Stories about Weblog from July, 2010
Israel: Rape by Deceit or Racism?
The recent conviction of rape by deceit of an Arab posing as a Jew to seduce a Jewish woman to engage in sexual intercourse has sparked conversations across the Hebrew blogosphere about the dire inequality between Jews and Arabs living in Israel. Gilad Lotan translates some of the reactions from Hebrew.
Bangladesh: Minimum Wages Raised In Garments Sector
After long protests and bargaining with the employers and the workers, the Bangladesh Government has decided to raise the minimum wages to Tk. 3000 per month ($44) which is approximately double of the current minimum wages. Bloggers discuss how this impacts the workers and the industry.
Francophonie: Like Fine Wine, Twitter Experience Gets Better With Age
An unexpected but deliciously nostalgic hash tag #jesuisvieux (I am old) has been trending in French social media. The timeline for the hashtag is filled with often humorous updates, and provides a snapshot of the evolution of information technology use.
India: RTI Activist Murdered
On the 20th of this month, 33yr old Amit Jethwa, a prominent environmentalist and Right to Information (RTI) activist was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen opposite the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad, India. Netizens react with shock and anger.
Iran: Campaign to Free Jailed Photo-Blogger Hamed Saber
More than 70 Iranian university graduates and academics are calling for the release of Hamed Saber, an Iranian photo-blogger and computer scientist who was arrested for unknown reasons on 21 June 2010 in Tehran.
Brazil: Limits on Food Ads Shake Market Forces
The Federal Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency has ruled changes in food advertising to include warnings printed on packages, amidst strong industry reaction. Do consumers have a say in this debate?
Chile: Controversy Over Pardon Proposal by Catholic Church
The Chilean Catholic Church has announced a proposal regarding the need to pardon certain people convicted of crimes on humanitarian grounds. The proposal has sparked debate on the Chilean blogosphere, as the original request could have included a pardon for those convicted of human rights abuses during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.
Indonesia’s fashion bloggers
The top bloggers in Indonesia are fashion and lifestyle bloggers who are mostly young ladies. Who are they and why are they popular?
Côte d'Ivoire: Journalists accused of document theft are freed
The three journalists of Le Nouveau Courrier d'Abidjan arrested for refusing to reveal their sources have been finally released [Fr] this evening after a two-week ordeal. The journalists were found not guilty of theft but the newspaper is fined and suspended for 15 days for publishing information under legal consideration.
Venezuela: Foundation for Urban Culture Shut Down
The Foundation for Urban Culture - a fund that promoted culture through books, photography, music and ideas - was recently shut down, allegedly due to financing from the brokerage firm Econoinvest which was raided by the government in May. Bloggers who support the Foundation, accuse the closing of being illegal and unrelated to the company.
Cambodia: The Official Launch of the First Online Human Rights Portal
Sithi.org, a Cambodian human rights portal that aims to crowdsource and curate reports of human rights violations, officially launched on July 22, 2010 with participation from various institutions including embassies, international and local NGOs, media and university representatives.
Liveblog of global reactions to Wikileaks Afghanistan war logs
More than 90,000 classified U.S. military documents about the war in Afghanistan have been leaked. As an experiment, we are using Google Wave to live blog global blog and citizen media reactions to the war logs (#warlogs) made public today by Wikileaks, Der Spiegel, New York Times and The Guardian.
South Africa: What would you ask God if you had the chance?
Last week, South African blogger Khaya Dhlanga asked people on the “Internets” what they would ask God if he said they could ask him anything. He has posted some of the answers on his blog. One reader, Busi31, for example, would like to ask: "Can you also make me turn water into wine?"
Serbia: A Journalist Is Attacked on a Public Bus
Teofil Pancic, a well-known Serbian journalist, was beaten up on a public bus on Saturday. Sinisa Boljanovic translates some of the initial reactions by Serbian netizens.
USA: Interview with Mary Joyce, Editor of Digital Activism Decoded
Mary Joyce is the editor of a new book called Digital Activism Decoded, that features contributions from authors and digital activists from around the world.
Venezuela and Colombia: Online Political Cartoons Add Humor to Current Events
Humorous political cartoons provide a steam valve for Colombians and Venezuelans who tune into the web for different perspectives on current events through animated online web shows.
Serbia: ICJ Rules Kosovo’s Independence Legal
On July 22, the International Court of Justice ruled that the declaration of independence of Kosovo did not violate international law. Sinisa Boljanovic reviews Serbian bloggers' reactions to the ruling.
Taiwan: Rice fields outside the Presidential Office
On July 18th, Taiwanese farmers transformed the Presidential Office into rice fields, not for creating a city garden, but for a protest to the Land Expropriation Act.
France: Rioting in the Itinerant Community after Shooting Sparks Row
On July 18th, after 22 year old Luigi Duquenet was shot and killed, riots shook the quiet town of Saint Aignan in the Loire valley and immediately revived law-and -order reactions while also highlighting the discriminatory practices towards Roma people.
Angola: Coins Gleaming Again
Last May the National Bank of Angola brought into circulation kwanza coins again. In a country where the population uses US Dollars along with Kwanza in the daily life, people are getting used to a new practice and discussing its purpose.
India: The Korean Cultural Wave In Nagaland
Many people in Nagaland, a tribal state in Northeast India, feel disconnected from India and a different culture has been making an impact in recent years - that of Korea.
