David Sasaki

Israel: Harry Potter does not observe the Sabbath?

The synchronized worldwide launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fell at 2:01 am in Israel, during the Jewish Sabbath when Israeli law requires most businesses to close. Gilad Lotan translates a Hebrew blogger’s comments on book sales that went ahead.

China: Dispossessed farmers beaten

A video posted on a Chinese video sharing website shows how villagers in Jianxi are beaten when they attempt to stop a new local government development project on land they have not yet received the promised compensation for.

Bahrain: Does A PlayStation 2 Gun Count As A Weapon?

A Bahraini blogger applies for a visa to the United States and is asked whether he has ever belonged to underground organizations or fired weapons. This and more in Ayesha Saldanha’s report on Bahraini bloggers this week.

Morocco: A Kingly History

While the current king of Morocco is changing the face of the country, the former king has been nominated for the title of “Righteous Among Nation”. Discussions of the royal family, the city of Meknès, and more in this week’s Morocco roundup.

Serbia: The Upbringing of Children

Sinisa Boljanovic translates from a Serbian blog post on the newest generation of parents in Serbia who are traumatized from their own childhood during the war.

Palestine: Today’s Ultimate Sin - Complacency?

Jillian York tries to get to the bottom of what Palestinian bloggers are talking about these days, but says most of them simply repost news articles. Those who are doing their own talking, can’t get enough of local or world politics.

Roundups

Bosnia hopes for EU acceptance, a film festival in Saudi Arabia, Russian history books revised …and lots more in today’s Global Roundups

Iran: Man is stoned after 11 years in prison

“The village itself is quiet; just a few old men sitting around the streets. A kid sits on top a wall dangling his feet.” That description of Takestan comes from blogger and journalist Asieh Amini who visited the village following the stoning of Jafar Kiani for having committed adultery. His lover, Mokarameh Ebrahimi, could be next.

Kazakhstan: Blogs not only for debate, but also a source

From a trial accusing doctors and hospital administrators of infecting over 100 children with HIV to life expectancy rates in the former Soviet Union to weblogs as a source for think tanks, Adam Kesher’s latest wrap up of the Kazakh blogosphere has a bit of everything.

Touring Libyan blogs: women at the realm, promoting blogging, missed calls and other annoyances

“It is no secret that Libyan females are doing better than their male counterparts in the education system in Libya,” writes Fozia Mohamed. In fact, the top 43 high school graduates this past year were all women, which has Libyan blogger Brave Heart worried that he may one day have a female boss.

Frustrations with Malawi Soccer, President looks to God, Questions about AIDS and Sex, and Benefits of SourceForge

Why can’t Malawi’s national soccer team get on track? Why did President Dr Bingu wa Mutharika call for devine legislative intervention? Why is AIDS more rampant in Africa than Europe? Victor Kaonga looks for answers in the Malawi blogosphere.

Francophone Morocco: On Faith, On Politics

“With both the September 7 parliamentary elections and Ramadan looming on the horizon, it seems that faith and politics - which are known to intertwine - are of utmost importance to Moroccan bloggers.”

Roundups

Changing thoughts on arranged marriage, QQ.com’s move to citizen journalism in China, Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodoxy churches sign truce … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Japan: A Week of Typhoons, Earthquakes, and Nuke Leaks

First it was Typhoon Man-yi which hit the islands of Okinawa and the southern region of Kyushu. Then a massive earthquake struck the region of Nigata, resulting in leaked radioactive material at a nearby nuclear reactor. Using online video and blogs, Japanese netizens shared their experiences with the forces of Mother Nature.

Kyrgyzstan: Interview with Bektour Iskender

Ben Paarmann interviews Kloop co-founder, Bektour Iskender and finds out how the Kyrgyzstan-based blogging service hopes to encourage citizen journalism

Egypt: Another Letter from Imprisoned Blogger, Two bloggers Released, Co-blogging gets Popular and More

Two Egyptian bloggers who were arrested on their way to a military court session that they intended to write about have been released. The same, however, can’t be said for jailed blogger Karim Amer who still faces more than three years of time behind bars for insulting Islam and defaming Egypt’s president.

Ugandan bloggers all play, no peace talks

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the beginning of peace talks between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). While questions of justice still linger, the majority of Ugandan bloggers seem to have little to say about the issue.

Arabeyes: Saudi Women Fight for Men’s Rights

“Saudi women are grabbing the headlines once again,” writes Amira Al Hussaini, “this time with a protest to demand the freedom of their husbands and kin arrested under ‘terrorism’ charges.”

Eastern Europe: Swedish Blog Update 2007

Vilhelm Konnander serves up a comprehensive review of the Swedish blogosphere so far in 2007 including claims by traditional media that Foreign Minister Carl Bildt runs the country’s foreign policy via his RSS feed.

Lebanon: One year Anniversary of the July War

Moussa Bashir and fellow Lebanese bloggers commemorate, relive, and reflect on last year’s month-long war with Israel. Has southern Lebanon recovered? How will the 33-day exchange of mortar be rememebered by historians? Will the incursions and retaliations ever end?

Armenia/Azerbaijan: Presidential elections in Nagorno Karabakh

Now to another area of conflict, Nagorno Karabkh, which depending on your perspective is either a breakaway province or independent republic whose population is ethnically Armenian, but whose geography is firmly within Azerbaijan’s borders. Yesterday’s presidential elections brought the sensitive topic up again for regional bloggers.

