Stories from 3 January 2008
Abu Aardvark: Control of Bloggers ‘Predictable’
Abu Aardvark discusses campaigns to free jailed Arab bloggers in this post. “What's happening to Arab bloggers was entirely predictable: their increasing visibility and political influence (at home and abroad) drew the attention of security services, which began to push back and try to regain control,” he writes.
Kuwait: Editor in Court
Kuwaiti blogger Forza updates us on the trial of an editor of an online publication in court for slander.
Kuwait: Video Bloggers in Kuwait.
Lebanese blogger Mark, who lives in Kuwait, introduces us to two video bloggers from Kuwait – Rashisha and Stan.
Arabeyes: Have a Spectacular New Year!
New Year's is the time to reflect on the past and make new resolutions for the future. What are bloggers from the Arab world saying as the world bids 2007 farewell and welcomes 2008?
Egyptian judiciary grants electronic publications rights
Blogger Wael Abbas writes about the Egyptian court's decision to grant online publications – including blogs – the same freedom as print media. Wael reposted the text of the ruling, the final paragraph of which says (Ar): إذ أن حجب موقع بالصحافة الاليكترونية هو من ذات جنس حظر صحيفة مكتوبة...
Brazil: Facebook in a nice fix
“For the second time in just over two months, Facebook is caught in a situation that is, essentially, impossible to control”. Ronaldo Ferraz [pt] tells us the latest piece of [bad] news from the popular social network: the ban on Robert Scoble's account.
Bangladesh: On Rickshaws
Voice Of South on why rickshaws shouldn't be banned by the government in Dhaka.
Argentina: 20 years of the El Mate free movie and animation school
Children between 8 and 17 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, have been learning how to animate and film movies in the 20 year old El Mate Film School, with an abundant production of films, shorts, animations and a documentary or two.
Angola: List of blogs and websites
Feliciano J.R. Cangüe [pt] shares with us his list of blogs and websites from Angola. Most of them are in Portuguese.
Iraq: One Year After Saddam
Alive in Baghdad brings us a video summing up the reactions of some Iraqis on the first anniversary of the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
Iraq: Are US Presidential Candidates for Real?
“As the candidates for (US) president prepare for the Iowa vote, their statements become more bizarre each day. I can't help but ask are there any serious candidates?” writes IraqPundit, who discusses their statements about the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Bahrain: The Truth about Lies
Bahraini blogger emoodz discusses some of the ‘lies’ presented in a local television programme about riots, which broke out in Bahrain last month.
Egypt: 2007 Blacklist
Eman, from Egypt, shares her blacklist of 2007 here.
Caribbean: 2007 – The Year of Elections
What was potentially the Caribbean post that had the most impact in 2007? Janine Mendes-Franco gives a quick roundup of the big regional stories of the past year.
South Asia: Dynasties and Democracy
Feringhee on the overwhelming presence of dynasties in the context of democracy in South Asia.
Sri Lanka: Protecting human rights
Transcurrents on why the Sri Lankan government must protect human rights and foster pluralism.
Bangladesh: Labour Riots
Unheard Voices discusses the causes for the textile labour riots in Bangladesh.
The Musee Guimet affair: Part Deux
Last week we reported about the bloggers reactions on the controversies surrounding the exhibition of the masterpieces of Ganges in Musée Guimet of France from the collections of the Bangladesh museums. The apprehensions of the art lovers who were protesting the unclear processes of sending the artifacts including their fear...
Sri Lanka: Bomb Blast
The New Year in Sri Lanka has a violent start. Chaar Max and Ephemeral Ruminations have more on the blast in Slave Island.
Turkey: Armenian History
Blogian comments on news that a new ballet based on an old Armenian tale of love and tragedy will be written and performed in Turkey. However, the Armenian blogger says that while he supports Armenian-Turkish reconciliation, he is concerned by what appears to be a major historical inaccuracy written in...
Nigeria: Nigeria's four “tribes”
Oro discusses Nigeria's four “tribes”: “I am a Nigerian. Please don’t look at my name and try to peg me to a tribe otherwise I will be glad tell you the stories of other people I have met in the last three decades of my existence — people who can...
