Stories about Breaking News from January, 2007
Kurdistance: The Kirkuk Referendum
While the Kirkuk Referendum isn't expected to take place until December 2007, it is creating waves within Kurdistan, Iraq and their neighbors. Why the flurry of activity now? The Iraq Study Report recommended that the referendum be delayed, citing the the area as a “powderkeg”. The Republic of Turkey wants...
Lebanon At the Brink of a Civil War
Lebanon is at the brink of a civil war, writes Jordanian blogger Tololy. To add insult to injury, she adds: “There is occupation and civil war in Iraq, occupation and apartheid in Palestine, internal turmoil in Egypt, war in Somalia, multiple problems in Jordan, backwardness in Saudi Arabia, armed division...
Egypt: Spotlight on Beirut
Egyptian blogger Zenobia gives us her two cents on her assessment of the situation in Lebanon. “I don't know why they insist of labeling the opposition with Hezbollah as if they want to scare the west from it,” she writes.
Malawi: Malawian Blogger Passes Away
January 18th, 2007 the Malawi blogosphere was robbed of one of its prominent bloggers, Mangaliso Jere (27), whose blog, Mangaliso’s World, covered different topics of interest including information technology in Malawi. The news was broken by a Malawian blogger Austin Madinga on his blog Austin Madinga’s Big Mouth, where he...
Lebanon: Opposition Getting Violent
Charles Malik from Lebanon says the opposition “is restricting movement throughout the capital and is intent on destroying the environment and giving everyone lung cancer by burning tyres across the country.”
Turkey is Typing…the Death of Hrant Dink
While normally this column focuses on what only Turkish bloggers are saying, sometimes events happen that warrant the voices of not only Turkish points-of-views but others as well. The Death of Hrant Dink is one of those moments. As a bit of background- Hrant Dink was a Turkish-Armenian journalist and...
China: The Mass Incident in Dazhu County
ESWN puts together and translates a rape and murder case of a 16 years old girl who worked in a hotel in Dazhu County. The case later developed into a riot or mass incident in official term. The incident is now banned in the Chinese internet.
Cuba: Fidel's medical prospects
Cuba-centric blogs and bloggers, including Marc Masferrer, Luis M. García, Babalú and Ziva, are abuzz with speculation in the aftermath of an article in Spanish news daily El Pais about Fidel Castro's medical prospects, and the subsequent denial of the article's accuracy by Castro's chief surgeon.
Indonesia: Bird Flu Update
Indonesiamatters looks at the latest updates on the spread of bird flu in Indonesia. There are fears that Bird Flu may flare up again in Asia with cases being reported from Thailand and Japan.
Thailand: Media asked not to cover Thaksin
Metroblogging Bangkok reports that CNN has been blocked in Thailand because they featured an interview with the deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin was banned in Thailand. “The Council for National Security (CNS) has demanded that all domestic broadcasters, both television and radio, stop giving coverage to anything related to Thaksin.”
Cochabamba in Mourning – Bolivian Bloggers React
Paz (Peace)Photo used with permission by Flickr user Miskifotitos. “Pueblo vs. Pueblo” (People vs. People) is how the blogger at Voz Boliviana [ES] described the clash between citizens in Cochabamba, Bolivia’s fourth-largest city and left many lamenting and angry at the course of events, which left 2 dead and close...
Bolivia: “War Zone” in Cochabamba
A breaking news update from Jim Shultz in Cochabamba: “As I write this the Center of Cochabamba has just become a war zone. Crowds of hundreds of, mostly young men, armed with heavy sticks, are in open conflict on the block below our office and throughout the Center of Cochabamba....
Missing in Cambodia: Eddie Gibson
It was in October 2004, when 19-year-old Eddie Gibson traveled to Cambodia from Thailand and went missing. Until today nobody knows the whereabouts of the English backpacker. The parents are now in Cambodia and they have offered a reward for information on Eddie Gibson. His last email to his mother,...
Freedom of the press and Saddam Hussein in the Moroccan blogosphere
Last week was mostly about Nichane and since the trial of the two journalists started on Monday, this week will probably also be about this issue in the Moroccan Blogosphere (Blogoma). Saddam Hussein's hanging was also a hot topic in the Blogoma, and based on the emotion that “dominates” some...
Bolivia: Protests Turn Violent in Cochabamba
A rally calling for the resignation of Governor Manfred Reyes Villa turned violent in Cochabamba on Monday, writes Cochabamba resident Jim Shultz, who goes on to detail the political fall out, concluding that the call for Reyes-Villa’s resignation was “a political miscalculation.” Day two resulted in an even larger –...
Personal and political: The anti-Castro blogosphere reacts to Cindy Sheehan's Cuba visit
Hell hath no fury like an anti-Castro blogger confronted with the idea of a US anti-war activist's visit to Cuba. Or so the reactions to Cindy Sheehan‘s visit to the island would suggest. Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in 2004 while serving in Iraq, came to the world's attention...
China: And we don't stop
First blind reproductive rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng was charged in August last year for destruction of property and instigating a riot and sentenced to four years in prison, and land rights lawyer Guo Feixiong was arrested in September charged with running an illegal printing press out of his home, terms...
Peruvian Photojournalist Jaime Razuri Kidnapped in Gaza
On New Year's Day, Jaime Razuri, a 50-year-old Peruvian photojournalist working for Agence France-Presse, was kidnapped at gunpoint on a street in the Gaza Strip. Razuri was standing in front of the AFP office when five masked men approached him, pushed him in a car and sped away, officials said....
Singapore: Strange Green Lights in the Sky
squareCircleZ and several other Singaporeans spot strange green lights over Singapore. squareCirclez writes “The light it was giving off was a neon-like light green, and the strangest thing was that no noise accompanied it.”
Saddam execution video re-ignites death penalty debates worldwide
Over the past four months, we've tried to feature and contextualise videos we felt should be seen and debated by a wider audience. Today's featured human rights video is something completely new. You may be one of the millions who have sought it out online – or you may have...
China: Teacher strike
Teachers in Huadu, an outlying suburb of Southern China metropolis Guangzhou went on strike yesterday in front of the local district government building yesterday, calling for higher wages. A thorough look through Google search results for “Huadu” “teacher” and “protest” suggests a media blackout, which the teachers seem to have...
