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23 March 2009

Daily archive · 9 posts

Stories from 23 March 2009

Maldives: Free Speech Under Threat

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In early March Mohamed Nasheed, the new President of the Maldives, met with Frank La Rue, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression. In the meeting Nasheed...

Fiji: ‘It was stones, now it's molotov cocktails'

At least six people in Fiji who could be termed “public opponents” of the country’s military-backed government have been targeted by unidentified individuals who late at night have thrown large stones at their houses and severally damaged their cars. During the stonings, much of Fiji’s political blogosphere have claimed the rock attacks were perpetrated by members of the country’s military.

Is Egypt on the verge of a cultural revolution?

Between Bahaa Taher's first Arabic Language Booker Prize, bloggers' books, Youssef Zidan's Azazeel's Booker prize, writing competitions on Facebook, the Sawiris Foundation Competitions, and new creative initiatives to nurture new blood, Egypt's literary scene has been revived over the past few years. Marwa Rakha digs up even more projects being discussed on the blogs.

Ecuador: Barcamp and Sunday Morning in Quito

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The Ecuadorian digital community has been organizing and participating in various events in the capital city of Quito. On March 21, the first BarCamp took place, which followed a web entrepreneurial meeting called Sunday Morning held in February. Participants and organizers alike comment on the events and reflect on what they took away from meeting with like-minded people.

Egypt: Women turn to the Internet to fight taboos

Young middle and upper class Egyptian women resort to the internet to fight their battles against taboos. The BBC interviewed some of them and Mohamed Hamdy of Bloggers Times comments on the article.

Cuba: Interview with Blogger Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

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Claudia Cadelo interviews blogger Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo about his participation in the Cuban blogging community, which came to his side when his book "Boring Home" had originally been accepted by the state publishing house, but later rejected. He believes that the decision was made partly by his blogging activity. Many of the island's bloggers supported him during this difficult time and even organized an alternate book launch.

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Cambodia: Rice politics

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Rice is more than a staple of the Cambodian diet. It also implicates land rights, trade and international relations. Some Cambodians are frustrated over land leases to neighboring Vietnam. They are concerned the leases will evolve into ownership changes, resulting in a reduction of Cambodian territory.

Thailand: Summary from the academic forum on Lese Majeste

Lese Majeste is still a hot issue in Thailand. Foreigners, academics and activists have been charged with Lese Majeste in recent months. A two-day academic forum was held at Thammasart University in Bangkok where scholars discussed the controversial law.

Iran: Dr. Hesam Firouzi, Another Jailed Blogger

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It was jailed physician and blogger, Dr. Hesam Firouzi, who recently got the word out through his lawyer about the death of blogger Omid Reza Mir Sayafi in Tehran's Evin Prison. He said he urged prison authorities to send the dying prisoner to a hospital, but they refused.

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