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Egypt: El Baradei – Protesters’ Friend or Foe? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
Egyptian opposition figure Dr Mohamed El Baradei paid a short visit to thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters, camped at Tahrir Square in Cairo, a few minutes ago.
Following is the buzz the visit generated:
@Mme_Bavarde RT @sharifkouddous: Baradei seen as  non-corrupt, is respected. But he lived away too long, didn't join  earlier protests & this revolt was done w/o his help
@sharifkouddous People handing out bread to each other. Sitting  and chanting. Waiting for Baradei. #Egypt
@mikeedwards606 RT @parvezsharma: SO TRUE! @gharbeia Tahrir sq #Baradei isn't  addressing people but journalists while most people are praying in a  different direction #Jan25
@tameryaza the nightmare of #Mubarak , Mohamad  El-Baradei joined demonstrators this evening in the “Liberation square”  … #egypt #tunisia #turkey #usa
@sultanalqassemi: El Baradei arrives in Meydan Tahrir. Page grab Al Arabiya http://yfrog.com/h81yiyj http://yfrog.com/gznmqtzj
@Dima_Khatib Al Baradei is reported to be already leaving  Tahrir Square, or may have already left..  his point is? A cordial  visit? #egypt #cairo #jan25
@whisper1111 RT @jeremyscahill: Whoa RT @sharifkouddous People saying Baradei  fainted or something and went home. People standing up and leaving  disappointed. #Egypt
@FromJoanne RT @parvezsharma: Before I take a break.  Ponder this pls. #Baradei is always  more interested in talking w/Western journos not people of #Egypt #Jan25
@Nashmiyya RT  @lo2lu2a: #Baradei 2  protesters: “We r in an new era”  “What we have begun can't turn back”.  Is he hijacking it & appointing himself as leader? #egypt
@ShugsssRT @IAmTheStarchild: @shugsss Baradei is a clown trying to jack  the revolution. That's all that needs to be known. ;)
@NooRSR RT @mzaher: btw,  El Baradei has an official  twitter account @elbaradei. #justsaying #Egypt #Jan25
@SocialistViews El-Baradei's history is of a moderate who's been  against direct confrontation with the #Mubarak regime http://socwrk.org/9333 #p2 #jan25
@EvilLolly: Its just my opinion lol, but i have doubts about  Baradei The question everyone shd be asking is what has he done to  deserve to lead?!
@0ssarian42 RT @syrianews: Baradei is a gift to  mubarak-he's dividing opposition RT @Sandmonkey:  left protest shortly after baradei joined, thousands still there
@ruwaisreviews RT @EhabZ: Once the Pharaoh falls, El-Baradei  should serve as a temporary interim leader, and give way to elections  in the very near future.
@oasanchez RT @democracynow: RT @sharifkouddous:  Some want Baradei to be in type of transitional gov't. Feelings are  mixed.
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.


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Egypt: Military Jets Fly Over Protestors as US Policy Questioned · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

As thousands of protesters continued to chant anti-Mubark slogans in Tahrir Square, Cairo, with military jets flying overhead, criticisms started pouring on over the lack of a definitive stance for the US administration with regards to Egypt.
Netizens watched with disbelief as the courageous crowds’ chants got louder, drowning the deafening noise of jets, while keeping a close eye on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's TV interviews.
Here's the snapshot from Twitter in the last few minutes:
@netfreedom: Live updates from @hrw staff @hebamorayef – at Tahrir Square- Helicopters gunships and fighter jets flying over tahrir #Egypt #jan25
@MohammedHamad: At least do that cool smoke thing to entertain those below you who don't quite care about their aviation skills. #fighterjets #jan25
@Jew4palestine: How brave are these Egyptians f-15 flying by have u ever heard a f-15 its scarier then shit this is history folks
@yslaise: The shouts of “الشعب يريد إسقط النظام” [“The people want to bring down the regime!”] is louder than any helicopter or jet fighter #Jan25 Incredible scenes in Tahrir Sq.
@draddee Extraordinary scenes of crowds unmoved by the jet fighters as the fly low over tahrir sq. If you're not watching AJE yet, do it NOW! #Jan25
@Brian_Whit: More planes flying over square. Amazing scenes on al-Jazeera #jan25
@sharifkouddous Tahrir is packed. Crowd has swelled. Jets keep passing overhead. Mood is celebratory. Chanting for Mubarak to get out. #Egypt
@dancefromiraq: The jets flying over our heads are getting lower. #jan25
@draddee: AJE correspondents reporting 15 tanks behind Tahrir Sq. #jan25
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State's support for Egypt is drawing criticism:
@sheymab: #scary #loud&clear RT @hilalchouman Hilary clinton: “We don't want the change in #Egypt regime becuase it doesn't lead to democracy” #jan25
@im_PULSE: Hillay Clinton stands by Mubarak. (So do Gaddafi, Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, Cameron, Sarkozy and Merkel.) Never forget. #jan25 #egypt
MBgrynk RT @Dima_Khatib Clinton: we don't want another 30yrs to reach democracy in #Egypt. Egyptian people are only one who decides if #Mubarak stays or not #jan25
@TysonsThinking: Clinton evades the question of US giving #Mubarak asylum if he steps down. That seems like an answer to me.
ebbitt: RT @mikeallen Secretary Clinton, to Christiane on “This Week”: “I understand the pent-up desires and the legitimate grievances of the Egyptian people”
@gabrielefarinel: Secretary Clinton: U.S. Doesn't Want To ‘Send Any Message’ About Mubarak: “We do not want to send any message abou… http://n.pr/eKEcP8
@get_enlightened Clinton and Obama are afraid to call for true regime change in Egypt. Pathetic, coming from the supposed leading democracy. #egypt #jan25
@MediaActivist: Clinton who referred to #Mubarak as a “friend” is, with Biden and even Obama, backing off from a sinking ship now! @Shoruk_K #Jan25
@JacobMBarela:  Clinton, jets, no backing down – so much is happening! #Egypt #Jan25
Stay tuned for more coverage from Egypt.
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: Sixth Day of Uprising Tweeted · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
The Egyptian protesters have been defying the night curfew on Sunday, as they continued demonstrating against the 30 year-old rule of Muhammed Hosni Mubarak. In a dramatic day that saw the closure by the Egyptian government of the Al Jazeera TV network's bureau in Cairo, the rapidly changing situation on the ground was largely relayed by social media networks on the Internet, especially on the micro-blogging platform Twitter.
For the sixth day in a row, and in a stark defiance to threatening messages beaming out of state TV, warning that any violation of the night curfew would be met with “severe punishment,” marchers gathered in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in central Cairo. The sequence of events was followed minute by minute by tweeters on the ground.
As the first demonstrators started pouring in toward the main Square, Lyse Doucet (@bbclysedoucet) notes:
army now checking everyone entering Tahrir Square ..long queues forming..very orderly.. #Jan25 #Egypt
Tom Trewinnard (@Tom_El_Rumi) confirms:
Army stopping people entering Tahrir from Qasr el Nil and Qasr el Aini, they weren't doing this yesterday. #jan25 #incaironow
With the start of the night curfew approaching, people noted the massive deployment of the army in downtown Cairo. The Police was nowhere to be seen as Evan Hill (@evanchill) tweets:
Some notes on what I've seen so far: Absolutely no police presence on the streets. Army is out in downtown Cairo, so far nonviolent. #jan25
@monasosh confirms:
Call from friend in tahrir square,Army is now blocking all entrances to it gradually gaining more power 2 control in/out flow of ppl #Jan25
The troops deployment is intimidating according to Jonathan Rugman (@jrug) who tweets:
Several APCs mounted with machine guns now. People debating whether to continue uprising or not. #c4news
Minutes after the midday prayer, tweeps started describing huge gatherings gradually forming in different spots in the capital. Protesters didn't seem to be impressed by the troops deployment as Wael Abbas (@waelabbas) writes:
It was only a matter of hours before protesters reoccupied the central square of the capital. @jrug again tweets:
Demonstrators are back in Freedom Square – say they won't stop until Mubarak goes. A few hundred pausing for prayer. #c4news
Amr El Beleidy (@beleidy) hopes the military will not stand in the way of demonstrators. He re-tweets:
I hope you win your bet RT @mand0z: I have my money on Military neutrality today as well. #Jan25
Yassin (@abususu) is within protesters. He tweets:
had amazing encounters w protesters, spirits still high, at least in cairo central. #egypt #jan25
Protesters kept coming despite rumors of looting and chaos across the city. Sarah El Sirgany (@Ssirgany) tweets:
One of DNE's[Daily News Egypt] trusted commentators suggested govt is spreading news of chaos so protesters focus on their safety and leave streets.
She adds:
The idea is for protests to lose momentum as people leave to protect homes. #jan25
Later Sarah tweets:
The feeling at the office is that the worst is yet to come in terms of govt response to protesters. #jan25 #egypt #mubarak
But protesters remain confident. Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) tweets:
Thousands of protesters at #Tahrir Square still empowered, confident & remain defiant in demands and chants #egypt #jan25 (viaphone)
Hossam Hamalawy (@3arabawy) tweets:
The curfew the army imposed is meaningless. We break it every night by continuing our protests in Tahrir.
Roberto (@mrdalloway85) can see Tahrir Square from afar. He tweets:
Tahrir square at 1:25 pm crowds gathering alledgedly for a funeral. Hearing some chanting #Jan25 #Cairo #25Jan http://twitpic.com/3utxon
He takes this picture:
Picture by mrdalloway85 posted in TwitPic
This time around people from all walks of life join the demonstration. Wael Abbas (@waelabbas) tweets:
عاجل : مئات القضاة يعلنون الانضمام لمظاهرة التحرير
Minutes prior to the start of the curfew, the atmosphere is tense. Ben Wedeman (@bencnn ) tweets:
Cairo tense as curfew approaches. Begins in 25 min. Men, boys on almost every corner with sticks and knives. Looters beware. #Jan25 #Egypt
Then Mubarak sent out his helicopters and fighter jets in an attempt the scare protesters off the Liberation Square.
Amr El Beleidy (@beleidy) tweets:
Helicopters are all over the place circling the sky #Jan25 Egypt
Later he writes:
I am back online! I am seeing and hearing fighter jets circling the sky, the sound is scary #Jan25 Egypt
Lyse Doucet tweets:
fighter jets just screamed by . #Jan25 #egypt
Evan Hill tweets:
Jets just did another fly-by, even lower and louder. Sending a nice signal there. #jan25
Tom Trewinnard tweets:
Fighter planes flying repeatedly over Tahrir, deafening noise #jan25 #incaironow
Ayman Mohyeldin tweets:
2 #egyptian airforce fighter planes currently flying above crowds at #Tahrir Square, defiant chants and roars from protesters #jan25 (phone)
Dan Nolan (@nolanjazeera) tweets:
One man points to jets & tells me “is Hosni crazy, is he going to bomb us?” #Egypt
Lara Setrakian (@LaraABCNews) tweets:
Fighter jets were joined by helicopters, which flew so low they were below my 8th storey window and swooped over Tahrir Square #Jan25
But the spirit among the protesters remains high, as Amr El Beleidy (@beleidy) tweets:
Tahrir Square is happening! People are gathering there, morale is high, army is friendly and letting people in #Jan25 Egypt
Sharif Kouddous (@sharifkouddous) agrees:
While lack of security is cause for concern, it's leading to more solidarity among the people & increasing hatred for regime #Egypt
Noha Atef (@NohaAtef) tweets:
#OnlyinEgypt People laugh & make fun of the dictator even if he send military jets to fly over their heads n Tahrir :D (via @alaa ) #jan25
Protesters camped in the square. As the night falls Noha Atef describes the scene:
Now Muslims protesters r praying in Tahrir SQ, while Christians r protecting them, you can hear ‘Ameen’ very loudly! #jan25 #Egypt
Three hours into the curfew, Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and retired diplomat, joins protesters in Tahrir Square. Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) writes:
#ElBaradei has arrived at Tahrir Square, huge crowd gathers around him #egypt #jan25 (via phone)
Amr El Beleidy writes:
@tarekshalaby: ElBaradei cannot be heard as there is no mic, but priority for proximity is given to journalists #Jan25 Egypt
Late in the night Ayman Mohyeldin writes:
#egypt number of protesters dwindling down at Tahrir Square but atmosphere of defiance not waning #jan25
#egypt remaining protesters at Tahrir Square huddle around campfires chatting and getting to know each other #jan25
But there is still cause for caution as the night deepens. It's around midnight in Cairo. Evan Hill (@evanchill) tweets:
Atmosphere is tense [In Tahrir Square]. Army keeping people more confined. Some gunshots nearby. #jan25
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Egypt: Solidarity Pours in from Around the World (Videos) · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
On Saturday, in different cities around the world, people demonstrated in solidarity with the Egyptian protesters. This is a roundup of some of the videos of the marches posted online.
Demonstrators gathered in front of the Egyptian embassy in London. In this video, posted by sternchenproductions, Waseem Wagdi, a marcher, has something to say to his people back in Egypt:
More marchers in the streets of London in this video posted by essamcs:
From Beirut this video by Pomegran8mm:
In Denmark, marchers braved the freezing weather and marched in the streets of Copenhagen (video by adamskamel):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuKrDRnLbtk
From Toronto, Canada, this video by HiMYSYeD:
From Munich, Stockholm, Dublin, Washington DC, London, Cincinnati, Berlin, The Hague, this video compilation posted by ilknur1988:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjoVR3gYS4I
This video by ryanharrytorok shows Egyptian-Americans  in Westwood, Los Angeles:
From Boston this video by mmoselhy1607:
In Seattle, this video from Princessofegy:
From Melbourne, Australia, this video by EmanMorrison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XlZh3instE
From Portland in the USA, this video filmed by zebra334:
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.


