· October, 2010

Stories about Weblog from October, 2010

India: Free Speech Or Sedition?

  31 October 2010

Indian novelist, essayist and activist Arundhati Roy's recent statement on Kashmir stirred a debate across India. Along-with Indian media, the Indian blogosphere and social networking sites have exploded with reactions for and against her statement.

Caribbean: Hurricane Tomas

  31 October 2010

Trinidad and Tobago, the twin island republic that seemed to be directly in Tomas‘ path on Friday, was spared its effects, but as the storm veered north, islands that had previously been out of its path were suddenly thrust into storm warning mode. Tomas is now situated south-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico; the hope remains that the Category 2 storm, which is expected to gather more strength, will steer clear of Haiti.

Tanzania: 2010 General Elections Roundup

  29 October 2010

Tanzanians will go to the polls on 31 October 2010 to elect the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, President of Zanzibar, Members of Parliament and Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. This is a roundup of blog posts written by Tanzanian and non-Tanzanian bloggers about the elections.

China: Debate on Rare Earths Export

  29 October 2010

With the rise of nationalistic sentiment in China, a majority of mainland Chinese support the government's policy in restricting the export of rare earths to Japan and other western countries.

Greece: Iranian refugees on hunger strike

  29 October 2010

Twenty-five Iranian refugees in Athens, Greece have gone on hunger strike since October 14 demanding that Greek authorities process their political asylum applications. Some have had their mouths sewn shut.

Zimbabwe: Big Brother Africa, Mugabe and US$300,000

  28 October 2010

Big Brother Africa is a television show produced by Endemol in South Africa. The show, which has become the most popular TV reality show in Africa, entered its fifth season with Big Brother Africa All-Stars. After 91 days of stiff and exciting competition, Nigerian musician and actor Uti Nwachukwu was announced the winner of US$200,000. The final two housemates were Nigeria's Uti and Zimbabwe's Munya Chidzonga. Although Munya lost, he ended up "winning" US$300,000. Follow Zimbabwean bloggers to know what happened.

Puerto Rico: Reclaiming Public Space One Song at a Time

  27 October 2010

Frecuencias Alternas has covered Puerto Rico’s independent music scene for the past decade through its radio show, and more recently, its website. The newest addition to their site is the video series "Música Realenga" – realenga [es] meaning ‘without an owner.’ Each episode introduces the audience to a particular ‘indie’ artist or band through a couple of live performances filmed in public spaces such as parks, plazas, and sidewalks.

Myanmar: “Boycott elections” campaign

  27 October 2010

The Myanmar elections will push through on November 7 despite the non-participation of opposition parties. Global Voices translates the statement of Myanmar citizens who will boycott the coming elections

Video: One Minute Jr video nominees for 2010 Awards

  27 October 2010

The nominees for each of the 3 categories in the One Minutes Jr project competition 2010 have been selected. In each of the categories of  (Self)-portrait, Inside-Out and One Minute of Freedom there will be one winner who will be awarded a JVC Piscio HD Hand-Camera.  The nominees are all...

Peru: Municipal Elections, Delays and the Electronic Vote

  27 October 2010

After over three weeks since the municipal elections, the people of Lima still didn't know for certain who would be their next mayor; a minimal difference between the candidates has put the spotlight on electronic voting, and the slow process brought forth all kinds of suspicions, doubts and even accusations of fraud attempts.

Tanzania: Bloggers Analyse Tanzania 2010 Election Campaigns

  27 October 2010

On 31 October 2010, more than 19.6 million Tanzanians will make an important decision for the future of their country. They will take part in the forth parliamentary and presidential elections since the introduction of multiparty politics. With only a few days left before the polls, Tanzanian blogosphere is following closely election campaigns conducted by various political parties.

Myanmar's new flag and new name

  26 October 2010

Myanmar's new flag was unveiled for the first time last week. It also has a new name: it is now known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Myanmar netizens are criticizing the design of the new flag. Some bloggers insist the flag represents only the army and not the people of Myanmar