Bahraini ‘reformers’ in Washington, courtesy of American spinmeisters
By Justin Elliot in ProPublica. Earlier this month, a group of three young Bahrainis arrived in Washington to talk about reform in the small Persian Gulf nation, which has been rocked by Arab Spring protests for the last year. The delegation, including an NGO worker and a tech entrepreneur, both Western-educated, represented...
GLOBAL: Vigils in solidarity with Tibetans
Since early February 2012, a series of global vigils have taken place in all over the world to express solidarity with Tibetans, following a call from Kalong Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay. As February 22 is the Tibetan New Year, activists are calling for another round of solidarity action. Lobsang Sangay's statement can be...
UK politician foresees nuclear Iran triggering new Middle Eastern cold war
British Foreign Secretary William Hague has described a possibility of a new cold war in the Middle East due to the Iranian nuclear programme. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggests negotiating with Iran by asking it to disprove the allegations of developing nuclear weapons. "If [the Iranians] obtain nuclear ...
Egypt struggles to recover tourism; investment in wake of political woes
Standard & Poor's downgraded Egypt's currency rating for the second time in four months based on the country's shorfall in foreign reserves and shaky political transition. It's the latest development for a nation facing mounting economic diffuclties. Egypt's foreign reserves fell by over 50 percent last year to about US$16...
PERU: Following the great water march
It has been 7 days since the Great Water March set off, on February 1, 2012, from the heights of Celendín, Cajamarca, Peru, where the lakes threatened by the Conga [es] mining project are located. The march has unfolded practically without incidents, and is currently halfway to Lima, its final destination. Meanwhile,...
United States: How the stimulus revived the electric car
By Michael Grabell in ProPublica. A common criticism of President Obama's $800 billion stimulus package has been that it failed to produce anything – that while the New Deal built bridges and dams, all the stimulus did was fill some potholes and create temporary jobs. Don't tell that to Annette Herrera. She was 50 when the ...
South Africa: Student anti-racism poster causes a stir
The Democratic Alliance Students Organisation (DASO) recently released a controversial poster as part of their anti-racism campaign. The “In OUR future, you wouldn't look twice” poster shows a naked mixed-race couple embracing. The poster has caused a huge stir on Facebook, Twitter and blogs and even generated...
How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’
While many of us are working to ensure that the Occupy movement will have a lasting impact, it’s worthwhile to consider other countries where masses of people succeeded in nonviolently bringing about a high degree of democracy and economic justice. Sweden and Norway, for example, both experienced a major power shift in the ...
Inside Romney’s tax returns: A reading guide
In response to growing pressure from voters and competitors, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released 550 pages of tax returns Tuesday, covering two years of income. As one of the richest men ever to run for President, Romney's filings are enormously complex, and the subject of close scrutiny. News organizations...
Global online community protests US anti-piracy bills
January 18 was an important day for the Internet. Corporate websites, from Google to Twitpic, along with civil society groups and individuals, have all joined together in a common cause: to protest two American bills that could have grave effects for global online free expression. As Global Voices' Executive Director ...