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Egypt: The World is Watching  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
As Egyptian demonstrators take to the streets for the sixth day in a row,  netizens continue to pull all the stops to keep the world informed of what is happening on the ground. Here's a snapshot of reactions from Twitter this morning, compiled by Jordanian Nadine Toukan.
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.


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Egypt: Trouble for Mubarak as Protests Continue · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
Mass protests are continuing for the sixth day in a row. Despite attempts at a total news blackout, against both citizen and mainstream media, news from Egypt continues to dominate the scene.
Egypt just shut down Al Jazeera's Cairo bureau, after switching off the Internet on January 27. Still news continues to flow about demonstrations across the county, from Cairo and Alexandria. More trouble is also in store for Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak as journalists from government-backed papers change sides.
Mubarak, 83, has been in power for 30 years – and the demands of the thousands of protesters over the past few days is for him to step down.
Scenes from the Tahrir Square protest in downtown Cairo follow:
@Hisham_G: RT @beleidy: Tahrir Square is happening! People are gathering there, morale is high, army is friendly and letting people in #Jan25 Egypt
@alaa: ♻ @hananegypt: Cressida speaking to K: ‘amazing amotsphere. Everyone is helping and volunteering. The solidarity is beautiful’ #Egypt #Jan25y
@Hisham_G: RT @beleidy: Helicopters are all over the place circling the sky #Jan25 Egypt
@hilalchouman: RT @monaeltahawy: thousands of #Egyptians pouring into #Tahrir Square in Cairo will achieve what Tahrir means in Arabic: Liberation! #Jan25
Hassan Al Mustafa from Saudi Arabia adds:
محمد سليم العوا: أكثر من 150 ألف متواجدون حاليا في ميدان التحرير
من مظاهرات التحرير الآن: أمامك 80 مليون شهيد لتبقى زعيم الطغاة
Protests are also being reported in Alexandria:
@draddee AlJazeera: The number of protesters in Alexandria is at record levels. In Tahrir the numbers are increasing, the military's passive. #jan25
And there seems to be more trouble brewing for the Mubarak regimes, with journalists affiliated to wide-circulated newspapers speaking out:
@marcynewman Some of Al-Ahram, state controlled newspaper, journalists have signed a petition calling Mubarak to resign #Egypt #Cairo #Jan25 via @alaa
@nadinetoukan: #Jan25 “@sharifkouddous While lack of security is cause 4concern, leading 2more solidarity among people & increasing hatred 4regime #Egypt
@draddee: Karim Yehia of the AlAhram newspaper just called Mubarak a dictator, a murderer and a butcher on Aljazeera Arabic. #jan25
And support continues to pour in from all over the world:
@alaa ♻ @AfriNomad: You can take #AlJazeera out of Tahrir (Liberation) Square but can't take Tahrir Square out of Aljazeera. They're back! #Jan25
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.


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Egypt: “We are No Longer Afraid”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
It's past midnight in Cairo, Egypt, where anti-Mubarak demonstrations continued for the sixth day.  As the protests grow stronger, so does the will of the people to oust president Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 30 years.
On Twitter, @shaistaAziz writes: “We've been afraid for 30 years – we are no longer afraid” and at the Cairo demonstration in Tahrir Square, a protester carries a placard with a simple solution: “Mubarak, You go away. I go home. The End.”
The demonstrations started on January 25 and were coordinated following a call on Facebook, by the We are all Khaled Saeed group. The group is named after Khaled Saeed, a young man from Alexandria murdered at the hands of police. His death, last June, caused widespread demonstrations and rage against police torture and the ‘use of Emergency Law to terrorise citizens.”
A Simple Solution posted on Twitpic by Arabist
Here are the latest tweets from and about Egypt as the clock struck midnight:
@jonjensen: U.S. Embassy Cairo: State Dept. to begin evacuation flights for Americans living in Egypt starting 1/31 http://bit.ly/e4Al6h #Mubarak
@alaa: ♻ @mohamed: ‘No to Suleiman, no to Shafik’ Egyptians tell our correspondent in Cairo: http://bit.ly/eDS0Ze #egypt
dkagis: RT @monasosh I don't know why did we have police in the 1st place.We seem to be taking good care of each other,organizing traffic,cleaning streets #Jan25
AdamAlwaysA1: RT @Jan25voices BBC: Gun fire in Tahrir Square… Army arrested some of them and are claiming they are from secret police #jan25 #jan28 #egypt
@roblugg: RT @bencnn In last 5 days haven't seen any major expressions of political Islam. It's not there, armchair “terrorism” experts. Move on. #Jan25 #Egypt
@macierzynski: RT @bencnnMubarak government makes me feel 15 years younger: when there was no internet, no cell phones, no blackberry (in Egypt). #Jan25 #Egypt
@egyptianbrit: RT @shaistaAziz “We've been afraid for 30 years – we are no longer afraid, we are not afraid of the curfew.” Protestor in Cairo #Jan25 #Egypt #Mubarak
@GabyVerdier: RT @dancefromiraq: Despite gunfire around Tahrir sq. Protestors repeatedly confirm their determination to stay. #jan25
@arabmny84: anybody know if the archives and national library were looted??? #egypt #jan25 @arabist @alaa @manal
@pasupatidasi: RT @AymanM #egypt number of protesters dwindling down at Tahrir Square but atmosphere of defiance not waning #jan25
@nicoladiaz: RT @abusamra23 #jan25 #egypt Friends walking back from tahrir direction zamalek, all peacefull, just too many ppl checkpoints…Salut to all our brave guys
We are no longer afraid
@sate3: RT @yasminhamidi: RT @arabist: http://twitpic.com/3uxnbi A protestor explains the situation in #Egypt in simple terms
Stay tuned for more coverage from Egypt.
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.


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Liberia: Improving Liberian Education · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jenny discusses the works of Concern Liberia, which involve constructing classrooms, separate toilets for boys and girls, providing furniture, textbooks and other essential learning items like blackboards, pencils and copybooks.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Malawi: Meet Malawi’s studio wizard · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Gregory Gondwe writes about Malawi's studio wizard: “Tapiwa Bandawe is a producer who can lionise a musician none of us have ever heard of and how he does this is a subject of conjecture.”


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Maldives: In Solidarity with Egypt · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
The ongoing protests in Egypt have ‘electrified’ netziens in the Maldives. The fascination with the current phenomenon in Egypt transcends all geographical borders but in the Maldives there is a special significance as it brings back flashbacks of pro-democracy protests held only a few years ago to bring democracy to the Indian Ocean island nation.
Blogger Yaamyn writes:
I'm electrified by Tunisia and Egypt (and Yemen, Jordan and Algeria).
My faith  that no matter how bleak and hopeless things seem, people can change their own plight and chart their own destiny, is once again reaffirmed.
Expired. Image from http://maldivesvotes.com/egypt/
Hilath urges President Nasheed of Maldives to say some words of encouragement to Egyptian protesters:
Perhaps it is the right time for President Nasheed himself to “put in a good word” so that our brothers and sisters in Egypt will not slaughter each other to the “last man standing”, and instead, like the Maldives, whom they must have read about in their “international news” section of their national newspapers, will be encouraged to come to the realization that they too can — can make a peaceful transition to real democracy and not the kind of fake democracy that Maumoon and Hosni Mubarak have been projecting for almost 30 years.
Mubarak needs to step down immediately and peacefully. 29 years is more than enough!
This is Egyptian President Mubarak’s 30th year in power and Maldivians are drawing parallels between Mubarak’s rule and the 30-year-old dictatorship in Maldives that ended in 2008.
Firax tweets:
One Just Can't Help But Draw the Parallels Between the Events Unfolding in #Egypt & the End of the Heavy Handed 30 Year Rule of #Maldives
AdduHaanee says:
30 is the magic number. That's when we face mid-life crisis. That's when dictators meet with their crises #Egypt #Maldives
Mashafeeg tweets:
Enough is enough, 29 years is more than enough #Egypt
29 years is more than enough. Image from http://www.maldivesvotes.com/egypt
Firaxadds:
MUBARAK: I'm the Father of Democracy, I Only Let Them Protest http://t.co/ejCmd1N Sound Familiar??? #egypt #maldives #jan25
MaldivesVotes.com, a website which posted several images campaigning for democracy in the run up to the presidential election of Maldives in 2008, has created a special page for Egypt. It has posted images of posters, wallpapers, and display pictures that can be used to show solidarity with the protesters in Egypt.
There is hope beyond barbed wires. Image from http://www.maldivesvotes.com/egypt/
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

