Stories from 17 April 2012
Cuba: Diaspora Blogs About Dissidents
The plight of prisoners of conscience is a front-burner issue with Cuban diaspora bloggers. This week, they are talking about two in particular: Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, a former member...
Bahrain: Police Help Thugs Vandalize Shiite-Owned Shop
The owners of the Jawad Business Group, a Shiite-owned company in Bahrain, have released a video of one of their shops being stormed, robbed, and vandalized by a group of...
Nigeria: Was Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's Candidacy Symbolic?
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the only African and woman running for the World Bank presidency, has lost the race to Dr. Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American physician. Should this have...
Egypt: Campaign Against Compulsory Military Service Gains Momentum
A discussion against conscription or compulsory military service is emerging in Egypt. Ahmed Awadalla gives us an overview of the debate in this post.
Zambia: On the Ban of Popular Cheap Spirit ‘Sachets’
Two years ago, a blogger called for the banning of the sale of very potent alcoholic spirits packaged in 60 ml sachets which have come to be known as “tujilijili”....
Arab World: Technology in the Time of Revolution
The Arab uprisings have created a debate about the role played by social media and mobile technology in bringing change. Whatever conclusion you come to on that subject, activists certainly...
Morocco: Opposition to Mawazine Festival Grows
As the the world struggles with the global economic crisis, Morocco's Mawazine festival may be affected by growing resentment at its cost. Mawazine is an international music festival that will...
China: What is Causing the Death of Endangered Finless Porpoises?
More than a dozen corpses of the Finless Porpoise, a species even more rare than the Giant Panda, have been found in Dongting Lake in Hubei and Hunan provinces since...
Overhyped Elections in Myanmar?
The world rejoiced after Myanmar election officials announced the victory of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in the recent by-elections in the country. But according to some netizens and...
Indonesia: Popular Minister Starts His Twitter Account
Dahlan Iskan, the popular State Enterprises Minister of Indonesia, has caused another hype in the virtual world after starting his Twitter account. In the past week, some netizens were able...
Pakistan: Hazara Community Targeted for Killings
In the recent past, targeted violence against the Hazara community in Balochistan has increased. Last year sectarian militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi distributed pamphlets threatening Hazaras to leave Pakistan by 2012.
