News
Nov 4th: a night of highs and lows
I thought I knew what the big story was going to be last night as I headed out of the house to a small gathering of people at the apartment of a friend of mine. We, a bunch of Mexicans and foreigners (English, Irish, Puerto Rican, Australian, Italian and, ahem, Maltese) were planning to sit […]
US Election night continues
[video:youtube:lhT5pTYJKWo] If you’re still awake this side of the pond – and I am barely – there are more photos from the Frontline Club election night party and there’s a bit more video action taking in the first and second floors of the club down to the wee press room next to the member’s room. […]
Live from US election night at the club
[video:youtube:4yT7oGZsYDA] Click the video above to get some live atmosphere from the Frontline Club as the exit polls start to come in. And a big shout out to Natalie and Anna who are blogging live from the Frontline Club for the Guardian Weekly. See Anna in action below on a Mac…
Always Take a Goat to the Party
Me taking a goat to the party So how do you make friends with the Obama family and ensure access to all the key players in Kenya as their relative vies to become the most powerful man in the world? The answer, of course, is always, always take a goat to the party. I found […]
Cows for McCain
Rob writes that the lovely beast above “gets it” if Obama wins tonight – Rob’s standing outside Granny Sarah Obama’s house in Kenya and blogging LIVE(ish).
Shah Wali Kot Wedding Bombing
Reports started to come in earlier today of a bombing of a wedding party in Kandahar province’s north-western district of Shah Wali Kot. I visited the hospital just now to visit and interview survivors. Abdul Zahir, 24, is the bride’s brother. He was in Shah Wali Kot yesterday for the wedding when the bombing started. […]
The Only McCain Supporter in Kenya
Basically, this guy gets it if Obama wins. He’s going to be the celebration feast.
Video: Day of the Dead in the cemetery
The Gutierrez Renteria family spent Nov. 1 in the Panteon Frances in central Mexico City, attending to the graves of their family members in recognition of Day of the Dead. This video was made for La Plaza, the Los Angeles Times blog about Latin America. Day of the Dead, 2008.
Telegraph journalist, Nick Meo vs Milbloggers: a summary
One of the ways in which bloggers have acquitted themselves in the media space is by acting as a ‘fifth estate’ – scrutinising what the fourth estate – the mainstream media – do, challenging facts and publishing corrections, clarifications, and rebuttals. A while ago, I collected some links on the way bloggers appeared to influence […]
Hack Attack
The press pack in Kogelo The press pack at Barack Obama’s ancestral home is growing steadily. Today there must have been a good 30 or so hacks assembled for the 11am press conference to hear Abongo Malik Obama (half brother to Barack Obama) say there would be no more press conferences. Fair enough, I suppose. […]
Only in Mexico: Funeral Advertising
This advertising campaign is currently running on buses, bus stops and billboards across Mexico City. The ads are promoting a funeral home, and was run in conjunction with Day of the Dead.
Change We Can Believe In
There have been a few changes recently in Kogelo, the rural homestead that the Kenyan branch of the Obama family calls home. Four years ago I made my way down a bumpy, rutted dirt track to find Granny Sarah’s little house. I was met by Said, one of her youngest sons (and a half-uncle to […]
In Photos: Dia de los Muertos in Mexico City’s Zocalo
This weekend Mexico celebrates one of its most popular festivals – Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Although that might sound rather morbid, the festival is actually a celebration of life. Mexicans build ofrendas in their homes and leave out food and drink for the returning spirits of their dead loved one. […]
Oliver Poole gets reverse culture shock
Oliver Poole, author of Into the Red Zone and Daily Telegraph foreign correspondent, talked to students in Oxford earlier this week. Snippets of his chat appear in Cherwell and he talks about that oddest of feelings of reverse culture shock felt by many war correspondents when they head back home, “Once I began to live […]
Craig Swan on cold nights in Helmand
Craig Swan talks about life working in Helmand province in Afghanistan. The former BBC foreign correspondent now lives in the Spey Valley in Scotland and still hankers for the life overseas, although he admits it isn’t all rosy, “As the producer in charge, it was my job to negotiate with the Ministry of Defence to […]
Photographer documents Mara Salvatrucha in prison
