Stories from 13 April 2010
Macedonia: Blogs and Other Web Sources on Cooking
A short overview of the current situation regarding availability of gastronomical information within the Macedonian blogosphere.
Pakistan: Karachi Literary Festival
Raza Rumi at Jahane Rumi comments on the Karachi Literary Festival: “It is heartening to see how events such as this can take place, and the hope they can instill, in the land of suicide bombers, adventurers and charlatans.”
India: Introduction to Seven Notes Of Indian Classical Music
Likhati, a blog on classical music, introduces us to the seven notes of Indian classical music.
India: Longing For The History Of The Indian Emigrants
Lekhni at The Imagined Universe writes about Amitav Ghosh's novel ‘Sea of Poppies’ and reminds that “the book shows how little we know about emigrant Indians”.
Nepal Scraps MRP Print Deal with India
United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal reports that on public protest the Nepali cabinet has canceled the arbitrary MRP (Machine Readable Passport) print deal with India and decided to select a supplier through a competitive bidding process.
Trinidad & Tobago: LGBT Rights
“Thousands of GLBT voters will be participating in the upcoming general election”: Trinidad and Tobago's gspottt wants “a responsible government that is going to protect and take care of all its people, and not leave some behind, regardless of which party or coalition wins at the polls.”
Haiti: Red Cross Presence
The Haitian Blogger questions the presence of the American Red Cross in Haiti.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: La Soufriere
“As a teenager I saw the awesome power of volcanoes when the Montserrat Soufriere Hills rumbled to life…since then I have looked at our dozing mountain with more than a little fear and respect”: From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni marks thirty one years “since Vincentians awoke to the...
Cuba: Hunger Strike Victory
Cuban political prisoner Dr. Darsi Ferrer has ended his hunger strike “after officials said they would meet his demands”, which Uncommon Sense says is “good news for freedom in Cuba” and suggests that “it's now more than time for the regime to similarly bring an end to a hunger strike...
Barbados: Bullies Charged
Barbados’ Cheese-on-bread! blogs about a landmark court ruling in the death of an eleven-year-old schoolboy who was fleeing from bullies.
Zimbabwe: Yellow card for Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority
Members of Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise marched to the offices of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority to deliver yellow cards to the electricity service provider for poor service and high tariffs.
Sudan: Why hit illiterate voters with 12-ballot process?
Geofrey York tweets from Sudan about the elections: “Sudan election is extended to 5 days. When the population is largely illiterate, why were they hit with incredibly complex 12-ballot vote?”
Sudan: Sudan Elections Roundup
Read Alex Thurston's Sudan Elections Roundup on Sahel Blog.
Egypt: Cairo Protest Turns Violent
From Egypt, Wael Abbas tweets: “Urgent: a protest in down town cairo is now in progress, security is dramatically violent, some protesters fell unconscious due to beating!”
Egypt: Lessons in Oppression from Iran
On Twitter, Daila Ziada comments: “Egyptian security forces are learning from the Iranian experience. They think exaggerated use of violence will stop protesters!”
Sudan: SuDEMOP concerned about elections
A press release from the Sudan Domestic Election Monitoring and Observation Programme (SuDEMOP): “…we are expressly concerned about the myriad logistical, procedural and administrative constrains that caused serious delays in the setting up, the opening of polling centers and the beginning of voting.”
Sudan: Alex de Waal on election in Sudan
Alex de Waal writes about elections in Sudan from Khartoum: “Today the questions are, did the ballots arrive in time? Were all the names on the electoral roll? What was the voter turnout?Quietly, with dignity, with apprehension and sometimes with confusion and frustration, millions of Sudanese are voting. Good for...
Saudi Arabia: Poverty and Suicide
Saudi blogger Trad Alasmari (Ar) writes about suicide in Saudi Arabia (Warning: post contains picture of graphic nature). He claims that poverty could be to blame for its higher levels.
Palestine: Ideas for Catchy Titles
Palestinian blogger Laila El-Haddad sends out a tweet saying: “Officially started writing new book; in need of catchy titles; suggestions?”
Ustream and Twitter changing politics in Japan
Fumi Yamazaki blogs about the use of Ustream and Twitter by Japanese politicians and how it brings changes to politics in Japan.
Morocco: Formerly Jailed Blogger Bashir Hazzam Tells His Story
Blogging can lead to jail in Morocco. Bashir Hazzam learned it the hard way when the authorities arrested him last December for reporting on the violent events that shook his usually peaceful village. In the following interview, the blogger tells his story.
