Stories about Weblog from January, 2009
Palestine: “They used our clothes as a toilet”
Bloggers in Gaza are gathering information about what happened during the recent Israeli attacks. In this update, we hear from families whose homes were looted and left covered with faeces...
Best Blogs Brazil: Winners by jury, public and hacker votes
Who won the Best Blogs Brazil 2008? Specialists and the public went to the polls and the winners were announced at Campus Party last week. The competition, which did not...
Madagascar: The mayor proclaims himself president
A dispute between the president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanan, and the mayor of the capital, Andry Rajoelina, thrust Malagasy citizens into violent rioting and looting last week, and has now...
Japan: Saint Young Men, Jesus and Buddha on Earth
What if one day Jesus and Buddha descended to Earth to spend their holidays? And what if they lived together in a cheap apartment in Tachikawa, in western Tokyo? This...
Iran: Bloggers mobilize for animal rights
A number of bloggers are supporting an initiative by Iran-based blogger Mino Saberi, to defend the rights of dogs, birds, cats, and other creatures of the Earth. The mistreatment of...
Egypt: Hijacked ship will be blown up
A few weeks after confirming the hijacking of an Egyptian ship by pirates of Somalia, Zeinobia reminds us again with the current status. On one hand, according to the crew's...
French Caribbean: Carnival 2009 is launched
Carnival is a tradition, a part of every West Indian soul and the French Caribbean is no exception. Here is a review of blogs from Martinique, French Guiana, Haiti and...
India: Blogger silenced
Chyetanya Kunte is an Indian blogger living in the Netherlands. On 27th of November, 2008 during the terror attacks in Mumbai he wrote a blog post (now available through Google...
Indonesia: Fatwa against smoking, yoga, vasectomies….
Indonesian bloggers are reacting to the Fatwa issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council which included, among others, a ban on yoga that contain Hindu elements, a ban on vote abstention,...
Cambodia: Internet censorship targets artists
The Cambodian Ministry of Women's Affairs has threatened to block a Web site that contains artistic illustrations of bare-breasted Apsara dancers and a Khmer Rouge soldier. This censorship targets Cambodian...
Kyrgyzstan: What Did the President Mean?
On January, 27th the President Kurmanbek Bakiev addressed to citizens of Kyrgyzstan. In his speech the President declared that created strategic documents must be realizing more actively. He also identified...
MENA: Reflections on Obama's Al Arabiya Interview
It came as a surprise to many people that US President Barack Obama gave his first formal interview as president to an Arab television channel. Some were optimistic with Obama's...
Kazakhstan: Livejournal Unblocked. And Blocked Again
On Junuary 28, the Kazakhstani Internet users were suddenly granted access to LiveJournal – the most popular blog platform in the post-Soviet Russian-speaking blogosphere. It was blocked by the national...
Ethiopia: What a Difference Water Makes
At the end of last year, five families decided that visiting Ethiopia with their daughters would be the best way for them to see what their donations to provide fresh,...
Japan: Blurry Lines Between Buzz and Truth – McDonald's Quarter Pounder Debut
Cultivating imported products into megahits is a big part of creating consumer trends in Japan, and food is no exception to the rule. Last year, it was the American donut...
Madagascar: “Unmitigated Disaster”
After two days of upheaval that resulted in an estimated death toll at 80 nationally, and the looting of dozens of stores, a day of relative calm greeted a stunned...
China: Plateau in Peril
A newly launched interactive site ‘China Green’ focuses on China's environmental and climate issues. The first project is about Tibetan Plateau, shows how the effects of global warming on the...
Guadeloupe: A new social movement
Guadeloupe has been in a state of social unrest for about a week now as record numbers of trade unions, cultural and political associations have united around a motto: "Lyannaj...
Korea: Death of 5 Evictees in the middle of Seoul
On the 20th of January, residents who were told to be evicted to make way for a new development by February in Yongsan, which is the middle of Seoul, opposed...
Hong Kong: From Censorship Debate to Critique of Christian Right
The debate over censorship of indecency in Hong Kong sparkled by the consultation on the Control of Obscene and Indecent Article Ordinance (COIAO) has developed into a critique of religious...