author: Saffah Faroog


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Maldives to Egypt: Can a Revolution be Censored? · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
When the Egyptian government decided to go for a total Internet shutdown of the country to curb the growing anti-government protests, people in the Maldives were reminded of 13 August 2004 when the government of Maldives blocked Internet in the country following a massive pro-democracy demonstration. The government of Maldives cracked down on protesters, shutdown the Internet completely across the country, imposed a state of emergency, and hoped news of events in the Maldives would not reach the rest of the world.
As global academia and the media debate the extent of the influence of Twitter and other social media tools in shaping pro-democracy revolutions across the world, nervous governments in repressive countries would make more efforts to keep citizens silent through censorship. The revolution in Tunisia has inspired democracy activists in the Middle East, and now more repressive regimes are already trying to block the spread of dissent through Internet. There are unconfirmed tweets about Internet being blocked in Syria as protests rock Egypt.
Jawazsafar tweets:
wait, what? Syria block internet services? please denounce this this #Jan25 #Syria
A popular tweet which has being retweeted for the past couple of days is about the Egyptian government’s approach to censorship.
Anon_VV tweets:
Everything ██is█████ ████ ████fine ███ █ ████ love. ████ █████ the ███ Egypt ███ ████ government ██ #jan25 #Egypt #censorship
In the Maldives, the government started censoring critical websites as early as 1998, just two years after Internet was introduced to the country in 1996. The democracy activists had to play a game of cat and mouse with the government censors for a decade until a democracy was established after a peaceful election in 2008. The activists always found some loophole in the censorship net cast by the government. Sometimes using proxies and changing the port through which the http requests were made was the solution. At times it was just the innovative use of adding an additional dot after the .com, .net or whatever domain suffix being used. If and when the government applied filters at DNS level, IP addresses of blocked websites were used to evade the censors.
In the case of Egypt, social media users were quick to spot such loopholes. The government blocked Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools at DNS level. People were quick to point out the websites could be accessed through the IP addresses.
The Egyptian government’s decision to go for a complete Internet blackout made things complicated. Egypt is a country that relies on Internet for its economy and when the Internet was shutdown it raised a very important question. How can social media fuel a revolution when the Internet is blocked? How can you tweet a revolution when there is a complete Internet blackout?
In the case of Egypt the past hours showed that the government was unable to prevent Internet and social media from spreading news about the street protests. People in other countries communicated with protesters in Egypt through mobile phones and landlines and updated the news through Twitter and blogs.
Nico Diaz informs:
Send SMS reports to +1 949 209 7559 and they will retweet for you. Please spread to those in #Egypt #internet
In the wake of the Internet blackout in Egypt, the importance of low-tech methods and old technology has got increased attention. People are discussing whether ham radio could be a viable method of communication when faced with an Internet shutdown.
Security4all advises:
So people don't throw away those old modems just yet… Or get a ham radio! ;-)
Telecomix tweets:
#hamradio #morsecode from #Egypt: “[today] marks a great day [for] egypt”; ~00:30 UTC 7078.70 kHz, full msg here: ur1.ca/31l54 #hamr #cw
Several blog posts discuss how to deal with a complete Internet blackout and advise to go for old technology such as dial-up. Twitter is buzzing with tweets about dial-up accounts set up in other countries for Egyptians to access.
Habib Haddad tweets:
Telecomix now offering dial-up internet to egyptians +46850009990. user/pass: telecomix/telecomix #Egypt #Jan25 @telecomix
Nico Diaz adds:
VPN Server http://texnomic.com/url/2L is now stable and open for FREE to ALL #egypt #internet
Jacob Appelbaum tweets:
Egypt can use this number for dial up: +33172890150 (login ‘toto’ password ‘toto’) – thanks to a French ISP (FDN) #egypt #jan25
Martin Bogomolni reports:
#BBS usage in Egypt is exploding. Downloads of good old 1980's BBS software are jumping up… who ever said the BBS was dead?
Egypt/Main Page is a wiki with links to various resources that can be helpful in evading the censorship.
The general feeling among netizens is that a government can stop the whole Internet but it can’t stop a revolution when all the ingredients are in place.
Mark tweets:
Having no Internet did not stop the French Revolution, or the Russian Revolution or any other revolution for that matter
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.


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Palestine: Netizens React to First Batch of Palestine Papers · Global Voices
Shaden Abdulrahman

This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.
Picture from Mahmoud Omar's post.
On the 23rd of January, 2011, Al Jazeera revealed its first WikiLeaks-like project in the Middle East: The Palestine Papers. Along with it, the station has launched Al Jazeera Transparency Unit, a collaborative media outlet where people can submit all forms of content for online broadcast on its Arabic and English channels. Here's a roundup on netizens’ reactions from Palestinian and pro-Palestine blogs to the first batch of 1600 documents.
On 7iber, Chair of the Palestine Legal Aid Fund, Mary Nazzal-Batayneh said:
… one is further consoled by the knowledge that any steps that could have been taken by the ‘negotiators’ would never exhaust Palestinian rights in international law. Nothing can trump any rights embedded in international law, including the rights of Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian right to all occupied land including Occupied East Jerusalem.
On the other hand, Annie, a pro-Palestine blogger thinks Israel has succeeded in turning us against ourselves. Quoting Joharah Baker:
“If anything is to be learned from the now infamous Palestine Papers it is that Israel is succeeding brilliantly in its grand plan of turning us against ourselves. We see no rebuttal from Israeli leaders to the information from the leaked documents.”
Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad seems to agree (Ar):
و اما التعصب السياسي فأخذ يظهر تأثيره على معظم من عبر عن اراءه سواء كان مدافعا ام مهاجما ام معارضا…و اقتصر التعبير عن الرأي من خلال الانترنت و الفيسبوك و محتوى التعبير كان اما شتم و تخوين او دعم بدون تفكير في معظم الاوقات
Guest blogger on KABOBfest offers a good analysis but concludes that it's Business as Usual:
As of yet, we have yet to see anything extraordinary, within Palestine anyway, come about as a result of the Palestine Papers.
Mahmoud Omar sounds upset about the image of Palestinians. He says (in a rather cynical way) (Ar):
ستستمر الجزيرة، لأنها قناة اعلامية تؤمن بالرأي والرأي والآخر، أو لأنها جزء من سياسة قطر المرتبطة بشكل مشبوه باسرائيل، أو لأنها تريد البحث عن خبطة صحفية، أنا لا يهمني كثيرًا سبب استمرار الجزيرة في نشر 1600 وثيقة ومحضر اجتماعات سرية للمفاوضات بين السلطة واسرائيل، أنا يهمّني وثائق، أرقام، خرائط، مضمون، يهمّني أن أعرف عن أيّ سلام يتحدثون، عن أيّ قدس، وعن أيّ عودة، أنا يهمّني المضمون؛ فلسطيني ؟ نعم، ولكن، عن أيّ فلسطين !
This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.

author: Shaden Abdulrahman


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Philippines: SIM cards – to register or not to register? · Global Voices
Julius Rocas

Some pundits have suggested that the recent bombing of a passenger bus in Makati City in the Philippines was designed to distract the public and government from its focused clamp down on car theft syndicates, whom for weeks now have been feeling the pressure from law enforcement agencies.
Sim Card by PublicPhoto.org via Flickr (public domain)
Whether it's true or not, its desired effect has been achieved as the public and legislators are now debating an issue that sprang from the fact that the bomb was set off using a mobile phone.
That is the proposed registration of pre-paid subscriber identity module or SIM cards through House Bill 3940. The measure is currently backed by Zambales rep. Mitos Magsaysay, Bagong Henerasyon Party-List rep. Behnadette Herrera and Isabela  Rep. Giorggidi Aggabao which in turn was filed in the 15th Congress by Cagayan de Oro Rep, Rufus Rodriguez.
The proposal isn't something new. It was first debated upon back when it first introduced during the 13th Congress but has never passed the committee level.
It's long-time proponent, former Congressman Ruffy Biazon provides for a summarized rationale for the proposed SIM card registration. Francis Tan, writing for the The Next Web Asia, finds merit on the proposal and views it as ‘a step towards progress‘:
While I do believe that SIM card registration will NOT be the country’s magical solution from crime and other acts of terrorism, there are still good reasons to do so. I am for it on the grounds that adopting the new system will allow for responsibility and order to occur. Anonymity gives criminals, abusers, scammers, spammers power. It may not abolish crimes, but it will curb misuse and abuse — just as e-mail is required to use services in the Internet.
Jadestone having survived a smear attack from an anonymous person using pre-paid SIM cards, also welcomes the proposal. On the other hand, there are those who are opposed to the proposal. Prominent blogger, journalist and consumer rights advocate Tonyo Cruz offers a point-per-point attack on the proposal covering the issues of practicality, privacy and cost-effectiveness. Cocoy Dayao joins the opposition warning that registration of SIM cards would create ‘big government’ watching over our shoulders:
SIM card registration is just one of many half-assed measure that creates big government; adds a layer of bureaucracy and could be used to attack civil liberties.  It does very little in fighting transnational crimes, of which both terrorism and cybercrimes really are.  We need to give government the right tools for the right job.  I am against SIM Card registration simply because the cost in energy to do it, outweighs the potential benefits.  Given the limited resources of our government, shouldn’t we expel that energy in ways that would actually solve crime?  SIM Card registration will just be part of the noise, we need to listen to the signal.
Blue Pax reminds us all that indeed, this issue of SIM card registration, simply distracts us from the things that really need our attention.
With the pros and cons of SIM card registration now being thoroughly discussed by the public online and in the media, it is now a waiting game to see where this vigorous debate will lead to.

author: Julius Rocas


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Qatar: Thousands of ticket-holders turned away from Asian Cup final · Global Voices
Shabina Khatri

