedding’s “Russian Connection” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Siberian Light writes about “a Russian connection” in the UK Royal Wedding story: “the George III Tiara, or the Russian Fringe Tiara” that Kate Middleton may wear for the April 29 ceremony. Also, “even if you’re in Russia, there’s no escape [from the Royal Wedding Mania], because you’ll be able to watch the big event on Russian TV!”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Yemen: One Killed, Several Injured in Taiz Protests  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Taiz, Yemen, today, calling for the overthrow of the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime. According to Yemen Post, one protester was killed and four were injured by live bullets when republican guard forces attacked the protesters.
Despite the rain, women, children, and men, were seen carrying their umbrellas and waving their flags as they marched through the streets of Taiz.
multisal999 posts a video here showing a scene from the protest:
Soon, footage of protesters being gunned down, appears on YouTube.
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEOS
Ramzi2011100 posts fleeting images of protesters carrying a protesters wounded in the head in this video. The video uploaded today comes with the following explanation:
This video by mufeed2022 shows another person with a head wound being carried away, after being shot by the security forces. The video is entitled (Ar):
The description which comes with the video reads:
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.


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Zimbabwe: Does Violence Deter Women From Entering Politics?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Simon Moyo wonders whether violence in Zimbabwe deters women from participating in politics: “Since the emergence of the MDC as a credible challenger to Zanu PF domination in 2000, violence has been a consistent feature, and often it is women who have been the greatest victims. Some have totally withdrawn from participating in politics altogether.


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Colombia’s Harsh Winter · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Global Voices author Lully Posada writes in equinoXio [es] about winter in Colombia and the strong rains that have left more than 3 million victims.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Cuba: Right to the Internet  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Any ‘supposition’ about what a farmer should do on Google, or in the furrow, is called control over the free actions of another, personal choice and individual freedom”: Octavo Cerco wonders “why it’s a problem to assume access to the Internet as a 21st Century human right.”


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Cuba: The “Queen of Incredulity” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

1Click2Cuba profiles Claudia Cadelo, “one of the best-known members of the Cuban blogging community.”


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D.R. of Congo: Donors wary of involvement in elections · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Donors are wary of involvement in elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “With only seven months to go before elections in the Congo, donors are trying to calibrate their political and financial involvement in the polls. One forum where this is playing out is the UN Security Council, which will have to renew MONUSCO's mandate in June.”


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Egypt: Gigi Ibrahim on The Daily Show · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
The appearance of Egyptian political activist and tweep Gigi Ibrahim on The Daily Show brought a wave of support and protests from fellow tweeps, who covered the Egyptian revolution.
In the six minute clip from the show, hosted by  Jon Stewart and famous for the sarcasm and humour infused with seriousness when it comes to political issues, Gigi spoke about the Egyptian revolution and how she was introduced to politics, mocking hypocritical US foreign policy towards the Middle Eastern uprisings and how Egyptians and Arabs are perceived in the media.
On its official Twitter account, The Daily Show announced:
@TheDailyShow: Tonight: Digital journalist @Gsquare86 educates us on the revolution in Egypt in just 140 characters. Perhaps less. She’s that good.
After her appearance in the show, Gigi went to watch it with Wael Ghonim and our very own Arabic Lingua contributor Raafat Rohaiem, who lives in New York. They discussed the show and the mixed reactions on it on Twitter.
Gigi Ibrahim with Jon Stewart
First, here are some positive reactions:
Yet, others weren't as pleased with the show. Some hated how she referred to the class she attended at the American University in Cairo as the source of her political awareness. They felt she's giving the US undeserved credit for the Egyptian revolution. And others just hated the fact that she's called one of the faces of the Egyptian revolution.
Yet, others believe those who were criticizing Gigi just missed the point and sarcasm in the whole episode.
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Tarek Amr


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Ethiopia: Read Latest Posts By Ethiopian Bloggers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Are you interested to know what is going on in Ethiopia at the moment? Read the latest posts by resident Ethiopian bloggers here.


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Guatemala: Remembering the Death of Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Central American Politics, Mike writes: “On this date [April 26] in 1998, Roman Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera was found bludgeoned to death in his residence in Guatemala City. […] The Catholic Church and the people of Guatemala are still waiting for justice in the bishop's death.”


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Hungary: Hungarian-Roma Tensions Result in Clash in Gyöngyöspata · Global Voices
Marietta Le

Last night four people were injured in a clash between ethnic Hungarian members of the far-right group Véderő and members of the Roma community in Gyöngyöspata. Tensions have been escalating in this northern Hungarian village since March. By last Friday, Véderő‘s show-off military training tipped the scales of the conflict against making peace between the local Roma and Hungarian communities.
Contradictory accounts have been published in the Hungarian media about how exactly the fight started – and neither of the communities has taken responsibility for the clash.
A Roma girl cries after arriving back home following her evacuation from the Hungarian village of Gyöngyöspata. Image by David Ferenczy, copyright Demotix (24/04/2011).
Gyöngyöspata Solidarity blog shared a translation of the index.hu news report [hu]. János Ladó of the Roma Civil Rights Foundation told index.hu the Hungarians had been provoking the Roma community all day and this topped with the clash:
[…] By the evening, in the middle of a birthday celebration, the provocation increased, and more and more gathered on both sides. The Roma called the police, first one patrol arrived, then more policemen.
While the crowd was gathering in the central areas of the town, some threw stones at the windows of one of the houses in the Roma neighbourhood, some 10 minutes walk from there, then assaulted a 14-year-old local Roma boy. A serious fight in the Roma neighbourhood followed; according to Ladó, some were seriously injured, he saw three. Police called for more police backup. This was also confirmed by representative of TASZ [HCLU- Hungarian Civil Liberties Union] who saw a group of police cars on the highway, on their way to Gyöngyöspata. […]
Gábor Vona, the leader of the far-right Jobbik party in the Hungarian Parliament, criticized the way in which the Minister of the Interior, Sándor Pintér, responded to the situation in northern Hungary, calling for the minister's resignation because he hadn't been able to protect the Hungarian citizens from the Roma who “keep the whole village, mostly the elderly, in constant terror.”
Egyenlítő blog reported that Mr. Vona also invited PM Viktor Orbán for a dialogue about the Hungarian-Roma relations. The blogger drew quite a radical conclusion in his post [hu]:
[…] The problem is just that along with verbal slaps there are more and more real conflicts [happening]. In the meantime, the government makes some constitution, some media law, [and] educates Europe. […] Nicely [getting] back to the [1930s]. And, sadly, every sign says the [1940s] will be following them again.
Or there's another opportunity: in two weeks from now, the security of our country could highly increase if Mr. Orbán and Mr. Pintér resigned.

author: Marietta Le


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Iran: Activist and blogger died in a car accident · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Bahareh Alavi, 22 years old blogger and women's rights activist died in a car accident. She wrote for years in Dokhtare Khorshid blog. Several bloggers remembered her.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Students march for better conditions  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several hundred students marched and demonstrated in Amir Kabri University in Tehran for better conditions in recent days. Watch the film here.


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Japan: Netizens react to the arrest of an Englishman · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Japan Probe translated the comments [en] of some netizens who reacted to the arrest of an English man who grabbed “a mike from a politician at a train station and yelled about how Japanese elections are loud and annoying.”

author: Scilla Alecci


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Kenya: Poets and Writers Meet in Nairobi · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Poets and writers meet in Nairobi, Njeri Wangari reports: “Last Saturday, 23rd April was the inaugural POWO event – a forum for Poets and Writers that seeks to encourage Kenyan Creative writers to exploit the various opportunities presented by their internet for promotion of their writing.”


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Kuwait: Sit-in to Rename “Journalism Street” After Al-Saleh Planned · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Kuwaiti journalists are planning to stage a sit-in tonight (April 27) to demand the renaming of “Journalism Street” after the late Mohammed Mousaed Al-Saleh, who was one of the very well known Kuwaiti sarcastic columnists, who wrote for Al-Qabas newspaper for years, criticizing different political and social aspects found in everyday life.
His career in journalism involved establishing Al-Watan newspaper. Al-Saleh won the admiration of a lot of readers in Kuwait for the way he portrayed the Kuwaiti mentality. He had also won the Arab Media Award, from Dubai, for his long career in media and journalism.
This Sunday, netizens remembered his achievements and tweets grew in momentum asking the government to name what is commonly known as “Journalism Street” to “Mohammed Mousaed Al-Saleh Street” in tribute for what he had achieved for Kuwaiti journalism. The Municipal Minister, Fadhel Safar, has refused to take this suggestion – a decision that was received with condemnation by a lot of Kuwaitis, especially through Twitter using the hashtag #ShaikhAlKotab (The Doyen of Writers).
Ali Khaja, a young activist and columnist tweeted:
A picture of the late Kuwaiti writer Mohammed Mousaed Al-Saleh. Image posted in blog of Kuwaiti writer Ibrahim Al-Mulaifi.
Nabila Muzaffar, a notable female Kuwaiti voice on Twitter wrote:
Faisal Al-Qinai, head of the Journalists Association and columnist for Al-Seyassah newspaper also used Twitter to express his disagreement with the minister's decision:
Mishari Buyabis, a Twitter activist who is best known for his continuous criticism of the Kuwaiti Prime Minister which got him investigated by the State Security Police months ago, wrote:
Reactions against the Minister's decision were also expressed in a derogatory manner, by making fun of his Persian roots. Abdulwahab Al-Essa, Al-Watan TV anchor, mocked on Twitter Minister Safar's Persian accent, to express his refusal of the Minister's decision. Al-Issa once got himself in trouble when he described the Saudi national football team as “the remains of pilgrims”  – because most of the squad members are black. He tweeted:
The last part of the tweet mocks the pronunciation of those with Persian roots, as well as their broken Arabic.
Another young Kuwaiti man, Khaled Al-Mutawa, mocked the minister's Persian background on Twitter, using the Kuwaiti stereotype that has always been practiced against Kuwaitis of Iranian background, describing them as being “bakers”. Al-Mutawa wrote:
Kuwaiti blogger and activist Ibrahim Al-Mulaifi [ar], on the other hand, chose to express his refusal of the decision to rename the street, by inviting people to a sit-in at Journalism Street today to demand naming it after Al-Saleh. He writes:

author: Mona Kareem


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Madagascar: Here We Go Again with Land Grabbing, minus the Outrage  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Tananews reports  that the government of Madagascar leases out land for 50 or more years at prices as low as $15 per acre a year (fr) to Indian farmers (via the IndiaTimes).  The blog wonders why such stories fail to stir up the same outrage at the national and international level as the other notorious land grab attempt by Daewoo in 2008 that contributed to the demise of former president Ravalomanana.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Mexico: 51 Kidnapped Migrants Rescued in Tamaulipas · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Gancho reports that “Federal Police rescued 51 kidnapped migrants in Tamaulipas today [April 26], days after they saved another 68 in the same state. Such rescues were not common before the discovery of scores and scores of dead bodies last week in San Fernando, and now we've had two in a week,” and asks: “Why can't they always operate like that?”


