Stories from 9 August 2009
Palestine: Remembering Shafiq Al Hout
On 2 August, founder member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Shafiq Al Hout died. Al Hout helped found the PLO in 1964, was appointed PLO representative in Lebanon, and survived ten Israeli assassination attempts during the Lebanese Civil War. Arab bloggers have been paying tribute.
Ecuador: The Cry for Independence 200 Years Ago
Ecuador is celebrating the Bicentennial anniversary of their Cry for Independence from Spain and which helped inspire others from across the region to follow suit.
Pakistan: Lawyers On A Rampage
The recent news of some lawyers harassing members of civil society, journalists and the police has raised a lot of eyebrows. Pakistani bloggers remember the heroic role of these men of law in the inspirational and much successful Lawyers movement and question these actions.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: An interview with Elizabeth Métraux
DOTCOM is an online initiative using blogs and video to bring American, Armenian and Azerbaijani teenagers together to work on creating socially conscious media. Global Voices Online speaks to Program Director Elizabeth Métraux.
Mexico: Dangerous Work for Tamale Vendors in US
El Nahual of México Para Los Mexicanos [es] comments on a recent media piece on the dangerous life of a tamale vendor in the United States.
Mexico: XIV Folklore Festival in Zacatecas
Zacatecas Vive [es] took video of the recent XIV Folklore Festival in Zacatecas, Mexico, which featured entries from all over the world.
Iran: Twitter and Facebook in Trial
Yesterday, Iranian authorities held the second round the of mass trial of protestors and reformist politicians. Defendants in this round included a 24 year-old French woman, Clotilde Reiss, who was accused of spying. Almost all the defendants were accused of inciting riots and undermining national security. The Iranian judiciary went on to...
Greece: Armenian singer passes away
Unknown to most Armenians, but loved by many Kurds for his songs sung in the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish, Aram Tigran has passed away in Athens, Greece. Born in 1934 in Syria, Tigran's death has affected many, and not least those recognizing the important contribution he made as a cultural bridge between Armenians and Kurds.
Hungary: Bloggers Mourn Tamás Cseh
It's very hard to explain the role of singer Tamás Cseh, who died in Hungary this week, in the life of the young generations willing to understand their parents' socialist past. Nobody could describe what socialism looked like, or what the real socialist gym shorts looked like. Nobody but Tamás Cseh.
Egypt: Adverse reactions to TE-Data Fair Usage Policy
Earlier at Global Voices Online, Tarek Amr captured the initial reactions to new plans to limit Internet use across Egypt. Marwa Rakha reports more adverse reactions hitting the Egyptian blogosphere.
Egypt: A Dog Named Anwar El Sadat
Love or hate him, naming a dog Anwar El Sadat in I love you man is creating a ripple in the Egyptian blogosphere. Why are many Egyptians opposed to having a dog named after their former president in a movie?
Sri Lanka: Provincial Council Election Results
Lanka Libertarian posts the updated election results of the UVA provincial council, the Jaffna municipal council, and the Vavuniya urban council.
Taiwan: Typhoon disaster and call for volunteers
Southern Taiwan has been severely affected by floods associated with Typhoon Morakot (颱風莫拉克). Billy Pan posted (zh) a link to a Google Map showing the sites of the disaster (zh) and places where volunteers and assistance are required. On Twitter taiwanfloods is regularly tweeting the latest news about the situation...
Georgia, Russia: Cyber Attacks on Blogger ‘Cyxymu’
In 2008, the Russo-Georgian war coincided with the Beijing Olympics, diverting some of the public attention from the peaceful sporting event. This week, cyber attacks on LJ, Twitter and Facebook, targeting Tbilisi-based blogger cyxymu, have added an extra dimension to the coverage of the war's first anniversary.