For most of January, Qatar played the ideal host of the Asian Cup, delighting fans with the perfect mix of football, fireworks and fun.
But the games ended on a sour note Saturday when thousands of fans were reportedly denied entry from Khalifa Stadium to watch the final game between Australia and Japan (Japan won).
Jassim al-Rumaihi, operations director at the tournament, told the Associated Press that the gates were closed five minutes after the match started for security reasons.
But many fans said they showed up early for the match and still couldn't get in.
Online, reports ranged from furious to heartbroken, some going as far as to question Qatar's ability to host the World Cup more than a decade down the road in 2022.
Qatar-based Al Jazeera English sports reporter Andy Richardson, or @AndyR_Sport, said:
Thousands of fans with tickets turned away from #asiancup final. Fans we spoke to said they were given no explanation
He continued:
#Aljazeera camera and disc of footage were taken by police. Camera was eventually returned but disc ‘impounded by internal affairs’
@QueRicco said:
Went to #asiacup with 9 friends. We all had tickets. None of us got in.
@ref_RIJA_rator said:
i was furious!!! we PAID for those tickets shouldn't their priority be the fans??
@78Benjamin
Epic failure @ Khalifa Stadium. Dispatched riot police w/ kids around. Qatar has never been further away from 2022 than last night
On popular social networking site Qatar Living, disappointed ticket holders called on fans to complain to the Asian Football Confederation.
Commenter TT.Boy said:
We all need to highlight the same to Asian Football Confederation that what had happen to Foot Fans in Qatar and ask for refund.
Angry fans also got involved on Facebook, forming a new group called AFC Bump Off on Sunday and attracting some 28 members within five hours of its creation.
The group's description reads, “We waited and waited. we got the tickets and they didnt let us in.”
Not all reacted with indignation. Some quietly accepted last night's disappointment and challenged Qatar to be better.
In the blogosphere, expat Sybil Knox of Qatari Adventures, normally a cheerleader of all things Qatar, said she was too disappointed to say much about Saturday's events. But she added, “I still expect amazing,” borrowing the country's 2022 World Cup bid slogan.
She blogs:
I'm like the mom whose child has done something wrong but can't talk about it because after all, it's my angelic child. The same is happening here. My home away from home, World Cup 2022 hosting country, Qatar, has disappointed me and it hurts. I'm a huge supporter and defender of most all when it comes to this country, so today I fall a bit more silent than usual because I have no answers…
Such a shame, for up until that moment, Qatar had executed a nearly perfect tournament. If one can find the silver lining in all of this, and you know that would be me, Qatar has to have learned a good hard lesson here. You cannot fool the masses. Play the game right and let the chips fall where they may. You have eleven years to work this out, Qatar, so I still Expect Amazing. Don't let me down.

author: Shabina Khatri


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Saudi Arabia: Jeddah Rain .. Again  · Global Voices
Haifa Alrasheed

Treacherous clouds in the Jeddah skies. Photo by Flickr user Ahmad Nawawi, used under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Jeddah has been lashed with rain again bringing back the ill-fated #Jeddahrain hashtag to our Twitterfeeds. Following are reactions from netizens, who poured their wrath on corruption and Jeddah's deteriorating infrastructure.
Reports say that at least 11 people were killed, 100 injured and all schools will remain closed until February 13. Many areas remain flooded, without cell phone reception because of damages to telecommunications towers. The economic losses also continue to mount, due to a loss in revenue from tourism and the overall damage to property and the strain on the infrastructure.
From Twitter:
@hlabeek
السعوديين في ظل الدولة السعودية ليس مسموح لهم إدارة شؤونهم بينما لو كانو احرارلإستطاعوا أن يديرو العالم بأكملة بالحضارة والثروة #JeddahRain
And talking to Jeddah:
@HendFM
#JeddahRain Don't ever let anyone tell you you deserve that .. Don't ever let anyone tell you you deserve that!!
@AlwaleedKahled  addresses the Saudi monarch:
@khalooddy adds:
@Zeerkh tweets:
@DrAbOaD remarks:
More reactions from blogs:
Crossroads Arabia says:
Perhaps it’s time for Saudi Arabia to step back from ‘newer!-faster!-better!-bigger!’ for a while and spend serious money on fixing the infrastructure, not only in Jeddah, but in all major cities.
Khaled, from Khaled Rambles compiled a playlist on youtube that you can find here.
Saudi Jeans adds:
Obviously, none of last year’s lesson has been learned. The situation is beyond disastrous, with many losses in souls and property.
and Ibrahim Alsuhaibani writes about our relationship with rain:
@halmustafa created a hashalbum, under the name Jeddahrain.
Others used social media to rescue those in need:
@Jozeaph
صبي عمره بين ٤ الى ٥ سنوات يبكي ويرفض التحدث شعره بني طوله ٨٤ يرتدي شورت اخضر وتيشيرت ابيض لمن يعرف هويته الإتصال على
0544477105 #jeddahRain
A boy between the ages of 4 and 5 is crying and refusing to speak, brown hair, 84 cm tall, wearing green shorts and a white shirt. Please call 0544477105 if you identified him.
and from one of the rescue pages on Facebook:
مطلوب على وجه السرعة كوادر صحية شباب فقط للنزول الميداني من طب (خامس واكبر) او تمريض ويشترط pls يرجى التوجه الى مركز معارض الحارثي قبل السادسة ٠٥٦٥٤١٨٢١٣
Urgently needed, health care providers from the field of medicine or nursing. Please call if you can help 0565418213
@fofetta_senpai
For Anyone who walked in the floods You HAVE to take Tetanus vaccine Spread the World #JeddahRain
Finally, a blog was created under the name  Jeddah Leaks, to expose those who took responsibility in the corruption, which brings massive destruction every time the skies bring rains.

author: Haifa Alrasheed


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Saudi Arabia: Jeddah’s Youth Come to the Rescue in Floods · Global Voices
Haifa Alrasheed

Following Jeddah's floods at the end of January, the young generation of Saudis used social media websites to help in relief operations by providing aid, shelter, food or transportation to those who got affected by the rain.
Facebook in Need!
On Facebook, more than five pages were created to spread the word and to recruit those who are interested in helping, below are some of these pages.
The page  Jeddah's Rain News and The Governmental Silence [Ar] published maps of the city, highlighting the danger zones.
The National Campaign to Help Save The City of Jeddah is keeping everybody updated by posting videos and photos from the city.
Besides, a database was created to gather information of  all those missing and in need of help. The database is visible to anyone who can provide help. The website also has a Facebook fan page, to gather as many volunteers as possible.
Twitter For Help
Moreover, Jeddah tweeps used their tweets to rescue those in need, or to spread the word under the hashtags #Jeddahrain and #Jeddahhelp.
Jeddah\'s youth trying to take out a body from under the water
@Thamer1 is looking for people with a medical background:
اي شخص لديه خبره طبية سواءً مسعف أو ممرض في إعطاء إبر تيتانوس يعطينا رد #JeddahRain #JeddahHelp
Anyone with medical experience either a doctor or a nurse who can give shots please reply.
@ateedalrai  is advising those with injuries:
#JeddahRain للجرحى من اثار المطر التوجه الى اقرب مستوصف وان صعب الحال الى اقرب صيدليه مع تطهير الجرح وعدم الانتظار .. مطهر كاليود
Those injured in the floods please head to the nearest medical center or pharmacy to get your injuries disinfected.  Don't wait you should do this ASAP. You can use a disinfectant like iodine.
Others used Twitter to call for volunteers:
@ESL4ALL
For those who want to volunteer or report a missing person or help with anything check here http://www.jeddahguide.net/ #jeddahrain
@Hussam_Albugami
نحتاج أطباء وطبيبات متخرجين وممارسين للخدمة الطبية .. عاجل جدا التواجد في مركز الحارثي للمعارض
We need doctors who have experience working in the field ASAP. Be there at Alharthy's center
Also, some tweeps started spreading emergency numbers:
@Azzahraani
#JeddahRain تم تخصيص الرقم المجاني الموحد لاستقبال اتصالات المتبرعين والمتضررين 920001424 ريتويت
Please call the free number 920001424 to volunteer or to get help. Retweet.
@Fainakcom
أرقام طلبات الإغاثة وحالات الطوارئ في الإمارة 6737000 – 6609987 – 6600880 تحويلة 240 – 242 #Jeddah #JeddahRain #JeddahHelp #انشر-تشكر
Emergency numbers for relief and rescue are 6737000 – 6609987 – 6600880, ext 240 – 242 Please spread the word.
A Twitter account was created under the name Jeddah Help @JedHelp to organize the rescue efforts.
Others Comes to Rescue
Moreover, the Jeddah Rain blog was created by i am pro to keep up with the updates from social media websites and mass media.
We Are Still Angry!
Furthermore, the number of angry voices on blogs from all over the kingdom keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Safar Bin Ayyad, who lives in Jeddah, but temporarily in Riyadh, to escape the damages from the rain writes a very outraged post:
لن أستمع لأي قرارات تصدر أو خطط أو تعديل أوضاع … كلام على ورق فقط .!
هناك رؤوس للفساد الإداري, وأبطال في السرقات ونهب المال العام ,لماذا مازالو أحرار ؟
I would not listen to any decisions made or plans or conditions improving … on paper only!
There are heads of administrative corruption and the heroes in thefts and looting of public money, why are they still free?
He also praises the young people of Jeddah:
عندما أرى شبــاب جــدة يعملون وينقذون ويجلبون التبرعات لمركز الحارثي يثلج صدري ذالك .
سقط إعلامنا ,سقطت جهاتنا الحكومية , لكن أنقذنا الله بـ شبابنا وبالشبكات الإجتماعية .
When I see Jeddah's young people working, saving and bring donations for Alharthy center, I am relieved.
Down with our media and our governmental agencies. Allah saved us, thanks to our youth and social media.
Saudi Dream described what happened as nightmare. He writes:
نعم لن ينتهي هذا الكابوس الجاثم على صدورنا..
وكيف ينتهي ولم يدان فاسدٌ واحد من رؤوس الفساد رغم دعم الملك بنفسه (كائناً من كان)؟!
وكيف ينتهي وأغلب الناس لا يدقون أبواب المسؤولين مطالبين بابتكار حلٍّ سحري للمشكلةٍ التي لم يسبق لأحد في العالم أن يجابهها؟!!
No this nightmare won't come to an end..
and how will it ever come to an end if none of the heads of corruption are convicted? Although the King himself is supporting this cause, it is as if nothing is being done.
And how can it end with most people not knocking on doors and demanding from officials magical solution for the problem which has not been confronted ever?!!
Moreover, an online form spread between tweeps, asking those who got affected to fill their information and the degree of damage to seek the truth behind what happened.
As a last word, Khalid from Twitter has a thing to say:
@alfrsani
تبا لكل من جعل مشاهد الموت عادية بالنسبة لنا #JeddahRain
Damn those who made death an ordinary scene for us.


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Sudan: People’s Revolution in the Making? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Following mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt, a group Sudanese activists have chosen January 30, 2011 to be the beginning of peaceful demonstrations to bring down Omar al-Bashir and his government. Omar al-Bashir came to power in 1989 following a bloodless military coup.
The Jan 30 Sudan campaign is calling on all sectors of Sudanese to get out January 30th and demonstrate in the streets of Sudan's most populated cities. There are reports of Sudanese police beat and arrested students in downtown Khartoum.
Here is a roundup of latest tweets using the hashtag #SudanJan30.
@elzubeir advises twitter users to use #SudanJan30 hashtag for consistency:
People tweeting on the protests in #Sudan today, please use the #SudanJan30 hashtag for consistency. #Jan30 may be confused with #Egypt's
@simsimt:
Can't tweet while walking. Numbers so far in tens. Could sum up to 100. Chants are mainly against price increases. #SudanJan30
@Pajama_Girl:
video on #sudan protests now on al-jazeera http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/ #sudanjan30
@cotton_crab:
次はスーダン。Riot police attacked us. Numbers started to build up. Protesters are spreading into smaller groups in internal streets. #SudanJan30
@tololy:
Protests in Sudan! You just can't make this stuff up! #SudanJan30 #ArabProtest #Egypt #JO #Yemen #ArabProtest
@o01tac:
#SudanJan30 Numbers are growing by the min
@elzubeir:
@simsimt: Looks like we need the guys from #Egypt to come teach us a thing or two about organizing a protest. #SudanJan30 #Jan
@kksolanet:
#SudanJan30 RT @ykhogaly: #Sudan #jan30 Thousands of students from WadMadani Ahlia University join the demonstration in #WadMadani
Sudan Protest: Photo Update From the Protest. Photo courtesy of @SudanGuardian
@polgrim
Please follow @simsimt who is on his way to attend a demo for #SudanJan30
@simsimt:
It appears demo is resuming at Jackson's square, middle of Souq Arabi. Unconfirmed reports of clashes. I'm heading there. #SudanJan30
@SudanGuardian:
PHOTO: Sudan Protest Started, Photo Update From the Protest. Please keep hashing to #SudanJan30 http://yfrog.com/gyji42j
@alunmcdonald:
#SudanJan30 Universities seem to be the centre of protests, as usual. Reports of crowds at Omdurman Islamic, Khartoum & Ahlia
@elzubeir wants AlJazeera to go to Sudan:
Hey AlJazeera, if you want to cover demonstrations and need to fill up time while #Egypt cuts you down, come to #Sudan for #SudanJan30
Below is a video from today's demonstration in Khartoum posted by Usamah here.
Finally, Jan30Sudan is a project for mapping the protests for the whole world to see.