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Nigeria: Women Protest in Abuja · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nigerian women say no to violence: “Nigerian women in Abuja protesting against the post election violence in the north of the country. Nigerian women have always at the forefront of anti-violence protest in the country. Last year hundreds women from the Jos region gathered in Abuja in a day of mass mourning to protest against the violence in Plateau State and criticise the governments failure to protect them.”


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Panama: Challanges for the LGBT Community · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Erasmo Prado R. [es] writes about the challenges the Panamanian LGBT community is currently facing.


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Peru: Hydroelectric Projects in the Amazon Under Discussion Again · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.
Important issues for Peruvian communities, especially for Amazonian communities, have been temporally pushed into the background by the presidential elections. Nevertheless, the recent decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to ask the Brazilian government to immediately suspend the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam project [es] has brought similar projects, supported by Brazilian companies in Peru, under discussion once again.
In the case of Belo Monte (the third largest in the world), the IACHR stresses the importance of the rights of indigenous peoples to be consulted [es] in order to give their own free and informed consent [es], as serious social and environmental repercussions are expected.
Shipibo natives in the Ucayali region, Peru. (Photo: J. Enrique Molina)
In Peru, the biggest hydroelectric projects with the most publicity til now have been the Inambari and Pakitzapango plants. The latter is part of the Growth Acceleration Program (a plan that aims to improve the Brazilian economy) and also includes the Belo Monte and Madeira Projects in Brazil [es].
Those projects between Peru and Brazil are also included in the Energy Agreement signed last year in Manaus [es]. With this agreement, Peru would export 6,000 megawatts (MW) to the neighbor country [es]. In addition to this, six hydroelectric power plants are included in this project.
The six stations located at the borderline: Inambari (2,000 MW), Sumabeni (1,704 MW),  Pakitzapango (2,000 MW), Urubamba (900 MW), Vizcatán (750 MW) and Chuquipampa (800 MW) are part of a project estimated in 16 billions US dollars.
Rivers are a source of water, fishing, a means of transportation, and a vital source in the daily life of Amazonian communities. Natives of the Ucayali jungle, Peru (Photo: J. Enrique Molina)
In addition to that, although developers of Inambari [es] have tried to inform people [es] in social networks (they have created accounts on Twitter and Facebook) this information has not seemed to convince [es] the people of the regions that will be affected by those projects.
Neither does it seem to convince the Ashaninka people. As a matter of fact, they reject the Pakitzapango project in the Ene River [es] in the Junin region because they consider it a sacred place. According to their oral legends, this place is the ancient cradle of the Ashaninka people.
Ruth Buendia, a native leader, explains this situation in the  Ideele Radio [es] blog:
La preocupación es que con las centrales hidroeléctrica  Tambo 40 y Paquitzapango habrá una inundación de nuestras tierras, un  desplazamiento forzoso de nuestros hermanos a pesar de que las  comunidades nativas son tituladas, destrucción de bosque y la afectación  económica de nuestros hermanos. Cerca de 10 mil ashánincas más colonos,  o sea, estamos hablando de 12 mil personas aproximadamente. Con  Paquitzapango y Tambo 40 se viene un terrorismo, ya no con armas pero sí  económico…
Miguel Tejada provides a broader explanation regarding the effects of the social impacts of those energy projects in the blog GranComboClub [es]:
La construcción de las centrales van a tener impactos  sociales importantes: decenas de miles de colonos y nativos desplazados.  Quien conoce la selva sabe que todo el territorio amazónico ya tiene  dueño, o tiene propietario o posesionario. ¿Los EIA [Estudios de Impacto Ambiental]  van a contemplar todos los costos sociales que las centrales implican?  ¿O va a pasar lo de siempre en nuestro país, que el costo social va a  recaer sobre las poblaciones pobres, discriminadas y sin poder que se  asientan sobre lo que serán los futuros lagos? Un analista ambiental  conocido mío, cuya empresa fue contactada por los brasileños para hacer  el EIA de Inambari, me contaba que su empresa hizo un análisis a partir  de fotografías satelitales, y determinaron que sólo esa central  implicaba el desplazamiento de más de diez mil personas, y que  compensarlas adecuadamente implicaba un gasto de relocalización y de  reconstrucción de toda la infraestructura actualmente existente (casas,  carreteras, escuelas, centros médicos, chacras, etc.), que no bajaba de  menos de un billon de dólares. ¿Cuánto afirman los brasileños que van a  gastar en compensaciones sociales? A lo sumo, doscientos o trescientos  millones de dólares.
Javier Albañil Ordinola, in Alto Piura blog [es], relates those issues to the elections by commenting on the declarations of presidential candidate Ollanta Humala. Some bloggers doubt [es] his unbiased opinion regarding this issue since his campaign consultants [es] also worked in the Brazilian campaign [es], in which Luis Inácio “Lula” Da Silva won the presidential elections.
En Inambari y Puno los pueblos se han movilizado contra este proyecto incluso hasta LIMA el 12 de octubre del 2010 CON LA PRESENCIA DE LA CONFEDERACION CAMPESINA DEL PERU Y DEL FRENTE UNICO NACIONAL DE LOS PUEBLOS DEL PERU con miles de campesinos PUNEÑOS. Ollanta declarò a LA REPÙBLICA [un diario local] que explicarà las bondades de este proyecto. COMO SI EL PUEBLO SE MOVILIZARA POR IGNORANCIA, desconociendo el derecho elemental de los pueblos a ser consultados. NO SON INDÌGENAS IGNORANTES COMO CREE OLLANTA.
Humala has declared to the press that if he took office as president, he would grant a popular consultation on those projects, but many people do not believe him.
The debate still unfolds on social networks. An example of this is Carlos Mauriola (@mauriola), who tweets:
Following the same thought, Rafael Vereau (@Rafa_Vereau) asks:
The developers of the Inambari Project have created a webpage in which they inform people about all facts related [es] to the project and answer some questions that they have received through email and social networks. This is one of their responses:
El proyecto Inambari es una concesión de 30 años y luego  se entrega al Estado Peruano… Egasur está abocado al desarrollo de un  proyecto como Inambari y espera que se pueda ejecutar siempre y cuando  la población directamente involucrada lo decida. El proyecto se  desarrollará en 5 años y se deberá cumplir con los acuerdos con la  población antes del inicio de operaciones. El modelo considerado en  Itaipú no es el mismo que el propuesto para Inambari… El tema de  precios, distribución y porcentajes según los acuerdos que puedan  existir son temas que escapan de la empresa ya que se discuten a otro  nivel.
In the meantime, to have a broader picture of this issue, Peruvians are trying to learn about the experiences related to the construction and commissioning, the environmental [es] and social [es] impacts of similar projects [es] in the region, like Itaipu and Yacyreta, to have an idea of what they can expect [es] in Peru in the near future.
Itapú Binacional, considered the biggest in the Southern and Western hemispheres and the second biggest in the world.  (Photo: J. Enrique Molina).
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Isabel Guerra


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Russia: Bloggers Discuss Best Practices of Crowd Funding · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Anton Nossik publishes [ru] 5 rules of successful crowd funding: 1.it should have an aim, 2. it should be transparent, 3. it should be tested before launch, 4. it should also facilitate non-financial help, 5. initiators should disclose their own efforts of improving the project they collect money for. Oleg Kozlovsky adds [ru] several suggestions: 1. important topic, 2. involvement of famous activists, 3. anonymity, 4. simplicity of donation-making process.


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Russia: Communist Party Leads Social Networks Activity Rating · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Nikolay Podosokorskiy analyzes [ru] activity of Russian political parties in the social networks. According to his brief research, ruling party “United Russia” is one of the closest and inactive parties online, while the most active is the Communist Party of Russia with more than 73,000 members at Vkontakte groups and 1,300 active discussions. Other active party communities are: LDPR and “A Just Russia” with around 30,000 members.


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Russia: Kidnapping of Ivan Kaspersky · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Julia Ioffe of The Moscow Diaries (now hosted on Forbes.com) writes about the kidnapping of Ivan Kaspersky, the 19-year-old son of the founders of the Russian computer security company Kaspersky Lab.


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Suriname: Video Art  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Srananart's Blog is excited about the launch of “a new art form for Suriname” – video art!


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Ukraine: Stories From the Charity Walk to Chornobyl · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Liudmyla Bulychova guestblogs at UK Ambassador Leigh Turner's blog about Charity Walk to Chornobyl, which was held on April 22-23. More stories [en, fr] and photos – here.


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Ukraine: “Twenty-five years ago – Chornobyl – Where were you?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

uaMuzik and Nash Holos blog about the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe.


