Stories from 4 June 2008
Iran: Student protest and hunger strike
According to [Fa]Ehterame Azadi,an Iranian blogger, more than 50 students of Tarbiat Molem University in Tehran have started hunger strike to protest against the bad condition of their university.
Egypt: Great Firewall of China Coming Soon
Egyptian bloggers have one hand on their keyboard and another on their hearts. Following a recent crackdown on bloggers and online activists following the April 6 unrest, some are now predicting the worse is yet to come.
Iran: Bloggers remember Ayatollah Khomeini
Muslim Bloggers in Iran created a logo to remember the 19th anniversary of death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Islamic Revolution.
Muslim Couple in French Court
Shaheen draws our attention to a court case between a Muslim couple in a French court in this post. The court annulled their marriage because the Muslim-born wife misled her husband and wasn't a virgin.
Turkey: Largest Telecom IPO Offering
Talk Turkey reports that Turk Telekom completed the fifth largest IPO of the world (and the largest in Turkey) by selling 15% of its stake for a total of $1.9 billion (2.4 Billion Turkish).
Pakistan: On Democracy
The Pakistani Spectator on the idea of democracy – not just theoretically, but as a choice that people make.
Bangladesh: Making History
Mash from Bangladesh on why Obama becoming a nominee is a historic event.
Africa: Time for e-governance has arrived
David Kobia discusses e-governance in Africa: “I suppose we can now officially thank government policies in African countries for their failure to expand fixed lines, leading to a projected 22% increase in mobile phone subscribers. 330 million people will own a phone in Africa, in 2008.”
India: Soon to come, elections
With the general elections scheduled soon in India, Songs of Sixpence on the prospects of the current coalition in power.
India: Bullying a Blogger!
A website – Kerals.com decides to bully and abuse a blogger, when she protests against unfair use of her content on their website. More at Ginger and Mango.
Zimbabwe: Morgan Tsvangirai detained
Zimbabwean police have detained the main opposition leader: “We believe that Morgan Tsvangirai is currently being detained in Lupane Police Station. Please call the police station and alert them to the fact that the world is watching.”
Bahamas: Hope Sells
“Apparently, hope is a marketable service and bankable commodity”: Simon at Bahama Pundit blogs about the business of selling hope, saying: “Like food and energy prices, the cost of hope continues to escalate.”
Dominica, Trinidad & Tobago: The New Cricket?
Dominica Weekly links to a BBC Caribbean interview with FIFA Vice-President Jack Warner on the future of football in the Caribbean: “Mr. Warner feels that football has taken over from cricket and that it has a more promising future.”
Bermuda: Cry for Justice
Breezeblog calls for justice in the murder of a 14-year-old Bermudian student: “I can’t even begin to think about what sort of person decides to rob such a young girl of her life.”
Guyana: It's Not Easy Being Green
Guyana-Gyal was trying to get into the spirit of World Environment Week – until she encountered a frog.
China: National Outrage
Two cold pointed out that Chinese people as a whole shouldn't be so easily outraged by foreign media or foreigner's comment, such as Sharon Stone's comments on the earthquake. The blogger pointed out that Chinese media also had made many unsympathetic comments to other countries’ misfortune [zh].
Kazakhstan: Re-repatriant wave coming?
Zhanna Zhukova reflects on the publications in the Kazakhstani media about the alleged return of former ethnic emigrants from Germany to Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: Bill’s Affair Kills Hillary’s Campaign
Arman reviews an unexpected continuation of the story about alleged Bill Clinton’s lobbying for his friend’s uranium business in Kazakhstan, the affair is expected to have even worse influence on the presidential campaign of the ex-president’s wife
Hong Kong: Where's the Apology
CNN and Sharon Stone have apologized to Chinese people. Yesterday a Tibet monk has also made an apology of what he had said about the repression. William Sin wonders why there still isn't any apology for June 4 marsacre for more than 19 years [zh].
Afghanistan: What’s Wrong With the ANP?
Joshua Foust cites the UNDP report saying that Afghanistan actually has a kind of normal number of police, but underscores that the major problem that remains is corruption.
Afghanistan: Cobblestone v. asphalt, engineers v. insurgents
Peter Marton continues discussion of the road development strategy in Afghanistan and the impact it may have on the insurgency (and counter-insurgency).