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Taiwan: Animal protection “cockroaches” on Facebook · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Boogier warns facebook users to think twice before clicking “like” or “share” button on those pitiful stories and photos of stray dogs and poor dog carers. He criticizes this kind of tactics used to allure people by fake animal protectors-who he'd rather call “cockroaches”, and argues that more dogs are mistreated because of these “cockroaches” are simply using people's sympathy to ask for illegal donation.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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USA: Voices of Support for Egyptian Protesters  · Global Voices
Simon Maghakyan

While the official US response to the protests in Egypt is a desperate hope for stability, lesser televised American voices are supporting the protesters in the land of the pyramids.
Human Rights Now, the blog of Amnesty International USA, has a post by one of its Middle East country specialists, Geoffrey Mock, who sees a specific American connection in the developments:
News that after five days of protests Omar Suleiman has been named vice president of Egypt is a reminder that the abuses that drove the people into the streets there had too much assistance from America, including right here in my home of North Carolina.
According to journalist Stephen Grey, Suleiman was the Egyptian conduit for the US extraordinary rendition flights closely linked to torture.
[…]
I was also reminded of the Johnston County flights when I received reports this week from people in Cairo of the tear gas canisters being used against them.  Made in the USA, the canisters said.
When you are watching the footage of the Egyptian people in the street, showing their frustration of 30 years of tyranny and abuse, it’s safe and appropriate to feel solidarity with them. But it’s not enough. To support the people in Cairo trying to change those abuses, we in the US and in North Carolina must end our own policies and acts that have sustained them.
Demonstrators singing the Egyptian anthem in New York by the United Nations; video by blogger Ahmed Al Omran of Saudi Arabia, aka “Saudi Jeans,” currently a student in New York.
In another post calling for action, Mock lists a number of events organized in the US: “Demonstrations have already been held in San Francisco, New York and DC,” he writes, adding that Amnesty International USA organized a rally outside the Egyptian consulate in Chicago on Saturday, January 29.
A demonstration in Boston in support of Egyptian protests. Photo by Jillian C. York on Flickr (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike)
Rana Rizk, a native of Egypt's capital Cairo, joined her compatriots’ protests from New York. She writes in The Huffington Post:
I have been on the phone with my family in Egypt getting eyewitness reports from what they see out their window, very close to Tahrir square and I am reporting back international news I see online, since the Internet was and still remains cut off. They are completely isolated. I am writing before I go to sleep in New York City in commemoration and thought of all those who were injured today, arrested, or even killed. Of course, Egypt was a black hole today with no light coming out. I am scared to find out what happened to our courageous protesters today.
[…]
Contrary to what I always believed, non-violent demonstration in the Middle East is possible and deserves great respect. Their demands must be answered and encouraged by the international community. And please, I say to the U.S. stop selling tear bombs to the Egyptian government. How can you encourage Mubarak to listen to the pleads of protesters and in the same breathe provide them with ammunition to harm those very same protesters?
Vermont lawyer Jack McCullough worries for the future of Egypt's democracy in his blog Rational Resistance:
I have the feeling I've seen this movie before. A dictator who is largely friendly to the United States and its foreign policy goals is in trouble, shaken by massive street demonstrations.
It's not quite the same as Iran, because in this case the dictator wasn't installed by the United States. Still, things are not looking too stable for Hosni Mubarak.
[…]
It's almost impossible not to identify with the demonstrators in the street, to say, as a friend of mine just observed, we are all Egyptians now.
If you're old enough you remember the same feeling watching the students in Tehran, risking murder by Pahlavi's SAVAK. I sure did. In fact, when I was in law school I had the chance to represent an Iranian student who was arrested on campus at the University of Michigan for wearing a mask at an anti-Pahlavi demonstration.
[…]
Is there any chance that Mubarak can be escorted out without creating and Iranian-style Islamic dictatorship?
Geoffrey Mock, quoted earlier, has a response. “This was a protest that crossed class, ideology and religion, and that is what scares the government.”

author: Simon Maghakyan


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Venezuela: Explosions Rocked the Maracay Night · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Early Sunday morning the city of Maracay was rocked with explosions from 5 CAVIM ammunition warehouses which caught fire. Some are calling it gross negligence while others suggest it might not have been accidental at all.
Cavim or the Venezuelan Anonymous Company of Military Industries states that its mission is to develop commercially all industries related to the making of weapons, ammunition, explosives and other materials or equipment related to the National Defense. Their website at the moment of publication didn't have any information referring to the 4am fire and explosions.
Citizen video managed to capture the pillar of fire and the explosions that shook the city. Balls of light are seen launching from the site and into the surrounding neighborhoods. (Warning: foul language in Spanish.)
On Twitter, user @musamajad wrote:
Que se habran robado en cavim que lo taparon con un incendio? Armas? C4? No me extrañaría
Alex Rivas (@Alex_Rivas18) is worried about negligence:
Basado en lo que vi de Cavim, me gustaría saber donde montaran la planta nuclear en Venezuela, solo para no vivir cerca.
On the Noticiero Digital Forum, readers are coming up with their own theories of what went on. On their thread “What really happened at Cavim” user Halloween writes:
ALGUIEN SE ACUERDA, de la desaparición de municiones de CAVIM?????
Que se armo el saperoco y salieron los babosos del Ministerio de la defensa que iban a llevar a cabo una investigación hasta sus ultimas consecuencias???????
Pues, el incendio ocurre ANTES de la auditoria de municiones sobre ese caso.
ALGUIEN SE ACUERDA, de las armas y municiones que encontraron en manos de la FARC hace tiempooooooooooo y que habían sido compradas por Venezuela y hasta se nombre a SUECIA en la venta de tal armamento??????
ALGUIEN SE ACUERDA de las municiones que uso EL PALESTINO en su vídeo?????
De donde salieron esas municiones VENEZOLANAS??????
Que tragedia este incendio para CAVIM, no????????
DOES SOMEONE REMEMBER the disappearance of ammunition from CAVIM????
That a hubbub arose and the dimwits of the Ministry of Defense said there would be an investigation to get to the bottom of it????
Well, the fire happens BEFORE the audit on ammunition regarding this case.
DOES SOMEONE REMEMBER, the guns and ammunition found in hands of the FARC a loooong time ago which had been purchased by Venezuela and SWEDEN is even mentioned in the sale of that armament???
DOES SOMEONE REMEMBER the ammunition THE PALESTINIAN used in his video??
Where did that VENEZUELAN ammunition come from????
Such a tragic fire for CAVIM, isn't it???
More videos of the explosions:
Jorge Ramos Peralta was at the bleachers at a stadium about 700 meters from the explosion, and after the explosion seen in the video, the 100 people who had been observing the fire all evacuated the stadium running.
La Patilla (The Watermelon) online news source has gathered several images of the explosion's aftermath including shrapnel and ammunition spread in the surrounding areas. Included is this next image of a warhead from a long range explosive which fell close to Kelly Bastardo's (@kellyta9) father's car:
twitpic image by @Kellyta9
More than 10 000 people have been evacuated from the area and are in a shelter receiving psychological assistance as well as food and other necessities. The government has requested [es]  people to notify authorities if they find ammunition that may have been spread by the explosions, and that they will investigate the causes of the fire.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


text:
Africa: Has African Union become a group of jokers? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Mac-Jordan wonders why Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is included in Cote d'Ivoire's mediation?: “Instantly, I become very angry and annoyed at the decision of the African Union in appointing a dictator to mediate in the on-goings in Ivory Coast. Has the African Union become that much of a group of bad jokes? What do the AU understands by mediation? Maybe, they need some clarifications/explanations.”


text:
Africa: This is Africa website · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kajsa discovers This is Africa website: It is a spanking fresh culture site that trumpets “Africa for a new generation!” and sports subheadlines like “city life”, “music” and “art&fashion”.


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Bangladesh: Politics And Dr. Yunus · Global Voices
Rezwan

An Ordinary Citizen wonders  whether there are any political reasons behind the indictments against Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus and asks: “does Dr. Yunus represent the 3rd force in Bangladesh?”

author: Rezwan


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China: Law student almost got arrested for attempt to capture cadre’s privilege moment · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A Beijing University student ran into trouble when trying to take some snapshots of a cadre who enjoyed privilege in the train station. Full story see Olivia from China Hush.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Role in resolving Africa’s conflicts · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Safeworld, a NGO on peace and conflict, published a report on China's glowing role in resolving Africa's conflicts.


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China: The eight most read China blogs · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dan from China Law Blog introduces the eight most read English written China blogs to his readers.


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Comparing Mexico to Egypt · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Rich, in The Mex Files, compares the situation in Egypt with Mexico's past and present. He concludes asking, “what will happen if the Mexicans decide it is time for a giant leap in Mexican power, in which the people of the largest Spanish-speaking nation demand that they be allowed to fulfill their potential?”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Cuba: Arrest & Release #3 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A third arrest and release for Guillermo Fariñas in three days: Uncommon Sense has the details.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: Looking at Egypt · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers speculate that the Egypt protests may set an example for Cubans, issue advice to the Egyptian people and blog about similarities and differences between the two countries, while from Trinidad and Tobago, Globewriter calls social networking “the new human rights weapon”.


