Stories from 26 March 2011
India: All About Tamil Nadu Politics
Harini Calamur introduces podcasts of Puram the Body Politic, which describe all you wanted to know about Tamil Nadu politics.
India: Arms Yes, Bread No
Dheera Sujan at South Asia Wired comments on the news that India has become the world’s largest arms importer: “yes arms by all means, more arms. So we can have...
Pakistan: License To Kill
Talkhaba interviews Robert Anderson, an ex-undercover CIA operative, who opines that “the release of Davis in my opinion is just a green light for more killings and assassinations by the...
Bhutan: A Blog On Arts And Poetry
Aurora at Writers Association of Bhutan introduces Bhutan Artography, a site dedicated to providing a platform to aspiring Bhutanese artists and photographers. Aurora is a female ethnic Bhutanese writer and...
Syria: Egyptian-American Tweep Accused of Spying
Egyptian-American Twitter user Muhammed Radwan (@battuta) was arrested in Syria and paraded on Syrian Television as a spy who is accused of allegedly visiting "Israel in secret and confessed to receiving money from abroad in exchange for sending photos and videos about Syria." His arrest is expected to unleash the wrath of the Egyptian cyberspace against the Assad regime.
Puerto Rico: Controversial Supreme Court decision
Blogger and Law scholar Erika Fontánez Torres [es] analyzes the recent decision [es] of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico that denies “adulterous” women the protections guaranteed under the Law against...
Argentina: 35 Years After the Coup d'état
35 years after the coup d'état in Argentina, on March 24, 1976, various activities took place across the country. Argentinean bloggers reacted to the fact that the day is now a national holiday, and shared their thoughts and feelings about what the day means for the country.
Iran: Syrians Protest “Neither Iran Nor Hezbollah!”
Several Iranian bloggers react to the slogan of Syrian protesters during Wednesday's march where people chanted “Neither Iran, nor Hezbollah!” Syria is an ally of Iran and is also friendly with the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Sudan: “Because I am a free Sudanese, I will go out and say no”
On March 21, 2011 Sudan's Youth Moment day was born. Youths from universities across Sudan linked and shared information on Facebook and Twitter as a way of setting up a new stage for a new round of protests against the government of Omar al-Bashir.
Kenya: Zingua Kingozi: Political Search Engine
Zindua Kiongozi is a political search engine in Kenya: “Aspiring politicians-young and old- now have a platform from which they can shape their message to an online audience of supporters....
Libya: Where is Eman Al Obeidy?
"Where is Eman Al Obeidy?" has become a pressing question, after a distraught Libyan woman burst into a Tripoli hotel full of foreign journalists, telling then that scars and bruises on her face and body has been inflicted by 15 Muammar Gaddafi's militia, who arrested her at a checkpoint for two days, where they gang raped her.
Uganda: State House Website Hacked
The website of the State House in Uganda has been hacked, Lisa reports.
Myanmar: Post-Earthquake Stories from Aid Workers
Myanmar is still reeling from a 6.8 earthquake which hit the country two days ago. Our Myanmar-based author translates interviews and stories of residents and aid workers who witnessed the extent of the quake damage in northeast Myanmar
Syria: Protesters Demolish Symbols of Regime
In Syria, the faces of President Bashar al-Assad and his father, former President Hafez al-Assad, are regularly seen on billboards, buildings, and in the form of statues. Visitors to the country are often surprised by the prevalence of such images, while Syrians have grown used to them as a daily feature of life. Yesterday, a number of videos surfaced in which protesters tear down the symbols of the regime: posters and statues of the ruling family.
Russia: Life With Autism
At OpenDemocracy.net, Dmitry Golubovsky and Svetlana Reiter write about the lives of autistic people in Russia.
Puerto Rico: 2010 Census figures
Doctoral student and blogger Deepak Lamba-Nieves is starting to analyze the latest release of 2010 Census figures for Puerto Rico: “Although the main story has been the population loss registered...
Puerto Rico: Unique traditions
The team of #EnProfundo have posted their 41st podcast titled: “Unique and Innovative Traditions” [es]. They talk about a recently launched political candidate, the earthquake in Japan, and a new...
Brazil: The Cost of Financing Culture
Recent news that the Brazilian Ministry of Culture has authorized famous singer Maria Bethânia to raise R$ 1.3 million tax free (Brazilian reais - approximately US$ 777,000) to create a poetry blog, has aroused the anger of bloggers, Twitter users and other cultural activists.
Brazil: Critical Mass, a month later
One month after “a reckless madman ran over a group of cyclists in Porto Alegre”, during the Critical Mass event, Brazilian blogger and journalist Cristina Rodrigues writes [pt] about some...
Libya: Gaddafi's Crimes Mount in Misrata
Amid the stories of destruction and the mounting death toll, Libyan netizens are waking up this morning to news of a liberated Zintan and the pushing back of Gaddafi's forces from Ajdabiya. Meanwhile, the world continues to watch as more evidence of horror and atrocities come out from Misrata, which was continuously pounded throughout the night by Gaddafi's forces.