Stories from 13 November 2007
Brazil: Police, a tough nut to crack
The song theme of the popular Brazilian film Tropa de Elite [Elite Squad], about police corruption in Rio, has become background music for the Pernambuco's Police Forces. They sang the lyrics by Tihuana when were called to calm down a rebellion in a prison, as reports PE Body Count [pt]:...
Pakistan: Protests and Beyond
Chapati Mystery on how protests will continue beyond the first few days. “These nascent protests will not go away. In fact, they have awakened a new segment of the civil society against The General.”
Pakistan: Thanking Musharraf
The Pakistani Spectator has a slightly different take on the Emergency, thanking Musharraf for what he's done so far.
Russia: North Caucasus Situation
A Russian general with “a reputation for brutality in Moscow’s Chechen campaigns” warns that “the security situation across the Northern Caucasus is deteriorating rapidly,” Window on Eurasia reports.
Pakistan: Emergency and Fundamentalism
All Things Pakistan on why the emergency is the least of the country's worries, fundamentalism topping the list.
Russia: Moscow Car Crashes
Two-Zero posts a video of car crashes in Moscow.
Bangladesh: On Freedom of Speech
Unheard Voices reflects on comment moderation, freedom of speech in the context of Bangladesh today.
Pakistan: Flash Mobs and Democracy
Andy Carvin on the idea of flash mobs being used in Pakistan to protest against the Emergency.
Russia: Khodorkovsky on the Election
Sean's Russia Blog posts a translation of Mikhail Khodorkovsky's letter to a Russian blogger, in which he explains why it is necessary to vote in the upcoming parliamentary election.
Russia: Politkovskaya Diary
Sean's Russia Blog reviews Anna Politkovskaya posthumous diary: “The misery in the book is so thick that it is difficult to isolate what Anna Politkovskaya stands for.”
Russia, Ukraine: Oil and Oil Spill
Sean's Russia Blog writes about the recent disaster in the Kerch Strait and the “ecological costs” of Russia's “dependency on oil exports.”
Russia: Ulan-Ude
Russian Blog writes about “dostoprimechatelnosti” of Ulan-Ude, one of which is the biggest Lenin head in the world.
Russia: Zenit – Champion!
Megan Case mentions the long-awaited victory of St. Petersburg's football team in the national league championship: “After the game, the city went wild – it felt a bit like New Year on the streets.”
Russia: Parachute Inventor
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about Gleb Kotelnikov, the man who patented the first knapsack parachute in 1911.
Bolivia: Celebrating Todos Santos
Todos Santos is an important holiday in Bolivia, and is based largely on the feast of All Saints Day. For many it is a family and community affair, as it is important time to welcome back the souls of deceased family members. Some Bolivian bloggers provide descriptions on how they celebrated the holiday by baking bread, building altars and running into old relatives.
Acoustic Debit Card for Africa
Olivier Gabirault writes [Fr] about Maâtcard, an acoustic, prepayed debit card for developing countries which will debut in Cameroon next April. The Maâtcard functions like a normal credit card, but also emits a unique, unfalsifiable sound, enabling users to securely make payments, buy air time, or transfer funds by telephone.
African Students in Morocco
Not all Africans from south of the Sahara are coming to Morocco with hopes of emigrating to Europe; more and more are coming to study [Fr].
French-Congolese Musician Kamini's New YouTube Video
Tu bloggues ta part introduces a new YouTube video [Fr] from French-Congolese musician/comedian/provocateur, Kamini.
Burkina Faso: No famine, but farmers still in peril
In Burkina, the government's announced there is no danger of famine, but peasants say [Fr] this season's rainfall and agricultural production have been particularly bad, and many have had a difficult time harvesting enough to feed their families these last two weeks, writes Ramata Sore.
Afghanistan: Explosions of Violence
More than 40 people, including five Afghan lawmakers and a number of children, were murdered on Tuesday in one of the deadliest suicide attacks since the fall of the Taliban, said Afghan officials. Several bloggers share their regret and opinions on this topic. Sanjar says[Fa] that many people including five...
Philippines: Bloggers Take on Blast at Legislative Building
An explosion of still-undetermined origin destroyed the South Wing of the Philippines’ House of Representatives complex, killing a lawmaker and a driver of another. Two other solons lead the list of injured. Killed were Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar and Marcial Tualdo, a driver for Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan who was...