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Arab World: Royal Wedding Fever in the Air  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Royal wedding flag souvenir for sale in a London shop, by John Harper © Copyright Demotix (25/04/11)
The hype surrounding the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton tomorrow (April 29) has reached the Middle East, where some tweeps took a break from covering the ongoing Arab uprisings to remark on the ceremony and reception, which will follow at Buckingham Palace.
From the UAE, Eman R H is gripped with Royal Wedding fever. She writes:
#RoyalWedding fever. Wish I'm in London right now
Kym Brotherton announces:
#RoyalWedding fever hits Dubai!
And, from nearby Abu Dhabi, UAE, Shaima Bent Saleh adds:
It's stupid how businesses in the UAE found ways to capitalise on #RoyalWedding by offering “royal” hotel/ dinner experiences. C'mon!!
Still in Abu Dhabi, Baderya Khalifa confirms:
So my mother is so excited about William's Wedding. #Royalwedding .. :D
After seeing reactions to the wedding, Egyptian Wael Ghonim needed conformation that we are in fact in 2011 and not the Middle Ages. He tweets:
Can someone please confirm to me that we are not in the middle ages? #royalwedding
Also in Egypt, Mahmoud Reda Shahin quips (Ar):
while Omar Biltaji, from Jordan, adds:
Everyone is talking about Z #RoyalWedding ….. What is happening Tweeps? What will [w]e benefit as individuals from this marriage?
Lebanese Mustafa, who blogs at Beirut Spring, too was uninterested:
I care about the Royal Wedding as much as I care about cricket (hint: not at all)
Back in Egypt, Mohamed El Gohary's tweet stopped me in my tracks. It read:
Broom sticks? RT @mand0z: HAHAHAHAHA: Royal Wedding Garden Party at BCA Maadi. Dress Code: Hats and Gloves! http://bit.ly/ioSQ1N
Following the trail, it turns out that the British Community Association in Cairo is actually holding a royal wedding garden party tomorrow too.


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Armenia: Pseudo-patriotism and flag burning · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on the creation of a Facebook page by some students in Armenia calling for the “virtual burning” of the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey. The blog says it considers the move one that can only lead to more hatred between Armenia and its two estranged neighbors and is glad that the page was reported and is no longer accessible.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Royal Wedding Frenzy · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Scary Azeri offers her own acerbic take on tomorrow's Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Despite a reported close friendship with the groom's Uncle, Prince Andrew, the blog says that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev doesn't appear to be among those invited and also comments on media coverage of the event.


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Bahamas: Shark Tales  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith shares some good and bad news about sharks.


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Bhutan: Bonded Teachers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay criticizes a recent rule in Bhutan that teachers will never be able to apply for other government posts.

author: Rezwan


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Brazil: School Bullying and the Realengo Massacre · Global Voices
Saulo Valley

[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted.]
On 7 April 2011, twelve adolescents at the Tasso da Silveira City School in Realengo [en] in the west of Rio were shot dead. The culprit was ex-pupil, Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, 23, who then turned the gun on himself.
The tragedy stirred up strong feelings of ‘indignation, disgust and consternation’ throughout Brazil, and the blogosphere was immediately filled with expressions of regret and demonstrations of revolt towards the killer.
Questionnaire hung outside Wellington’s house. Photo by the author, Saulo Valley
Detective Chief Inspector Marcus Moura, in a posting on Facebook, showed his disgust and foresaw that the debate which followed the school massacre would prompt deep-rooted questions about Brazilian society:
(…) uma tristeza profunda, uma sensação de total  impotência por saber que, nesse tempos estranhos que vivemos, é muito  difícil evitar que a sociedade continue a gerar seus monstros.  Impotência por fazer parte de um mundo que abriga esse tipo de  distorção, essas manifestações exacerbadas não de ódio, mas de  infelicidade.
A past of being misunderstood
The growing speculation about the killer’s profile, in both the blogosphere and traditional media, raised various hypotheses about Wellington’s motivation for committing the crime.
Photo of Wellington holding his suicide note. Circulated by the police
Rumours ran wild that he might be Muslim because of his ‘special Islamic dress’, and other stereotypes were cited.
In the suicide note that Wellington left, together with a fundamentalist speech, he referred to the ‘pure ones’ and the ‘faithful ones’, generating further discussion. The cinema critic and blogger Inacio Araujo  in his blog:
Ele faz uma salada de Corão, Bíblia, retórica dos programas evangélicos da TV ou manifestos da Al Qaeda.
When  videos from Wellington’s computer began to be made public, it was clear that the various references to the ‘faithful’ and ‘unfaithful’ showed the burden he had carried since childhood, and not any kind of religious leaning. This was a href=”http://jorgewerthein.blogspot.com/2011/04/tragedia-de-realengo-bullying-e-assunto.html”>put forward by the journalists Rodrigo Rotzsch and Diana Brito. They go on:
“Fiéis” ou “irmãos” são os que, como afirma Wellington,  sofrem bullying. “Infiéis” e “fornicadores” são os que praticam o  bullying ou compactuam com a prática.
In one of his final videos, Wellington, denying responsibility for the deaths which would take place ‘even though [his] fingers [might have been] responsible for pulling the trigger’ put himself up as a spokesperson for all those who had been victims of bullying [en]. This had become an increasingly common kind of physical and moral violence, which  not only happens in schools but also in adult life:
Eu ainda me lembro de todas as humilhações que passei por estes covardes…
Todos precisam saber que existem irmãos dispostos pra matar e pra morrer  em defesa dos mais fracos… Que ainda estão na condição de ser  incapazes de se defender…
‘Bullying’: the cause and effect
This debate had already started in 2003, when Edmar Aparecido Freitas, ex-pupil at the State School Colonel Benedito Ortiz, in Taiuva, a small town in the state of Sao Paulo, opened fire on his ex-classmates. He injured seven of them and then shot himself. It seems that ‘during his childhood and into adolescence [Edmar] was the target of sneering and bullying by his ex-classmates’. In one of his videos, Wellington paid homage to Edmar for this fact, and indicated that his ‘followers’ revered him, always remembering him in their prayers.
Anderson, one of Wellington’s ex-classmates, commented in Diálogos Políticos (Political Dialogues), saying:
Eu estudei com esse rapaz e ele tinha problemas psicológicos, ele sempre  ficava sozinho e os demais alunos zombavam dele pelo motivo de sempre andar  com a cabeça baixa.
Specialists’ opinions show that ‘even though he suffered from bullying (…) Wellington committed the killings because of his psychological problems’.
Cleodelice Fante, bullying researcher and currently doing a doctorate in Educational Sciences at the University of the Balearic Islands, Spain, has published an in-depth analysis of motivations and consequences as much as regards the bullies as the bullied:
Este fenômeno comportamental atinge a área mais preciosa, íntima e inviolável do ser, a sua alma. Envolve e vitimiza a criança, na tenra idade escolar, tornando-a refém de ansiedade e de emoções, que interferem negativamente nos seus processos de aprendizagem devido à excessiva mobilização de emoções de medo, de angústia e de raiva reprimida. A forte carga emocional traumática da experiência vivenciada, registrada em seus arquivos de memória, poderá aprisionar sua mente a construções inconscientes de cadeias de pensamentos desorganizados, que interferirão no desenvolvimento da sua autopercepção e auto-estima, comprometendo sua capacidade de auto-superação na vida.
The blogger Vinicius Fleury, in his blog Livro Mecânico (Mechanic Book), believes that the fact that Wellington had been a victim of ‘unusual problems’ at school, had ‘a tendency towards psychological problems’ and the fact of his ‘not having had any support’ are ‘explanations’ for the shooting, even though they do not justify it:
o bullying que ele sofreu naquele colégio teve uma grande  parcela de culpa, assim como os envolvidos em causar o bullying. Todo  mundo era moleque, ninguém sabia o que estava fazendo direito, mas isso  não exclui um fato. Se aconteceu, não da pra voltar no tempo. Agora vai  de cada um saber conviver com sua parcela de culpa, mesmo que ninguém  tenha tido essa intenção.
Girls paying homage to the victims of the massacre at Tasso da Silveira School, in Realengo. Photo by Daniel Marenco on Flickr with Creative Commons License
For the blogger and educationalist Maria Frô, school has to be the most sacred place at any time, and concludes:
o mundo adulto é responsável pelas gerações futuras. Não fujamos de nossas obrigações. Isso significa que todo adulto deve ser responsável por qualquer criança. Isso significa, por exemplo, olharmos para além dos nossos umbigos, de nossas crias, de nossos alunos, isso exige de nós um compromisso maior e real com políticas públicas que sejam capazes de incluir, educar, prover de espaços culturais e de lazer, formar e amar todas as nossas crianças. Elas merecem um futuro melhor que balas na cabeça em seu espaço escolar.

author: Saulo Valley


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Cuba: Bloggers Reflect on Reforms at Communist Party Congress · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

