26 May 2009

Stories from 26 May 2009

Maldives: Controversy Regarding Presidential Arrest Warrant

  26 May 2009

Mohamed Nasheed discusses the recent decision by the President of Maldives to arrest certain politicians in the country. Some Maldivians were disappointed by this decision and there are unconfirmed reports that former President and Opposition Leader Mamoun Abdul Gayoom may be on the list.

India: Violence In Gurudwara

  26 May 2009

Amardeep at Sepia Mutiny discusses the backgrounds of the recent violence at a Sikh Gurdwara in Vienna, Austria and the subsequent Sikh sectarian violence in Punjab, India.

Palestine: Israeli Armed Police Disrupt Literature Festival

The Palestine Festival of Literature is a traveling cultural roadshow touring across the West Bank, in Palestine, from May 23 to 28. The aim is to take literary activities to Palestinians, who aren't allowed to travel under the occupation. However, the opening was marred when armed Israeli police ordered the theatre where the event was hosted to shut down. Bloggers from around the world reacted to the incident.

Pakistan: Naming Practice

  26 May 2009

“The way a society names its cities and places says a lot about its cultural history and social values,” writes Pervaiz Munir Alvi at Doodh Patti while discussing the naming practice in Pakistan.

Trinidad & Tobago: Summit Spend

  26 May 2009

Trinidad and Tobago's The Undisputed Truth links to a story which, to him, “highlights how the Summit [of the Americas] is a total waste of money.”

Guadeloupe: Analysis of the Unrest

  26 May 2009

Repeating Islands reports that “The Council of Hemispheric Affairs has just posted their analysis of the unrest that plagued Guadeloupe and other French Overseas Territories earlier this year.”

Dominica: Emancipation of the Mind

  26 May 2009

“If we as a people are to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, we must first establish a new sense of self and engage in a critical transformation of the mind”: Dominica Weekly wishes everyone a happy African Liberation Day.

Trinidad & Tobago: Is It Art?

  26 May 2009

From Trinidad and Tobago, the bookmann reviews the exhibition of the 2009 graduating class of Visual Arts Unit of The University of the West Indies.

Cuba: Antúnez Arrested

  26 May 2009

“Former Cuban political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez ‘Antúnez’ and six other anti-government activists were arrested in Havana…”: Uncommon Sense has the details.

Africa: Most African Countries Do Not Recognise Africa Day

  26 May 2009

Africa Day is the annual commemoration on May 25 of the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Ethiopia. Public events have taken place in different parts of the world to honour this day. Bloggers and twitter users have also remembered this day by writing posts and...

China and Hong Kong: June 4th protest T-shirt design

  26 May 2009

Every year on the Sunday before the anniversary of June 4th Incident (Tiananmen Square, 1989), people in Hong Kong would demonstrate to call for justice. This year, the 20th anniversary rally will be on May 31st. Moreover, on the evening of June 4th, there will be a candle night vigil...

Armenia: Yerevan sails into election week

Responding to a tweet sent out an hour earlier, Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor photographs and comments on the appearance of what might be the latest obstacle placed in the way of the Armenian opposition ahead of this weekend's municipal election — a replica of a 13th century ship.

China: Yingde Mass Incident

  26 May 2009

ESWN compared the official version and forum citizen report on the Yingde mass incident – a protest against government corruption and exploitation of overseas Chinese refugees from Vietnam who settled in Yingde in 1970s.

China: Should journalists be tried for bribery?

  26 May 2009

David Bandurski from China Media Project looked into into the trial of Fu Hua, a journalist, who was charged with bribery for accepting 5,000 yuan in exchange for a list of sources for a story about construction problems at an airport in Jilin Province. As David Bandurski pointed out the...

Taiwan: Comparisons of Chen and Roh

  26 May 2009

Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyung tragically commited suicide over the weekend. Some have made comparisons between Roh and former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian who is currently in detention on charges of corruption. The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato asks if both men were subject to character assassination by the judiciary and...