Global Voices Digest for February 13th, 2008
Fouad’s Week: Fouad will not be forgotten!
In addition to “Fouad’s Week”, during which bloggers were invited to republish one of Fouad’s posts and to embrace “We Are All Fouads” as a slogan, the Hands Across the Middle East Alliance (HAMSA) also organized a candlelight vigil in Washington D.C. to draw attention to the two months in which the popular Saudi blogger has been imprisoned without formal charges. Sami Ben Gharbia interviews Nasser Weddady, a Mauritanian activist who directs HAMSA’s outreach efforts, about the rally and the effectiveness of mixing offline and online activism.
Korea: Adjusting to college life
A Korean student recently wrote a lengthy post about her experiences adapting to college life. Her comments apparently struck a chord with many others, and responses flowed in. Her post and the reactions of other Koreans, translated here by Hyejin Kim, show how some netizens think about issues like fitting in and individuality in Korea.
Bahrain: Response to Hezbollah leader’s death
Hezbollah has wide support in Bahrain, and there has been an immediate response to the news of the death of Imad Mughniyeh, a top Hezbollah leader, reports Ayesha Saldanha.
Arabeyes: No to ‘Offensive’ Blogs
The Arab Bloggers Union is urging bloggers to report ‘offensive’ blogs. The aim is to curtail the spread of offensive material online, which the union says threatens our morals, ethics and values. Several Arab bloggers, however, disagree with the campaign.
Russia: Sergei Dorenko on Badri Patarkatsishvili
Badri Patarkatsishvili, an exiled Georgian tycoon and opposition politician, died unexpectedly on Tuesday in England. International media are providing extensive coverage of the ongoing investigation into Patarkatsishvili’s death, and the Russian blogosphere offers plenty of commentary as well. Veronica Khokhlova translates a post by journalist Sergei Dorenko, who headed Berezovsky’s ORT channel’s news service under Patarkatsishvili, about his former boss and those who surrounded him.
Colombia: More Reactions to the March Against FARC
Complimenting Juliana Rincón’s initial report just one day after millions of Colombians took to the streets to march against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Carlos Velasquez translates the opinions of many more Colombian bloggers both toward the FARC and the massive protest.
Roundups
Updates from Baghdad, BarCamp Baltics, taxi driver hunger strike in China … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.