The sixth congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), which was held in Havana from April 16 – 19, may have marked a major turning point for the Cuban economic system, and for Cuban society at large.
As detailed by the BBC, party members approved measures to institute term limits for top party and government leaders, legalize home ownership and sales, and restructure state salaries so that they will be determined in part by the amount and quality of labor performed by workers.
Capitol Building, La Habana. By titoalfredo de Semana Santa (BY-NC-SA)
While many US and European news organizations viewed the changes as a great stride towards a market economy, with headlines like “Havana frees up markets—with a caveat” (The Miami Herald) and “Raúl Castro apuesta por reformar la economía y el Partido Comunista en el VI Congreso” [es] [“Raúl Castro is committed to reforming the economy and the Communist Party at the VI Congress”] (El Pais), the rhetoric of the congress itself demonstrated a commitment to strengthening and modernizing, but not marketizing, Cuban socialism.
Bloggers in Cuba, and those who follow Cuba from other parts of the world, offered a diverse range of reactions.
Deisy Francis Mexidor, author of Kimbombo que resbala [es], asked various Cubans for their opinions on the proposed changes. Many were enthusiastic about the ideas proposed, but concerned about how they would be implemented. A journalism student interviewed by Mexidor commented that,
[La] cuestión es cómo se logrará mantener el socialismo como proyecto sin caer en la economía de mercado.
Another interviewee, the manager of a state-owned business, remarked,
[D]ebemos ser capaces de lograr una mayor productividad, de bajar los gastos y hacer las cosas con mayor eficiencia, de lo contrario no se puede hablar de elevar salarios.
Pedazos de la isla [es] interviewed various bloggers and journalists who are known for their criticism of the government, including Laritza Diversent, of Las leyes de Laritza [es]. Diversent noted that while some Cubans closely followed and opined on the Congress, many were ambivalent about the outcome because of the lack of progress in years past.
Desde mi punto de vista el Congreso fue totalmente intranscendente, porque una cosa es lo que hablen ahí, y otra cosa es la que se haga. […] No hay una restructuración del partido o una restructuración democrática.
Pero nada de esto tiene ningún tipo de importancia entre los ciudadanos dentro de Cuba. No tiene ninguna importancia como yo creo que tiene afuera de Cuba. Por supuesto, es porque muy pocos cubanos le interesa la política, o no la entienden, precisamente por estos “va y bienes” de que hoy deciden algo, mañana deciden otra cosa, y entonces vuelven a cambiar. Por toda esta inseguridad nosotros no le hacemos ningún tipo de caso a ese Congreso.
From my point of view, the Congress was totally insignificant, because what they say is one thing, but what they do is another. There is no restructuring of the Party, nor is there democratic restructuring.
But none of this is important for the citizens of Cuba. It has no importance in comparison to the importance it has outside of Cuba. And this is precisely because very few Cubans are interested in politics, or they simply do not understand it. And they feel this way because of the “back and forth” of the government, while one day it says one thing, tomorrow it’ll say another, and so on. Because of this insecurity, we do not pay any attention to this Congress.
In the most radical change brought by the Congress, Raúl Castro himself proposed that top-level positions be limited to two, five-year terms. He emphasized the need for current leaders to encourage and educate younger politicians who would ultimately form the next generation of government on the island, and lamented the party’s inability to do this in the past. Contrary to this rhetoric, the party has elected the now 80 year-old Jose Machado Ventura, former party secretary and an original member of the July 26th Brigade, to the vice presidential seat that was left empty when Raúl took leadership of the country in 2008.
The irony of this choice has been criticized by Cubans on various sides of the political spectrum. Blogger Rogelio Díaz, author of Bubusopía [es] criticized the government’s inability to move forward, in spite of the consensus that this will be the only way for the original revolutionaries to build a sustainable legacy.
[Lo] más preocupante es que [el liderazgo] todavia está en manos de los mismos sujetos estancadores de todo lo bueno y dinámico y prometedor y renovador y revolucionario de etapas anteriores.
Octavo Cerco’s Claudia Cadelo [es] expressed a similar sentiment, writing that the implementation of the economic and political reforms agreed upon by the Congress could only move forward with new leadership in place.
[Raúl] sabe, tiene que saberlo, que sus promesas sólo se cumplirán cuando él ya no esté en el Comité Central, cuando ya no sea el Primer Secretario de ningún partido, cuando verdaderamente una nueva ola de cargos públicos asuma los poderes.

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle


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Cuba: Bosch Dies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers note the passing of Orlando Bosch, with Machetera saying: “There are good terrorists and bad ones, and clearly the mainstream media have settled on the fiction that Bosch is the former, so he gets to be a ‘militant’.”


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Cuba: Ferrer Held · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

According to Uncommon Sense and Babalu, Dr. Darsi Ferrer and other activists were arrested today “during a protest in which they were calling for the Castro dictatorship to allow Cubans to travel freely, among other demands.”


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Ecuador: Poll Results Show President Correa Leading in Referendum · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by Boz reports: “Polls from Santiago Perez and Cedatos-Gallup suggest Correa will win on all ten questions of the referendum taking place on May 7,” adding that, “For Correa, the specifics about the reforms are secondary to the larger issue of winning.”


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Egypt: RIP Ali – A tribute to an African Grey parrot  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Egypt, Maryanne Stroud Gabbani mourns the death of her African Grey parrot Ali, also known as Ali Capone.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: Sectarian Strife?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Dr. A. blogs about sectarian strife in this must read post.


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Featured Author and Translator: Asteris Masouras · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Wearing his stylish Global Voices t-shirt, author and translator Asteris Masouras talks about how he started writing for the site. Based in Thessaloniki, Greece, Asteris has been writing for Global Voices since 2008 about his country of Greece and other topics around the world. In addition, he has been one of the leading translators for the newly formed Global Voices in Greek. You can follow him on Twitter (@asteris) and read his blog here.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Greece: Protesting football fans rampage in Thessaloniki · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

In an unexpected flareup up of football violence, fans of two local football clubs, Iraklis and PAOK, clashed in the center of Thessaloniki, Greece on April 26, 2011. They attacked storefronts, apartments buildings and parked vehicles, while riot police flooded the downtown area with tear gas. The trouble began when Iraklis fans converged to protest against the revocation of a license to play in an upcoming championship, in an area where PAOK fans usually gather to protest.
Residents expressed their outrage on Twitter and blogs, and wondered whether the rise in tension may also be connected to the growing despair over the financial crisis in Greece.
The following video shows an overhead view of the initial clashes near the historic Galerius Arch, including an exchange of flares between opposing fans:
Some residents used Twitter to warn off passersby,
@kontaxi: αποφύγετε την πλ. αγ. σοφίας και περιξ..δακρυγόνα-σπασίματα-κάδοι πήραν φωτία…
while others found themselves suddenly caught in a warzone, trying to protect themselves and their belongings:
@Armenoui: Πεδίο μάχης εμείς προσπαθούσαμε να προστατέψουμε τα σπίτια μας, αμαξια μηχανάκια..να σβήσουμε κάδους!
@Armenoui: Ντροπή τους!! Δεν με νοιάζει αν ήταν ΗΡΑΚΛΉΣ ΠΑΟΚ ή ότι άλλο..εμπειρία απαίσια που θέλω να ξεχάσω! #fail http://t.co/Ga20HcC
@Armenoui: Αυτο τ σκαλακι αφού δεν τα κατάφερε κ ΔΕΝ ΠΈΤΥΧΕ τον μπαμπά νομίζω ότι δικαιωματικά μας ανήκει!Κάτι βγήκε απτο σημερινό. http://t.co/PRd86AS
Teargas and smoke from burning trash bins engulfed a large part of the city center:
@StellaKarag:   Όλη η Τσιμισκή μυρίζει δακρυγόνα. Αίσχος στους (ανεγκέφαλους) οπαδούς    οποιασδήποτε ομάδας που κάψανε κάδους & όχι μόνο στο κέντρο.
Even some football fans were taken aback:
@quatzacoatl: Το ότι θα'τρωγα δακρυγόνο εξαιτίας του Ηρακλή δεν το περίμενα.
Freelance  photojournalist and protest chronicler Craig Wherlock (@teacherdude) provided a comprehensive report of the clashes on Twitter on the following day, and posted a video of warzone-like footage, recording the immediate aftermath of the clashes:
@teacherdude:    Riot and clashes with police in central Thessaloniki, Greece when  fans    of Iraklis FC protested over revoking of their licence to play
@teacherdude: There were also clashes between between PAOK fans and Iraklis fans which were broken up by riot police
@teacherdude: Still there was a lot of mindless violence from the Iraklis fans who attacked cafes and apt blocks for no apparent reason
@teacherdude: Extensive use of tear gas and flsh grenades by Greek riot police in Thessaloniki during demo which turned into riot. Video to follow
@teacherdude: Starbucks, MacDonalds attacked in Thessaloniki, Greece during football fan riot last night.
Both McDonalds and Starbucks have been repeatedly vandalized and torched by petrol bombs in recent years, during political protest rallies. Wherlock recounts this and two unrelated events in coffee shops in the space of 12 hours on his blog, and connects the violence to the mounting financial crisis gripping Greece:
The strangest thing about these riots was the composition and actions of  those taking part, in contrast to other such clashes the participants were all ages, from kids of no more than ten to middle aged guys, nor were the targets of their wrath only the usual ones such as banks and government buildings but also included a seemingly  random assortment of supermarkets, cafes and apartment blocks. The one thing that was sure was that the thousands who took to the street were outraged and their anger once started spiralled out of control, perhaps reflecting deeper  frustrations many Greeks feel over how their lives are going. Pummelled by austerity measures and an economy in  free fall many people are incensed by what is happening in the country and so looking to lash out.
Chronically beset by economic troubles, Thessaloniki is currently plagued by rising unemployment, at 25% [el], a downturn of local markets, of up to 40% [el], and dipping tourism income over the last two consecutive years [el]. Outbursts of vandalism may well be blamed on the financial crisis, just as they may also exacerbate the effects on the local economy.
Football riots in downtown Thessaloniki, April 26, 2011 – Photo by George Gatos ©
Frustrated, the co-host of a local Opencoffee event, George Gatos, compared a tourist video about the city with images from the night of the clashes:
Στο βίντεο έχουμε περιγραφές για το πως βλέπουν τη Θεσσαλονίκη οι ξένοι  επισκέπτες αυτής, αν φυσικά είναι τυχεροί και δεν δουν αυτά που βλέπει  ένας κάτοικος κέντρου στις 22:00 το βράδυ της Τρίτης μετά το Πάσχα [..] πέσαν μερικά δακρυγόνα, κάτι μπουκάλια, μερικές πέτρες και το  πάρτυ έφυγε παραπάνω… Πέτυχα δυο ακόμα γνωστούς, ανταλλάξαμε τις  εμπειρίες μας. Τον έναν τον κυνήγησαν γιατί φορούσε κάτι πράσινο, η άλλη  ήταν μέσα στα αυτοκίνητο της πολύ κοντά στο σημείο που έγινε το ντου. Είπα να πάω σπίτι. Εκεί δίπλα κόσμος μαζεμένος και ένας σωριασμένος στην  είσοδο πολυκατοικίας. Ήρθε το ασθενοφόρο, ζούσε αλλά δεν είχε επαφή.  Αυτοί είναι μόνιμοι επισκέπτες της περιοχής, κι αυτοί άρρωστοι. Όχι με  την ομάδα, με τη ντόπα.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Guyana: Unsolved Murder  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Last week marked five years since Government Minister Satyadeow Sawh was was murdered in Guyana; The Caribbean Camera interviews his family, who are still searching for answers.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Honduras to Implement ‘One Laptop Per Child’ Program · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

RNS in Honduras Politics and Culture says that the plan to give one XO laptop to every child in Honduras “would be ideal for deployment in Honduras.” However, the blogger shows some skepticism: “At the actual cost [$199], the original $3 million investment would buy 15075 XO laptops, not the 8000 computers the article specifies.”