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Egypt: On Twitter, the Search for Wael Ghonim · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
On Twitter, friends express concerns for Egyptian blogger and Google Middle East staffer Wael Ghonim, who has been missing since Thursday.  Ghonim, who studied in Cairo and is now Head of Marketing at Google's UAE office, had tweeted his intent to be at the January 25 protests:
Despite all the warnings I got from my relative and friends, I'll be there on #Jan25 protests. Anyone going to be in Gam'et Dewal protest?
Ghonim, who spoke at a recent Al Jazeera forum on Internet freedom, tweeted throughout the demonstrations on January 25.  On the 26th, following the ban on Twitter, he expressed anger at the censors in a tweet that would become a “top tweet”:
A government that is scared from #Facebook and #Twitter should govern a city in Farmville but not a country like #Egypt #Jan25
On the 27th, he asked followers to pray for Egypt, noting his own fear for the day's events.  Since then, his Twitter feed has been silent and friends are concerned that he's gone missing.  At about 4:30 pm Cairo time, @mskayyali tweeted:
Wael Ghonim @ghonim from Google Middle East is missing since Thursday. We need your help to spread the word and help locating him. #egypt
A few hours later, @sokkari tweeted Ghonim's photo, asking readers in Cairo to share it and to look for him.
"Wael @Ghonim is missing since Friday," wrote @sokkari," Pls retweet to help find him."
Habib Haddad, a friend of Ghonim, tweeted for people to take action:
SOS: Still not able to locate @Ghonim! Next step, try asking powerful ppl, Online and Offline, to make calls and help us locate Wael Ghonim
@mzaher also put a call to followers to notify him if Ghonim was spotted:
Wael @Ghonim is missing since Thursday. If you know anything let me or @njarrar know. #Egypt #Jan25 http://twitpic.com/3uy2z5

author: Jillian C. York


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Egypt Protests 2011 in Seoul, South Korea.  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Korean and Egyptian activists held a protest together in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Seoul today. Several local media published articles on today's demonstration which titled ‘
A Protest for Mubarak's Withdrawl and Egyptian's Freedom’. The Financial News posted five photos of the protest(Click the black box below article).

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Guatemala: The Left Unites During Election Year · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Central American Politics reports that leaders from Guatemalan left-leaning parties have met with “representatives from the country's social organizations, unions, and peasant and environmental groups” to try to form a Broad Front for this year's legislative and presidential elections.


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Guinea-Bissau: Ready to face the truth? · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Journalist Helena Ferro de Gouveia, in her blog Domadora de Leões [Lions Tamer, pt] reflects on what could be the impact if Guinea Bissau decides to create a Truth and Reconciliation Comission. She adds that “when the present is not resolved it is not easy to heal the past”.

author: Sara Moreira


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Honduras: New WikiLeaks Cables Reveal US Involvement in Honduran Politics · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“The cables that Wikileaks have been releasing about Honduras, and that in the uproar over Tunisia and Egypt have been ignored by the mainstream media, make the level of US involvement in Honduran politics starkly clear. Very few people care at the moment,” writes Aaron Ortiz in his blog Pensive.


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India: Twitter And Our Lives · Global Voices
Rezwan

“So why exactly do we twitter?” asks Indian blogger Offstumped.


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Iran: “Our friend Mr. ElBaradei” in Egypt · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian bloggers from across the political spectrum continue to share their opinions on uprisings in the Arab world.
Masih, a very dynamic conservative Islamist blogger explains in a very long post why Iran's Hizbollah should not destroy Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed Mustafa ElBaradei or “how not to transform our clear victory into a defeat”. The blogger talks about the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's support for ElBaradei and writes:
He [as director of International Atomic Agency] had good relations on the nuclear issue with Iran's regime and if he comes to power he will continue a friendly relation with the [Iranian] regime and Turkey's Erdogan. I should add that we do not need Egypt to be engaged in war with Israel. What we need is for Egypt to open Rafah‘s borders to make it possible for us [Iran] to send weapons to the Palestinian territories and shake Mahmoud Abbas's power pillars there.
At the end, the blogger says we should not pay attention to the recent activities of the Greens [the opposition] and argues that they are just taking advantage of the current situation in Egypt to alleviate the pain of their defeats.
Bahman Azizi has published several photos from Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 and compares them with some from the current uprising in Egypt – from street fighting to solidarity between protesters and soldiers.
(Egypt's photo is above, and Iran's below, both photos are from the Fars News site).
Azzarmehr says  the Iranian protest movement in 2009 was larger than the Egyptian and Tunisian ones but that the repression is much harder. He says:
Watching the pictures from Tunisia and Egypt, it looks like the crowd sizes in Iran were much larger. None of the protests in Egypt or Tunisia came anywhere near the three million crowd who came to the streets in Tehran, six days after the fraudulent elections in June last year. The repression by the regime in Iran was many times more brutal and savage than that in Tunisia or Egypt however. People in Egypt and Tunisia were not attacked in their homes and pulled from their roof tops for simply chanting Allah Akbar at night. The injured protesters in Tunisia and Egypt were not attacked in hospitals and dragged from their hospital beds. Protesters were not arrested and bused into detention centres like Kahrizak and raped in Tunisia and Egypt like they were in Iran.
In his blog Negahe No, Shahini, an Islamic cleric, compares Hosni Mubarak to Nelson Mandela and writes that Mandela left power when he was very popular and that people pray for him, but that for Mubarak everything is about him. The blogger makes a mistake, thinking Mubarak was democratically elected until now and simply does not want to relinquish power.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iraq: A Salute to the People of Egypt · Global Voices
Salam Adil

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
It is now too late for Hoseni Mubarak simply to leave. He should now be arrested and put into a trail[sic]…
…so says Hammorabi.
Salt purifies.
you see,
am purified,
pure
very pure
always pure,
so pure.
rubbing Salt
on bleeding hearts
on bleeding souls
you are strong
so powerful…
I bow to your power
I surrender
a slave
you, a master
the Salt merchant.
the Lot family
turned into statues of Salt
crystallized Salt
stones of Salt
monuments of Salt.
they looked back
to a past
decreed to be dead
vanquished
they looked back
with longing
they turned to Salt.
I've escaped
ran away
from statues
idols
of Salt.
I did not look back
yet you follow me
rubbing your Salt
into my wounds.
Layla Anwar- 26.1.2011. Nowhere.
In a week where events have been moving so fast that even the web can't keep up I will attempt to gather some initial reactions of the Iraqi blogs knowing this may probably be all irrelevant by tomorrow.
Healing Iraq is cautiously optimistic:
I don't know if Iraqis are watching the developments in Egypt. I'm cautiously optimistic myself, but I also can't help worry that the people's revolution will be stolen again.
Salam Adil (that's me) talks about a great Arab revolution:
I asked my father, a veteran of the 1958 Iraq revolution, what he thought of the events in Egypt. His answer… “this is a world revolution”. I agree. It is more than Egypt, the era of dictators is over.
The Egyptians are famous for their jokes. And Imad Khadduri posts a picture of some typical black humour:
and repeats an interesting conversation between some of his friends:
“Jim is right…only the Americans were stupid enough to think the people of Iraq would accept to be colonised.”
“Also it proves the fallacy that war was necessary to topple Saddam. If the people really want it and are ready, they know what to do.
Jim”
“Salute to the people of Tunisia, Egypt (and Palestine, Jordan, Yemen, etc.)
Salute to the children and grandchildren of Jamal Abdul Nasser. Freedom, liberty, justice, anti-corruption, and dignity are worth the ‘day of reckoning’ for those that do not listen to the will of the people.
The wretched of the earth; the unarmed, poor, and deprived people of Egypt (and the other countries) have finally demonstrated that “give me liberty or give me death” is true today in 2011 as indeed at was for the past 250 years.”
Layla Anwar is reserving her jubilation at the end of Mubarak's reign. She explains:
I've kept fairly silent on the latest wave of protests and “revolutions” that have suddenly gripped the Arab world. And that deliberately so.
I am in a waiting period, observing not only the impulsive reactions but more importantly WHO will fill the political power vacuum.
And Finally:
In other news Sunshine braves Chicken Pox to celebrate her 19th Birthday and explains how she is different now she is one year older:
I realized that, satisfaction is not when I have everything I want, it is when I feel happy about everything I have .
And my value as a person is not measured with the things I own, in fact when people value themselves depending on material things and they are humiliating themselves.
,they are in their lives, I realized that to be happy and successful doesn't mean I have to believe in my models’ thoughts or live like their lives to achieve the same, but, I can have my unique way to succeed and add their experiences to mine, and learn from their patience and strength ..
I realized that Simplicity is everything ..
I realized that, when I have a family and good health, then I have everything..
Happy birthday Sunshine and, dare I say, by the time you read this – happy birthday new Egypt!
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

author: Salam Adil


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Israel: Social Media Offers Alternative Egypt Commentary · Global Voices
Carmel L. Vaisman

For the last 48 hours, “revolution in Egypt” is set as the “hot” topic on the front page of Israblog, the largest Israeli blogger community; however, as little as 12 bloggers posted on this topic to date. Along with the conversations on Twitter and Facebook, Israelis express mixed feelings: intuitive support of the demand for freedom, alongside echoing of Western media fears of Islamic fundamentalism under the guise of democracy.
Ofri Ilani, Haaretz technology correspondent, offers one of the best descriptions of these mixed feelings on his personal blog:
What is happening in Egypt is so exciting and seminal that it is even hard to judge if it's good or bad in familiar terms. We can say the revolution is good news and it should be happening, for better or worse. But we should also remember that Camp David agreements or the possibility to go to Cairo and have coffee in Zamalek, is part of Mubarak's rule too…. if you think you and your very existence here aren't part of the American empire in the Middle East, raise your hand.
One could say that the fall of Mubarak's government is vital and joyful and at the same time, admit its possible outcome could mean war that might result in our defeat and the fall of Zionism in its current form. In short, we can jump like flees on the back of a sneezing elephant. Personally, I sum up my feelings towards the images from Egypt: fear and trembling. Meanwhile, congratulations and respect to the Egyptian people.
Blogger and artist Roy Arad wrote  a personal column on Haaretz in which he confessed being glued to Twitter during the last few days. Arad explains what hypnotized him about the revolution while criticizing Israeli youth and media commentators:
I quarreled like a fool on Twitter with people who listened to Middle East commentators’ fear of Muslim Brothers’ rise, should Egypt become truly democratic. Islam is indeed a powerful factor, but I thought of my personal friends in Egypt: the shy translator, the provocative film artist with the nose ring, the girl from Mansura who asked me to send her socialist poetry and uses images of Hollywood stars as her facebook profile pictures…. I look at the faces of the youth dancing on top of the police cars and these are not the people who will let Egypt become an Islamic dictatorship. But who knows.
Israelis like myself, who were born into a democracy where everything can be said, can never experience courage like the Egyptians who risk their lives for it. If they lose they will be jailed and tortured. Revolution in Tel Aviv? Students in the cafes here are busier with pitiful critical theories… we who think twice before going to a demonstration cannot comprehend this kind of courage. While Egyptians risk their necks for the right to demonstrate, we prefer to stare at the dwarf from the Big Brother reality TV show and wait for something to happen.
Solidarity demonstrations with the Egyptian people took place both in front of the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv and in Jaffa over the weekend. @osnatita tweets:
The policeman at the entrance to the demonstration in Jaffa suggested we wait and not go into the city right now. When we said we came to join the demonstration he was shocked. Are you sure? He asked, surprised.
Many tweeps wondered about the ramifications of the revolution for Israel. @glachs writes:
Meanwhile, philadelphi route is neglected. Hamas will arm itself marvelously, IDF will enter Gaza to guard Rafah crossing, and now we will see the true effect of the Palestine papers.
@Itamars tweets:
Israel is like the weak kid in class who stuck with the bully for protection, and one day, the bully is kicked out of school.
@dubikan replies to the worries expressed on Israeli and American media that Egyptians may not be ready for democracy:
If a nation organizes a successful grassroots upraising against a dictator, demanding democracy, than the people are ready for democracy
In another tweet he adds:
Robespierre and the French people weren't exactly ready for democracy or knew what it is either, when performing the French revolution.
A large portion of the tweets and blogs criticized the Middle East experts and commentators on Israeli media. @yuval_v tweets:
Let's agree on a rule: if you didn't predict the intensity of the demonstrations and the revolution in Egypt, please do not predict with “high probability” the type of government they will have after the revolution.
@aradaki targets channel 2's veteran Expert of the Arab world:
Ehud Yaari, you're dumb. If you take your head out of your butt you'll find a world you're not familiar with.
Such harsh words reflect the tension between media analysis and the live Twitter feed from Egypt. In the course of the Twitter conversation @aradaki adds:
These experts better read Twitter rather than analyze on the basis of their old connections that narrow their perspective. People who've been in the field all their lives cannot see the world has changed.
Israeli bloggers are offering alternative commentaries and asking the truly harsh questions based on social media attentiveness and personal connections with Egyptian bloggers. As the rumors on Twitter arrived this morning of an Egyptian army entrance into Sinai peninsula, blogger Lisa Goldman seemed to have surprised the ministry of foreign affairs’ spokesman with the news, on which he apologized that he cannot comment since “they have strict orders to refrain from any comment on Egypt till the outcome of the uprising is clear.” Yossi Gurevich reports this story in Hebrew and comments:
It's hard to believe IDF isn't aware of this act, which technically is an invasion that defers the peace agreement. If this was indeed uncoordinated, it is very troubling security-wise, after all, that's how the 1969 war started. If it was coordinated then someone in the government should be able to explain on whose authority it was done, since such a change in the peace agreement requires the parliament's consent. Furthermore, the question arises if Israel is aiding Mubarak against his people.
In the same post Gurevich also criticizes Israeli chief intelligence officer who said on January 25 that there is no threat to Egypt's stability at this time:
now that we've seen the real value of army intelligence, it's time to dismantle this institution and replace it with a national evaluation unit that's free of army generals and is able to consider the civil society as well.