Kurdistance: The Price of Oil

A proposed new law in Iraq, which would regulate the oil industry and distribute profits evenly among the population, is intended to ease the fears of the country’s Sunni population. But for the oil-rich Kurdish city of Kirkuk it is yet another obstacle to Kurdish independence.

Roundups

Buenos Aires’ official and bilingual travel blog, Iranian blog platform hacked, a new documentary filmed and directed by the people of Iraq … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Turkey is Typing…Moving: The Physical and Political

“With six days until the parliamentary elections in Turkey,” writes Deborah Ann Dilley, “Turkish bloggers this week are avidly watching the news outlets; speculating on the political future of the republic.”

Bangladesh: Minus Two Formula in effect

On May 7 former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed returned home after months of forced exile and amid government allegations of extortion and even murder. Two days ago she was arrested without bail. Rumors now abound that fellow former prime minister and political rival Khaleda Zia is next. Is this the climax of the transitional government’s quest to end years of Bangladeshi political partisanship? Or will it just draw more protests?

Pakistan: Bloggers discuss the bomb blast in Islamabad

A week after Pakistani troops stormed Islamabad’s Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, yesterday a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a rally supporting suspended chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Local bloggers are speculating on the political repercussions to come, writes Neha Viswanathan.

Roundups

South Korea’s new labor law, the 2nd Africa Enterprising Blog Carnival, Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

The preference is so entrenched that by age five youngsters prefer playmates who not only speak the same language but do so with the same accent.

David Sasaki: On the drive from Peet's to the office and there's blog buddy Josh Levy on Talk of the Nation http://tinyurl.com/2uo5ja

Hong Kong: GV Editor Oiwan Lam faces court battle over Flickr photo

“On May 11th, Oiwan Lam, Global Voices Northeast Asia Editor, committed what she says was a deliberate act of civil disobedience,” writes GV Co-Founder Rebecca MacKinnon. Find out what she did, why she’s facing a possible jail sentence, and how Flickr’s new regional censorship policies enter the mix.

Honduras: An Introduction to Honduran Blogs - Part 1

Rookie contributor Aaron Ortiz begins his Global Voices career with an introduction to his country’s expatriate blogging community.

Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome

Writes Salam Adil: “Politics is the order of the day this week. Events in Iraq can be confusing at the best of times - so why not let Iraqi bloggers put things straight. But it is not all dry subjects, I also have snipers in Baghdad, two weddings and a funeral. And, if read to the end, the kittens are back!”

Korea: Cleaning Up Classrooms: Duty or Violation of Human Rights?

In order to give their children more time for studying and after-school tutoring, Korean parents are telling schools that it should not be the responsibility of students to clean the classrooms. Some groups go so far as to claim that forced classroom cleaning is a violation of human rights. Local bloggers - translated here by Hyejin Kim - are divided.

Lusophony Day: Learning Through Connectedness

Happy Lusophony Day! The days of Portugal as a colonial empire are long gone, but the Latin-based language they left behind has led to a 21st century blogging network that stretches from Latin America to Africa to South Asia, China, and the Pacific. But beyond a shared language, just what does “Lusophony” refer to?

Arabeyes: A Protest for Every Citizen, Al Qaeda and Iranian Provocation

“Locked doors at a university campus, daily demonstrations on busy main roads, an article attacking Bahrain in an Iranian newspaper, Al Qaeda’s attacks in North Africa and the death of cultural magazines - on and off-line - are some of the topics being discussed by bloggers writing in Arabic in Bahrain, Algeria and Jordan.”

Roundups

Building African online content, remembering Srebrenica, nationalist photoshopping in South Korea … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

David Sasaki: Audio editing all day long: Fission > Audio Hijack Pro > Audacity and all over again

Good god.

China: Rodent population problem

A lake swells and two billion rats flee into farmland, destroying many crops. A massive extermination campaign is launched killing ninety tons of rodents in less than a months. It’s left bloggers questioning, of all things, their eating habits.

Egypt: Two Bloggers Arrested

Two bloggers on their way to cover a military court session for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt have reportedly been arrested. Recently, this has happened to a number of bloggers who attempt to cover the political scene in Egypt.

El Salvador: What Bloggers are Saying About Protesters and Terrorism

Bloggers in El Salvador fear that new anti-terrorism laws are being used to suppress political dissent. Mass protests against the government’s water policy one year ago ended in violence, and have had long lasting consequences for civil rights.

World Ponders the 7 New Wonders

The world elected a list of “New 7 Wonders” this month via internet, telephone and SMS. What remains a list of attractive tourist destinations for some is a deep source of national pride for others. Bloggers everywhere had something to say.

Maldives: Jamming to save the islands from submerging

Climate change takes on a whole new meaning if you are living in one of the countries most likely to be submerged under water if global sea levels rise. Local Live Earth concerts were a splash, but bloggers wonder whether it really helps.

Sudan: Movie Reviews, Being Single, Sudanese Rape Laws & Life Saving Stoves for Darfur

What are Sudanese bloggers talking about this week? Everything from the new movie Transformers to the invention of a new stove that uses less firewood, which in Darfur means less risk of being raped and killed searching for dry wood.

Roundups

Recipes from Kenya, candlelights for jailed blogger in Malaysia, lesbian activists murdered in South Africa, election-rigging begins in Zimbabwe …and lots more in today’s Global Roundups