· March, 2008

Stories about Breaking News from March, 2008

Japan: Richard Gear ditched by Nissan?

  29 March 2008

A news report [ja] (summary in English) that Nissan has decided to back out of a contract for a TV commercial with Richard Gear due to the actor's support of the Dalai Lama has triggered hundreds of comments in posting forums [ja] and responses from bloggers. While some wonder whether...

Egypt: American Navy's Friendly Fire

Egyptian bloggers lament to the loss of one of their countrymen who was killed in an incident involving the American Navy in the Suez Canal. They are also wondering where their sovereignty as a state has gone and whether the slain man's family will ever see justice.

Moroccan Blogosphere on Fouad Mourtada: Finally Free

  21 March 2008

Young Moroccan engineer Fouad Mourtada was released from prison by presidential pardon days before Eid el Mawlid, the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. Fouad was imprisoned for more than forty days for creating a Facebook profile of the king's brother, Moulay Rachid. Bloggers reflect on the grassroots effort to free Fouad and celebrate his liberation as a step forward for personal freedoms in the Kingdom.

China: Civilians in violence and conflict

  21 March 2008

Thugs vs. Peacekeepers or Fighters vs. oppressors; Mob vs. Protectors or Martyrs vs. killers? Before I could judge, please allow me to present some recounts of the Tibet unrest from the commons there. (As most western media had sided with Tibetans, I basically pick quotes from common Hans for balance.)

Israel: Secret Service Creates New Blog

Shin Bet, the Israeli secret service joins the blogosphere this week, causing Molly of Israeli blog The Big Felafel to ask: “Can you really imagine a Shin Bet techie cracking top secret codes and then writing a blog about how neat it is to work underground?”

China: Patriotism triggered, though under censorship

  19 March 2008

A brief record of the Chinese public opinion on Tibet unrest. Attention: they are all found inside the Great Firewall. But I believe they stand for a considerable part of us Chinese. Their information sources on which they judge and think might be filtered, but don’t laugh at that---- before the time tells what’s true, you might also be manipulated!

Japan: Support for Tibet

  17 March 2008

As fires rage on in the streets of Lhasa, bloggers in another part of the world have been anxiously following developments in Tibet with open eyes and open ears. Over the weekend, as mainstream media in Japan presented what many criticized as toned-down coverage of ongoing events in Lhasa, the word "Tibet" climbed to number one on Japanese blog search engines with thousands of entries largely in support of the uprising.

China: Fire on the streets of Lhasa, Tibet

  14 March 2008

With the Tibetan capital now reportedly largely cut off from the outside world, information regarding the ongoing situation in Lhasa slowed to a trickle over the weekend. Some updates, however, having been coming out over blogs and other online channels.

Israel: Bloggers Mourn Terrorism at Religious School

On Thursday, March 6, eight teenagers were killed and many more wounded in a terrorist attack on a Jerusalem religious school. The perpetrator was identified as a Palestinian from East Jerusalem in possession of an Israeli identity card. Sources say he posed as a student in order to enter the building, writes Maya Norton, who reviews Israel's English language blogs for reactions.

Japan: Supreme Court declares registration system constitutional

  7 March 2008

Economist and blogger Ikeda Nobuo comments on a Supreme Court decision [ja] declaring that Japan's Net registry system (Juki Net) is constitutional. He argues that a decision against the registration system would have constituted a control on freedom of expression. He also points out that Japan's four major newspapers were...

Japan: Mixi in hot water over terms of use revision

  6 March 2008

Japan's hugely popular social networking site Mixi is in hot water this week after news that a proposed revision to its Terms of Use, to become effective as of April 1st, will force its users to agree to grant Mixi no-royalty, non-exclusive rights over all content published on the site, retroactively applicable to all content uploaded before the changes to the ToU. Bloggers in Japan responded with concern and outrage.

Japan: Justice served in contaminated blood scandal

  5 March 2008

Martin at Kurashi reports on news that the Japanese supreme court upheld a suspended prison sentence for a former health official, Akihito Matsumura, for having failed to prevent the use of HIV-contaminated blood products in the mid-1990s. Martin finishes his post with the question: “When will this debate start for...

Protests over high prices strike Burkina Faso

  5 March 2008

Although somewhat overshadowed by the larger – and more dangerous –demonstrations in Cameroon last week, at least four cities in Burkina Faso also witnessed strikes over skyrocketing prices that descended into violent demonstrations.

Colombia: The Unsettling Conflict with Ecuador and Venezuela

  5 March 2008

Colombian bloggers are closely following the events unleashed by the Colombian army's incursion into Ecuadorian territory. Fear of war is palpable throughout the discussions on the legitimacy of the attack and its repercussions, the unveiling of computer files establishing nexus between the Ecuadorian and Venezuelan governments and the FARC and the knowledge of 50 KGs of Uranium that the FARC allegedly has.

Ecuador: Breaking Diplomatic Ties With Colombia

  4 March 2008

Ecuadorians are divided regarding the incidents along Ecuador's Northern border with Colombia, when the Colombian army attacked a group of FARC guerrillas, killing a top leader, Raul Reyes. As a result President Rafael Correa decided to break off diplomatic relations with Colombia because the attack occurred on Ecuadorian soil. Some bloggers agree with the president, but others are wondering what the FARC was doing in Ecuador and their relationship with the Correa government.