Stories from 10 May 2011
Costa Rica: When National Music Turns out to be Copied
Some Costa Rican bloggers were terribly disappointed with their musical memories after reading Luis Alonso Murillo's blog post: 11 songs we all believed were national and turned out to be...
Unesco report on Singapore media
A Unesco report cites the “heavily regulated” mainstream media in Singapore while recognizing blogs and other new media sites as offering “alternative discourse on important socio-political issues like domestic politics,...
Bangladesh: Measures Against Extra Judicial Killings
Mahadi Hasan Talukder discusses a recent report of Human Rights Watch, which recommends that to stop the extra judicial killings, the Bangladesh government should take make major steps to ensure...
Bieber Fever Hits Brunei
Justin Bieber had sold out concerts in several Southeast Asian countries but it seems he missed out Brunei. And this prompted Bieber fans in Brunei to use the Internet via Twitter, blogs, and YouTube to convince the singer to visit Brunei.
Bangladesh: Protests Against Women Development Policy
Rahnuma Ahmed posts her reflections on the proposed Women Development Policy of Bangladesh and the protests against it by a section of religious parties (Part I, Part II, Part III).
Iran: Ahmadinejad's “Exorcist” Arrested
Twenty-five close collaborators and supporters of Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his influential chief staff, Esfandyar Rahim Mashai, have been arrested, allegedly including “exorcist” or “djinn catcher” Abbas Ghaffari. Many speculate this is due to a quarrel between Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Pakistan: Save The Nukes
Shahid Hassan at Teeth Maestro wonders as the US navy seals could finish their operation to kill Osama Bin Laden without challenge from Pakistani defense system, someday the nuclear arms...
Nepal: Complaint Against Mysansar Blog
Nepal Blogs discusses about a recent complaint about the Nepali language blog Mysansar made to the Press Council of Nepal.
Russia: President Medvedev Meets Russian Internet Community
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met leaders of the Russian Internet community for three hours of discussion about Internet regulation. Gregory Asmolov, who took part in the meeting, shares his impression and analysis of the President's approach to the regulation of the Internet.
Cuba: “Police Brutality” or “Natural Causes” in Dissident's Death?”
Cuban bloggers continue their outcry over the death of dissident Juan Wilfredo Soto, especially in light of an official statement which suggests that Soto, popularly known by his nickname “The Student”, died “of natural causes”.
Kazakhstan: Two Kazakhstanis in the World News – One Arrested, One Killed
Two Kazakhstanis made it to the international news last week, both in very unfortunate ways. Firstly, Valeriy Tolmachev, an adviser to Kazakhstan's delegation at UNESCO, attacked a flight attendant with a knife onboard his Paris-to-Rome flight and demanded it fly to Libya. Secondly, 26 year old Kirill Denyakin, who was working in Portsmouth, Virginia, was shot by police.
Trinidad & Tobago: Dangerous Dogs
ban-d-wagonist and Plain Talk blog about urgent need for legislation on the heels of the latest incident in which a mother was mauled to death “by dangerous dogs improperly restrained.”
Gabon: Parliamentary Immunity Removal Could Spark Protests
Gabon's political crisis has deepened recently, with the removal of opposition politician Andre Mba Obame's parliamentary immunity by a National Assembly vote. There are fears the move could tip the country in further protests.
East Timor: An Alternative Reading of the Human Development Report
Following the launch of the United Nations “Human Development Report 2011 – Timor Leste” [pdf], the portuguese economist Almeida Serra, from the blog É a economia, estúpido! (It's the economy,...
Africa: A Possible Al-Qaeda Redeployment in Africa?
On his blog, Dierry Diallo takes up an article [fr] on Slate.fr where one can read: “For the GSPC , the stakes are enormous: it's about controlling a formidable strip...
Iran: Dogs Arrested (Again)
Iranian security forces are back in the streets for a sequel to their infamous action of 2007: arresting dogs. Iran's government considers keeping pet dogs un-Islamic, but has mostly tolerated it. Now, according to Iranian newspapers, several dogs were recently confiscated in a new crackdown.
Angola: The Way of Being of the Traditional Markets
Can the traditional markets of the world “[reflect] the living culture and [give] the sense of place better than any city tour ever could, in more depth than the destination’s...
Mexico: Images From May 8 ‘March for Peace’
Freelance photographer Michael Lettieri shares pictures of Mexico's ‘march for peace’ in his blog: “Traumatized by gruesome massacres of northbound immigrants and senseless crossfire killings, Mexican society has begun to...
Bolivia: Keeping Aymara Alive Through TV?
M. Luk’aña Champi [es] wonders why Bolivia doesn't have a TV channel in Aymara or Quechua, considering that the country is now ruled by an ‘indigenous government': “Modern media like...
Honduras: Teachers on Hunger Strike
Quotha posts pictures of a teachers’ hunger strike. Prensa Latina reports that on the day the pictures were taken, May 8, “Honduran teachers announced they would continue their hunger strike...
Côte d'Ivoire: Pro-Gbagbo Militiamen Chanting ‘ADO’
Youtube User Vespuca17 posted on May 1, 2011, a video [fr] of pro-Gbagbo militiamen chanting the name of the new President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, ‘ADO’. To some this...