The intricate tattoos on the faces, chests, arms and legs of members of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha gangs of Los Angeles and Central America are on display this month in downtown Mexico City. The striking, close-up portraits of male gang members and the tattoos that tell the tales of their lives are part of an […]
Live event: The Rise of the British Jihad
View in iTunes [video:bliptv:1421662] Tonight at the Frontline Club we will be discussing the rise of the British Jihad. We start at 7.30pm UK time and we’ll be streaming the event live on the Frontline Club channel so please come and join us online if you can’t make it to the club in person. MI5 […]
War is a narcotic
Former New York Times foreign correspondent Chris Hedges talked to students at the University of Maryland this week about war and his book War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. He calls war a narcotic, “I think war is the most powerful narcotic invented by mankind,” Hedges said. “War controls you; you don’t control […]
Journalists at Liberia Truth and Reconciliation hearings
This week Robin White, the former Editor of the BBC World Service’s daily English programmes for Africa, testified at the ongoing Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Thematic hearings following the war in Liberia, [White said] he had no knowledge whether his interviews of rebel leaders during the Liberian conflict helped to fuel the civil conflict. […]
Live from the Baghdad embed
Eric Owles, a journalist embedded with US forces in Iraq, answers questions from readers on the New York Times Baghdad Bureau blog. The post is part of a series of embed posts on the NYTimes blog Q. Are you given special training ( Boot Camp for Journalists?) so that you’re qualified to be embedded with […]
Understanding Congo
[video:youtube:NC8GzpcVY_o] Fred’s put together an excellent post detailing the background to the conflict in North Kivu in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The situation in Goma is tense, as can be seen in the Sky News report above. To get a flavour of how this feels on the ground take a look at Samantha’s […]
Terrorists to use Twitter?
A report by the US Army says Twitter, the popular microblogging tool, is a weapon that could be used by Al Qaeda to help them carry out attacks. The full report put together by the 304th Military Infantry Battalion can be viewed here (pdf) and Wired magazine has a good summary of the main points. […]
An Opportunity Waiting to be Missed in Somalia
The Shabaab stepped up its campaign in Somalia yesterday taking war to Puntland and Somaliland. At a meeting in Kismayo in July the Islamists decided to open new fronts in their battle to force out Ethiopia and bring down the unpopular Transitional Federal Government. Sheikh Aweys has unfinished business with Puntland and President Abdullahi, so […]
Political Violence and the Novelist
The other day I was at a panel discussion on how the novelist should approach political violence. I blogged a review on behalf of the Complex Terrain Laboratory.
Background to the crisis in North Kivu
Recent turbulence in the financial market is a reminder that economic stability is heavily reliant on collective perceptions and ‘market confidence’. So it is with security, and nowhere is this more evident than in a so-called fragile state like the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is plummeting into a different kind of recession. The seemingly […]
Grasshoppers on guard in Mexico City
Walking through Bosque de Chapultepec this morning, I did what I’ve been meaning to do for months – I took a shot of one of the many chapulines that stand guard around Mexico City’s biggest park. Chapultepec means “hill of grasshoppers” in Nahuatl, the ancient Mexica language. Luckily I had my camera with me and […]
Somalia Bombings
Bombs in Hargeisa and Bossaso. Suicide bombings and choice of targets makes it look as if Islamists behind it. Info circulated to NGOs: Reports of multiple explosions in Hargeisa. Initial unconfirmed reports indicate 3 car bombs: UNDP office site – 3 killed – 8 wounded Elections Commission – Multiple casualties Ethiopian embassy reports indicate catastrophic […]
Five car bombs hit Hargeisa and Bosasso
A total of five “VERY VERY BIG” car bombs have reportedly hit Somaliland. Three targetted the Puntland Intelligence Service in Bossasso, another at the UNDP office and one at the Elections Commission. The two other bombs reportedly targetted the Ethiopian embassy in Hargeisa’ Somaliland. There are unconfirmed reports that 3 people were killed and 8 […]
Fish and Chips in Africa 1
English Fish and Chips, Moevenpick Hotel, Dar es Salaam And so a new project is born. The other day I posted about fish and chips in Kisumu. Then I find myself in a hotel in Dar es Salaam where “English” fish and chips is on the menu. So, following on from the failure of several […]
