Stories about Weblog from April, 2009
Cambodia: Doubts over the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
The Khmer Rouge Tribunal is now weeks into its first trial with the prosecution of Duch for crimes against humanity and war crimes. But as the trial continues, many wonder how effective the Tribunal will be in achieving national reconciliation in Cambodia.
Nepal: A Failed Coup?
The conflict started last year when the politicians in Nepal started debating the integration of the former Maoist guerrillas, popularly known as People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into the country’s national...
Sri Lanka: The Pros And Cons Of International Attention
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are holding on to to just a sliver of land in the north of Sri Lanka, but the United Nations is estimating that 50,000 people are still trapped in the warzone. As fighting surges in the final throes, concerns for civilians is growing and calls for international attention and understanding abound on the Internet and in the streets of cities around the world, such as London, Berlin and Paris.
Korea: Things that might surprise you in North America
A netizen shows an interesting post about 22 things that surprise you while you travel America. It is fun to see how things are natural in a place could be...
Indian Elections 2009: Reading The Digital Tea Leaves on ‘Who Will Win?’
Now that the 15th general elections are underway in India, the big question in every body’s mind is who is going to win? Will one party take it all or will there be no clear winner, which means a coalition government or a political patchwork quilt at the center?
South African Elections '09: There is only one story to be told
Following the national and provincial elections on Wednesday in South Africa, grubstreet believes that there is only one story to be told: the election results and how the online media...
Kuwait: Blackberry Lunches, Arab Sex Talk and Election Responsibility Plea
From the censorship of video games to discussions about Kuwait's upcoming parliamentary elections on May 16, the Kuwaiti blogosphere offers a mixed bag this week. Also in this post, by Amer Al Hilal, a concern raised by a Kuwaiti female blogger about Arab women talking about sex in public.
Kazakhstan: Cadres decide everything
“Cadres decide everything” – this expression of Josef Stalin is widely quoted by the Kazakhstanis when they discuss new appointments in the government, which usually doesn't feature much new faces,...
Indian Elections '09: Where The Shoe Pinches
When Muntadhar al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at the then US President George Bush, little did he know that his method of getting a point across would soon become viral across...
Jordan: Beyond Stereotypes
How to get past stereotypes and the future of the relationship between Denmark and the Arab and Muslim worlds was the centre of discussions at an event organised by the Danish Embassy in Amman. Mohammad Azraq, who attended the programme, picks up on this story and more in this round up of Jordanian blogs.
Guatemala: Collaborative Publishing of the Book TRANS 2.0
In celebration of World Book Day, Guatemalan author and blogger Julio Serrano asked 50 of his friends and readers to publish different parts of his book TRANS 2.0 on their blogs. This new publishing project brings together enthusiasts of literature from all over the world to participate in this open license initiative.
Australians divided by Durban II boycott
The decision by the Rudd government of Australia to boycott the United Nations Conference on Racism in Durban was a controversial one. GV author Kevin Rennie gathers reactions of Australian bloggers.
MENA: Reflections on Durban II
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, and the way European Union representatives reacted to it at the United Nations Conference on Racism in Geneva (Durban II), has stirred debates among bloggers across the Middle East. Eman AbdElRahman sums up reactions in this post.
Brazil: Judicial decisions, a growing threat to online freedom
When it comes to freedom on the Internet, Brazil is a free country according to recent report. However, bloggers face a growing threat from judicial decisions leading to content censorship and the risk of prosecution for libel and defamation. News of blogs being closed down, bloggers having to delete posts or receiving threats abound, appearing on a near monthly basis.
Martinique: Celebrating Aimé Césaire
It is with great reverence that Martinican bloggers celebrated the first anniversary of the death of Aimé Césaire, who passed away on April 17th 2008.
Rwanda: The unresolved FDLR issue
Last January the conflict in North Kivu shifted once again with the arrest of CNDP rebel group leader Laurent Nkunda in Rwanda and the entry of the Rwandan national army (RDF) into the DR Congo to root out the FDLR rebel group in joint operations with the national Congolese army (FARDC). As Rebecca Feeley of the Enough Said blog explains, the Congolese Minister of Defense, Charles Mwando Nsimba, even went so far as to say that the FDLR threat had been “neutralized.”
DoGooderTV: Voting Open for the NonProfit Video Awards
The voting period to select the winners of the DogooderTV 2009 Non Profit Video Awards ends this Saturday, April 25, so now is the perfect time to head over to their site, view the different videos uploaded by organizations to promote a cause. Today we´ll show you some of the competing videos which focus on international issues.
Japan: An Oscar to “Okuribito” (Departures)
For the first time a Japanese movie, Okuribito (or Departures), has been awarded the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, over the French “The Class” and the Israeli animated documentary “Waltz...
Iran: Islamist bloggers’ poems in praise of Ahmadinejad
While several Iranian bloggers criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the United Nations conference on racism in Geneva yesterday, some Islamist bloggers praised his performance. Hamed Talebi, on his blog Khabarnegar Mosalman (“Muslim...
Iran: Free Potatoes Inflamed Electoral Fever
The Iranian authorities have distributed free potatoes in recent weeks in different cities. Several Iranian politicians have criticized the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s government free potato distribution as an act of the...
Fiji: Devaluation debate
The past week bloggers in Fiji have had a lot to say about the devaluation of the Fiji Dollar. On April 15, the Reserve Bank of Fiji devalued the Fiji Dollar by 20 percent, making it cheaper compared to other currencies. This means that more Fiji dollars are needed to purchase goods from outside the country. For overseas buyers, products in Fiji will now be less expensive.
