17 July 2009

Stories from 17 July 2009

Balkans-EU: Schengen's leftouts and letins

Eberhard Rhein of BlogactivEU writes about the EU's plans for visa deregulation to Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Gray Falcon presents some critical views from the perspective of Serbia and Bosnia-Hercegovina,...

17 July 2009

Russia: Birth of Pirate Party

LJ user savinkoff posts [RUS] the manifest of the recently founded Russian Pirate Party, following the pattern of protagonists for Internet freedom in the rest of Europe.

17 July 2009

Iran: “Death to Russia” at Friday Prayer

At a Friday prayer at Tehran University led by former president and cleric Hashemi Rafsanjani today, crowds of Mir Hossein Mousavi supporters defiantly chanted "Death to Russia" instead of "Death to America", referring to accusations that Russia has been involved in training regime forces of repression.

17 July 2009

Egypt: What's good for the goose is NOT good for the gander

When Marwa El Sherbini was shot dead in a German court Facebook users and the Egyptian blogosphere mourned her as the victim of the veil, the victim of racism, and the victim of her beliefs. But when a heap of bones wrapped up in a blanket named Ibrahim El Sayed Ibrahim was shipped back to Egypt from Libya - no one lifted a finger in his defense.

17 July 2009

Gabon: Gabon Election 2009 on Twitter

Gabon Election 2009 in English and French on Twitter. The page is maintained by a citizen journalist from Gabon: Young Gabonese, Citi. Journalist, DigitActivist,waiting 4 free elections, peace and prosperity...

17 July 2009

Africa: Blogging the trial of Charles Taylor

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is facing 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which is being held at the Hague, Netherlands. There are two blog specifically covering Charles Taylor trial: The Trial of Charles Taylor - International Criminal Justice in the Making, which is made up of a team of monitors from the global litigation practice of Clifford Chance LLP and the Trial of Charles Taylor, a project of Open Society Justice Initiative.

17 July 2009

Pakistan: The power of the Fatwa

The Karachi Electricity Supply Company (KESC) has reportedly obtained a fatwa [religious decree] from 12 senior Islamic scholars against the theft of electricity. Kalsoom at Changing Up Pakistan writes in...

17 July 2009

Out of Africa Emerges Digital Art and Animation

‘Digital' has become the latest buzz word not just in Kenya but in Africa where most things are still analogue. However, Digital Art is a rather new term to even the most seasoned art aficionados. Digital technology has transformed traditional activities such as painting, drawing and sculpture, while new forms, such as net art, digital installation art, and virtual reality, have been recognized artistic practices.

17 July 2009

Light Up Nigeria: Enough Is Enough

Despite being a country rich in oil, Nigeria's electricity supply situation is insufficient. “In most parts of the country, darkness pervades and generators have taken over as the source of power”, says Adebayo's blog. Now Nigerians have started a massive online demonstration against this frustrating situation on social media sites, especially on Twitter with the hashtag #lightupnigeria.

17 July 2009

Philippines: An Internet-Savvy Grandmother

“Lola Techie” is very popular in the Philippines these days. “Lola” means grandmother in the Filipino language. “Lola Techie” is the central figure in a Philippine telecommunication company’s marketing campaign which plays on the concept of an internet-savvy grandmother.

17 July 2009