Stories from 6 April 2010
France: Muslim woman on the burqa debate
In an interview with Bondy blog [Fr], Malika, 28, a veiled French Muslim woman of Algerian descent, expresses her detailed views about the burqa and niqab, amidst the debate, reheated by the French government, for or against a bill that would ban the burqa.
Egypt: Linux InstallFest a Success!
Free Open Source Software (FOSS) is picking up in Egypt, thanks to awareness programmes being organsied by Egyptian Linux Users Group. Tarek Amr sums up reactions to a recent event in this post.
Russian Government to Develop National Search Engine
Why would the Russian government try to develop its own search engine? Bloggers and Internet experts in the country attempt to come up with explanations and possible implications of that ambitious plan.
Egypt: Crackdown on Peaceful Pro-Democracy Protests
On the second anniversary of the first call for civil disobedience in the history of modern Egypt, new protests broke out through out the country. Egyptian police violently beat and randomly detained people to disperse protests calling for constitutional reform. Eman AbdElRahman reports.
Peru: Ongoing Mining Strike
The national miner's strike has been spreading to other parts of the country, and also resulting in more causalities. The miners are resisting government attempts to implement environmental controls on the informal mining sector.
Nepal: The Way Out
Paramendra Bhagat at Democracy for Nepal opines that “the way out of the ongoing political paralysis in Nepal is a 10-party government under Dr. Baburam Bhattarai's leadership”.
Sri Lanka: The Tale Of The Fasting Monks And Police
Sri Lankan police have arrested several Buddhist monks who were demonstrating against the detention of the Gen Sarath Fonseka, former presidential candidate of the opposition. Perambara has the story how the fasting monks were picked up by the police.
Maldives: The Issue Of Veil In Focus
Rehendhi is uncomfortable with the fact that the issue of veil is becoming a focus in Maldives, due to exploitation of religion in politics.
India: The Naxalites Continue
“The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of their violence,” comments The Acorn while discussing...
Haiti: “The Quake”
The Haitian Blogger calls PBS’ recent documentary on the Haitian earthquake “distorted”, saying: “It would have been great if the writers and producers of ‘The Quake’ had offered a documentary that was not only representative of the immediate aftermath of the devastating earthquake, but was also an accurate historical, political,...
Anguilla, Turks & Caicos: Taking Responsibility
Corruption-free Anguilla comments on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's refusal “to accept responsibility for the decline of good government in the Turks and Caicos Islands”, saying: “The inevitable result, I fear, will be the British Government’s international embarrassment.”
Trinidad & Tobago: False Connection?
“Glimpses of status updates sufficed. Comments on pictures were quick and hurried, not considered. The like button became a false symbol of connection”: Judette at Mango Media Caribbean thinks “it's time we took our friendship off Facebook.”
Jamaica: Taking it to Court
Yardflex.com reports that the Jamaican government will bring the U.S.’ extradition request for Christopher “Dudus” Coke before the courts.
Guyana: Gender Equity
Signifyin’ Guyana discusses gender roles in marriage and gender equality in the Caribbean.
Fiji: Contradicting censorship
It's hard to prove fully, but for the past six months, blogging platforms (including Global Voices) have been subject to on-again, off-again access problems in Fiji. As another round of blog blocking has been rumored, New Zealand-based blogger Crosbie Walsh writes an open letter to Fiji's Police Commissioner explaining the...
Iran: Art and Protest
Zina Saunders, a NYC-based artist has brilliantly created two posters for the March 18 Movement. This movement was created to honor Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, an Iranian blogger and journalist, died in Evin Prison in Tehran.
Philippines: Earth Hour 2010
The Philippines joined the March 27 Earth Hour as 1,076 cities and municipalities turned their lights off in a symbolic mass action for energy conservation, environmental protection, and against global warming. Filipinos post observations and comments online.
Iran: Iranian Embassy Occupied by Protesters in Den Haag
Omid Habibinia tweeted that Iranian Embassy occupied by protesters in Den Haag,Netherlands. He says protesters were left wing students.
Philippines: A Holy Week Visit to Old Manila
An excursion through the old downtown area of Manila City during the Holy Week underscores the need for a sense of history and culture in the face of the lack of initiatives to preserve colonial-era buildings, set up museums, and retain old street names.
Australia: Oil Spill on Iconic Waters a Warning to Obama
A Chinese coal ship is spilling its oil onto Australia’s icon Great Barrier Reef. GV author Kevin Rennie gathers reactions from bloggers
Japan: Remote-control female android
Pink Tentacle has a post on a robot project by Osaka University to create a realistic-looking remote-control female android that mimics the facial expressions and speech of a human operator.
