Stories about Breaking News from October, 2009
Honduras: The Beginning of the End of the Crisis?
An agreement that would reinstate deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya back into a power-sharing government is now in the hands of Congress, which could approve the deal and which could mean the beginning of the end of this crisis.
Tunisia elections: Fairness and Impartiality !!?
Tunisian President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali won a fifth term with 89.62 per cent of the over all votes. His party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally won 161 out of 214 parliament seats. Tunisian bloggers have their say in this post.
Armenia: Twitter counters false media report
After a news item in the local press reported that a British MP had been appointed as rapporteur on Armenia and Turkey, Unzipped says that it used Twitter to check the accuracy of the story. Tweeting a question to the MP in question, it turned out that the report was...
Lebanon Ups the Ante in the Hummus War
As many as 300 Lebanese chefs gathered yesterday in Beirut to make the largest ever plate of hummus in an attempt to claim the reigns in ownership of the popular chick pea dip. The new world record is part of an ongoing campaign in Lebanon to reaffirm the country's claim to a number of dishes being produced in Israel - with the ownership of hummus being one of the main quarrels.
Philippines: Relief Goods Rotting in Government Warehouses
Ella's Blog from the Philippines posts photos of donated goods intended for typhoon victims rotting in government warehouses. The expose has sparked fears that the goods might be misused to support administration candidates in next year's elections. The original site shows a “404 Not Found error” when it is accessed...
Puerto Rico: Massive Oil Refinery Explosion
At around 12:30 am on Friday, October 23, the Gulf Oil Refinery (Caribbean Petroleum Company-CAPECO) in Bayamón (in the metropolitan area), Puerto Rico, exploded massively. Bloggers react to the disaster.
Pakistan: Routable GPS Map Available For Free
Teeth Maestro informs that “independent efforts by a group of volunteers have finally paid off to present a fully routable GPS map for Karachi (& Pakistan) available FREE to the general public.”
Cuba: Journalism Prize Winner Denied Permission to Leave Cuba
Yoani Sánchez, Cuban blogger writing in Generacion Y blog, was once again denied permission to leave the island nation of Cuba to go receive the 2009 Maria Moors Cabot journalism award. In a video, she asks immigration officials about her travel bans.
Puerto Rico: The National Strike (update)
Early this morning thousands of people began to flood the main avenues and highways of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, as part of the national strike that aims to paralyze the country for one day. Citizen media covered its developments.
Egypt: No Accolades for Obama's Nobel Peace Prize
Egyptian bloggers and Twitter users welcomed US President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize with shock and surprise: How can the president of a country waging wars against far away countries win a peace prize? Tarek Amr has more in this round up of reactions from Egypt.
Caribbean: Obama & the Nobel Peace Prize
Barack Obama can now add another prestigious title to his already impressive resume: Nobel Laureate. Caribbean bloggers react.
South Asian Bloggers On Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize
US President Barack Obama received the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize today. Bloggers and micro-bloggers from South Asia are expressing their reactions on the news.
Egypt: Niqab Ban Stirs Controversy
Egypt's top leading Islamic leader, Sheikh Mohammed Tantawi told a 13-year-old student to uncover her face, saying it was not part of the religious obligations of Muslim women. A few days later, Egypt banned female undergraduates from wearing the niqab in the country's public universities. Bloggers join in the debate.
Costa Rica: Ex President sentenced to 5 years of prison for corruption charges
Costa Rica's expresident Calderon sentenced to 5 years in prison for corruption charges, with many citizens hanging on to every word of the verdict through streaming, twitter and blogs.
Libya: Queen Fatima Dies
Michael Collins, on the MEI Editor's Blog, writes that Queen Fatima of Libya has died at 98 years old.
Indonesia: Thousands still trapped under rubble
More than 3,000 people are still trapped under rubble days after a 7.6-magnitude quake struck Indonesia. Indonesian bloggers are reacting to the latest earthquake disaster which killed at least 1,000 people in the country.
Typhoon Ketsana batters Southeast Asia
Typhoon Ketsana struck several Southeast Asian countries leaving hundreds dead and millions homeless. It triggered the worst flooding in the Philippines which affected 3 million people as of this writing. It displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers in central Vietnam, Cambodia and southern Laos.
Indonesia: Post quake death toll worsens
The earthquake death toll in Indonesia surged past 1,000 while thousands more are feared dead or missing. Indonesian microbloggers are using the internet to help in the relief and rescue efforts.
Morocco: From Censorship to Seizure
The Moroccan Interior Ministry has decided to sue Arabic-language daily paper Akhbar Al Youm for publishing a cartoon lampooning the newly wedded Prince Moulay Ismail. Issues of the magazine have also been seized. Bloggers react to these latest developments in this post.
‘Samoa will remember this day in her heart for ever’
Bloggers and citizen journalists are reacting to the massive earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that struck both Samoa and American Samoa, destroying crops, property and killing an estimated 150 people.
Philippines: 2.5 million persons affected by flooding
The number of flood casualties continues to rise in the Philippines: Almost 300 dead bodies. More than half a million individuals living in evacuation centers. And at least 2.5 million Filipinos affected by the flooding caused by Typhoon Ondoy. Bloggers are sharing their "typhoon" stories.
