Stories from 15 April 2008
Ukraine: Kyiv Mayoral Election
Ukrainiana posts an update on the Kyiv mayoral election.
Ukraine: Senior Clergyman for Kyiv City Council
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop reports on political aspirations of a senior Orthodox Christian clergyman. (Update – here.)
Russia: Yuri Gagarin
Soviet Russia posts commemorative videos of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space.
Moldova: “Random Musings”
Random Musings on a Moldovan Odyssey posts an extensive roundup on life in Moldova.
Hungary: Change in Attitudes; Change in Policies
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the changing attitudes of Hungarians – and about what may become the new government's program, once the new “minority” government is formed.
Egypt: Residential Independence
OTV is a private Egyptian satellite TV channel which has attracted the attention of its viewers from the day it was launched, thanks to its liberal approach, the issues it tackles and the way it tackles them, which is different from conservative and traditional TV channels. Tarek Amr writes about how the channel covered the issue of unmarried girls living on their own and how a blogger reacted to it.
Tunisia: Al Radeyef Protests – When Bloggers Give a Voice to the Voiceless
With little to no coverage of the plight of thousands of people at the rich Phosphorous mines of Gafsa, Redyef and Oum el Arayess on mainstream media, Tunisian bloggers and activists are turning to the Internet to tell the world their story.
D.R. of Congo: Fifth fatal crash in under a year, food prices the real disaster
News agencies are reporting that 75 were killed when a cargo plane crashed in Goma shortly after takeoff on Tuesday. Du Cabiau à Kinshasa reflects on how a plane crash can bring attention to the DRC, generally ignored by Western media, even though it's reeling from one of the greatest human disasters in a century. But Cabiau thinks the skyrocketing food prices, although less photogenic, are the real disaster in the making.
Lebanon: Commemorating the Civil War
April 13 marked the 33rd anniversary of the beginning of the Lebanese civil war which ended, officially, in 1990. Lebanese, who are anxious that the violence may be renewed any time, commemorated the occasion with events to raise awareness against it. Bloggers too wrote about the war from different angles as usual; some with lengthy analysis of what caused it and others with reports on some of the anti–war activities, writes Moussa Bashir, who brings us blogger reactions.
Egypt: 631 Detainees in Mahalla
Ibn Al Dunya, from Egypt, says that more than 600 people were arrested in Mahalla in connection to the April 6 general strike and the unrest which followed. They include bloggers, journalists and politicians.
UAE: An Extra Pillow?
Want an extra pillow while staying at a posh hotel? Secret Dubai unveils why such a request may not be entertained at all times.
Morocco: Hands off my Muezzin!
Robin des Blogs received over a dozen comments on his post about a minister in the Moroccan government who has asked muezzins in mosques adjoining tourist areas not to do the call to prayer.
UAE: Thousands of Sites Blocked in New Crackdown
The UAE blogging community is slowly absorbing a new clampdown on the Internet, following the blocking of thousands of websites en masse after objections on their content. While some bloggers are welcoming the move to filter sexually explicit and "unacceptable" material, others are not so happy with the crackdown.
Bahamas: Outrage
The Bahamian woman “who was seized from the house she was living in by uniformed policemen who would not allow her to put on any clothes and who was detained in the public area of a Nassau police station for many hours in that state before being allowed to cover...
Zimbabwe: Bread and Roses
Comrade Fatso is a blogger as well as a musician in Zimbabwe. Listen to his song, Bread and Roses: “The hit song from Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka's new album, House of Hunger. Sung from the perspective of a vendor during Mugabe's vicious Operation Murambatsvina it is a call for Bread...
Uganda: When taxi drivers went on strike…
When taxi drivers in Uganda went on strike:”I get into another taxi a couple of hours later and brave the town. I say brave because the taxi drivers are on strike over this new law that demands that taxis should only stop at City Square along the Kampala-Jinja road. Any...
Iran: Iranians favor direct talks with USA
Homeyra informs us that according to World Public Opinion,”Iranians favor direct talks with US on shared issues, mutual access for journalists and more trade.”
D.R of Congo: A new partnership to end violence
Global efforts to end rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the global movement to end violence against women and girls known as V-Day have launched a new partnership to end rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and ensure justice for...
Zimbabwe: Operation Mavhoterapapi
Victims of Operation Mavhoterapapi in Zimbabwe: “It has been reported that a teacher in Mudzi has also been murdered and 8 women have been abducted. We are awaiting verification of this report.”
Zimbabwe: Boycott Independence celebrations
Should Zimbabweans boycott Independence celebrations?: “A young man has written to Kubatana asking us to forward his “plea” to people to boycott the Independence celebrations even if they want to see their favourite soccer stars in action. But I guarantee you that the stadium will be full of Zimbabweans wanting...
India: History Carnival
varnam presents the fourth Indian History Carnival – a collection of posts related to Indian history and archeology.
