Sunday Roundup: Abyei, Ai Weiwei, Artmaking…

U.N. probes absences amid Sudan clashes. Since Northern Sudanese forces seized Abyei, many rightfully think northern and southern fighting over Abyei could reignite a full blown war in #Sudan. And we thought U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan would protect the people of Abyei from the attacks; apparently we were wrong. According to Reuters: ‘U.N. peacekeepers ... More

Dancing with a dictator in Sudan, again.

Northern Sudanese forces seized Abyei, why should we be surprised? It looks like what I wrote almost 4 years ago: Darfur: when History is a never ending story… is still up to date. Since I first wrote about #Sudan in the late 80s (yes, it has been a while), every new event taking place in the country confirms the more we wait, the worse it gets. Twenty ... More

Sunday Roundup: Sudan, particles, Gil Scott-Heron

New Visual Evidence of Government of Sudan War Crimes in Abyei. Here we are, again. Al-Bashir is back, alive and kicking. Hard. Again. And unlike in #Darfur, this time we have proof of what is happening right now, thanks to the Satellite Sentinel Project: ‘The Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) has released new visual evidence that the Government of ... More

Sunday Roundup: Abyei, WOZA, Rwanda, DSK, Cannes

Today is International Day for Biological Diversity. The UN General Assembly expressed ‘its deep concern about the continuing loss of the world’s biological diversity, and reaffirmed the commitment to the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the ... More

Sunday Roundup: Unhappy China, JPMorgan Chase, Jal

It’s about being ‘happy’ or ‘unhappy’. Support of #Ai Weiwei makes #China “unhappy”. Reported by Yahoo News, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: ‘The Chinese people also feel baffled — why do some people in some countries treat a crime suspect as a hero? […] The Chinese people are ... More

Sunday Roundup: Graffiti, Congo, Sudan, J. Stiglitz, J. Silva

Sunday Roundup. Everything is said, the title of this post is quite self-explanatory. I have been inspired by the Sama Gazette and their weekly Rendezvous Friday Digest. I think this is an interesting way to share with you the news that caught my attention and which are worth mentioning on this blog. This is my first #Sunday Roundup, I hope you will ... More

Tunisia : the revolution of dignity and freedom is spreading



Immediately after Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation, I wrote about the event and the protests that followed in Something is wrong in Tunisia. If some people out of Tunisia were ‘surprised’ by the escalation, it came as no surprise to me, knowing what Tunisians have been living for decades under Ben Ali’s dictatorship and massive ... More

2011: blissful optimism and weariness, Twitter says!

Happy new year everyone! I guess we are going to hear those words many times again in the coming hours, days and weeks. Today is the first day of 2011 and many are already recovering from a bash that lasted until early this morning. Most of the people I know are celebrating, wishing everyone the best for the new year. Me too I hope everything will be better ... More

China’s Fabulous Deals: Curb Your Enthusiasm

I wish I was talking about Larry David’s TV show, but I am not. A few days ago, China’s President Hu Jintao arrived in Paris for a three-day state visit with billions of dollars in deals thrown in. When it comes to make deals during those difficult economic times, France like many other countries, is ready to look away to ... More

Grandmaster Flash, Seen, Jordans… Remembering the good old days!



It was the end of the 1980s and everything was going to change for me. We used to meet in the lobby of the building, the smooth floor was perfect for teenage boys (and some adventurous girls, obviously) to glide and moonwalk. They were also slipping and tripping, a boombox was jamming out hip hop music before we decide to go ‘find a wall’. At ... More