9 April 2013

Stories from 9 April 2013

Bermuda: Is Thatcherism the Living Dead?

  9 April 2013

The politics and economics of neoliberalism have been shown to…have failed. And yet neoliberalism continues, zombie-like. A living-dead socio-economic system. In one of the few Caribbean blog posts acknowledging the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Catch-a-fire sympathizes with her loved ones, but maintains that Thatcher's politics were...

Bahrain Anti-Government Protests for Equality

From Bahrain, where the ongoing anti-government protests are portrayed in mainstream media as a Sunni/Shia sectarian clash, blogger Nader AbdulEman writes [ar]: أنا الطائفي الذي اريد حكومة منتخبة أنا الطائفي الذي ارفض التمييز وأطلب العدل والمساواة أنا الطائفي أطلب برلمان كامل الصلاحيات @NaderAbdulEmam: I am the sectarian who wants an...

Yemen Court Summons Investigative Reporter

“Yemen’s Press and Publications Court (YPPC) has issued a summon statement against prominent investigative journalist, Mohammed Abdo Alabsi, to appear before court and interrogate him for his investigative reports,” writes Yemeni Afrah Nasser. According to Nasser, Alabsi is being interrogated for a report involving corruption in the treatment of those...

Egyptian Comedian Accused of Pakistan Insult

Satirist Bassem Youssef tweets: A new investigation started against me accusing me of: insulting Islam(again), spreading atheism & insulting Pakistan #LOL He was recently accused of insulting Islam and Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in his TV programme El Bernameg [The Programme]. The court rejected the lawsuit.

Jamaica: Twitter 101

  9 April 2013

2012 was the year a handful of name-brand Jamaican journalists decided it was time to start using Twitter. That was pretty late in the day already. The majority however are still holding back… Active Voice explains why they shouldn't.

China Sings the Iron Lady's Praises

  9 April 2013

Chinese state media and social media are brimming with admiration for former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She died on April 8, 2013 at the age of 87 after a stroke.

The Role of Monarchy in Modern Thailand

  9 April 2013

Cod Satrusayang explains the significance of the monarchy in establishing and strengthening the modern state of Thailand: We have created a state in which it is necessary to have a King for without him we are doomed to the mass of military arrogance, political corruption and moral decay. Even today,...

Masked Protest Against Thai Royal Insult Law

  9 April 2013

Activists entered Thailand's National Book Fair wearing masks with the face of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a magazine editor who was sentenced to ten years for publishing articles which were deemed to insult the monarch. They distributed flyers asserting the ‘Freedom to Read, Write, Publish and Disseminate’ to highlight the negative impact...

Rare, Live Glimpse into Pakistan's Progressive Fashion Industry

  9 April 2013

Unknown to most of the world, fashion plays a huge role in Pakistani life. Fashion Pakistan Week is being live-steamed on April 9-10 from Karachi and will offer a rare glimpse into a blossoming and professional industry that illustrates cultural norms in Pakistan aren't as rigid or conservative as most believe.