Stories from 16 July 2012
Croatia: 2.8 Million “Inappropriate” Books “Purged” During the 1990s
In “Libricide,” Ante Lešaja has documented the process of “purging” of “unsuitable” books from Croatian schools and public libraries by the right-wing HDZ government in the 1990s. According to a...
Social Media and Armenia’s 2012 Parliamentary Elections
Following a bitterly disputed presidential election in 2008, parliamentary elections held on 6 May 2012 were a crucial test for Armenia’s democratic system. What role did social media play?
Mauritania: Military Plane Crashes Killing Seven
On July 12, 2012, a Mauritanian military plane crashed in Nouakchott airport. The accident took the life of 3 soldiers (among them one officer) as well as two custom officials, in addition to two contract security guards working on the behalf of the Canadian company. Netizens had their say about the incident. Here is a collection of reactions by Ahmed Jeddou.
Iran: Is the State Afraid of a 13-Year Old Girl?
An Iranian security court created a stir recently by banning foreign travel for jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s husband and their 13-year-old daughter, Mehraveh Khandan. Nasrin Stoudeh has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Northern Mali: Resistance in the Streets and Online
Northern Mali has been de facto cut off from its central government since the Tuareg rebels then the Islamists drove the army out of their territory. On the ground, tension is rising. Women were the first to go out on the streets and in all the northern cities, the young have taken up protest.
Iran: Who Can Catch a Chicken?
The price of chicken has jumped by more than 80 per cent in the last few months and it seems chicken prices will continue to soar out of people's reach. Shoppers have had to dish out 70,000 rials (US $5.60) for a kilogram of chicken, around three times last year's price.
Saudi Arabia: Brownies and Kalashnikovs
Mideast Youth's Rola Khayyat posts a podcast featuring an interview with the Saudi author of Brownies and Kalashnikovs Fadia Basrawi.
Bahrain: Making of a Century
Mideast Youth has launched an iPad-exclusive application that showcases revolutionary leaders and movements in the past 100 years and allows people to learn about how these revolutionaries and leaders are...
Madagascar: Will Air France Jet Purchases Really Help Air Madagascar?
The year 2011 saw Air Madagascar being banned from flying to European destinations due to the airline failing to comply with security regulations. The transition government had been celebrating the purchase of two Air France Airbus A340s with great fanfare, yet multiple questions have been since been raised over the purchase.
Arab World: Detect Dialect Search Tool for Twitter
On Twitter, @Detect_Dialect is pushing for Detect Dialect – a dialect-specific search tool for Arabic content on Twitter. In addition to Classic Arabic, Arabs speak their local dialects, which sometimes...
World: Is a Declaration of Internet Freedom What the Internet Needs?
More than a week after rights groups unleashed the Declaration of Internet Freedom, the blogosphere continues to weigh in on the document.
Lebanon: Fresh Attention For Lebanon's Missing and Abducted People
Recent kidnappings carried out since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution have made abduction a constant threat once again and drawn new attention to the issue of Lebanon's missing people.
Syria: Mapping Rape Allegations
Women Under Siege charts “Syria's use of rape to terrorise its people.” Check out its crowdsourced map here.
Zambia: African Union Leaves Liberation Hero Out of Honors’ List
When Zambia’s foreign minister Given Lubinda went to Ethiopia to attend the African Union summit , he was shocked to discover that the country’s first president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, was not among the continent’s prominent personalities who have been honoured at the new AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. Zambian netizens have reacted to the omission with mixed feelings.
Palestine: Letter to Fellow Arabs
Palestinian blogger Abir Kopty writes an open letter to Arabs. “From Egypt to Yemen, from Bahrain to Libya, from Tunis to Syria, we watch your revolutions disrupted, stolen and countered....
Egypt: The Big Pharaoh Grabs His Popcorn
During the recent presidential elections many Egyptians were not really pleased with the options they had in the final round. Some decided to boycott the elections and many others voted for one of the two candidates out of fear of the other. Now that the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi is president, netizens share their thoughts.
Brazil: Video of Tribute to Murdered Forest Heroes
Watch the footage [en/pt] of Laísa Sampaio's speech at the UN on February, as she received a posthumous tribute to her sister Maria do Espírito Santo and brother-in-law José Cláudio,...
China: Rage over Chengguan Again
Another bloody conflict involving Chengguan has spread around in Weibo last week. This time a woman peddler was hit by a glass bottle by the city management officers at Fuzhou...
Hong Kong: Former SCMP Journalists’ Open Letter to the Paper's CEO
23 former South China Morning Post journalists and editors issued an open letter to the paper’s group executive director, Hui Kuok, expressing their concern that critical coverage of China is...
Bulgaria: “When You Sack the Person of the Year…”
On July 12, the Bulgarian Supreme Judicial Council dismissed Judge Todorova, the head of the biggest and most powerful union and the winner of the "Person of the Year" prize by the human rights watchdog the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. Todorova's sacking is seen as a politically motivated revenge.