author: Carmel L. Vaisman


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Jamaica: Leah & Dog Paw · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Will she herald a new kind of representational politics since she has personally breached not only the uptown/downtown divide but also the legit/illegit one by literally commingling with a Don?”: Active Voice thinks that Leah Tavares-Finson “is a fascinating character.”


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Egypt: Last ISP Goes Offline, Fears of Losing Mobile Networks · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt  Protests 2011.
Following a near-blackout of Internet service on January 27, it seems that the last remaining ISP–Noor Group, which has approximately 8% of market share–has now been cut off as well, leaving Egyptians without any form of Internet access.
@Weddady, a Boston-based activist, tweeted around 4pm EST:
Urgent ALERT : THE LAST INTERNET CONNECTION AVAILABLE IN #EGYPT IS DOWN #Jan25 via ramy raoof
He added:
Urgent: Ramy Raoof says also that there's news of an imminent shut down of ALL cell phone networks. #Jan25
@Alaa, who has been in touch with family and friends in Cairo via phone, confirmed the news:
noor net the last ISP standing in egypt is taken offline, there is now no internet in egypt at all #Jan25
With landlines available, it's possible that some Egyptians will manage to dial out via international networks.  Global Voices will attempt to continue coverage through our network of local contacts.


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Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi’s party launches new website · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, has launched a new website. The NLD is the main opposition party in Myanmar.

author: Mong Palatino


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Pakistan: Blackwater Again? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Adil Najam writes about the very strange case of Raymond Davis, a said staff member of the US Consulate in Lahore, who shot two Pakistani men dead in a crowded part of Lahore.


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Russia: Blogger Released After 14 Months of Penal Colony · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Irek Murtazin [RUS], blogger and former spokesperson of the Tatarstan's president, has been released today after spending more than 14 months in penal colony, “Novaya Gazeta” reported [RUS]. After published a gossip about the death of Mintimir Shaimiev, president of Tatarstan Republic, Murtazin had been accused of defamation and sentenced to 2 years of penal colony.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Russia: Bloggers Protest Against Educational Reform · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Blog-based address [RUS] to Russian leadership with demands to cancel educational reform has received more than 10 thousands voices of support [RUS] within two days. Bloggers protest against wide reform of the high school that would reduce number of compulsory subjects to 4 while leaving such disciplines like Russian language, mathematics, and history optional.


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Russia: Valeria Novodvorskaya’s Blog Hacked · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Vladimir Pribylovskiy reports [RUS] hi-jacking of Valeria Novodvorskaya‘s (Russian liberal politician and a former Soviet dissident) LiveJournal account [RUS]. “The Brigade of Hell,” dispersed group of generally pro-Kremlin hackers, took the responsibility for the attack. For the time being Novodvorskaya's account has been suspended.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Saudi Arabia: Netizens Support Egyptians in their Uprising · Global Voices
Haifa Alrasheed

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
Saudi Arabia's netizens are lending their support to Egyptians in their uprising against president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Many are watching, reporting on and reacting to the developments on the ground, as massive protests demanding a change in the regime enter their seventh day.
On Twitter, some were directing their tweets to Mubarak.
@balooot is asking Mubarak to give up:
@GhadaOclock  analyzed Mubarak's relationship with Israel:
“My enemy's enemy is my friend” pretty much sums up Israel's relationship with #Mubarak.
@Mubarak_A is wondering about Mubarak's common sense:
@Nejer  is advising Mubarak:
@mutairy is justifying Mubarak's act:
Hosni just doesn't want to let go!! He got backing from the US, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and others!!! #egypt
On the other hand, other tweeps is analyzing this people's uprising.
@alfarhan  is comparing it with the earlier Iranian one:
@Al_buluwi is warning countrird which are siding with Mubarak's:
@Dr_MMeccawy  is praising the Tunisian and Egyptian nations:
@Mashi9a7 is asking people to give support:
@essamz  expresses his happiness:
He also adds:
@anuaim is hoping:
And finally @Mashi9a7  is smelling something:
عبق الحرية يفوح بالأجواء #Egypt #Jan25 #FreeEgypt
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

author: Haifa Alrasheed


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Sudan: “Facebook Revolution” with the help of Twitter as a side kick  · Global Voices
Mahid (Sudanese Guardian)

Sudanese students chose January 30, 2011 to be the beginning of peaceful demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir. The main call asking people to take to the streets of Khartoum was made on Facebook. Was this Sudan's first “Facebook Revolution” with the help of twitter as a side kick?
Social media tools such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube played a vital role in organising and reporting the Jan 30 Sudan peaceful demonstrations.  In this post I will try to highlight some of social media tools that were used to organise, report and comment on the protests.
Facebook played a vital role as information center and an organising space while on Twitter users were reporting about the demonstrations in real time. Jan30Sudan  used Ushahidi platform to document the demonstrations on a map.
It seems it all started with a Facebook group leading the role by inviting people to attend the protests. The group is called “>شبــاب لأجـل الـتـغيـــر·.»شـــرار ة  which translates to Youth For change “the Spark”. The group, which has over 8,000 friends, is credited with helping to organise the protests.  Another Facebook group is “>رصد الاعتقالات و التجاوزات القانونية في مسيرة 30 يناير السلمية بالخرطوم which translates to “Records or Updates of arrest and illegal actions or violence in the 30 of January Peaceful Demonstration in Khartoum.”
Protesters in Khartoum, Sudan. Photo courtesy of Ehsasi Gdeed.
On the other side, there are blogs such as hurriyatsudan, which keeps track of news and updates. The blog has published names of people who have been arrested. Jan30Sudan website helped people to track locations of the protests and actions such as arrest or clashes with the police.
Below are some of incidents that were captured on the map:
* Police use gas bombs against medical students
* Peaceful gatherings and demonstrations
* Sudanese security harassing foreign journalists
* Picture of police beating protesters on Palace Street
* Videos of protest in Khartoum
Some protesters uploaded videos on the video sharing site, Youtube.
Twitter updates using the hashtag #SudanJan30 started from the beginning of the protest from those attending the protests such as simsimt and others who were following the demonstrations online.
And finally it seems that the spark is still on as activists are planning for more protests:
What we are seeing has never before been witnessed in Sudan. Young Sudanese people are growing up digital, and they are well aware of how the world is changing around them. The more the digital divide narrows, especially with the introduction of new fiber-optic sea cables, the more Sudanese youth will empower themselves via social networking tools to voice their opinions and state their concerns for the future.

author: Mahid (Sudanese Guardian)


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Sudan: Tweeting #SudanJan30 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Using the social networking site Facebook, Sudanese students called for a street demonstration on January 30 to protest against the government of Omar al-Bashir. The protests have claimed the life of Mohammed Abdulrahman, a student at the Ahaliya University. This is our latest roundup of #SudanJan30 tweets.
@MissTaha asks:
@simsimt Any protests today in Khartoum? #SudanJan30
@simsimt replies:
@MissTaha I'm not sure. There's supposed to be a more organized one in 3rd February.
@BreathingPsyAir asks world leaders to stay out of #SudanJan30:
#Sudan needs thick-skinned #Bashir but also stability – they do not need a walk-all-over, so World Leaders plz stay out of this #SudanJan30
@simsimt tweets:
By the death of one student in yesterday's protests matters will begin to escalate, and history might once again prove many to be wrong.
@bechamilton:
Names of those known to have been arrested in #SudanJan30 protests today now posted at: http://www.hurriyatsudan.com/?p=12098
@alunmcdonald:
#SudanJan30 #RIP Mohammed Abdelrahman, student at the Ahlia University protests, died during the night
@BreathingPsyAir thinks Sudan should not be compared with Egypt or Tunisia:
Annoyed with #Sudan comparisons- reasons/motives are different from #Egypt + #Tunisia- Not remove #Bashir, Change System #SudanJan30 #Jan
A video link from @SudanGuardian:
VIDEO: More Clips from Sudan Protest in Jackson Square Please Hash all news to #SudanJan30 http://me.lt/3Tff6
@elzubeir asks:
Is it true that the organizer of the #SudanJan30 is daughter of a newspaper editor who was arrested before the protest began?
@MissTaha
http://tiny.cc/5qbw2 – Making Sense of Sudan: “Tunis, Egypt—is Sudan Next?” #25Jan #Egypt #SudanJan30
@SarraGrira
France24 journalist looking for people who've been in Khartoum demonstrations yesterday sgrira@france24.com #sudanjan30
@alunmcdonald:
Usually opposition and editors get arrested. Today it's their sons & daughters http://yhoo.it/hhi7Qf #SudanJan30
@simsimt:
A long phone call with a well-educated friend. He dropped the bomb that we are not ready yet for change because of our ‘lack of education’.
Visit Jan30Sudan, a project for mapping the protests online.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Trinidad & Tobago: Fine Flavour Cocoa · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Gran Couva is part of the Montserrat hills in the Central Range of Trinidad, where the combination of the trinitario cacao, the weather, the soil…converge to make some of the finest cocoa in the world”: Lifespan of a Chennette tells the delicious story.


