Stories from 8 October 2008
USA: “Obsession” Anti-Islam Film Angers Bloggers
Last week, many newspaper subscribers across the United States were surprised to discover a DVD inserted into their Sunday paper. The video, which can be viewed in its entirety on YouTube, is entitled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War With the West" and portends to compare the threat of radical Islamism with that of Nazi Germany prior to World War II.
Nepal: Plane crash in Lukla
Bimal Gautam, a photojournalist from Nepal posts some photos of the crash of an Yeti Airlines plane in his photoblog. 18 persons died in the air crash in Lukla today including 14 Germans, 2 Australians and 2 Nepalis.
Iran:An Iranian Lesbian needs urgent help in Sweden
Iranian Queer Organization (IRAQO) asks people to help a young Iranian lesbian who escaped Iran to Sweden in January 2008 on base of her sexual orientation. According to this organization she is at a mental hospital now.
Bangladesh: Rescuing the ruins of Dhaka
D is for Dhaka discusses the history of Dhaka city's architectures and is appalled by the lack of government initiatives to rescue the ruins.
Iran: Shopkeepers strike over VAT introduction
Several bloggers such as Avareh and news sites reported[fa] that Shopkeepers in several cities in Iran such as Tabriz and Isfahan pressed on with strikes on Wednesday to protest against the government's introduction of value added tax.
Pakistan: Zardari again?
Teeth Maestro critiques yet another quote of Pakistan president Asif A. Zardari that caused much uproar in Pakistan. He mentioned that the militant Islamic groups operating in Kashmir are “terrorists” while they are deemed as freedom fighters in Pakistan.
India: Terrorism religious?
Balachandran at An Unknown Indian is furious over the Hindu nationalists attacks on the Christians in Orissa, India: “I wish to question those ignorant fools as to where the hell in their scriptures are they asked to promote violence against people of other faith?”
India: Attacks against churches
While condemning the recent violence against the Christians Vivek Bharat at Desicritics provides some background of the conflict that led to the attacks on churches in Karnataka: “A pamphlet titled Satya Darshini…was being freely distributed among members of the New Life Fellowship sect of the Pentecost Mission in Mangalore, ..which...
Morocco: Film Festival in Tribute to Youssef Chahine
Daily Maghreb reports that this year's Marrakesh film festival will pay tribute to British cinema and honor recently deceased director Youssef Chahine.
Saudi Arabia: Who polices the religious police?
Susie of Arabia writes about the Muttawa, or religious police, in Saudi Arabia and asks: “Who exactly is in charge of policing the Mutawwa here and how much are they getting away with beyond their authority? I know they are only human and they make mistakes, but many of their...
Bahrain: The ‘blogfather’ retires
Mahmood, the ‘blogfather’ of Bahraini blogging, has decided to quit.
Colombia: Judiciary power strike not having an impact
Colombian blogger Jaime Ruiz posts in Atrabilioso [es] how the Judiciary power employee strike hasn't really affected the country, to the extent that the President has told them that they can continue the strike until the end of his mandate if they wish. Ruiz criticizes them stating that their only...
International Eye on the US Elections
As the US Elections loom closer, international attention to US Policy and the candidates has increased. Projects like Current TV's Collective Journalism and Global Voices' Voices Without Votes have taken the task to gather this information and bring a global perspective on a local issue.
Cameroon: Three Blogs to Watch
You should pay attention to these three Cameroonian blogs: “In my continuing series on Cameroonian blogs, I will take a quick look at three English language blogs that are steadily carving a place for themselves on the African blogosphere.”
Tanzania: When Eid ul-Fitr came with tears
What do Tanzania Swahili bloggers think about the tragedy that hit Tanzania recently? 20 people died in a stampede while celebrating Eid El Fitr at a special disco for young people in Tabora, central Tanzania. Approximately 400 young people aged between 7 - 18, twice the recommended number for the hall, gathered for the celebrations.
Cameroon: Do You Know the Bloggeroonians?
Ourma blogs about “Bloggeroonians”: “While most of the bloggers listed on this site are foreigners living here in Cameroon, Dibussi Tande and Global Voices have highlighted a number of Cameroonians doing the blog thing from overseas.”
Uganda: LGBT activists forced into exile
Sokari writes about the plight of LGBT activists in Uganda: “Following the arrest of Georgiana and Brenda, 5 members of SMUG, knowing they were a target of the police and fearing further arrests, had to escape from Uganda and are now all having to live in exile.”
Liberia: Liberia's History 101
David Sasaki is in Monrovia, Liberia to teach Liberians how to blog. He writes a short history of the country: “Liberia’s history – and specifically its relationship with the United States – is fascinating. The country was founded and colonized in 1847 by freed Black slaves from the United States....
Kenya: Website to Showcase the Real Nairobi
Frank writes about 24 Nairobi project in Kenya: “Check out this cool website called 24 Nairobi which contains nice pics.Its aim is to showcase the real Nairobi apart from the Western sterotype of African cities.”
Kenya: Ushahidi Updates
Ushahidi, the crisis monitoring mashup originally developed to monitor post-election violence in Kenya is evolving: Steve Mutinda put together a working Ushahidi Java application – and surprised me with it, this Saturday. It works well, and he and Wilfred Mworia are hard at work on the Ushahidi API to ensure...
Azerbaijan: Bullying and Violence in the Army
Unzipped posts a video from YouTube allegedly showing new conscripts in the Azerbaijani army being beaten and kicked by other soldiers. The blog warns the Armenian army that videos of similar scenes might also be uploaded and disseminated online unless steps are taken to stop similar violence against conscripts.
