· November, 2008

Stories about Breaking News from November, 2008

Egypt: Getting High on Obama

Barack Obama's popularity in Egypt reaches a new high - with the introduction of a narcotic to the market bearing the President-elect's name. According to bloggers, dealers in the Mediterranean town of Marsa Matrouh are selling Obama branded hashish.

26 November 2008

Japan: Employment promised and then revoked

Using the excuse of financial instability, new graduates in Japan, after being hired initially, are finding that unofficial promises of employment are then being revoked, a trend that blogger Akinori...

25 November 2008

Thailand: Rallies and Twitter updates

Thailand’s anti-government protesters have surrounded the Parliament building; they are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. Thai bloggers and Twitter users have been sending updates about the protest actions in Bangkok.

25 November 2008

Japan: Bloggers debate prohibition of cannabis

Starting with the case of two sumo wrestlers who tested positive for marijuana at the beginning of September and continuing with the announcement last week by Waseda University that three students were arrested over suspicions of growing cannabis, scandals related to the use of cannabis have topped the headlines in the media over the last few weeks in Japan.

24 November 2008

Egypt: Uproar as Lawyer Suggests Raping Israeli Women

Voice of Egypt is ashamed of Egyptian Lawyer Nagla Al Imam, the same lawyer who made Egyptians angry, for encouraging Arab men to sexually harass Israeli women during her interview on Al Arabia TV (Ar). Marwa Rakha translates from Arabic.

23 November 2008

Madagascar: South Korean Land Deal Sparks Controversy

South Korea has just leased half of all the arable land in Madagascar according to the Financial Times. This has stirred quite a debate in the Malagasy blogosphere about land sovereignty and economic development. It is still unclear whether the land deal has actually been signed by both parties. Meanwhile, bloggers are arguing whether this sort of deal should be considered “neo-colonialism”.

23 November 2008

China: Deadly subway tunnel collapse – who to blame?

On 15, Nov, a 100-meters-long--50m-wide section of the subway tunnel under construction collapsed. The most serious subway accident ever in China claimed more than 21. But far more than that, the accident might imply more incoming tragedies, since the danger is not simply lurking in tunnels, steel rods, or under roadbeds, but deeply in our system.

23 November 2008

China: Baidu's new scandal.

CCTV reported that Baidu, referred to as China's Google, had accepted money from illegal medical companies and placed their Web links on top of search results. Baidu’s marketing employees were...

22 November 2008

Japan: Economic recession? A dejavue.

id:norikku225 at Let's survive the subprime shock! (サブプライムショックを生き残ろう!) [ja] comments on news that the Japanese economy has entered a recession, as reported by national [ja] andinternational [en] media. The blogger...

21 November 2008

Thailand: Blast inside protest site

An anti-government protester was killed and scores were wounded in a bomb blast Thursday inside a demonstration site in Bangkok. The blast was dropped in the Government House complex. Check...

20 November 2008

Egypt: No More Natural Gas to Israel

An Egyptian court has banned the export of natural gas to Israel. Marwa Rakha briefs us about the deal, and what an Egyptian blogger is writing about the court order in this post.

20 November 2008

Colombia: Government, banking and pyramid schemes

Colombians are buzzing in outrage after the collapse last week of several investment offices which were operating as Ponzi schemes and pyramids, where people would deposit their savings and receive up to 300% in return. The last company standing was DMG, which has a massive following and is now being investigated and its owners arrested for alleged connections with drug trafficking cartels, money laundry and unlawful acquisition of funds. Surprising though, is that their followers have been unfailing in their support, defending DMG and its strategies on forums, comments and websites.

19 November 2008

Jamaica: March for Peace

A recent upsurge in crime over the last few weeks has Jamaicans gravely concerned. Last week's discovery of the body of an eleven (11) year old boy was the latest...

19 November 2008