Global Voices Digest

Ukraine: Moscow Mayor’s Sevastopol Controversy

Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov got himself barred from Ukraine this week, after announcing during a trip to Sevastopol - “a Ukrainian naval base mutually used by the Ukrainian Navy and Russian Navy” - that the city did not belong to Ukraine. Below are a few opinions from the Russophone blogosphere.

Japan: Views on the Sichuan Earthquake

The earthquake in China’s Sichuan province, besides taking its toll on tens of thousands of Chinese citizens, has also had reverberations far away in the Japanese blogosphere, where the topic ranked top among blogging keyword lists and sparked conversations in forums over the past few days.

Kazakhstan: Monuments, Economics, Gender and Media

The blogosphere of Kazakhstan was not too keen to discuss perturbations in the official government. The traditional May holidays have become a naturally most popular theme, however many other issues were also traced by the bloggers as Adil Nurmakov explains.

Macedonia: Bloggers Emphasize Need for Open Communication with Greece

Amid the internal turmoil caused by Greek actions to block Macedonia’s accession to NATO and the EU, and due to an increasing number of reports of attacks over Macedonian truck drivers by nationalist mobs in Greece, many Macedonian bloggers are attempting to bridge the gap of ignorance existing between the two nations.

Lebanon: Back from the Abyss??

While the situation in Lebanon remains uncertain, Lebanese bloggers keep writing about their fears, pain and disappointment. Of course, there is new hope: a deal brokered by the Arab League to end the strikes which have brought Lebanon to the brink of second civil war is being finalized. But all signs point to a deal made on terms highly favorable to Hezbollah, which, according one blogger, means a return to peace is an “illusion.” Here is a small selection of what some of those who write in French have to say.

Palestine: Sixty Years of Al Nakba

Celebrations are under way to mark Israel’s 60th anniversary - but for millions of Palestinians whose grandparents and parents were made refugees in the process, today marks Al Nakba - a day they were forced to flee their lands or were forcefully expelled from their homes as the State of Israel was born. Following is a cross-section of reactions from Arab bloggers.

Notes From Berkman@10 Conference

At the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, attendees and special guests discussed “The Future of the Internet,” and its political dimensions and its affect on the global community. In addition, during the opening remarks there was an announcement that the Berkman Center will become a university-wide research center. GV author Renata Avila is attending the celebration and provides these notes.

China: Seismologist Claimed Sichuan Earthquake Was Predicted

Li Shihui, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, exposed in his blog that the Sichuan earthquake was predicted at an earlier time. In spite of the various rumors of earthquake omens, Li’s specialty and systematic statement have helped him gain many people’s confidence, even after his controversial articles are deleted by the network administrator.

Russia: Roses and Migrant Workers

Russian photographer Oleg Klimov visited a commercial greenhouse outside Moscow and posted his observations about a birthplace of the roses one buys in Russia’s capital.

Israel: Iranian Grad Missiles Hit Ashkelon Mall

Hours after President George W Bush arrived in Israel, Iranian Grad missiles penetrated the roof of an Ashkelon mall. Four people, including a mother and her toddler, were seriously wounded. In addition, 87 others were transferred to a hospital. Gilad Lotan brings us the reactions of the Hebrew blogosphere.

Today on Voices Without Votes: Global: Edwards Endorses Obama

In a move toward solidarity for the Democratic party, John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama on Wednesday. The endorsement came just a day after Hillary Clinton won 2-1 in the West Virginia primary. Jillian York brings reactions from India, Ireland and Puerto Rico.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find Siberian language, an open letter to the cricket purists, a prominent human rights worker who is still missing, and much much more!

Kuwait: Sad for Shaikh Saad

Former Kuwaiti ruler Shaikh Saad Al Abdulla Al Sabah died today after a long illness at the age of 78. Kuwait’s online community was moved by the news, as hundreds of messages of sympathy and condolences poured onto blogs, in Arabic and English. The country has declared three days of official mourning - but the parliamentary elections, scheduled for Saturday, will go ahead as planned.