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Iran: Islamist bloggers divided over Ahmadinejad-Khamenei rift · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

It appears from Iranian Islamist blogs that the honeymoon between Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Republic's Leader  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is finally over. Some reject Ahmadinejad in favor of the Supreme Leader while others show unwavering support for Ahmadinejad.
Khamenei (left) and Ahmadinejad in happier times
It all started when President Ahmadinejad accepted the resignation of the Iranian Minister of Intelligence, Heydar Moslehi, on April 18, 2011. Only few hours earlier, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, Esfandyar Rahim Mashai, had “criticized the intelligence minister without directly naming him,” according to PBS's Tehran Bureau. Meanwhile, it was rumored that Khamenei had demanded that the minister should remain in his post. Several Iranian websites posted a letter from Ali Khamenei on this issue as “proof”.
Ahestan, an Islamist blogger writes [fa] on the Khamenei-Ahmadinejad face off:
I don't know, I am neither an Ahmadinejad supporter [in Persian, supporters of the president call themselves Ahmadinejadi] nor his enemy. He is just a president with many advantages and disadvantages… I have learned not to have absolute belief in anybody, especially in the world of politics.
Ahestan considers that Ahmadinejad's attitude has had a negative impact on Hezbollah youth in Iran when it comes to following high-ranking clerics.
When Ahmadinejad came to power six years ago we started to breathe again after eight years, or even 16 years. We owe him that victory and it was for that reason we called ourselves Ahmadinejadi. But he did not pay attention to the Ulmas, high ranking clerics, and the gap between him and them became wider, despite the Supreme Leader's advice that respect for the high ranking clerics is important. Today, real Ahmadinejadis are suspicious about everything, and do not respect the clerics and their opinions.
Another Iranian blogger, Mahtab Tabatabi writes [fa]:
What happened that our Imam Khamenei was obliged to write his order as a letter? Does it mean that nobody listened to him? God knows how many times during the last seven years Ahmadinejad has not obeyed Khamenei's in the name of Islam and the regime?… Hezbollah should know what the Leader wants, and if Ahmadinejad disobeys, they should act differently in regards to him.
Mashai, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff was also singled out for criticism. He has previously been a target over the past years, including for comments on Israel and Iran's history.
Khate Enghelab writes [fa]:
Ahmadinejad betrayed our votes. Instead of talking about “Economic Jihad” [Khamenei urged for this on the Iranian new year] we talk about Mashai [Ahmadinejad's chief of staff]. Several ministers were fired because of him. If Ahmadinejad had listened to the Leader and dismissed him, we would not be in this situation at present.
But it seems Ahmadinejad does not stand alone in the cyberworld. In a letter published on Aeennews [fa], a pro-Ahmadinejad website, a group of “bloggers and journalists from Fars province” declare their support for the Iranian president. They hail him as a “true supporter of the oppressed” and threaten to destroy all his enemies.


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Iraq: Is Saddam Still Alive?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saddam Hussein is making the rounds on social media, with a new recording claiming that the Iraqi dictator is alive and well and that his double Mikhail was the one executed on December 30, 2006. Many netizens are quick to describe the video as phoney and assure readers that Saddam is dead and gone. Had he been alive, the former Iraqi dictator would have turned 74 today.
The video (Ar) allegedly shows the voice of Saddam Hussein in a phone call with Iraqi comrade Hassan Allawi, telling his friend that he is alive and that his double was executed. The Saddam imposter also threatens to turn the Green Zone into a “Red Zone, overflowing with the blood of traitors” and to “liberate Iraq from its invaders.”
Here is the video, which has been uploaded on YouTube by sulalmalki and viewed about a quarter of a million times:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaTnUuLT2eA
There are also more than 500 comments on the video, many by people who think the video is a hoax and that Saddam is indeed dead. Other commentators pay tribute to Saddam and his leadership, and acknowledge that the tape could be real and that that Saddam could still be alive.
Other accounts have also uploaded the video, which is being spread on social media platforms across the Arab world and there are Facebook advertisements to market the video as well.
The ad on Facebook for the Saddam video
From Egypt, Zeinobia, who blogs at Egyptian Chronicles, agrees that Saddam is dead:
I believe that this is just fake phone call , I do not believe it for one second. I do not care for the conspiracy theories those Baath loyalists are living on that Saddam is alive somewhere just like Elvis !!!!
Saddam Hussein was executed in 2006 , why to wait all those years to announce to the whole world that he is alive !!!? Why now !!? Why now when Iraqi youth began to be influenced by the Arab revolution spring and we all saw their attempts to have a sit in at their own Tahrir square. The Iraqi youth are fed up with the occupation ,are fed up by the division whether sectarian or ethnic and want to restore back the united independent Iraq.
From Saudi Arabia, Sultan Al Sulami smells something fishy:
And speaking of Saddam's birthday, some Twitter users seem to be celebrating.
Hamad A.M.A., who tweets @alhajaj13, from Bahrain, notes:
Meanwhile, Tariq Khonji, also from Bahrain, jokes:
@tkhonji is wondering why so many people in Bahrain are celebrating Saddam Hussain's birthday today? ;P
and adds:
So I Googled this Saddam guy who's’ birthday Bahrain appears to be celebrating today turns out he attacked Kuwait one time and Iran another.


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Jamaica: Honesty in Poetry  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp notices “a brutal honesty” in his featured poem by Kei Miller.


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Kuwait: Blogger Wins a Lawsuit  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Congrats are pouring in after Kuwait-based blogger Lebanese Mark won a lawsuit. He was sued by a restaurant for a review he posted in his blog.


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Latvia: National news agency website hacked · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Juris Kaža of Telecoms in Latvia draws attention to a recent hacker attach on the Latvian news agency LETA, closing down the website for several hours.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Malaysia: Cost of 1Malaysia email  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysiakini gathers reactions in Malaysia to the report that the planned 1Malaysia email will also entail some cost for users who will access some of its value added services.

author: Mong Palatino


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Malaysia: DiGi WWWOW Award · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Digi has launched the DiGi WWWOW Award, it's 1st people’s choice Internet awards for Malaysians by Malaysians.


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Malaysia: Obesity in schools · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Nuraina A Samad from Malaysia reminds authorities that addressing the obesity issue also requires a review of the physical education and fitness programs in schools


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Malaysia: Solar energy program · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Gan Pei Ling writes about the prospects of the solar energy program in Malaysia.


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Malaysia: “Stateless Children of Sabah” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Anne Baltazar writes about the situation of poor children in Sabah in Malaysia whose migrant parents came from Indonesia and Philippines.


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Mexico: Senate Approves Political Reform · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Mexican Senate approved “La reforma política,” a political reform that Aguachile describes as “immensely significant.” Aguachile lists the sections included in the reform and adds: “Of course, this does not mean the reform has passed; it will now move on to the Chamber of Deputies, and then for ratification of a majority of Mexico's state governments. It is hard to keep one's hope up too high here.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Peru: Second Electoral Round Kicks Off · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

