Stories about Weblog from October, 2008
Malaysian Media Council: Double handcuffs or media freedom?
Amidst a number of recent journalistic blunders, Malaysia’s Home Minister, Syed Hamid Albar, announced that the government has full intention of establishing a national media policy, together with a regulatory...
Jordan: Rumours, Gap Year Foreign Students, and Body of Lies
From an innocent murmur to a devastating consequence on the life of an innocent girl, see how rumours can destroy lives in Jordan in this round up of Jordanian blogs by Mohammad Azraq, which also discusses foreign gap year students in Amman and the latest big screen hit Body of Lies.
Korea: US$100bn Package for Stabilizing the Market
South Korea's government has agreed to guarantee foreign-currency borrowing by the country's banks to help stabilize financial markets. The announcement doesn’t bring positive views from netizens. The netizens also have...
Ukraine: Politics Versus the Economy
Ukraine's tumultuous internal politics has long stood in the way of the country's economic development - and even now, at the time of an economic crisis, there seems to be no sign of respite. Below is what some English-language bloggers have to say about the current situation.
Iraq: Assassination for All Iraqi Interpreters!!!
This is the view that Iraqi Interpreter took of a decision made by the commander of the Multinational Forces in Iraq. Under a new rule, Iraqis who work alongside American soldiers as interpreters are to be required to not cover their face while they take part in operations with the US military.
Speaking of Sexual Harassment: Noha makes Egyptians proud!
In an unprecedented case, sexual harasser Sherif Gommaa was sentenced to three years behind bars, hard labour, and was also ordered to pay 5,001 Egyptian pounds fine to Noha Roshdy Saleh for groping her in the street. Egyptian blogger rejoice.
Egypt: Blogosphere's Godparents Going South
Manalaa (i.e. Manal and Alaa) the godparents of the Egyptian blogosphere - are going to live in South Africa for a while, and Alaa has written a post [Ar] describing his feelings towards traveling and many other things.
Talking to Guyanese litblogger Charmaine Valere
Guyanese Charmaine Valere has lived in the US for over twenty years, but she remains deeply engaged with her home country and its cultural debates via her literary blog, Signifyin' Guyana.
Nigerian Blogger Arrested For Sponsoring a ‘Guerilla News Agency’
Nigerian blogger, Jonathan Elendu, has been arrested by the State Security Service (SSS), the federal security enforcement agency in Nigeria. Jonathan Elendu created Elendu Reports in 2005. It is an online news site focusing on federal corruption, economic mismanagement and government inefficiency.
Croatia: Car Bomb Assassination of Journalists Ivo Pukanić & Niko Franjić
Zagreb, Croatia's capital, was stunned by a car bomb attack directed at newspaper publisher and editor-in-chief Ivo Pukanić, which killed both him and fellow journalist Niko Franjić on Thursday.
Costa Rica: Open Air mine ecological? Bloggers think not.
Costa Rican bloggers have raised their voices in alarm at the government's decision to approve a project to cut down acres of forest for an open air gold mine near the border with Nicaragua. The President's contradicting opinions, ecology and the social impact of open air gold mines are discussed.
Egyptian Blogger Nora Younis Wins Human Rights First Award
Egyptian blogger and human rights activist Nora Younis was awarded the Annual Human Rights Award today.
Climate Change: Increasing The Spread of Diseases?
Melting ice caps, rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns aren't the only potential consequences of climate change. Scientists are warning that changes in global climate may also endanger public...
Brazilian myths and haunts on the Lusosphere – Part 2
On the first article of this series, we searched Brazilian websites that could tell us some stories about the haunts and the mythical beings of Brazilian folklore. Now, in the second article, we will sit and listen to the tales of myth, legend and fear told by Brazilian bloggers; tales about Cabeça de Cuia and Caboclo D'Água, and about the beautiful and sad tale of the Vitória Régia, and give more details about the mysterious Loira do Banheiro and her terrible death.
Japan: The Illegal Download Explained, on 2-Channel
Over the last years, the sometimes raucous nature of the Japanese Internet has repeatedly come under fire over concerns about issues such as harmful content and copyright infringement. Now the spotlight is back again, with news that legislation to ban downloads of copyrighted content is moving ahead as planned, despite earlier delays.
Kelele '09: African Bloggers’ Conference
Kelele is the Kiswahili word for noise. It is the name given to a gathering of African bloggers in the tradition of historical African societies where everyone has a voice. With too many voices marginalised or simply ignored in Africa society today for a variety of reasons, the organisers believe that the Internet in general and grassroots media tools such as blogs in particular represent the most powerful way in which to give Africans back their voice.
Argentina: Government Seeks to Nationalize Private Retirement Funds
The government of Argentina recently announced that they would send a proposal to the Congress by which the Pension and Retirement Plan Administration or AFJP in Spanish (also known as mutual funds in the US) would become nationalized. The AFJP privately manages millions of Argentineans' retirement funds, and under the proposal, their funds would now go to the State. Many blogs have commented on the possible changes.
Egypt: Laila Echoes Reverberate in the Land of the Nile
In its third year, the Kolena Laila (We Are All Laila) campaign took a different turn, reaching out to women with no access to the Internet and giving them a chance to speak to the world. Nermeen Edrees reviews some of the voices which had a chance to be heard.
Russia, U.S.: LJ User Drugoi in NYC
LJ user drugoi, one of the most popular and prolific Russian bloggers, shares his wonderful photos of New York City - and his thoughts on some of the issues discussed on Oct. 17 at the Russian-language blogosphere conference at Columbia University School of Journalism - "Russia Online: Mapping the Russian-Language Blogosphere and Participatory Internet."
Cape Verde: Crisis? What crisis?
After questioning the reasons for a recent wave of prices rise in Cape Verde, bloggers were surprised last week at the news that the country is immune to the economic crisis that has devastated the world. Even petrol prices, which were on the rise three weeks ago, have now been reduced.
Colombia: Indigenous Protests and Murders Under Media Blackout
Indigenous groups in the Cauca region of Colombia have been marching and protesting their way to Cali, one of the countries larger cities. Accusations of government fire weapon usage against protesters have bloggers expectant of the outcome.