India: Jaipur blasts, Terrorism and the Government

On 13th May, serial blasts rocked Jaipur. Reports suggest that more than sixty people were killed, and another 150 were injured. While terrorism is not new to India, and various cities have seen terrorist attacks, Jaipur has never been attacked on this scale before. The blasts have exposed the vulnerability of cities and its citizens, and the failure of intelligence. Neha Viswanathan brings us blogger reactions.

Korea: Resignation of the King of Samsung Kingdom

The king of Samsung, Lee Kun-Hee, finally announced his resignation last month. Since this announcement, some netizens have been collecting each others’ thoughts on the issue and how much it will influence the Korean economy, and question whether the gesture will really make changes inside the Samsung Kingdom.

Myanmar: Voices through Tweets

Twittering is getting popular among the Myanmar community and blogosphere. Although many Myanmarnese are yet to make effective use of available tech gadgets and popular medium such as twitter, facebook and the like due to lack of information and resources, a few overseas bloggers and students are beginning to indulge in various communication mediums to express their voices. The so called micro blogging mechanism, Twitter, has become quite active among Myanmar users in reporting recent cyclone Nargis news.

Tajikistan: Poor country’s most expensive trial

The poorest country in Central Asia, Tajikistan initiated the most expensive trial in the history of British legal proceedings. Tajikistan will pay 120 million USD for the legal fees which represents 5.2 percent of the country’s entire GDP. Vadim Sadonshoev explains this epic legal case.

Lebanon: Civil Strife

The military confrontations between the different factions in Lebanon have subsided a bit. The Lebanese Army has declared that it will interfere forcefully to restore order. It also seems that there is some sort of undeclared agreement between different sides to avoid escalation. There is a real fear that the conflict will slip into a full fledged civil war. The past five days were marred with killings, atrocities, destruction and violence. Here are some bloggers’ reactions on the crisis.

Israel: Knesset Freezes Talkback Law for Web-Comment Censorship

The Knesset has decided to freeze legislation regulating readers’ ability to respond to articles via the so-called “Talkback Law”, in an effort to allow web sites to practice self-regulation. The Talkback Law, submitted by MK Israel Hasson (Yisrael Beiteinu), passed its preliminary reading. It would make web sites responsible for the talkbacks (user generated comments) of its readers as though they were articles of the site itself.
*This article is cross-posted on Global Voices Advocacy*

Myanmar: Twittering the cyclone disaster

Burmese bloggers have been using Twitter to give updates and reports about the situation in Myanmar. Twitter provides useful links to recent news articles and blog posts about the relief efforts, donation information details and other eyewitness accounts of the continuing tragedy in Myanmar.

Today on Rising Voices: [Translation] Blogger Frustration

There are those days when the technology and bandwidth just doesn’t want to cooperate. Yesterday Voces Bolivianas participant Cristina Quisbert (who blogs in English here) described a frustrating experience she had at a cyber-cafe in El Alto while trying to publish a photo from her digital camera.

Also on Rising Voices: Ceibal Jam! An event for the XO

In hope of getting local Uruguayan programmers to develop educational applications for the XO laptop, Rising Voices grantee Pablo Flores of the Ceibal Project, is organizing a programming “jam” this weekend in order to introduce local programmers and get them thinking about developing innovative applications that particularly suit the needs of the hundreds of thousands of Uruguayan students who now carry their bright green laptops to school each day.

Today of Global Voices Advocacy: Syria: Three-Year Sentence for Blogger Tariq Baiasi

On Sunday 11-5-2008 the State Security Court in Damascus stated its verdict on the Syrian blogger Tariq Baiasi who was held in detention since 7-7-2007. Tariq was detained for leaving a comment on websites disfavored by the Syrian government.

Today on Voices Without Votes: Global: For Clinton, a new mandate from the ‘Mountain State’?

