· October, 2008

Stories about Weblog from October, 2008

Pakistan: Baluchistan Quake

On Wednesday morning an earthquake shook the eastern section of Pakistan tipping the Richter Scale at a massive 6.5. The most devastated region was Ziarat, a remote location in Baluchistan....

31 October 2008

Frightful Facts or Fantastical Fictions?

This third part of the "Lore, ghosts, demons and frights" series has arrived, and we are looking this time a bit beyond the Latin American borders. With this last installment, we seek out the Chupacabras, stick our heads into Voudou rites, observe examples of exorcism and inquire after a cannibal murderer who has become a Venezuelan legend.

31 October 2008

China: Blog is Outdated?

The 4th Chinese Blogger Conference will be held November 15-16th, 2008, in Guangzhou, China. However, in the past year, there is a continuing discussion in the Chinese blogosphere on whether...

31 October 2008

D.R. of Congo: Blogging From the War Zone

The following are eye-witness accounts from bloggers based in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo about the situation in the area following fresh clashes between rebels, government and UN forces.

31 October 2008

D.R. Congo: Confusion Reigns in Goma

Two months ago fighting resumed in the DR Congo's Eastern province of North Kivu between the rebel group led by Laurent Nkunda and government forces, in violation of a peace accord signed in January. The fighting has intensified during the last 6 days and, although a cease-fire was announced, the situation remains uncertain in Goma. Here are a few impressions from bloggers on the ground.

31 October 2008

Japan: Thoughts on Itochu trading scam

On October 10th, Itochu Corporation announced that it had paid close to one hundred billion yen in false transactions valued at nearly 100 billion yen to Mongolian suppliers for construction machinery and materials. One blogger and chartered accountant offers their thoughts on what happened inside Itochu.

31 October 2008

Ibero-America: Campus Party in El Salvador

This week in El Salvador, hundreds of technology fanatics have assembled to take part in the latest edition of Campus Party. Participants from 22 member states are divided into one of a broad range of areas including: Astronomy, CampusBot (robotics), Innovation, Modding, Campus Create, Digital Leisure and Digital Inclusion. The participation of bloggers have captured the feeling of being in a room with their fellow technology enthusiasts through their blog posts, photos and videos.

30 October 2008

Argentina: Diego Maradona Named New Coach of National Team

Diego Maradona must be the most famous Argentine in the world, and anything that he does usually becomes news. It is even more newsworthy, when he is named the next Coach of the Argentine national football team. Many Argentines are left wondering how the greatest footballer will ensure that the country qualifies for the World Cup 2010.

30 October 2008

SketchPAN: World without Words

SketchPAN, a service from Korea, aims to create a easy platform for people to express themselves with paintings. In the world without words, language is no longer a barrier for users around the globe.

30 October 2008

Kazakhstan: Blocked Bloggers Discuss Economics

Although LiveJournal, the major blog platform on the post-Soviet space, including Kazakhstan, is still not accessible through the national telecom monopolist Kazakhtelecom, Internet enthusiasts find their way to express their...

30 October 2008

Argentina: We Media 2008 in Buenos Aires

The We Media conference was held for the first time in Latin America, when the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina played host on October 14-15, 2008. The media thinktank iFOCOS together with the newspaper Clarín, the conference was brought to Argentina. Media executives, web entrepreneurs,and bloggers, among others gathered to hear a wide range of speakers. With the quantity of bloggers who were present in the auditorium as presenters and attendees, there was a wide and diverse coverage of the event.

30 October 2008

Recession hits Singapore

Singapore is a major financial center in the world. It is also one of the richest countries in Asia. Unfortunately, it is not immune to the economic aftershocks caused by the Wall Street crash and the global financial crisis. Singapore’s economy is down today, the first Asian country to be hit by a recession.

30 October 2008

Egypt: Swingers Use Internet to Arrange Rendezvous

There are secrets behind closed doors. But to say that Egypt was shell shocked as news about its first swingers club emerged would be an understatement. And there is a small technicality - the couples first met online before arranging to meet face to face in cafes.

29 October 2008

Malaysia's Jungle Spirits

Lush with primary and secondary virgin jungle, Malaysians have long held a respect for the forests. It also helps that myths, whether bearing down from the forefathers or from urban legend, has caused a lot of superstition surrounding the vast jungle of Malaysia.

29 October 2008

Palestinian Football History

Palestinians made their own football history, being the only team - in the words of one blogger - with a stadium but no country. It was a day of national pride and despite the setbacks, bloggers hailed it as a day of victory.

29 October 2008

Morocco: Halloween Not Just for Expats Anymore

The Halloween tradition is a muddled one; with traditions in an ancient Celtic celebration, Halloween started in Europe and made its way to the United States, where it has been embraced as a holiday for children. In recent years, however, the American version of Halloween has spread to the rest of the world, with Morocco being no exception.

29 October 2008

Russia: “Help Svetlana Bakhmina” Petition

As of now, 71,250 people have signed an online petition appealing to the Russian president to pardon Svetlana Bakhmina, a former senior lawyer for Mikhail Khodorkovsky's oil company Yukos, who was arrested in December 2004 and sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for embezzlement and tax evasion in April 2006.

29 October 2008