Candidates Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori. Photos: TVCultura (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) and Congress of the Republic (CC BY 2.0)
A few weeks before the second round of elections in Peru, the choice between the candidate of Gana Perú, Ollanta Humala Tasso and the daughter of the ex-president Alberto Fujimori, Keiko Sofía Fujimori (for Fuerza 2011), the growing polarisation in Peruvian society, and ultimately from the  electorate, is as notable in the press as it is on social networks.
The most striking news these days is the recent dismissal of two journalists from the local news channel Canal N, property of  the “El Comercio” group of companies, supposedly for not complying to instructions to display coverage in favour of Keiko Fujimori.
This action has generated feelings of disgust within the journalistic community as well as with the colleagues of those fired.   Raúl Tola, journalist and colleague of Patricia Montero and José Jara, questions in his daily column in the periodical La República [es]:
¿Cómo debemos interpretar este despido quienes todavía  trabajamos en Canal N o América Televisión? ¿A partir de ahora, cada vez  que propalemos una noticia deberemos hacerlo tomando en cuenta lo que  los propietarios consideran «el bien del país», es decir la candidatura  de Fuerza 2011? ¿Acaso no es nuestra obligación informar sin  consideraciones de esta naturaleza, respondiendo solo a nuestras  conciencias, a los principios rectores de la profesión, a los lectores y  televidentes, y no a intereses subordinados?… ¿Qué pensará la  ciudadanía de un medio que juega y esconde la carta de la libertad de  expresión de acuerdo a los devaneos de la coyuntura…?
Keiko Fujimori in a session in Congress. Photo: Congress of the Republic of Peru (CC BY 2.0)
Bloggers and users of social networks are asking the same thing. For example, Gustavo Faverón posts on his blog Puente Aéreo (Aerial View) [es]:
quienes se aprestan a votar por Keiko Fujimori colocan  como uno de sus argumentos (el más disparatado) su temor de que con  Humala llegue una dictadura represiva, que barra con las libertades de  información y de prensa…. (…) Y para ponerse al día sobre las cosas que  Humala hará con sus libertades de expresión, leen los diarios y las   estaciones de televisión del grupo El Comercio, medios en los cuales,  hace varios días, han empezado los despidos y los extraños  nombramientos: despidos de periodistas que se niegan a escribir en favor  de Keiko Fujimori y contra Humala, nombramientos de otros periodistas  que ya estuvieron conectados con la mano negra fujimorista en la  dictadura anterior…
César Lievand (@argosmozart) comments on Twitter:
@Frospigliosi @tuesta lo que ha hecho el GRUPO EL COMERCIO ha sido un atentado contra la libertad de prensa y expresion.
Silvio Rendón shares his opinion on the Facebook page of his blog Gran Combo Club [es]:
Cipriani [el Cardenal] es el alfil, El Comercio es el  caballo, la CONFIEP [gremio de empresarios] es la torre, Fujimori  [Alberto] es el rey, y Keiko la reina. Y hay hartos [muchos] peones.
Jack Sánchez (@wifaperu) affirms:
A votar con mayor razón por Ollanta Humala.
The beginning of this article mentions the polarisation of society, which patents itself on social networks: in this sarcastic tweet from Paul Nassi (@ManzanaPecadora), one doubts the credibility of these and other protests in favour of the freedom of the press, just as it does with the question of moral appropriateness in itself:
Si El Comercio apoya a Fujimori, se ha vendido. Pero si la Republica apoya a Humala es libertad de expresion. No jodan
Ollanta Humala. Captura de pantalla de Enlace Nacional, TVCultura (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Sokro, from the blog Cero Contenido [es] (No Content) speaks of certain local journalists who openly consider themselves  anti-Humala:
“…estaban convencidos que cholos comiendo sushi es lo  mismo q crecimiento económico, q blancos viendo “Al fondo hay sitio”  [popular shows de TV local] y comiendo en pollos Hikary [populares  restaurantes de pollo a la brasa] es lo mismo que la superación del  racismo, y que los pobres son pobres porque son brutos o flojos…
Luchín (@Lu_chi_to) anticipates:
#Elecciones2011 bayly [Jaime Bayly, presentador de TV, quien ha declarado su apoyo a  Fujimori] regresará a la TV como parte del plan demoledor a “OH”  [Ollanta Humala] mucho cuidado y atentos con lo que viene aparte de todo  esto
Alexis Palomino (@alexispalomino) says:
Gran parte de la riqueza de la fam [familia] #Bayly se basa en las utilidades mineras. Esas q Ollanta promete revisar…#elecciones2011
Bloggers are not dispassionate about these controversies and questions, for example Mario Ceroni posts on his blog [es]:
Estoy harto de recibir correos y mensajes en contra de un candidato o candidata. Lo peor que ni siquiera están bien sustentados y tan solo se basan en conjeturas que fácilmente pueden ser rebatidas razonablemente. En vez de ello deberían enviar mensajes a favor de su candidato, exponer y sustentar algunas de esas propuestas.
In accordance with the surveys of popular vote published on Sunday April 24 [es] a slight difference is revealed between Humala and Fujimori, at 42% and 36% respectively.
Tweeter users Bryan Gutiérrez (@brgch) and Maria Gracia Pérez (@mariagraciap) interpret the disenchantment that takes the forefront in most Peruvians by commenting:
Ollanta o Keiko, en vez de elegir al mejor elegiremos al menos malo
Creo que no importa cuánto lea sobre los candidatos, mi voto seguirá siendo un asco el 5 de junio. #elecciones2011


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Philippines: Invisible paintings in a Manila museum · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Artist Edd Aragon's ‘invisible’ paintings are on display today in a Manila museum. The artist used a unique paint formula that allows him to paint under UV (ultraviolet) light.


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Poland: Decrease of corruption · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Michael Dembinski of W-wa Jeziorki notes that corruption in Poland continues to decrease in contrast to many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a recent article in The Economist.


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Russia: Drug Agency to Monitor Blogosphere  · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Russian Federal Service for Drug Control plans to monitor the blogosphere to analyze the situation with drugs in the country, Lenta.ru reported.

author: Vadim Isakov


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Russia: New round in the TNK-BP row · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Streetwise Professor points to the parallel buyout of a partner in TNK-BP oil company by the Russian state oil company Rosneft and British Petroleum, with the abolition of a tax release, possibly resulting in decreased company value for the upcoming sale.


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Russia: Photoblogger Defends His Constitutional Rights  · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Popular photoblogger Ilya Varlamov continues to fight the common and unconstitutional ban on taking pictures in supermarkets. He posted a photo essay on his misadventures in Evropeysky, a large supermarket in Moscow, where he was prevented from taking photos.


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Rwanda: Ask Rwandan President Questions on YouTube · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

On May 5, 2011 President Paul Kagame of Rwanda will be the first African leader to be interviewed on YouTube World View. World View is a series of monthly interviews with the world's foremost leaders, where you ask the questions. The top-rated questions will be asked in exclusive interviews.
The official YouTube blog says:
YouTube World View has traveled to North America, Europe and the Middle East to offer you the chance to interview the most powerful leaders in the world. Today, we’re introducing our first World View interview with an African leader, Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
According to Google Africa Policy and Government Relations Manager Ory Okolloh and YouTube News and Politics Manager Ramya Raghavan, Kagame will sit down for a special interview with Khaya Dlanga, a YouTube partner and one of South Africa’s leading video bloggers. During the interview, President Kagame will answer a range of the most popular questions submitted by you.
Anyone can submit questions. The deadline to submit your question is May 3 and the final interview will be available on May 7:
Starting now, you can submit questions to President Kagame on any topic, like Rwanda’s economy, technology policy, how the country has grown over the 17 years since the genocide or the issue of regional integration. You can also ask questions as wide ranging as issues related to the future of Africa and its young people. Go to www.youtube.com/worldview to submit your question via video or text, as well as vote on your favorites.
The Twitter hashtag for the interview is #askkagame.
Paul Kagame impressed tweeps in March this year when he accepted an invitation sent to him by a Kenyan blogger through Twitter.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Serbia-EU: Belgrade at a crossroads · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ari Rusila's BalkanBlog argues that Serbia may find too many obstacles to continue its accession to the European Union, and instead might find other alternatives more appetizing.


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Syria: A hero father  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A Gay Girl in Damascus writes about how her father stood up for her, when officers came knocking on her door one night.


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Syria: “The Revolution is Continuing in Daraa; Are You With Us?”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
The situation in Daraa, Syria, is becoming more destitute, as reports continue of more protests, and a more violent crackdown on the protesters.
On Twitter, Daraa Now reports:
URGENT: Tens of dead bodies still scattered within the city of #Daraa #Syria
and adds:
URGENT: Complete darkness now in #Daraa #Syria, no food, water or communications, bullets are add up!
while SyriansHand notes:
More than fifty of protesters were shot dead by security forces and Syrian army since Monday in #Daraa #Syria
The Angry Arab News Service‘s As'ad Abu Khalil blogs:
A Syrian source sent me this:  “”My cousin tried going to Daraa today to see if his sister and her family are still alive, but as soon as he got close his car was shot at by the army and he was told he will be dead if he gets closer and a lot more which I would rather not share. This is the army that is supposedly protecting the ppl of Daraa from “armed gangs”. By killing more people the Syrian regime is doing the biggest service to radical Islamist.””
In another post, he adds:
I think that we should all call for the return of the state of emergency.  I never knew how dangerous it is for Syrians not to have it.  The regime is killing more Syrians without it.
Meanwhile, on YouTube, videos continue to pour out of Daraa, showing protesters being shot at, like in this video by horanson1:
The video comes with the following note (Ar):
نحن نطلب الحرية لا اكثر و الحرية بنظر بشار و ماهر الأسد تعني لهم سقوط نظامهم القائم على القمع و الأستبداد
فأين انتم يا أكراد اين انتم يا عرب أين انتم يار دروز اين انتم يا علوية اين انتم يا سوريين
كلنا نريد الحرية
الثورة في درعا مازالت مستمرة فهل انتم معنا؟
Whoever demands freedom is considered a traitor or a Salafist or a foreign agent by Bashar Al Assad. Is freedom just for Bashar and Maher (Al Assad)? The revolution will continue and our morale is high despite the fallen martyrs.
We are asking for freedom and nothing more but freedom, in the eyes of Bashar and Maher Al Assad, means the end of their regime, which is founded on repression and injustice. Where are the Kurds? Where are the Arabs? Where are the Druze? Where are the Alawites? Where are the Syrians? We all want freedom. The revolution is continuing in Daraa. Are you with us?
On Facebook, the Sham News Network continues to update readers on the situation in Daraa. A recent update reads:
The Syrian Days of Rage page on Facebook has more on the situation in Daraa:
People of Daraa are calling for stopping the Genocide , Daraa now is completely blocked. the Security forces bombed water tanks , burned bakeries , broke and stole pharmacies. There is no milk for children and they are starving and they also do [not] allow injured people from having medical treatment . and also the reinforcement of the artillery arrived to Daraa , in more than 30 tanks
Back on YouTube, Sham News Network shares this video with us,  showing protesters in Daraa pelting a tank with stones:
And last but not least, the UN Dispatch lists eight must-follow Twitter accounts for the Syrian protests.
“While less refined than traditional journalism, Twitter has become a vital resource for people interesting in keeping up-to-date on the fast-moving events in Syria,” it notes.
They are: @MalathAumran, @ProfKahf,  @SyrianJasmine, @AnasQtiesh, @Mohammad_Syria, @Wissamtarif, @RazanZ and @BBCLinaSinjab.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.


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Taiwan: Lying Girls · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

After Japan's flying girl, here come Taiwan's lying girls. The Lying Girls will show you a really, totally, different way of viewing Taiwan…Come lie together!

