· November, 2008

Stories about Feature from November, 2008

India: Kashmir and Mumbai

India’s largest city and economic hub are now target practice grounds; much similar to Kashmir. “We’ve all been watching TV till our eyeballs were emanating radioactive glow,” pings a friend...

29 November 2008

Sleepless and stranded in Thailand

There are more than a hundred thousand stranded passengers in Thailand and nearby countries after anti-government protesters forced the shutdown of Bangkok’s two major airports. What are the views of some of the stranded passengers, Bangkok residents and the now world infamous protesters?

29 November 2008

Mumbai and Terror: The Day After

An attack of this scale has surprised the entire country. While India is no stranger to bomb blasts and attacks by terrorists, a prolonged hostage situation at prominent landmarks is...

28 November 2008

Israel: Updates on the Chabad Home Hostage Operation in Mumbai

As the commando operation at the Chabad Jewish Center of Mumbai unfolded, very little was known about the state of the hostages. Chabad is one of the largest Hasidic movements in Orthodox Judaism. The most current update states that the five Jewish hostages held inside the building were found dead, writes Gilad Lotan.

28 November 2008

India: Mistakes, Media and Mumbai

The terror attacks have brought more media attention to Mumbai. The world is now aware and cautious of the situations in India. Many countries have already issued travel advisory for...

28 November 2008

Thailand: Protesters occupy airports

Thousands of anti-government protesters have occupied Bangkok’s two airports which paralyzed air travel in Thailand. The protesters want the elected government to be removed.

28 November 2008

Mumbai: The Taj Hotel Burns

Photographs are appearing on flickr and elsewhere, allowing us a glimpse beyond the visuals provided by mainstream media. Arun Shanbhag has a post full of photographs – from blood pools,...

27 November 2008

China: Yang Jia is dead

Yang Jia (杨佳), who killed 6 police officers at Zhabei District police station in Shanghai on July 1, 2008, was executed this morning (26 of Nov, 2008). A twitter account,...

26 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

Syria: A Blogosphere Divided

The Syrian blogsphere has been embroiled in a heated debate over the weekend. It is a debate that is quite reflective of some of our modern disagreements as Syrians, over a wide range of basic issues: identity, religion, state and personal freedom. Yazan Badran gathers the different threads of this controversy here.

24 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

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

MENA: How to deal with Somali piracy?

Last week a Saudi supertanker was hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya, making it the largest ship ever to have been seized in this way. The problem of Somali piracy is growing; in this post we hear bloggers' reactions from around the Middle East.

22 November 2008

Humanitarian crisis in south Philippines

The fighting between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels in the last three months has not stopped. More than 610,000 people have been displaced already. The situation of refugees is deteriorating. Children are among those who are suffering the most.

22 November 2008