Stories from 18 April 2013
Snow, Charity, Football: Scottish Fans Earn Praise in Serbia
The fans of the Scottish national football team, who came to Novi Sad to root for their team in the March 26 game against Serbia, ended up being praised by Serbia's fans all over social media sites and news channels. Danica Radisic and Dijana Djurickovic explain why.
Astronaut Tweets Breathtaking Pictures of the Middle East from Space
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, currently in space aboard the International Space Station, is sharing pictures of breath-taking views from around the world on Twitter. Here are a few shots he shares of the Middle East from space.
Egypt's Jewish Community Leader Laid to Rest
Carmen Weinstein, Egypt's Jewish community leader, has died at the age of 82. Zeinobia, at Egyptian Chronicles, collects reactions from the funeral service, which gathered a lot of media attention: There is a huge surprising media presence as well security presence where those invited to the funeral have to show...
Saudis Condemn Boston Marathon Bombings
At Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran sums up Twitter reactions from Saudis living/studying in the US following the Boston Marathon bombings here.
Saudi Arabia's First Female Lawyer?
Arwa al-Hujaili has become Saudi Arabia's first female legal trainee – or three years of apprenticeship ahead before she earns her full legal licensure to become a lawyer. Free Arabs has more here.
Muslims Mourn Boston Marathon Victims
Free Arabs’ co-founder Nasser Weddady – representing the American Islamic Congress – spoke today at an Interfaith Memorial Service in Boston alongside President Obama. To read the speech and watch the video, click here.
Give the Egyptian President a Bath!
Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi has left a stench – on Twitter. Blogger and activist Nawara Negm started the hash tag #حموا_الرئيس [ar], which translates to “Give the President a Bath, after reading in a Lebanese newspaper that some German officials complained about Morsi's body odour to the Egyptian foreign ministry.
Double Standard? Protesting Foreclosures and Abortion Clinics in Spain
Elena Valenciano, Deputy Secretary General of Spain's Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), has criticised the Popular Party for seeking to regulate "escrache" protests against foreclosures, citing that many abortion clinics have suffered for years without the government stepping in to limit groups' freedom of expression and right to protest.
Young Haitian-Dominicans Demand Their Right to a Legal Identity
Around 50 Dominican youth of Haitian ancestry marched towards the National Palace demanding the return of their documents and, as such, their Dominican nationality, taken away arbitrarily through an administrative ruling issued by the Central Electoral Board in 2007.
Urban Art Festival Highlights Neighborhood in Puerto Rico
After the 4th annual urban art festival of "Santurce es Ley" in Santurce, Ángel Carrión strolls down the Calle Cerra, a street now converted into the mural mecca of Puerto Rico.
Banned Occupy Nigeria Documentary Goes Viral
A Nigerian documentary about the government's removal of a fuel subsidy last year, which sparked the country's Occupy Nigeria protest, has gone viral on the Nigerian blogosphere after authorities banned the film.
#Yemen: A US Drone Hits Dhamar
After a three month break in Yemen from U.S drone strikes, a drone last night, April 18th, 2013, killed five Qaeda suspects. Activist and journalist Farae Al-muslimi, from the village of Wessab, in the province of Dhamar, broke the news of the US drone strike, on Twitter.
Saudi Account of Boston Marathon Bombings
Saudi student Wael Omar Moathen shares this eyewitness account [ar] of his experience at the Boston Marathon bombing. Ahmed Al Omran offers a translation here: Like any human being who lives in this city, I picked up my camera and headed to Mile 26, the last mile in the race....
Children Back in Guinea Bissau After Senegal Fire
The blog of the Association of Friends of Children (AMIC) reported [fr] that 20 ‘talib’ children from Guinea-Bissau who had been caught in a raging fire at an Islamic school in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, in early March, have now been handed back to their families. As Rising Voices reported back in...
Brazil Accused of Spying on Belo Monte Dam Opponents
An activist collective opposed to the construction of the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in northern Brazil uncovered a spy among its members who confessed to infiltrating the the group allegedly at the behest of the dam company and the Brazilian intelligence agency. The agency is also accused of spying on dock workers in northeastern Brazil.
Podcast:China-Africa Relations Through Social Media
The China in Africa Podcast discusses how social media is influencing China's engagement in Africa.
China Bans Media from Quoting Foreign News
China's media authority announced new regulations banning news outlets and other organizations from reporting on foreign news coverage without permission less than a day after The New York Times won a Pulitzer Prize for its report on the hidden wealth of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's family.
Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean Digital Expo, V2.0
This was an event for people in the private and public sector tasked with making sense of fast moving changes in the digital realm. BitDepth reports on the second Caribbean Digital Expo conference.
China Comes Down on Apple After Calling Company ‘Arrogant’
China's industry and commerce authority has said that it will tighten its oversight of Apple as well as punish the technology giant for failing to comply with Chinese laws following a month-long media blitz accusing the company of "arrogance". The announcement came after Apple's public apology and some Chinese netizens described the incident as a drama of Rashomon.
