Stories about Breaking News from February, 2010
Nepal: World's Shortest Man
XNepali reports that Khagendra Thapa Magar from Nepal has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the shortest man in the world. Khagendra (18) is 56 cm tall and weighs just five kilograms.
Chile: Tsunami Scare on Easter Island
The Chilean territory of Easter Island is located 3500 km from the continental mainland. After the February 27 earthquake struck, the island was under a tsunami warning and where local residents and tourists used Twitter to inform about the situation.
Video: Chile Earthquake through Citizen's Eyes
As the day comes to a close, more videos crop up of the devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile at 3:30 am. The earthquake, which not only affected the mainland through the ground movements, also generated tsunami waves that set out an alarm throughout the Pacific as different nations prepared for the waves to hit their shores.
Chile: The Legacy of the 1960 Earthquake in Valdivia
Fifty years ago, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in history rocked the city of Valdivia, Chile. The legacy that the earthquake has had on Chile's history was on the minds of many around the country, including many Twitter users in that city.
Chile: Powerful 8.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Country
At 3:34 a.m. local time, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck off the coast of the Maule region in Chile. Extensive damage has been reported throughout the country, and the number of casualties continues to go up.
Qatar: Artist MF Husain trades Indian passport for Qatari one
Reactions on the Internet ranged from shock, dismay and delight as MF Husain, one of India's most celebrated and reviled artists, is offered Qatari citizenship - and accepts.
Russia: Online Media Competition Lacks Transparency
The Russian Federal Telecommunications Agency announced [RUS] a competition to support online media. Adindex.ru reports [RUS] that requirements for lack transparency and suggests the competition is a way to encourage new media loyal to the government.
Bangladesh: Communal Attack On Jumma Villages
Unheard Voices reports of the attack of Bengali settlers on Jumma indigenous villages in Rangamati district of Bangladesh which left 5 indigenous people dead. The blog is following the developments and the subsequent protests.
Coup in Niger: Bloggers sigh in relief at the ousting of President Tandja
On Thursday, February 18th a coup d'état took place in Niger, in which President Mamadou Tandja was captured after a gun battle in the capital. A few months ago Tandja illegally changed the constitution to allow him a third term in what was generally considered a mass fraud referendum. Bloggers react to these latest developments.
Barbados, Canada: Sentencing Today
The convicted murderer of a Canadian tourist is to be sentenced today – Barbados Free Press is “hoping he rots in jail until he draws his final breath.”
“SOS Internet Indonesia”
The Indonesian government plans to create a team which will regulate internet content in the country. The plan is to censor pornography, gambling, racism and other immoral content in cyberspace. But netizens are afraid that it might also stifle freedom of expression
Italy: Realtime Video of Maierato Landslide
Patrizia Venturino filmed and uploaded the video of the Maierato landslide where a whole hill slid down the slope in the province of Vibo Valentia in Calabria. The clear video shows as the citizens run away from the river of rocks, dirt and trees amid the shouts of the police...
Citizen Video wins George Polk Journalism Award
The citizen video recording the death of Neda, an Iranian woman during the presidential election protests in Iran has won the George Polk Award in Journalism. This amateur and anonymous video spread throughout the world and became a symbol of the Iranian Resistance and citizen journalism.
India: Terror Strikes Pune
At around 7:30 pm on Saturday a bomb blast at a restaurant popular with tourists in India's western city of Pune killed 9 people and left 57 people injured. Emotions are running high as the Bloggers and the Twitterati react.
Pakistan: Website Blocked AT IP Level
Teeth Maestro reports that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked the website http://makepakistanbetter.com on an IP level, apparently for posting criticisms against the government.
Russia: Another Newspaper Web Site Attacked
One of the most influential Russian business newspapers Vedomosti has been experiencing DoS-attacks [EN] for at least four days, Lenta.ru reported [RUS]. This is the second DoS-attack on the major newspaper's Web site in 2010. A Web site of an oppositional weekly Novaya Gazeta has also been attacked earlier [ENG].
Nigeria: After two leaderless months, a new Acting President
After weeks of political wrangling, the Nigerian Senate confirmed Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President. Many in the blogosphere saw the event as cause for celebration, but others saw reason for concern, pointing out that although Jonathan's assumption of power might be a political necessity, it is not explicitly endorsed by the Nigerian Constitution.
Japan: Tweets from the Foreign Minister`s news conference
Freelance journalist Takashi Uesugi is live-tweeting from the Foreign Minister Okada`s news conference.
Bangladesh: Bangla Spell Checker Add-on For Firefox
Belayet informs [bn] that Ankur ICT Development Foundation has recently released the updated version of a Bangla spell checker add-on for Firefox, an indispensable tool for Bangla computing.
China: The end of 32-year-long football “Korea-phobia”?
China’s football (soccer) team beat South Korea by 3-0 in the East Asian Men’s Football Championship in Tokyo on Wednesday. The victory created a storm of euphoria among China’s sports fans and netizens, as South Korea stood at the heart of Chinese football’s decades of embarrassment, corruption and failures. For...
Haiti: Tuesdays go by and look alike
In a post entitled “Tuesdays go by and look alike” Potoprincipe [Fr] blogs about the collapse on Tuesday, Feb. 9th of one of the biggest supermarkets in Port-au-Prince, trapping an unknown number of people.
