Stories from 6 May 2009
Iran: Movement of 1000 bloggers supports Mousavi for presidency
Supporters of two leading reformist presidential candidates, former prime minister Mir Hussein Mousavi and former parliament speaker, Mehdi Karroubi are using the internet, including blogs and Facebook, to beef up their chances of being selected as presidential candidates by the Guardian Council in June's election.
Georgia: Brink of civil war?
Before news agencies reported that riot police and opposition supporters clashed in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, human rights lawyer Anna Dolidze writes on Resistance Georgia that she fears the ongoing stalemate and protests will lead to bloodshed.
Maldives: Destruction Of Tombstones
Abdullah Waheed condemns the vandalizing of historic tombstones in Maldives and reports: “a large number of tombstones in Koagannu were vandalized in the recent past based on a superstition that if one breaks a tombstone one could commit Quran to memory.”
Nepal: An All Party National Government?
Democracy For Nepal (DFN) weighs in whether an all party government is desirable and possible in Nepal after the resignation of the Prime Minister.
Sri Lanka: Is The LTTE Defeated And The War Over?
Groundviews highlights a series of videos published by Vikalpa, which interviewed leading civil society activists, politicians and academics to “interrogate the current situation in Sri Lanka, where we are told the war is at its end, and the LTTE defeated.”
Pakistan: The Tri-nation Summit
Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan comments about the Obama-Zardari-Karzai summit which will be held tomorrow: “The tragedy of this trio is not just that all three countries – USA, Pakistan, Afghanistan – have failed to do the right thing, it is that none of the three have any idea...
Tanzania: Dar es Salaam Armoury Explosion Death Toll Rises
The death toll from the military depot blast in Dar es Salaam has gone up to 22. Six service personnel and 16 civilians have been confirmed as killed by the military depot blast on Wednesday April 29, 2009, at the Mbagala Armoury, 15 kilometres outside the city centre of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city with a population of about 3.5 million. J. Nambiza Tungaraza visits Tanzanian Swahili blogs discussing the tragic accident.
Bangladesh: Faces Of Poverty
Ashley Wheaton at The Dhaka Diaries comments about the faces of poverty in Bangladesh: “Poverty can be determined not only by your income but by by your access to services, your ability to make decisions for yourself, your level of security, your place in society… It can be very deceiving...
Bangladesh: Duty On Imported Cars
Kotha-Chhilo criticizes Bangladesh government's customs duty policy on imported second hand cars: “The government increases duty on those cars that the middle class people buy. So, you see! Our government, our elites want to make life of the middle class difficult.”
Venezuela: Conflict Between the Media During Earthquake
The earthquake that shook Venezuela earlier this week brought attention to the role of government and private media for informing the general public. Instead of providing information, the government was criticizing the private stations for "destabilizing the country with alarming news." Meanwhile, alternative media provided up to date information about what people needed to know.
Bloggers react to NZ Maori Party's proposed trip to Fiji
Bloggers are reacting to proposals by members of New Zealand’s Maori Party who wanted a delegation to travel to Fiji to speak with the country's Prime Minister to better understand what he is trying to achieve.
Martinique: Flooding Deaths
Repeating Islands reports that four people have died as a result of torrential rains and flooding in Martinique.
Cuba: Internet Access
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense learns that the authorities have “cracked down on one of the few ways most Cubans can use to access the Internet.”
Barbados: Illegal Immigrants
The Barbados government has offered to regularize the status of existing illegal immigrants – Bajan Dream Diary “wonders how effective this amnesty will be in tackling Barbados’ illegal immigrant problem”; Barbados Underground also has some concerns.
China: Co-ed subway cars
A Beijing politician's proposal for women-only areas on the city's subway is open for public debate; at Page Writers, anonymous Katie debates the merits of the idea.
Jamaica: Stereotyping
“Every Jamaican man lives in fear of a lie. It’s a lie that continues to wreak havoc on both sides of the racial and gender divide and is a frequent topic of pornography: the Black, male stud”: Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp examines the effects of the stereotype.
China: Ninety minutes with Mo Yan
The Sinoafficionado blogger has posted his write-up of a talk well-known Chinese author Mo Yan gave in Beijing in March, ‘Ninety Minutes with Mo Yan’.
Guyana: With Benefits
Guyanese cartoon blogger Paul Harris posts his take on the controversial Presidents Benefits Bill.
Tajikistan: Taking Lessons
Joshua Foust reviews John Heathershaw’s new book titled “Post-Conflict Tajikistan: The politics of peacebuilding and the emergence of legitimate order”.
Afghanistan: Picnics and living standards
Õnne Pärl reflects if the number of picnics match the living standards of Afghans, notices that ruins are being restored in mosques and social spaces with playgrounds and quotes his local friend who says that there are now more wealthy Afghans who can afford to go for a picnic.
Kazakhstan: State support and censorship on the Internet
“As I thought, this year will prove to be a breakthrough for the Kazakhstani Internet”, says izhanov [ru]. The process of creation а start-up projects and interesting web-ideas has already started last year naturally, as a consequence of lowered cost of Internet access and higher speed on the intra-Kazakhstani traffic....
