Stories from 2 July 2009
Hungary: Rallying for Iran – and for “Nothing, Never”
Those who were in Hungary during the past few weeks could get quite confused because citizens showed a number of different ways of using rallies as a tool of democracy. Some were rallying for democracy and human rights in Iran, while others gathered for a mock protest to demand "nothing, never."
Iran: “Rigged Election,Recount Scam”
Free Lantern writes that “Iranian authorities have published photos of a partial recount on national news agency, the photos are a good confirmation of the rigged election. In these photos the ballots are not even folded! A paper ballot cannot normally go into the ballot box without being folded.” Watch...
Maldives: Drug Dependence Problem
Mohamed Nasheed discusses the problem of drug abuse and drug dependency in Maldives and ways to tackle this. It is estimated that almost 10% of the total 300,000 population in Maldives take drugs.
Hong Kong: July 1 Rally
ESWN has a review on the newspapers coverage of this year July 1 rally.
China: Spoofing the collapsed Shanghai Building
Netizens from cat898 started spoofing the collapsed Shanghai building with PS photos.
China: Shishou official speaks out about riot
Sam Verran from China Elections and Governance translated a blog post written by a Shishou official reflecting on the local government's “mistake” in handling the investigation and riot.
Georgia: Managed democracy criticized
Social Science in the Caucasus sums up a recent talk given in Tbilisi about the state of democracy in Georgia. The blog says that democratization pushed from outside has exacerbated polarization and conflict in local politics.
Haiti: Preval Party Wins Senate Seats
Repeating Islands notes that “preliminary results from last week’s run-off elections in Haiti indicate that President René Preval’s party won five of 11 contests to fill open Senate seats”, but adds that “there have been…threats from other senators to block the seating…because of the extremely low voter turnout in the...
Trinidad & Tobago: This and That
Diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch comments on news coming out of Trinidad and Tobago – including a vote of no confidence in the Attorney General and the Prime Minister's refusal to apologize for “insensitive remarks he made on the murder of a 10 year old girl.”
Caribbean: On the Honduran Coup
Writing at Havana Times, Guillermo Fernandez Ampie examines the Honduran coup d’état, while Repeating Islands reports that “heads of state throughout the Caribbean region have expresses their condemnation of the military coup in Honduras that has removed President Manuel Zelaya from office.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Carnival Kids
Abeni attends the Junior King and Queen of Carnival competition in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Barbados: Flame of the Forest
my rustic bajan garden is thrilled that it's Flamboyant season!
India: High Court Rule Legalizes Homosexuality
Sanjukta Basu at Desicritics informs that today morning the Delhi High Court legalized homosexuality in India in a ruling in favor of a petition, which challenged the constitutionality of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code. The code criminalizes all acts of oral and anal sex between individuals irrespective of age...
Sri Lanka: Eye-witness Account From An IDP Camp
Groundviews publishes an eye-witness account from an IDP camp in Sri Lanka describing the conditions of the refugees in a post-war situation. Separation of family members, no freedom of movement, corruption, bad hygiene conditions, diseases and epidemic are some of the problems cited in that report.
State Of The Internet In India 2009
Rajesh Jain at Emergic gives a brief overview of the state of the internet in India in 2009 in a multi-part series. Read them here (part 1, part2, part3, part4).
Mexico: The Zapatista “Brand” and Tourism in Chiapas
The Mex Files notes that the state of Chiapas, Mexico receives 4 million tourists per year; 25% mention that they were drawn by the Zapatista rebels, which are best identified by their spokesperson Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente, also known as Subcomandante Marcos.
Slovakia: Sts Cyril and Methodius Day
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia writes about Sts Cyril and Methodius Day in Slovakia.
Romania: Csíkszereda Blogs
Csíkszereda Musings writes about Csíkszereda's English-language blogs – here and here.
Hungary: Gay Marriage Legalized
Pestiside.hu reports on the legalization of gay marriage in Hungary.
Croatia: PM Resigns
Croatian Crescent reports on Croatian PM Ivo Sanader's resignation – here and here.