For those of you who weren’t aware, West Virginia, the 41st-largest state in the United States, broke away from much larger Virginia in 1861, during the U.S. Civil War. It was in the mountain state Tuesday night, where West Virginia’s voters overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton 67 to 26 per cent over Democratic front-runner Barack Obama. John Liebhardt brings us the latest world’s reactions to newest face off between the Democrats.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find comparing bread rations in Cuba, Nokia’s business interest in Africa, child labour in Dhaka Bangladesh, and much much more!

Venezuela: Publishing House Provides Works Online

There is good news for fans of literature in Spanish. Thanks to an initiative from the Venezuelan Ministry of Culture, literary works from the publishing house Ayacucho Library is now available online for free. Bloggers celebrate the selection of works that make it easier to access literature.

Palestine: Blogging for Palestine on May 15th

May 15, 2008 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Nakba or commemoration of the displacement of Palestinians from what is now Israel. Of course, for Israelis the date signifies the 60th anniversary of their country’s independence. And for bloggers, May 15 signifies Palestine Day.

Korea: Youth hold Candlelight Vigils against US Beef Imports

Fears of mad cow disease, have led to anger over a new deal to import U.S. beef to Korea, spawning candlelight vigils for the past two weeks. An online signature-seeking campaign to impeach the president in response to several new policies has received 1.2 million signatures and the number is rapidly increasing, in this roundup by Hyejin Kim.

Kyrgyzstan: A Slow Time

The May month traditionally comes to Kyrgyzstan with a slate of holidays: 1st May is Labor Day, 5th May is Constitution Day and on 9th May Kyrgyzstan celebrates Victory day. Elena Skochilo shows us that despite these special days, life in Kyrgyzstan is rather quiet and slow.

China: “Strolling” for the Environment

Earlier this month, before an earthquake killed thousands in China, about 400 to 500 people in Chengdu took to the streets to protest the construction of a proposed petrochemical plant. The event (which mimics earlier events in Xiamen and Beijing) was organized through cell phones, text messages and blogs. Protesters called their outing a “stroll” to get around applying for a permit to protest, as Kelly Proctor illustrates.

Malawi: Several arrested over allegations to remove president

It has been reported that several senior security and opposition political officials have been arrested in Malawi on allegations of a coup plot. Victor Kaonga brings us a piece by Malawian journalist and blogger Kondwani Munthali, who says that the politics in Malawi is undergoing interesting developments and political temperatures have reached a boiling point.

Morocco, Israel, and Palestine: A Unique History

Since the Nakba and Israel’s claim of independence 60 years ago, Israel and Morocco have had an interesting relationship. Prior to the creation of an Israeli state, Morocco had a large, if not thriving, Jewish population. Here’s what a few Moroccan bloggers have to say on this, the 60th anniversary of Israeli independence.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find ignoring earthquake predictions in China, Europe day in Kyiv, the history of the Slovenian independence movement, and much much more!

China: 7.8 scale earthquake felt across most of China

At 2:28 pm Monday Beijing time, an earthquake registering 7.8 on the Richter scale struck in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, centered in Wenchuan county, and with tremors felt as far away as Beijing and Hong Kong. China’s Seismological Bureau has warned that aftershocks ranging in scale from 2 to 6 will take place later in the evening. John Kennedy provides the means for up to date information on the quake.

Saudi Arabia: Why Are There No Cinemas?

“Why are there no cinemas in Saudi Arabia?” asks Saudi blogger Hayfa [Ar], who offers us her ideas of a workable plan to make cineplexes and movie screenings compliant with her country’s traditional and religious outlook.

Uzbekistan: Unwanted Changes

For the last two weeks, the Uzbek blogosphere has discussed the changes that are happening in the post-Soviet period in Uzbekistan. The changing cultural and political atmosphere was first reflected throughout Uzbekistan through renaming of squares, streets and parks from Soviet-type names into symbols of either independence or national identity. All Soviet monuments have been dismantled, being replaced with the heroes of Uzbek history.

China:Quake damage rising; witness in affected cities

Bob Chen continues the Global Voices coverage of the China earthquake by covering the rising body counts and the difficulties in getting help to those who need to be rescued. Check back to this article for more updates.

