· March, 2010

Stories about Feature from March, 2010

Chile: The Process of Earthquake Reconstruction

  30 March 2010

Exactly a month after the devastating earthquake in Chile, President Sebastián Piñera announced a reconstruction plan for the country’s infrastructure and housing, prompting Chileans to provide opinions about how this process should be implemented and monitored.

Arab World: Earth Hour Marked Across the Region

Earth Hour is an annual event celebrated on the last Saturday in March. Awareness of Earth Hour has been spreading throughout the world since its inception in Australia in 2007. In this post, Katharine Ganly takes a look at some of the initiatives celebrating Earth Hour in the Arab World.

Japan: Long life to bluefin tuna. The experts’ word.

  27 March 2010

With 68 countries voting against, CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species that regulates the international trade of wild animals and plants, rejected a ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna, that was slated for listing on Appendix One, i.e. a complete ban.

South Africa: The woman who spent 7 months in a male cell

  27 March 2010

Before she was acquitted of attempted robbery and hijacking in South Africa, Denise Abbah was imprisoned in a male cell for seven months as she waited for her trial. The prison officials mistook her for a transvestite. Ms Abbah is now seeking justice as she is suing the Department of Correctional  Services for...

Russia: Two Video Scandals

RuNet Echo  27 March 2010

In Russia this week it has been hard to miss the two scandals that, at first, appear to have only one thing in common: both are centered around amateur videos published online. Heated discussions in the blogosphere and in other online venues are taking place on quite different orbits - which nevertheless do have one or two overlap points.

Africa: Notes From the Field

  25 March 2010

This is a roundup of blog posts of Concern US aid workers blogging from Sub-Saharan Africa. Concern US aid workers blog regularly about their work and challenges they face as they help to transform lives of people in Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ghana: Blogging for World Water Day

  24 March 2010

World Water Day is a day observed on March 22 since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared March, 22 as World Day for Water. Jemila Wunpini Abdulai, an active member of the Ghana Blogging Group suggested we make the day a Ghana Blogging Universal Day post.

China: Official Nudity

  24 March 2010

A township government in Sichuan Province is being called “China’s first completely nude government” after township officials issued salary and expenditure information online.  The reference to nudity recently found in many Chinese publications denotes an unprecedented level of transparency in local government. The government of Baimiao Township in northeastern Sichuan disclosed...

Is Russia an Enemy of Internet?

RuNet Echo  23 March 2010

The degree of freedom on the Russian Internet is an issue for debates. Some put Russia on the same list of "Internet enemies" with China and Iran. Others strongly oppose this kind of generalization and claim that Russian Internet is the most liberal and unrestricted public sphere in the country.

China: Google.cn migrated to Hong Kong

  23 March 2010

Finally Google has decided to leave China. Soon after the announcement, Google stopped censoring the search result of google.cn by redirecting the site to google.com.hk. In Google's official blog, David Drummond, the corporate's chief legal officer explains that its decision is due to the Chinese government's “non-negotiable legal requirement” in...

Venezuela: Concerns About Controls on the Internet

  23 March 2010

Debate is heating up in Venezuela after decrees and statements from President Hugo Chávez, who questioned how the Internet is being used in the country. Many are interpreting these statements and policy proposals that the government wants control the Internet in Venezuela.