Stories from 25 February 2009
Singapore: Copyright Act and blogosphere
ringisei is worried that the Copyright Act is being used to “strangle” the blogosphere in Singapore.
Singapore: Amended law to allow filming of “factual” political rallies
Individuals who use their mobile phones to film illegal rallies can be arrested under an amended law in Singapore. Live film recordings of political events are allowed but the events being filmed must first be held in accordance with the law.
Pakistan: Corrupt Traffic Police in Karachi
Kashif Aziz at Chowrangi posts a video showing corruption of traffic police in Karachi.
India: Nominations for Indibloggies
The nominations for the Indian blogging award Indibloggies 2008 will continue till 6th of March 2009. The Indibloggies are publicly-chosen awards conferred on bloggers from India and the Indian Diaspora since 2003. The nomination form is located here.
D.R of Congo: Listen to Staff Benda Bilili
Jeremy writes about Staff Benda Bilili, a group of paraplegic street musicians who live in and around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa, Congo.
Zimbabwe: How Mugabe Steals
Denford Magora reveals how Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe amassed wealth during his tenure. I promised a few days ago to share with you information from impeccable sources on just how Robert Mugabe amassed a fortune during his tenure, “Few people know that, when Mugabe travels overseas, the Chief Secretary to...
Bangladesh: Citizen Journalists Covering BDR Mutiny
Today morning Dhaka was rattled by a fierce gun battle inside the headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR – paramilitary border security force) situated in the heart of the capital. Rumors had started to fly and later it emerged that junior officers have taken control and locked up seniors officers in...
Palestine: Canada Speaking Tour
Palestinian blogger and journalist Laila El-Haddad starts a speaking tour in Canada on March 2.
Saudi Arabia: Nora Al Faiz Bio
Saudiwoman's Weblog sheds light on Nora Al Faiz, who was appointed as the first female Saudi deputy minister recently.
Haiti: Carnival History
Real Hope for Haiti writes a detailed post about the island's Carnival traditions.
Ukraine: Politics on Twitter
Ukrainian president Victor Yushchenko has an official Twitter account; his tweets mirror daily schedule announcements and latest news items that are featured on the official website as well. There is also a Yushchenko impersonator on Twitter. Former speaker Yatsenyuk seems to have a Twitter account, too, but his political movement's press service would not confirm it.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Injunction
Barbados Free Press finds it “interesting” that the Trinidad and Tobago Central Bank and the Colonial Life Insurance Company Limited (CLICO) have been granted an injunction against CL Financial.
Cuba: BTTR Four
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense wants us to remember “the BTTR Four”.
Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica: Carnival Photos
More photos from Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, this time from Trinidad Carnival Diary, and from Dominica's Carnival, courtesy Dominica Weekly.
Jordan: Economic depression?
“I don’t know what is going on lately, but I feel that everyone around me are in a hibernation mood. Businesses are not moving. Everything is running very slowly. People are disappearing and communication channels are off!!” notes Sha3teely from Jordan.
UAE: Dubail Out?
Grapeshisha discusses the impact of the global economic crisis on Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Jordan: Smoking Ban?
Jordan has announced a ban on smoking in public places, beginning March 1. “In this kind of country, I’m forced to wonder what exactly were lawmakers smoking when they dreamt up this policy?” remarks The Black Iris.
Kuwait: Crowded Fair
Kuwaiti Marzouq attends a fair and shares his observations and photographs in this post.
Guyana: Mash 2009
Guyana Providence Stadium posts photos from this year's Mashramani celebrations.
Gulf: How things work
Smile O Smile shares this joke on “how things work” in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
Colombia: Another Illegal Wire Tapping Scandal
The news magazine Semana recently revealed that the "secret police" of Colombia had been illegally wire tapping politicians, journalists, magistrates, intellectuals and even government officials close to President Álvaro Uribe. Even worse, some of these agents allegedly had been “selling to the highest bidder” the information obtained to guerrillas, paramilitaries or drug traffickers. Colombian bloggers react to these revelations.
