Stories from 12 January 2009
Macedonia: New online game
I, Macedonian embeds the online Macedonian game “Hit the bastards” and writes: “I believe the game will be a true hit in Macedonia and in the whole region.” The game offers players to hit politicians with eggs, cakes and tomatoes. The game is also embedded in the Greek Political blog.
Ukraine: Kyiv Subway Ads
LJ user russos (RUS) re-posts pictures of the advertising in the Kyiv metro (22 photos, 3.5 MB).
Algeria: Maghreb/Sahel blog proposal
“I have an idea: Why not create a multi-author English-language Maghreb/Sahel blog? There are enough general MENA/Arab Middle East blogs in this vain, but stupendously few blogs that bring together English-speaking bloggers, academics and political scientists specifically about North [west] Africa,” writes Algerian blogger The Moor Next Door.
Morocco: Gaza Injured in Morocco Hospitals
Palestinians injured in the ongoing war on Gaza have been flown in to Morocco, where they are being treated at the Mohammmed V Military hospital, reports The View from Fez.
Morocco: Three Killed in Fez Fire
From Morocco, The View from Fez reports on a fire which killed three people and injured several others in a warehouse specialising in manufacturing ceramics.
From Italy to Palestine: Vittorio Arrigoni writes from Gaza
Vittorio Arrigoni is an Italian human rights activist who is currently in Gaza, one of a number of activists who arrived with the Free Gaza movement. Vittorio (Vik) blogs at Guerrilla Radio [it], and also writes for the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto. His posts vividly describe what the people of Gaza are experiencing right now. In one, a doctor describes the effects of the white phosphorus shells Israel is accused of using: "He said that what was totally inexplicable was the total absence of eyeballs, which even in the case of trauma of that magnitude should stay in place, at least traces of them."
Russia: Motorists on the march
Paul Goble of WindowonEurasia brings attention to a new organization – TIGR – to advance the interests of Russian motorists after protests against import tarifs on cars in the country's Far East.
Sri Lanka: Debunking Propaganda
Dare to be Different lists ten myth busters regarding the Sirasa TV attack controversy.
Bangladesh: Against Corruption
Meandering Memos is impressed with the improvement of Bangladesh in the corrupted countries index and suggests ways forward.
Zimbabwe: Left to die by the roadside
“Dead by the roadside,” writes Fungisai on Kubatana blog, “A pitiable sight of a young girl aged around six to seven years, seated by the roadside, with a huge black bungle lying on her thighs caught my attention. The young girl was seated in an awkward area, in the middle...
Sri Lanka: YouTube for activism
ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) reports that Vikalpa’s YouTube Channel has become popular after publishing two short videos capturing reactions to the assassination of the Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickremetunge.
South Africa: Is this counter-revolution?
Is there counter-revolutionaries in the South Africa's justice system?, “A few months ago the media was filled with the rhetoric of the ‘kill for Zuma’ (KFZ) brigade. The Nicholson judgement was greeted with the words “this judge is not a counter-revolutionary”.
MENA: Israel and the Use of White Phosphorous in Gaza
The world is looking on in shock at the devastating photographs taken of Gaza victims - some of whom are deformed beyond recognition. Human Rights Watch is also calling upon Israel to stop the unlawful use of White Phosphorus in its war on Gaza. Bloggers from across the region react.
Egypt: Heikal on Gaza
MrEgypt sheds light on the recent interview by Al Jazeera with Muhammed Hassanein Heikal, one of the most important, famous and respected journalists in the Arab world. He summed up Heikal's talk in three main points: the situation in Gaza, the Egyptian position, and the regional status.
Saudi Arabia: The Biggest Irony
Eman Al Nafjan discussed the biggest irony in the history of Humanity. In her point of view, the West calls Arabs terrorists and all the real terror started when Western countries supported Zionists in creating a Jewish state out of thin air. She also answers a reader who objected her...
Saudi Arabia: Saudi women and their drivers
American Bedu talks about one of the cultural contradictions in the Saudi society. She takes the relationship between Saudi women and their drivers as an example.
Saudi Arabia: Matrook al-Faleh free again
Prof. Matrook al-Faleh, who was arrested last May, has been released from jail. According to Saudi Jeans, Al-Faleh was arrested after criticizing the poor situation of Buraida General Prison where his fellow activist Abdullah al-Hamed was jailed until last September after he completed a six-month sentence there.
Lebanon: Media Bias on Gaza War
Lebanese blogger Habib Battah reflects on the international media's bias in covering the war in Gaza – and its casualties.
Haiti: Haitian Art
“Art is Haiti's only inexhaustible resource. When others use the tired phrase ‘Haiti – the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere’, let us counter that Haiti is the culturally richest country in the Western Hemisphere instead”: Haiti Innovation invites you to experience Haitian art.
Cayman Islands: Gun Violence
Mad Bull is monitoring the crime situation in the Cayman Islands.
Trinidad & Tobago: Economic Position
Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, Paolo's Blog says: “Remarkable is perhaps the only word I can summon after digesting the latest position from the government on the impact of the global economic slowdown.”
