Posts by john

In today's roundup: China, USA, Russia, Cuba, Ireland, EU and Zimbabwe. Photo of a water tank in Cuba from the Generation Y blog.

Here's Jehane Noujaim, at the 2006 TED Conference, explaining her wish, which became Pangea Day. It's long (25 mins), but about as inspiring as inspiring gets. Pangea Day takes place around the world this Saturday, May 10, and it's free, wherever you are.

You may know John Hodgman as the PC from Apple's PC vs. Mac commercials, or from his appearances on the Daily Show, or from his work as editor of the New York Times Magazine's Funny Pages. Add Pangea Day supporter to the list.

Today's roundup includes China, Turkmenistan, Gabon, Bolivia, Iran, and Kenya. Photo of demonstrators in La Paz, Bolivia, by Flickr user GafferBee.

A handful of the people involved with Why Democracy have been part of the team working on Pangea Day, a project with a beautiful ambition: using film to bring the world closer together.

Pangea Day takes place on May 10, and chances are very good that there's a screening happening near you - follow this link for screening events around the world. Throughout the week we'll put up new video clips as we count down to the main event.

In today's roundup: Burma, Bolivia, China, Kosovo, USA, Zimbabwe, and Haiti and the global food crisis. Photograph of children in Haiti by Flickr user sagabardon.

The Guardian's Jack Shenker writes about the use of online technologies in the struggle against Egypt's repressive regime.

In today's roundup: China, Tibet, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Iran, Nauru and the USA. Photo of pro-Tibet demonstration by Flickr user mejules.

In today's roundup: Zimbabwe, Egypt, Italy, Burma, Australia and China.

Photo of Pangsau, Burma, by Flickr user Artisteinconnu-back.

In today's roundup: Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Nepal, China and Italy.

In today's roundup: Zimbabwe, Uganda, China and the IOC, Burma, Nepal, Slovakia and the EU. Image of Zimbabwe abuse from Sokwanele's Flickr stream.

Asia: The Olympic torch relay moves to San Francisco, yet another venue for a growing protest against China's human rights abuses, treatment of Tibet and complicity in Darfur. This probably isn't exactly what China was hoping for. BBC also offers a point-counterpoint. In South Korea, turnout is low at parliamentary elections, in spite of freebies being used to lure voters to the polls. Some worry that Maoists in Nepal have been intimidating the population as it prepares to elect an assembly on Thursday that will create a new constitution. 

Africa: While Zimbabwe waits for election results, opposition party MDC says supporters of Robert Mugabe, including police and militia, are now attacking its members. Sokwanele has a first-person account from a volunteer who helped the MDC during the election. ANC leader Jacob Zuma slammed the delay in releasing results, while current President Thabo Mbeki was criticized for his stance. Kenya's opposition party has walked away from talks over forming a cabinet, prompting riots and fear of a return to the post-election chaos that gripped the country in January. Turnout at municipal elections in Egypt - which are rigged, as usual - has been low.

Caribbean: High food prices prompt mobs to attack the presidential palace in Haiti. 

Africa: Curiously, with official results still not released, Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party is demanding a recount. If this odd development does not indicate Mugabe's weakening hold, then perhaps the increasingly firm resistance by the MDC party -- including this letter by leader Morgan Tsvangirai to the Guardian -- does. My allusion to a cabinet agreement in Kenya last week proved premature, although the power-sharing leaders insist they're still working on it. In Egypt, long-running (and largely unreported in Western media) protests and demonstrations by striking textile workers led to police clashes.

Asia: More riots in Tibet, while thousands turned out to jeer the Olympic torch as it made the rounds of London (picture from Flickr user dantesinferno).

Further reading: The Guardian documents changes in Cuba, and in the NY Times Magazine, a journalist returns to Liberia.

Africa: Uncertainty reigns in Zimbabwe, where nobody really knows how many seats any party has won, officially or otherwise five days after the election. Nobody knows what Robert Mugabe is planning, either: some reports have him stepping down if he is guaranteed immunity, but raids on opposition offices yesterday might be an ominous sign. Uncertainty, at least, is better than violence and chaos. In Kenya, the power-sharing government has agreed on a cabinet, which the Standard labels "bloated" with 40 members. Again, bloating is surely better than violence and chaos.

Europe: In more violence and chaos news, nobody is very excited about the top Turkish court's decision to hear a case about banning the ruling party, president and prime minister because they allegedly threaten the country's secular foundations. 

Asia: China's plans for a shiny, happy Olympics that avoided all of those pesky human rights concerns are falling apart long before the opening ceremonies. First various Tibet-related protests, and now public figures are withdrawing from the torch relay, including the BBC's top journalist. See also this piece from the NY Times Magazine.

Africa: It's kind of weird waiting for Zimbabwe's election results, since nobody at all expects them to be fair. Robert Mugabe ordered the announcements of results delayed, a move that all observers understand as an effort to buy time. Sokwanele -- truly a great resource for Zim info -- recounts the amusing rationale provided by elections officials for the delay. There are concerns now that the time being bought is to allow security forces (i.e., thugs) to disperse to prevent any kind of protest once the bogus results are announced. Equatorial Guinea issues an arrest warrant for Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former British PM Margaret, for his alleged role in a coup attempt.

Middle East: Human Rights Watch observes that Egypt's roundup of several hundred activists can't mean anything good for upcoming elections. 

Asia: As diplomats visit Tibet and protesters riot in Nepal, the NYT has a story about Chinese nationalism, very much a cause of the crackdown on Tibetan protests.

South America: Farmers behind a crippling strike over increased taxes on commodities will meet with Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.