Stories from 3 May 2007
Abdel-Monem Mahmoud: the Egyptian totalitarian regime is the problem
As I promised in my last article “Online Freedom for All: Some cases worth supporting”, I’m publishing here the translation of the interview I did with the jailed Egyptian blogger and journalist Abdel-Monem Mahmoud at the 3rd annual Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar, tow weeks before Monem’s arrest. Monem...
India: UP Politics
Recursive Hypocrisy on the politics of Uttar Pradesh. If opinion/exit polls are to be believed, and taken with a pinch of salt, one can come to a reasonable conclusion. Mayawati will be the next chief minister. The question is, with whose support. Given the law in its current form, and...
India: A place to pray
Indian Muslims on the difficulty of finding a place to pray. “I wonder how many non-Muslims are comfortable with Muslims praying in front of them. I have seen people, in northern India, object just for the sake of doing it. On the other hand I have seen very amiable responses...
India: Cartoons and White Women
Desidabba on Nina Paley's work as a cartoonist and why it might just be kicking up a controversy. “Then of course, Paley is a white American woman. Cue the drum beats baying for her blood. This complex we have when it comes to white people is so ingrained in our...
Iran:Just a Kiss
Zahra says[Fa] Hezbollah in Iran criticized Iranian president,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for kissing the hand of his primary school's teacher recently.His teacher was an old woman and wore gloves. The blogger says why he did not choose a man.You can see the photo here.
Bangladesh: In 1971
Shahzaman Mozumder's Blog has a fascinating account of being a freedom fighter in 1971. “I reached the recruiting office, which was adjacent to Capt. Mahbub’s headquarters. Capt. Mahbub was also there and my name was soon written in a register and I became a Mukti Bahini recruit. There were a...
Bangladesh: That nameless person
A gut wrenching post on what means to be Bangla in Malaysia. “BANGLA, does that word mean anything to you? Or is it just something you shout to call that nameless guy from your toilet to scrape off that dried cow shit from underneath your car? Well for those who...
Barbados: Archiving the News
“One of the great resources for democracy is a free and strong press with a sense of duty towards preserving recent history as best as it can,” writes Barbados Free Press as it expresses concern over Barbados newspapers destroying their own archives.
Poland: May Days
The beatroot writes about May holidays in Warsaw.
Ukraine: More Chernobyl Photos
Michael Forster Rothbart posts photos from an abandoned village near Chernobyl and writes about one image from Pripyat that he was especially impressed with.
New political movement: Chile Primero
A new political movement called Chile Primero is set to be a launched on May 12. Some Chilean politicians and some Chilean bloggers are ready to support this new party, although there is some debate how it will interact with the current President and other coalitions.
Ukraine: Full Moon
Abdymok, during his early-morning run, talks religion and politics with “a longhaired bearded man missing most of his left front tooth.”
Cuba: Airport Gunfight
Both Babalu Blog and Cuban American Pundits report on a gunfight at Havana airport.
Estonia, Russia: Ansip and Putin
The Russian Dilettante compares the Russian president to the Estonian PM and writes about their respective roles in the current conflict over the Bronze Soldier: “I also suspect that the ‘riots’ wouldn't have happened without Moscow's instigation, which is no wonder, Putin being the same Soviet type as Ansip. No...
Estonia, Russia: More on the Bronze Soldier
Itching for Eestimaa writes: “With the issue of the Estonian government's decision to relocate a Soviet war memorial to a military cemetery de facto concluded — though the repercussions will no doubt linger for years — the situation at the Estonian embassy in Moscow has become the new focus point...
El Salvador: “War on Terrorism” Marks
Tim Muth's El Salvador Blog links to the recent US State Department's Country Report on Terrorism and how El Salvador has participated. There is some worry that the broad definition of terrorism in the country's anti-terrorism law may place other non-related activities, such as protests, liable for harsh penalties.
Colombia: Five out of Five Cabbies Agree
Bloggings by Boz was recently in Colombia once again and launched an informal poll of taxi drivers in Bogota and Cartagena. All five gave President Alvaro Uribe high marks on security, which is something that was not surprising. In addition to the security issue, he also asked them about other...
Ethiopian blog blockage sparks free speech debate
Web watchdog the OpenNet Initiative this week confirmed that the Ethiopian government has been blocking scores of anti-government websites and millions of blogs hosted by Google’s Blogger service. Ethiopian bloggers responded to the news with a string of defiant posts, vowing to continue writing and beat the blockages.
Free Monem Campaign
As the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, the Egyptian journalist and blogger, Abdel Monem Mahmoud, sits in jail after reporting on torture and condemning the transferring of civilians to military tribunals. On this occasion, a number of bloggers and activists from around the world have launched the Free Monem...
Angola: Miss Landmine Angola Project sparks debate
Koluki weighs in on the Miss Landmine Angola Project: “Certainly, these women won’t become “more beautiful” or “more empowered” in the eyes of their husbands, boyfriends, children, families and communities simply because they are photographed wearing make-up and nail polish, which after all will definitely not survive the tending of...
Cuba: World Press Freedom Day
“By my count, there are at least 31 men imprisoned in Cuba jails because of their work as journalists.” Uncommon Sense recognizes World Press Freedom Day.