Global Voices partners with NewsTrust

Today marks the first day of a week-long ‘news hunt’ between Global Voices and NewsTrust, in search of good journalism on the Middle East. The timing of this partnership is particularly important as this week marks the 60th anniversary of Israel’s founding, or what many Arabs refer to as ‘Al-Nakba, or ‘the catastrophe.’ Iraq and Lebanon are also facing new escalations in their security situations as the region continues to make headlines around the world. Join us in rating our coverage on NewsTrust.

Sri Lanka: Government Wins Eastern Polls

The much hyped Sri Lankan Eastern Provincial council elections were held last Saturday (May 10) with the government winning 20 of the of the allocated 37 seats. While the government hailed this as a major victory in the fight against terrorism, the two major opposing parties and many independent observers complained about rigging and many incidents of tampering. Bloggers were divided in their opinions with some supporting it, some criticizing the violations, and some questioning the validity of Provincial councils.

Kuwait: Elections Getting Closer

Kuwait is gearing up for another round of Parliamentary elections on Saturday (May 17), allowing women to cast votes and nominate themselves for the second time in the country’s history. Abdullatif AlOmar brings us the latest reactions from Kuwaiti blogs in this post, including a call for women to use their votes wisely to safeguard the future of their children.

Moroccan Student in Lebanon Chronicles Life in the Middle of Political Crisis

Manal, a Moroccan student at the American University of Beirut, blogs firsthand accounts of life in the middle of Lebanon’s political crisis.

PangeaDay: an event lived worldwide

Pangea Day took place Saturday, and people from different parts of the world got together to watch movies and be a part of the worldwide event where movies, speakers and music showed us a bit of life on the other side of the globe, uniting people from all walks of life to believe that we aren’t as different as we would believe. It also included a mobile video contest, with an international lineup of winners.

Today on Voices Without Votes: Watching the U.S. from Down Under

A desire for a new attitude by the U.S. to international relations is a subtext in many recent blog posts in Australia. The concern that John McCain will be more of the same is never far from the surface, writes Kevin Rennie, who reviews blogs from Down Under.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find literature of the oppressed in India, an entire town on a protest hunger strike in Armenia, an Estonian garbage clean-up campaign, and much much more!

Russia: Victory Day

Victory Day was as much of an event in the Russian blogosphere as it was in the streets of Moscow and other Russian cities on May 9. Veronica Khokhlova reviews some of the posts.

Musical instruments from around the world

Juliana Rincón Parra brings us videos with interesting instruments from different corners of the world, including some made from recycled cans and plastic sodabottles, a record of how didgeridoos are made, and a Russian folk song on a hurdy gurdy.

China: Nationalism vs. nationalism in Korea

It feels like trampling on an already well-trampled Chinese flag at this point, as millions have begun their Olympic host celebrations on the mainland, but carrying on from an earlier post, here is how discussion over the actions of a few Chinese students who resorted to violence as the torch passed through Korea earlier this month.

PangeaDay: Impressions from Brazil

Pangea day took place this Saturday, May 10 2008, and the world watched together a selection of films broadcast via the internet and TV simultaneously to every corner of the planet and with live broadcast in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro. See here a comprehensive wrap up: PangeaDay as seen by a Brazilian blogger.

Cambodia: Advertisement that Attracts

A Cambodia blogger praises the government for the improved press rights and freedom of expression, but wants the Ministry of Culture as well as Ministry of Information to ensure that all commercial TV ads should be properly monitored before going on air.

Tunisia: Sarkozy’s Visit Spurs Blog Reactions

The Tunisian blogosphere was buzzing last week with responses to French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s official visit. Naruto brings us some of the reactions in this post.

Blogger of the Week: Claire Ulrich

Today’s Blogger of the Week may not be known by her blog, but she is widely known by her labour at Global Voices Online in French. Until recently, she has been the only translator for that Lingua site, which owes its existence much to Claire Ulrich’s drive and desire to see the project on track. Juan Arellano catches up with Claire in this interview, who kindly shares with us her views on a number of issues.