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Thailand: Opposition radio stations raided · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Committee to Protect Journalists criticized Thailand authorities for raiding 13 radio stations which are aligned with the Opposition


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Uganda: Opposition Leader Arrested Again · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Rosebell Kagumire reports from Uganda: “After spending Easter in a jail, Uganda’s opposition leader Dr.Kizza Besigye was granted bail with ridiculous conditions that he would not participate in walking to work [protest] for seven months. As it would turn out Besigye’s freedom was short-lived as the military and police blocked his car this morning, not even 48 hours had passed after he was granted bail.”


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Ukraine: Memories and Photos of Chernobyl in August 1986 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Moscow-based LJ user av-strannik (Aleksandr Strannik) arrived at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in mid-August of 1986, some four months after the April 26 blast at Reactor #4, to assist in the clean-up effort as a ventilation engineer. By that time, “all the most dangerous work had been done by the [liquidators],” he wrote [ru] on his blog on April 19, 2011. In a follow-up post [ru], written on April 26, Strannik explained how he had become one of the Chernobyl catastrophe “liquidators” himself:
[…] I asked to be sent to [the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant] right away, as soon as I learned about the accident's scale. What are you going to do there, my boss asked me. I could clear the debris away with a bulldozer, I had done this type of work as a student. They'll manage without you. Then, in August, when the numbers of those willing to go on a work-related trip [to Chernobyl] diminished, they remembered those who had wanted to come from the very start. […]
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, August 1986. Photo by Aleksandr Strannik (LJ user av_strannik)
Strannik, who was 30 back then, was an amateur photographer, and “a couple of snapshots” that he took in Chernobyl in 1986 “even won some prize at some exhibition” later. Recently, he has scanned 17 of these photos – including those that he took just “for himself” (“as they'd say now, for [Odnoklassniki.ru, a social network popular in the former Soviet Union]”) – and shared them on his blog – “for the [25th] anniversary, so to say.”
Replying to one reader, Strannik wrote that he had been using a Zorki 4 camera, as well as “an old [Zenit]”; he also wrote that he had printed “a few hundred pictures” while in Chernobyl (“until there was no more paper left” to print on) – “and all our guys were going back home with the photos ).”
Below are some of Strannik's recollections from his time in Chernobyl 25 years ago, translated from Russian; to see his photos, please visit the original post [ru].
About the drivers of concrete mixer trucks, which can be seen on the second photo, right next to the damaged reactor:
These drivers are heroes – either due to their carelessness, or due to ignorance. They were paid five times their [usual] salaries and they had been promised [Zhiguli cars off the waiting list] – but I'm afraid very few of them [lived long enough] to actually get those Zhigulis – it was [2 roentgen per hour] where the photographer stood, and as for where the drivers were, at the base of the [Sarcophagus], I don't know, I think it was no less than [20 roentgen per hour], i.e., it was safe to work there for one hour, which was unreal in those conditions. […] A paradox of the Soviet times – to pay for a Zhiguli with one's own life. […]
On “curiosity”:
[…] I wanted to take a photo of the reactor from above. Went to the airfield, no security guards, [helicopters] are all there, and a wagon at the field's edge. Next to the wagon [stood] the helicopter pilots. Who are you? A photographer, would like to photograph the reactor from above. Go to that yellow [helicopter], they fly to the object more often. I come up to them, ask to take me with them. Are you out of your mind, they are forcing us to go there and you are getting yourself into it voluntarily, better take a photo of us, we don't have a single picture from the whole trip. I took a picture of the crew. When will the photos be ready? I'll make them tonight. Ok, come tomorrow, we'll give you a ride over the reactor. I returned [not the next day, but] a day later, couldn't make it earlier. Where's the yellow [helicopter]? What do you need it for? – they ask me suspiciously. I've brought photos for the guys, they'd promised to take me on a flight over the reactor. The guys crashed yesterday ( How? They were preparing to land, there was a gust of wind, they fell on the tail from 50 meters or so. Are they alive? Yes! They are at the [hospital], the [helicopter] was covered with lead sheets [to protect the crew from radiation exposure], made it difficult to operate it, they got off easy. Right, and they had invited me to this very flight, and I couldn't make it, was on duty. Lucky you. Please pass the photos to the guys. My interest in flying was gone. […]
For the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe, Strannik, along with other Moscow-based “liquidators,” has received these presents from the regional organization “Soyuz Chernobyl” (pictured on the last two color photos in the April 19 post): a thermos flask, a bottle of vodka (“a radiation medicine” written on it, among other things) and a framed Russian Orthodox Christian prayer.
Strannik's photo story has generated four pages of comments, with many readers expressing gratitude to the author and all the other Chernobyl “liquidators.” LJ user oksana_slk was among those who also thanked Strannik for “preserving the history of this tradegy.” He replied:
As an eyewitness, I can only state that this tragedy could have been survived with fewer human and material losses – if the management had been adequate (

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Yemen: Lunch Time at the Pro-Change and Pro-Regime Camps  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
Protests against the Ali Abdulla Saleh regime in Yemen started three months ago, and continue to rage as protesters call for an end to his 32-year rule.
Pro-Saleh protesters have also been visible, in their tens of thousands, rallying for support for the Yemeni president, and often clashing with protesters.
This video, by la7jpress, shows lunch time at both camps, in the capital Sanaa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLH1EC8Ekv8
The description reads:
The first part of the video shows filthy roads, and what is alleged to be Saleh supporters squabbling for food parcels. At one point, the netizen video taping the incident is told off and asked not to film further.
The second part of the video shows orderly rows of protesters, eating food, and then cleaning up after their meal is over.
The aim of the video is to show the difference between the two camps.
Kammal2005 comments on the video saying:
يعني لو المعارضه تدفع لهم مثل ما يدفع النظام الفاسد لكان الكل مع المعارضه بس النظام ساقط لا محاله
ولو نقارن بين شباب التغيير والمعارضه من جهه ومن الحزب الظالم من جهه اخرى تعرف الفرق
شباب التغير لا يعطون اي متظاهر اي شي انما يجي بس لتكلم بصوت الحق
مؤيدين الرئيس فقط للاكل والشرب واستلام نهائيه اليوم الراتب
الشباب بكل محافضه مع التغيير
والمؤيدين لرئيس يالله يجمعهم بميدان السبعين كمان بعد ما يخرجون من صلاه الجمعه يروحو بمواصلات
بس رح يعرفون من الصح
kammal2005 21 hours ago
If we distinguish between the pro-change youth and the opposition, on the one hand, and the oppressing regime, on the other, we will see the difference.
The pro-change youth do not give any of the protesters anything. They just turn up to speak in the voice of the truth.
The president supporters are there only for the food and drink, and to collect their salaries at the end of the day.
Youth in every governorate are pro-change while the president's supporters only gather on the 70th Street Square, after Friday prayers, and then leave in transportation.
They will soon know what is right.
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.


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Zimbabwe: Bloggers Discuss President Mugabe’s Legacy · Global Voices
Madalitso Mwando

Zimbabwe is a country where public discussion about President Mugabe's health or a future without him, can land one in a police cell. Blogs have become the only forum where this “sensitive issue” can be discussed by Zimbabwean netizens. Kubatana blogger Upenyu Makoni-Muchemwa asks about Mugabe's legacy:
On the issue of his legacy, only time will tell. Was land reform just a political manoeuvre to quell rebellion from war veterans? Or was it part of a grander scheme to restore dignity to the dispossessed black majority? Knowing several war vets of his generation, I am well acquainted with their mistrust of white people. How could they not when they grew up in a world where black people were classified as being of less value than livestock? But does that mean that he and his generation can no longer operate in a time in which race is an increasingly outmoded basis for discrimination? More importantly are his ideas less relevant today than they were when the nationalist movement began? I believe he is one of the last great southern African nationalists, so when his time comes what is the future of the nationalist movement? Does it have a future at all, or will it give way to the homogeneity offered by globalisation?
Robert Mugabe at Zimbabwe's Independence Day celebrations 2009, Harare. Image by Zimbo Zimbo, copyright Demotix (17/04/2009).
An article titled “Yes, Mugabe must be allowed to go home and rest”  posted Newsday elicited responses that would not be recklessly expressed be it public transport or any other space where “anyone” can be listening. Bobby Fortune wrote in the comment section:
Zanu PF's heavy reliance on political violence, coercion and patronage can all be traced to the old-man's long stay at the helm. His overstay is also responsible for the emergence of an unhealthy large number of opportunists in zanu pf ranks like the chiyangwas, chombos, obert mpofus etc who under normal circumstances would not have been allowed so much influence on national resources because all they know is greed and more greed
Bobby Fortune (obviously a internet alias) was not yet finished:
Old Bob has to bite the bullet and do what is good for the country and also for the party he claims to love so much.That does not include him staying in power for one day longer. He has to stop being a hostage of naked and obscene interests of a few greedy and unpatriotic bunch in zanu pf.”
qopheni qopheni said:
Huff that Bob should retire and his succsessor should ractify the Hague agreement and nick him to face his crimes.
Matemai Idhara responded:
If you want Bob to go, then beat him at his own game at the polls. I'm sure that too we will hear stories of rigging. Otherwise these GO stories are a bit “old fashioned”. I guess they fill the pages if there is nothing else to report.
This is the kind of commentary that the authorities have for long tried to stifle through the enactment of various laws, yet it this space [blogging] that has become the most important “market place of ideas” despite a recent damning report by Freedom House that placed Zimbabwe among countries that continue to interfere with internet communications.
Bloggers continued their focus on the President over Easter, especially after Mugabe attacked Catholic bishops and this became the focus as bloggers asked if the President was “playing politics with his maker.”
Thus asked Clifford Chitupa Mashiri:
Mugabe’s recent attack on Catholic Bishops is very disturbing at a time when Christians all over the world were marking the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is even more worrying are reports of police intimidation of Anglicans in Zimbabwe…Surely, for Mugabe to disown the Catholic Church in which he was born 87 years ago and accuse the Bishops of being liars and puppets of the West is just unbelievable. Considering the fact that he was cared for by priests and bishops as a young boy then as a political prisoner and during the liberation struggle, Mugabe may soon have to apologise to his maker like he is doing to SADC leaders after losing it.
This is stuff that makes bloggers a unique species in Zimbabwe where newspapers would not dare publish such kind of free expression. There were tweets  from elsewhere that indeed globalize sentiments from Zimbabweans themselves.
A good example is Sideny Stubbs who tweeted the following:
What does Donald Trump and Robert Mugabe have in common, they both throw “shit” at the fan, and hope that it would stick.

author: Madalitso Mwando


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Zimbabwe: Revolution has no blueprint · Global Voices
Madalitso Mwando

Upenyu Makoni- Muchemwa from Kubatana.net writes: “Rumours of a revolution in Zimbabwe have been greatly exaggerated. Filled with hope but little practical knowledge, several unidentified groups took to Facebook in an attempt to replicate the Egyptian revolution here.”