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Trinidad & Tobago: In Solidarity Over Kato’s Death  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

gspotttt and Globewriter join their voices in offering “tribute to the life of slain Sexual Minorities Uganda human rights defender David Kato Kisule.”


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Ukraine: “Three Nations”? · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

Paul Goble of Window in Eurasia cites an interview [ENG] with a member of the Lviv City Council, who explains [UKR] that the real conflict in contemporary Ukraine is not between ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians – instead, three different national projects are competing for dominance within the country.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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USA: “We Want Our Al Jazeera!” · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011
Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
In the wake of popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Qatar-based Al Jazeera is receiving global accolades, particularly for its English-language channel’s recent coverage.  From the New York Times, which praisedLivestation, english.aljazeera.net, or the channel’s Facebook page), a contingent of Americans are fighting for the channel to become a part of their cable packages.
Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor in New York, is one of those Americans. In a blog post, he explains:
Cable companies: Add Al Jazeera English NOW!
It is downright un-American to still refuse to carry it. Vital, world-changing news is occurring in the Middle East and no one–not the xenophobic or celebrity-obsessed or cut-to-the-bone American media–can bring the perspective, insight, and on-the-scene reporting Al Jazeera English can.
Yes, we can watch AJE on the internet. But as much of an internet triumphalist as I am, internet streaming is not going to have the same impact–political and education impact–that putting AJE on the cable dial would have. I can watch AJE in the Zurich hotel room where I am now; I want to be able to watch it on my couch at home.
Jarvis also tweeted:
What the Gulf War was for CNN, the Egypt revolution is for Al Jazeera English…except we in America can't see it.
NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen feels similarly, expressing in a tweet:
Al Jazeera hosts who fight back when BS is paraded out by their guests are showing people in America how bankrupt their electronic press is.
Daniel Streicher, linking to a Huffington Post article on the subject, tweeted earlier today:
Why can't we get Al Jazeera English on our TVs in America? Not enough Bieber coverage? http://pulsene.ws/Vr5J
Rob Hyndman has an alternative explanation for why he thinks the channel isn't offered in the States:
America's fear of Al Jazeera comes from its independence. Same as Wikileaks.
There is also a campaign initiated by the channel itself to urge Americans to demand Al Jazeera English from their cable providers. The campaign tackles myths and facts and allows users to enter their zip code and send a letter to their chosen cable provider.
The reasons for the blacklisting of Al Jazeera in the United States is unclear, though in light of recent events, it can no longer be blamed on demand: On January 30, the site's Head of Online, Mohamed Nanabhay, tweeted:
55% of our Al Jazeera English (http://english.aljazeera.net) web traffic is from the US and Canada tonight. #egypt
Photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) license.


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Venezuela: Cholera Cases on the Rise · Global Voices
Patricia Acosta

During a wedding held in the Dominican Republic, a group of Venezuelans were diagnosed with symptoms of cholera after eating contaminated food; most of those affected were diagnosed with cholera in Venezuela, once they arrived in the country, and were quickly hospitalized in public and private hospitals. What were initially 13 cases has increased rapidly within a few days.
Chronology of a disease spreading quickly
On January 26, the Minister of Health, Eugenia Sader, confirmed [es] several cases of cholera in the country. The same day, Adriana (@Cotidiana) reports:
Trece (13) venezolanos llegaron enfermos de cólera de República Dominicana. Todos están hospitalizados
On January 27, Venezolana de Televisón (VTV) –a state-run television network– on its Twitter account (@vtvcanal8) informs that,
452 venezolanos habrían asistido a celebración en República Dominicana el 22 de enero, de estos 3% podría presentar síntomas de cólera
On January 28, Joce Taboada (@Jocetaboada) reacts to that day's number of reported cases:
Epa! #quefuerte—-> Van 111 casos de cólera en el país – http://bit.ly/h6xoP7
The day after, on January 29, the online news site La Patilla (@La_patilla) tweets:
Aumenta a 116 casos de cólera en Venezuela http://bit.ly/gUe9EW
Marietta Pareira (@maripereira_542), on January 30, says:
118 afectados por cólera han recibido tratamiento http://bit.ly/gUe9EW“#aychiamo
That same day, from the city of Maracaibo, Friorella Di Fiore (@fioredifiore) links to the most recent news:
Ya son 135 los tratados contra el cólera http://bit.ly/hCHfim“
Taking precautions
Maria M. Vizcaino (@mechevizcaino) warns:
Noo se puede comer en la calleeee.. Entiendanlooo!!!!!!!!!! Hay colera!
Juan Díaz (@juandiazyaracuy) suggests:
Si vas a comer carne, pollo, huevo o pescado, cocínalos muy bien. Evita el cólera. Más información: 0-800 VIGILAN (8444526)
Dr. Rigoberto J. Marcano Pasquier (@rimarcan) titles an article with information about the infection in La Patilla [es]: “Cholera, a bacterium that can quickly take your life.”
In the blog Frente Ecológico PSUV [es], Dr. Julio Castro, en expert in infectious diseases and a professor at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), informed that the cholera situation in Venezuela,
“es una situación de preacaución, más que de alerta, por lo que hay que cumplir las medidas respectivas y evitar así una epidemia”.
The number of reported cases has been on the rise. Venezuelans expect it to in fact be an “outbreak,” as stated by the government, although the current amount of people infected with cholera –135 out of the 452 present, according to the latest reports– has far exceeded the 3% initially expected.

author: Patricia Acosta


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Africa: Is the smell of jasmine hitting West Africa? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Osabutey argues that West Africa seems likely to be hit by Jasmine’s smell: “As protestors in Egypt continue to push out dictator Hosni Mubarak out of office after three decades in office, anti dictator activists in West Africa are keeping their fingers under lock to see if the dose of the Jasmine will surely spread across their region.”


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Africa: Top 6 African Models of 2010 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Top 6 African models of 2010 from Haute Fashion Africa: “Without a Doubt, the 2010 fashion calendar was well saturated & influenced by African Fashion; from western designers designing collections that were African-Inspired to Trends that were African-inspired, The African Fashion Industry is definitely a budding one.”


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Angola: “Melon of gold” uncovers social gap · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Angolan netizens express their revolt in dozens of comments to a recent news [pt] about melon price speculation. The fruit is sold in one shop of Luanda for USD 105. In 2010 Luanda was considered the most expensive city in the world for expatriates. Almost 10 million [pt] Angolans still live below the poverty line.


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Arab World: A Revolution Time-Table  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage:
An Arab revolution time-table is being circulated online, with potential revolution dates pencilled in for Sudan, Syria, Algeria, Libya and Morocco. The dates are January 30 (Sudanese students are already marching the streets of Khartoum),  February 5, February 12 and March 13, respectively.
In Bahrain, the date being whispered is February 14 and the conversation on Twitter is also bidding changes for Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the Arab world.
After Tunisia, which took people by surprise, the question on everyone's mind was: could this successful oust of a dictator be repeated in any other country. Ten days later, the Egyptians rose, first demanding economic and political reforms and now asking for the head of president Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled them for 30 years.
Reactions on Twitter range from disbelief to complete solidarity with change, some even wishing that the waves of revolution would reach their shores. The conversation is international, with Twitter users from around the world adding their two cents.
@ewilke tweets:
@ewilke: Seriously, a timetable!? on twitter. The Arabic Revolution Timetable: Sudan #Jan30 Syria #Feb05 Algeria #Feb12 Libya #Feb30 Morocco #March13
@martinchulov adds:
@martinchulov: Activists are using twitter to line up the dominoes post-Egypt. Yemen Feb 3, Syria Feb 5, Algeria Feb 12 – the ‘Arab Revolution Timetable’.
And @kywa_kt  jokes:
@kyaw_kt: “Arab Revolution Timetable”? How motivating it is!
Yvonne Ridley quips:
@yvonneridley: It's not only #Mubarak who doesn't want TV in #Tahrir Square it's all other Arab leaders who dont want people watching #Egyptian Revolution
And @hamish6PM agrees:
@hamish6PM: Could there be a more poignant symbol of Arab revolution than thousands of heads lowered jointly in prayer in liberation sq? #Egypt #jan …
Meanwhile, the drumbeats of revolution continue to reverberate across the region:
@lostronaut1: walk like an egyptian —— the dictators must go! #egypt #revolution #china #saudi #kuwait #iraq #algeria #oman #libya #yemen #sudan
Although Saudi Arabia doesn't have a date pencilled in the calendar of events, the conversation on Twitter is full of speculation:
@mkingscott: RT @AhmedKhan01 Saudi Arabia, I think – then that will fall, hopefully. Revolution is never pretty or easy, we may be having one here soon ;-)
@Medros: RT @SagibbsVentCo I would imagine the US would be all in on a revolution in Syria, Iran, or elsewhere. Now Iraq, Saudi Arabia, or other places?
@SaleemaGul: @goldenrox77 Revolution in Saudi!! Wouldn't that be sweet! Let's have a #revolution from Pakistan to Saudi. Let's be free! #Egypt
Others look at the hard facts:
@KidsHaveRights2: RT @Tharwacolamus: Age of Arab Rulers: Saudi 87, Egypt 83, Kuwait 82, Iraq 78, Algeria 74, Oman 71, Libya 69, Yemen 69, Sudan 67 #revolution
Bahrain too is not included in the original schedule, but the #feb14 hashtag is drawing conversation and comments:
@TruthWitness: 14th February 2011 Day of Anger in #Bahrain ! Let the #Revolution begin! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zYw89v7g0U #Egypt #jan25
According to the calendar, Syria should be the next big thing, but people I have spoken to in Syria have played it down.
Here is a selection of reactions from Syria:
@sy0free: More security in the Syrian cities, the number of armed individuals protecting security branches has doubled, getting ready for #feb05
@Hamawii: ppl in #Syria are you ready for #feb05 ?? i hope so :s ==> http://on.fb.me/fRuGkC
Meanwhile, reports continue to flow of unrest in Libya, Yemen and Jordan, whose King just appointed a new Prime Minister.
This post is part of our special coverage:

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Bangladesh: Asian University Of Women Blossoming · Global Voices
Rezwan

Marina Mahathir, daughter of the ex-Malaysian statesman Mahathir Mohamad, visited the Asian University For women in Chittagong, Bangladesh for the second time in three years and reports its progress.

author: Rezwan


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Blogger asks: “Could instability spread to Latin America?” · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Considering the recent and ongoing events in Tunisia and Egypt, Bloggings by boz asks: “If it is a crisis year, what would it mean for Latin America?”. Boz goes over several points to answer this question and opens up a thread to discuss Latin American stability with readers.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Botswana: How To Make Morula Jam  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tips on how to make morula jam (and by accident morula sweets): “I searched for a recipe for morula jam but never found one. This year I decided to try my luck and I was so pleased with the result. I thought I'd record my results here for other people.”


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Botswana: Meet Thoughts From Botswana blogger · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Geoffrey Gyasi, a Ghanaian blogger, interviews Lauri of Thoughts From Botswana blog.