Armenia: Blogging Comes of Age

Arguably the most active country in the South Caucasus when it comes to blogging, the content and relevance of blogs on Armenia was at first nothing really worth writing home about. Most posts by foreigners living in the capital almost entirely focused on how good their lives were while others were simply copy and paste exercises reproducing articles without comment. However, that was all to change during and after the recent presidential election.

Myanmar: Survivors of Cyclone Nargis

A week has passed since Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar. The situation on the ground continues to deteriorate: food rationing is inadequate, medical supplies are running out and hundreds of thousands are still without shelter. Bloggers continue to discuss the impact of the cyclone and the relief efforts to help the victims.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find the Amakula Kampala Film Festival in Uganda, cheating in Burma’s constitutional referendum,Syria Blocks the Arabic Wikipedia, and much much more!

Vietnam: Netizen’s Reactions to the Olympic Torch

Vietnamese netizens got another opportunity to vent their anti-China anger when the Beijing Olympic flame was in Ho Chi Minh city. Caroline Finlay rounds up some of the reactions.

Burkina Faso: Shea butter and other secrets

John Liebhardt invites us into the world and culture of Burkina Faso, a quiet stable country, but one of secrets and wonders like Shea butter– the natural fat extracted from the fruit of the karite nut. Shea is a natural moisturizer and its high levels of vegetable fats allow it to treat a host of skin conditions, from burns to eczema to rashes.

Zambia: Parastatal madness and constitutional debate

This roundup covers Zambian bloggers who are discussing “the parastatal madness,” the debate over the constitution of Zambia, the election crisis in Zimbabwe and the African Forum on ICT Best Practices 2008, which took place in Burkina Faso recently.

Taiwan: April 26th 2008, an Usual Day and a Special Day

190 photographers all over Taiwan took their cameras and pressed the shutter for the photo blogging relay to make a 24-hr record of Taiwan. I-fan Lin brings us these photos and links that were uploaded on May 5th.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find a UNICEF campaign for buckets to use in disaster-torn Myanmar, ripping up your husband’s passport, the mass emigration of Portuguese-descended settlers and white Angolans from Luena, and much much more!

China: EV71 outbreak in China sparks criticisms

While not bird flu related, the recent outbreak of HFMD (Hand Foot and Mouth Disease) in China gives us an opportunity to see how the Chinese government responds to an epidemic. During the weekend china issued a countrywide alert to control the disease as it is also spreading in many other parts of china. Still, one can’t see the end of that trouble that is on rise with every passing day.

Malaysia: Vigil for jailed blogger Raja Petra this evening

Take note of what’s been happening in Malaysia these past few days since popular blogger and political commentator Raja Petra Kamarudin, 58, was imprisoned on Tuesday after a trial which saw him charged with sedition for having written a blog post.
*This post is cross-posted on the Global Voices Advocacy Project*

Brazil and Orkut: made for each other?

Orkut, Google’s experiment on Social Networking Services, is extremely popular in Brazil. More than 53% of Orkut users is Brazilian — even more, if you take into account the Brazilian’s profiles that don’t show their country information and the profiles of Brazilians living abroad — and more than 70% percent of Brazil’s Internet users are actually profiled and active in the network. Daniel Duende takes a look on what are all these Brazilians doing there.

Myanmar: Slow relief work

The death toll continues to rise in Myanmar days after a deadly cyclone hit the country. Dead bodies are dumped in the rivers. Relief is coming from many parts in the world but the Junta is still restricting the movement of foreign aid teams. The situation is worsening as food and medical supplies are still inadequate.

The Global Voices Summit ‘08 site is live!

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the web site for the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit 2008, taking place in Budapest, Hungary on June 27-28, 2008. Visit the Summit site for background information on the goals of the meeting, our terrific program of events, registration details and information about the charming city of Budapest, and much more.

