28 August 2012

Stories from 28 August 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Independence & Governance

  28 August 2012

Afra Raymond uses the recent firing of a junior minister in the Ministry of National Security, Colin Partap, and Trinidad & Tobago's upcoming 50th anniversary of Independence to think about issues of governance, responsibility, and fitness for high office.

Bahrain: Cleric Relocated After Fiery Speech

Internet activists have reported that Bahrain’s Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa has ordered the immediate transfer of Sunni cleric Dr Adel Hassan AlHamad from one of the grand mosques in Riffa to another mosque in Tubli. Following the news, various campaigns started on Twitter in support of the cleric, attributing the transfer to his last Friday sermon in which he openly criticized the building of a new Roman Catholic Church in Awali, on a land donated by the monarch.

Trinidad & Tobago: Theatre Love

  28 August 2012

All of human emotion is distilled into a couple of hours, brought to life by characters drawn from every imaginable human (and divine) archetype. I love reading it, watching it – and I love performing it most of all. Caroline Taylor resumes blogging by writing about her love of classical...

Russia: Foreign Ministry Looks to Germany to Justify Pussy Riot Verdict

RuNet Echo  28 August 2012

Russia's Foreign Ministry has made a series of comments that further enraging Pussy Riot's supporters. Spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich defended the recent verdict and lashed out at the West for ignorance about the band members' pasts and highlighted perceived double standards regarding interferences into religious services and criminal penalties, citing laws in Germany and Austria.

Lebanon: At Odds with the Smoking Ban

As of September 3rd, smoking will be prohibited in public transportation, work places and closed public places, including coffee shops and restaurants. Mohammad Hijazi explains that the law is unrealistic and that its enforcement will;

Generate a drop of roughly $282 million in revenues, representing 7.1% of GDP in the hospitality sector and lead to a loss of about 2600 full-time jobs.

Colombian Government Plans Peace Talks with FARC

  28 August 2012

In the blog Crónicas, Santos García Zapata explains the context [es] around the Presidential decision to start peace talks with guerrilla groups. The Congress’ Peace Commission has declared that President Santos “is not alone” in his determination to reach peace.

Angola: Pre-Election Media Coverage Undermines Political Process

  28 August 2012

At the end of this month, Angolans go to the polls. Expectations are high but the feeling on the streets is calm and festive. The party in power MPLA increases the number of openings of public works and promises to captivate voters. National bloggers, always attentive, report what is happening behind the scenes.

East Timor: Return Trip of an Indonesian

  28 August 2012

Dalih Sembiring, an Indonesian journalist and travel blogger, wrote “Postcards from Dili“, on a trip he did to East Timor 16 years after he left the country. On his post he republishes an article he wrote for the Jakarta Globe “focusing on how [he] reacquainted with a special person in Bairro...

Chinese Style Romance

  28 August 2012

Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu has translated a Chinese video that explains the material conditions of love relation in China.

China: Editor's Suicide Prompts Reflection, Reproach

  28 August 2012

Xu Huaiqian, the chief editor of the People’s Daily‘s “Earth” supplement committed suicide last week on 22 of August, 2012. He once said during his lifetime that what pained him was that what he dared to think he dared not say, what he dared to say he dared not write,...

Bahrain: Prominent Pro-Government Twitter Accounts Stop

Bahrain’s local twittersphere is experiencing the sudden disappearance of two of the most prominent anonymous pro-government Twitter accounts that were extremely active during the unrest of last year. Both @7areghum and @alfarooo8 haven’t tweeted in little over two weeks, setting off a hunt for the two.

Egypt: Morsi’s Presidential Team

Yasser Ali, the spokesperson of the Egyptian presidency announced Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's presidential team. Zeinobia introduces us to the team – so did Julia Lugovska. It consists of 4 assistants and 17 consultants.

Russia: Protesters Aim for Elected Office

RuNet Echo  28 August 2012

In the lead up to Russia's next large protests planned for mid-September, activists and politicians of the anti-Kremlin opposition are increasingly showing an interest in running for local offices. If successful at the ballot box, could this trend bestow valuable "real world" political experience on Russia's protesters?