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Bahamas: Grasping at Straws?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jerome Pinder at Weblog Bahamas explains why the new Straw Market “will be a test for The Bahamas Government.”


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Barbados: Barrow’s Beach  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Mullins Bay Blog wonders how one of the country's national heroes “would…have graded his heirs and successors, …who sat idly by and did nothing as the sand disappeared and coconut trees were unearthed and toppled at Kings Beach.”


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China: Centennial Celebration of Tsinghua University · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jing Gao from the Ministry of Tofu explains how the centennial celebration of Tsinghua University turns political.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Farmer Hangs Himself in Desperation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Olivia from ChinaHush reports on the vulnerable situation Chinese farmers are facing in the market. A recent incident has been the suicide of a 39 year-old farmer, Han Jin.


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China: Poem Dedicated to Lobsang Tsepak · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a poem by Woeser dedicated to Lobsang Tsepak, a monk of Kirti Monastery, Ngaba, who was studying at Beijing's Central University for Nationalities and was arrested on March 25, 2011 for unclear reasons.


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Colombia on Red Alert After Heavy Rains · Global Voices
Lully

Heavy rains in Colombia resulting from phenomenon ‘la niña’ –which started in 2010 [es] but continued in 2011 beginning in March– have put the country on red alert. Residents of 28 departments are suffering extreme hardship: floods [es], landslides and sudden increase in rivers and streams have left more than three million five hundred thousand victims.
Opinions and reports on the matter are widespread [es] on the Internet. The blog Noticias del Clima (Weather News) refers to the preventive red alert [es], which forced the Risk Management Division of the Ministry of Interior and Justice to declare a red alert this second winter season.
From Cali, in his blog Los vainazos de Juankmu, Juankmu laments the difficult situation [es] that is taking place since 2010:
Como siempre, la gente de este país sigue creyendo que el problema de los damnificados se resuelve solamente mandándoles comida y agua. P**O PAÍS DEL INFIERNO!. Es increíble que haya gente que desde diciembre vive en carpas y arrinconados en polideportivos y escuelas, y hoy estén pasando por lo mismo. ¿Qué diablos hicieron los gobernantes en todo este tiempo?
From Ibagué, Carlos Arturo Gamboa, in his blog Tutor Virtual [es], questions former President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe and involves him in this tragic season:
¿Para qué le sirve, al desmantelado general Uribe Vélez, haber invertido la mayor parte del presupuesto nacional en un programa de seguridad democrática durante diez años,  hoy cuando el país naufraga en la desidia? Hubiese sido mejor construir un Plan Nacional de Desarrollo pensando en las prioridades de la gran población expuesta a estas catástrofes, no porque ellos lo deseen, si no que por falta de vivienda se ven abocados a construir sus ranchos en los desfiladeros, en las orillas de las quebradas o a la sombra de montañas inestables.
In Facebook, users have created [es] multiple accounts [es] where different people are involved in a solidarity campaign. But the campaign also has its own official website called Colombia Humanitaria [es] (Humanitarian Colombia), which works with the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia, and also has its own Twitter account [es]. This site has been invaded with posts with different opinions, among which is the concern of Alejandro Ayure (@Alejoayure) in response to a tweet by Dinero magazine (@RevistaDinero):
Ojalá! Hoy estuvimos en Utica, y no a ido ningún representante de Colombia Humanitaria!!… ¿Dónde están? ¡Que aparezcan!
Luis Armando Herrera (@luisarmandohb) questioned [es] how Colombia Humanitaria's funds were being handled:
En términos castizos, se están robando los recursos de Colombia Humanitaria
Flood victims in makeshift shelter in Colombia, Sabaneta, Antioquia. Image: Lully
Other Twitter users express concern about the serious difficulties in different regions. Carlos Rodríguez Arana (@CarlyRodriguezA) says [es]:
Muy preocupado con la ola invernal!!! El Rio magdalena en Magangué esta subiendo 10 cm diarios. Colombia necesita de todos!!! Yo ♥ Colombia
Javier Contreras (@jcontrerasa) describes the situation with this sentence [es]:
Viendo las imágenes de la situación en el país, lo que está viviendo Colombia no es una ola invernal sino una ola infernal…
Darwin José Cuesta (@pecesito_03) calls for help in his tweet [es]:
Critica la situación por ola invernal en Colombia, y las ayudas nada que llegan en la mayoría de zonas afectadas del país.
Finally, José Antonio Daza (@joseplazagarcia) warns [es]:
Las Inundaciones y derrumbes por El Invierno en Colombia eran Tragedias Anunciadas…Y para Variar no se hizo nada para prevenirlas…
Photo taken in a neighborhood of the upper area of  the north-east district of Medellín, Antioquia. A house in danger by a landslide. Image: Lully

author: Lully


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Cuba: Reflection on the Communist Party Congress · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger and journalist Elaine Díaz reflects [es]on the VI Congress of the Communist Party: “[…] The future Cuba should be built ‘by all and for the good of all’ from a horizontal and open relationship between the historical avant-garde that made possible the 1959 triumph and the new generation of young people with no representation in the new Bureau of the Political Party Central Committee.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: Silvio and Pablo · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

In Juan sin nada [es], Juan Orlando Pérez analyzes the state of affairs in Cuba through the politics of famous nueva trova musicians and composers Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés.


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Egypt: Graffiti – For a Colorful Revolution and an Undying Memory · Global Voices
Nermeen Edrees

From the early days of the Egyptian revolution, protesters adopted their ancestors way of documenting the glorious days, documenting the days of the revolutions on the walls of Tahrir Square in central Cairo, the epicentre of demonstrations.  In turn, the graffiti frenzy flourished across the walls of Cairo.
In his blog El Aam Tonsy relates the phenomenon to the Pharaohs’ drawings found on the walls of temples:
كعادة المصري من قديم الأزل هي تسجيل الأحداث على الحائط
Like the Pharaohs from a long tine ago, Egyptians are accustomed to document their events on  walls
The rise of graffiti continued even after the regime stepped down.  Artists took it to a different level, and thought that murals could be a way to commemorate the revolution's martyrs.
Ganzeer demonstrates the amazing work exerted in completing Tarek Abdel Latif's mural located in Zamalek:
The noble initiative continued, to include tributes to different martyrs across the districts of Egypt. Alas, one morning Ganzeer woke up to find that one of the Martyr's murals has been removed.
He wrote:
@ganzeer #martyr islam raafat's #mural in midan Falaky has been removed #streetart #postjan25 #Cairo #egypt
It has been said that the mural has been removed by government authorities. However, the move was greatly disdained:
“@PrinceofRazors: The dead have faces, names, histories. Erasing their memorials is another act of violence &control.
Ganzeer called for a quick reaction represented in Mad Graffiti Weekend #madgraffitiweekend.  The idea is dedicating a weekend (2 days) of hardcore Graffiti across the city of Cairo to enforce the fact that Art as a free expression that shouldn't be wiped out or eradicated.
He called for a preliminary meeting on Friday 29th to gear up for the Mad Graffiti Weekend.  The goals of the meeting are:
1- Ensuring that the streets of Egypt belong to the people of Egypt.
2- Planning workable themes for Egyptian streets given the current circumstances.
3- Planning locations.
4- Creating work-groups
The invitation to take part has not been only extended to artists but also to bloggers, and photographers as well as anyone who can help promote the fact the those who claimed their country's freedom shouldn't be denied the right of the freedom of expression.

author: Nermeen Edrees


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Execution Tunnels in North Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

There are strong claims that tunnels in North Korea have been adapted for mass-executions of political prisoners if the regime ever be threatened, according to local reports. Alec Macph shared links to North Korea's human rights violation cases in the Harry's Place blog
.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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India: 3G Mobile Technology And Rural India · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anonna Dutt at YouthKiAwaaz writes how 3G can change the face of rural India.

author: Rezwan


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Nepal: No Country For Old Men · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nepali blogger opines that Nepali youth should come forward and take the charge of the Nepali politics rather than depending on the failing old leaders. There is actually a movement in Facebook against the old politicians called Retire the Netas.


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North Korea: Rumors and Superstitions Surrounding Former US President Carter · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Former US President Carter visited the North Korea to resolve the country's nuclear issues, but failed to meet North Korea's reclusive leader, Kim Jong-il. A North Korean insider report, Open Radio for North Korea wrote
about superstitions surrounding Carter and how he gained “an inauspicious individual” status in the North.


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Pakistan: We Serve Better Food At Our Weddings · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakistani blogger Tazeen comments on the UK Royal Wedding: “If I am not wrong, our weddings are better than any royal affair. We serve better food to our people.”


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Puerto Rico: Puerto Rican Rock Music · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The Latin American music blog Club Fonograma [es] reviews the amazing music of Puerto Rican alternative rock bands Balún and Dávila 666.