Lebanon: Strike Gone Sour

May 7 should have been a day for general strike and demonstration to contest the government’s economic policies, price rise and low wages. The workers syndicate had to cancel the demonstration, although keeping the strike on, because clashes broke out in many places around Lebanon between different factions belonging to the pro–government and opposition camps. Bloggers were quick to comment on the events. Here are some of their reflections from yesterday although the events are escalating very fast into gunfights in the streets of Beirut.

Today on Rising Voices: Voces Bolivianas: The day Bolivia was blogging

The Bolivian Voices day on April 19, 2008 was a nationwide effort to train bloggers and bring more people into the global conversation. Approximately 100 Bolivians from ‘underrepresented’ groups took part in a day long workshop in seven cities of Bolivia. Learn more about that day in this week’s feature.

Today on Voices Without Votes: Iran: US Elections from an Iranian Perspective

Iranian bloggers have launched a far-ranging debate about the elections in the United States at the time when such discussions are not seen in mainstream media. Akbar Chanani tunes into the Farsi blogopshere where Iranian bloggers continue to compare between the elections in the US and Iran and discuss their hopes and fears of how the next president in the Oval Office would react towards their country.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find stuck in Beirut, domestic violence in Pakistan, the question of blogging versus journalism, and much much more!

Georgia: War with Russia?

The South Caucasus has always been a volatile and unstable region riven by ethnic conflict and instability. This is definitely the case in Georgia where tensions with Russia have increased to the extent that Reuters reports that the battle of words between Tbilisi and Moscow might yet turn into war over the breakaway and defacto independent [Georgian] region of Abkhazia.

Japan: Death Penalty Broadcast, 53 Years Later

An audio tape recorded 53 years ago of a death penalty execution in Japan, aired by Nippon Cultural Broadcasting on May 6th and and by Asahi television’s Super Morning show on April 29th, has triggered conversations among bloggers about the country’s death penalty system. The 50-minute audio footage, which features the last moments of one unnamed death row inmate, is the first of its kind to have ever been released.

Russia: Putin Out, Medvedev In

On Wednesday, Dmitry Medvedev became Russia’s third post-Soviet president. Bloggers discuss the outgoing president’s legacy, the political situation in Russia, and the traffic situation in Moscow on the day of Medvedev’s inauguration.

Iraq: Stop the massacre in Sadr City…

… so says Al-Ghad. In the weeks following the high profile attack on Basra by the Iraqi army and its high profile failure something of a low-level war has been going on across Iraq much behind the scenes of the mainstream media. Yet now the situation seems to be coming to a head.

Today on Voices Without Votes- Global: Obama Closes the Deal?

They call it a “big step.” That’s what Barack Obama took Tuesday when he won the North Carolina Democratic Primary hands down and was narrowly defeated in Indiana by Senator Hillary Clinton. John Liebhardt brings us the reactions of bloggers around the world commenting early on the two primaries, who say that the show for the Democratic race is nearly over.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find playing the homophobic card in Azerbaijan, the river Ganga remains dirty, avoiding the political discussions in Cambodia, and much much more!

Myanmar: Unprecedented cyclone disaster

Mong Palatino continues coverage on the Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar last weekend and devastated five regions. State-run media reported that more than 22,000 people are found dead with another 41,000 missing. The death toll could still rise. Residents and bloggers are condemning the slow relief work of the ruling Junta.

Korea: Chinese students fear for safety after torch relay violence

Following the violence in Seoul during the Olympic torch relay there last week, a lot of Chinese fenqing types are for the most part just seeing what they want to see in how their generation and China is now being perceived abroad, and not only on anti-CNN.com. John Kennedy explains why a lot of people in (and outside of) China, find that it sure is looking difficult to even be Chinese these days.

Bulgaria: Statehood in Crisis

Yavor Mihailov tells the saga of the Bulgarian blogosphere’s humorous, creative, and relentless campaign against the interior minister of the country, and how it helped lead to his resignation.

Macedonia: Sakura - Cherry Blossom Celebration in Skopje

Even though very few ethnic Japanese live in the Republic of Macedonia, many locals took part in the second annual celebration of Sakura - the festival of cherry blossoms in Macedonia’s capital, Skopje. Organizers of the festivals included some prominent bloggers who recently started a collaborative blog, Japan@mk, and initiated spreading the word through the Macedonian blogosphere.

