21 March 2008

Stories from 21 March 2008

Moroccan Blogosphere on Fouad Mourtada: Finally Free

Young Moroccan engineer Fouad Mourtada was released from prison by presidential pardon days before Eid el Mawlid, the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. Fouad was imprisoned for more than forty days for creating a Facebook profile of the king's brother, Moulay Rachid. Bloggers reflect on the grassroots effort to free Fouad and celebrate his liberation as a step forward for personal freedoms in the Kingdom.

21 March 2008

China: Civilians in violence and conflict

Thugs vs. Peacekeepers or Fighters vs. oppressors; Mob vs. Protectors or Martyrs vs. killers? Before I could judge, please allow me to present some recounts of the Tibet unrest from the commons there. (As most western media had sided with Tibetans, I basically pick quotes from common Hans for balance.)

21 March 2008

LiveJournal: Bloggers Protest Basic Account Cancellation

Yet again, LJ users are in distress. Unlike the previous times, however, the current situation involves both the Russian-language and the English-language segments of LiveJournal. It all began when LiveJournal's management announced that no account created after March 12, 2008, could be turned into a free-of-charge and ad-free Basic Account. Today, some Anglophone and Russophone LJ users protest against this unpopular measure.

21 March 2008

UAE: Labour Riot

The Emirates Economist links to several news sources about a massive labour riot in the United Arab Emirates, over the increasing cost of living.

21 March 2008