Stories from 12 April 2009
Palestine: A Visit To The West Bank
Intern in Israel has made a trip to the West Bank: “I think what shocked me most was how heavy the Israeli military influence was inside of the West Bank and how large some of the Jewish settlements are. The areas where Palestinians actually have “full” control are very small.”
Bahrain: Celebrating Veganism
Tasha, an American living in Bahrain who blogs at The Voracious Vegan, is celebrating two years of veganism with a special recipe.
Thailand’s “colored” protesters
Red shirts. Yellow shirts. Blue Shirts. Pink Shirts. White Shirts. Orange Shirts. Purple Shirts. Black Shirts. Be careful what you wear in Thailand today. Your politics are determined by the color of your shirt. A blogger suggests that tourists should wear floral shirts in Thailand in order not to be identified with any of the political forces here.
Georgia: Civil disobedience
As a new wave of anti-government protests continue in Tbilisi, Georgian human rights lawyer Anna Dolidze explains why she believes a campaign of civil disobedience is necessary. In a second entry posted on her Resistance Georgia blog, the former head of the Young Georgian Lawyer's Association comments on last night's...
Georgia: Tbilisi protest update
Radiobedniereba’s Blog reports on the incident which occurred last night outside the Georgian parliament. The blog says controversy surrounds surveillance camera footage of 50 men destroying computers and sound equipment belonging to the opposition.
Mexico: Foreign Artists Commenting on Internal Matters
French musician and activist Manu Chao was recently in Mexico, where he referred to the riots in Atenco to be an example of "state terrorism." As a result, there was reports that he was being investigated by the government for violating Article 33 of the Mexican Constitution, which prohibits foreigners from becoming involved in the internal matters of the country.
Palestine: Separated By A Border
In Gaza, Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra describes the plight of a family able to see each other only across the border fence separating Gaza and Egypt.
Bahrain: Unblock Political Websites
Bahraini blogger Zainab Abdel Amir requests the government to unblock the political websites that are currently banned in the country [Ar].
Palestine: Jerusalem As Arab Cultural Capital
Gazan blogger Abu El Sherif has posted a short video [Ar] he made for a programme called Alli Sootak (Speak Up) shown on Palestine TV about choosing Jerusalem as this year's Arab Capital of Culture.
Iran: “AP report on Iranian blogs is biased”
Webgardian says that AP (Associated Press) report on Iranian blogs is biased. AP writes that “arrests [of bloggers] started after the election of Ahmadinejad in 2005.” Webgardian writes “if you just google a little bit you will find out with out any investigation that most of the bloggers got ARRESTED...
Georgia: Opposition rally attendances wane, tensions increase
Yesterday, thousands of demonstrators once again rallied in Tbilisi for a third day of protests demanding the resignation of the Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili. Bloggers continue to report on events as they unfold.
Sri Lanka: Plights Of The IDPs
Laksundara at Groundviews describes the plights of the IDPs (internally displaced persons) who fled their homes during the recent civil war in the Northern areas of Sri Lanka.
India: Indiblogger meet 2009
Delhiphoto posts some pictures of the participants of the NCR IndiBlogger meet 2009 whcih took place recently in Delhi, India. More than 60 bloggers attended the meeting.
Predictions and Polls for the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections in India
The month long general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha start from April 16, and there is wide speculation on which party, or coalition, will emerge the winner, when the results are announced on May 16th. Here is a quick roundup of the pre-election predictions and the discussion around them in the Indian blogosphere.
Argentina: A Wall Separating Two Neighborhoods in Buenos Aires
A wall built between two neighborhoods in northern Buenos Aires leaves residents and bloggers wondering whether this is the best way to combat crime or whether it just a way to separate people of different classes. Even though in a local newspaper poll, most people support the wall because of the problem of security that many face, it was torn down by those in opposition leaving little to show for the public investment of funds.
Serbia: Gypsies’ Houses Torn Down in Belgrade
This July, Belgrade will host the 25th World University Games, whose participants will stay in the newly-built University Village. There used to be some 350 Gypsy houses near that place, but, following an order of the City Department of Inspections, about 50 houses were torn down on April 3. A few dozen children, women, old and sick Gypsies spent the night without shelter, and were later attacked by the neo-Nazis. Sinisa Boljanovic translates bloggers' reactions to the incident and to the measures proposed by Belgrade's city authorities.