On Somalis in the new Kenyan cabinet

What issues are dominating the Somali blogosphere? Abdurahman Warsame takes us on a tour from the new Kenyan cabinet and the Somali representation within it, to wedding ceremonies, to speaking out against generalizations about Muslims.

Zimbabwe: Using New Technologies to Fight for Democracy

In countries such as Zimbabwe where media freedom is extremely restricted, new technologies have become powerful tools for political campaigning, communication, advocacy and mobilisation. Since Robert Mugabe turned the country into a dictatorship, bloggers and civic organisations have resorted to using new tools and applications such as blogs, Flickr, Facebook, SMS, YouTube and mashups to fight for democracy, media freedom and good governance.

Guatemala: Remembering Bishop Gerardi and His Report “Never Again!”

Ten years ago, Bishop Juan Gerardi released a report called “Guatemala, Never Again!,” which contained powerful testimonies of those forever affected by the armed conflict in Guatemala. The report provided graphic details and specific names of those who committed these crimes, and as a result, ultimately cost Bishop Gerardi his life. He was killed approximately 50 hours after the release of the report. A decade later, Guatemalan bloggers remember the man who brought much of what was happening in the war into the public consciousness.

Russia: “The March, Sort Of”

The Russian opposition was to hold a protest rally on May 6 in Moscow, on the eve of Dmitry Medvedev’s inauguration as president Vladimir Putin’s replacement, but city officials refused to allow it - and leaders of the oppositional coalition ended up canceling the Dissenters’ March at the last minute. Dozens of protesters were detained by police anyway, as Veronica Khokhlova explains.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find twitter jokes from Zimbabwe, Turkish schools in Pakistan, buying computers in Cuba, and much much more!

Myanmar: The perfect storm

More than 4,000 people are dead after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar last weekend. It was the world’s deadliest storm in ten years. The cyclone could also worsen the food crisis in the world. Relief is arriving but the ruling Junta is putting restrictions on foreign aid teams. Mong Palatino recaps the situation.

Taiwan: What can a baseball do?

I-fan Lin translates stories about how baseball in Taiwan has changed the life of challenged people and students in remote elementary schools. The first story starts when a screen writer, an actor, and a director, Nien-Jen Wu left a message a blog about the Sacred Heart Home for the challenged people. The second story is about funding baseball team programs in remote elementary schools.

Arabeyes: Freedom for Fouad Al Farhan

Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan is now a free man, after spending 137 days in detention in Jeddah. While bloggers have all along speculated why he has been held by the authorities for this long, Arab bloggers are unanimously excited over his release. And they also share their hopes for the release of other jailed bloggers.
*This article is cross-posted on today’s Global Voices Advocacy project.*

Haiti: finding relief for hunger in children

The international food shortage and crisis is doing its rounds on the blogosphere, and videos are no exception. Juliana Rincón Parra shows us video from Haiti: people eating dirt to survive, and a plan to help feed the hungry Haitian children.

Global Voices is seeking to hire a Public Health Editor

Global Voices is seeking to hire a Public Health Editor. He of she will be responsible for writing weekly articles which cover the latest discussions and topics related to public health and human rights in the developing world from citizen media like blogs, podcasts, and video-blogs.
*This articles is cross-listed on Global Voices Outreach project Rising Voices.*

Today on Voices Without Votes: The Other “Bill” That Hillary Backed

Victory was declared for the thousands of World War II veterans from the Philippines this past week with the passing of the Filipino Veterans Equity Bill in the US. Democrats pushing the legislation now want a six-decade-long law overturned to give an estimated 18,000 Filipino war veterans who live in the Philippines roughly $300 a month pension. Filipinos have called the delay a great injustice, writes Eunice del Rosario.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find the distribution of OLPC laptops in Nepal, speed kills in Jordan, the high crime in Puerto Rico, and much much more!