Stories about Weblog from January, 2010
Lebanon: 90 Presumed Dead After Ethiopian Airlines Jet Plunges into Sea
Condolences poured in on Twitter after an Ethiopian Airlines jet plunged into the Mediterranean minutes after its take off from Beirut, Lebanon. All 90 people on board are presumed dead after the plane caught fire during a lightning storm and crashed into the sea.
Iran: Iranians commemorate Neda's birthday
Iranians inside and outside the country remembered Neda Soltan's birthday. Neda was shot dead by Basij militia on June 20, 2009, during a protest against the presidential election results that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad president. Her death was captured on video and uploaded to the Internet. She died with her eyes wide open, and her last moments transcended citizen media to mainstream media, reaching millions of people.
Ghana: Regional Minister, Kofi Opoku-Manu, Going Under?
Ashanti Regional Minister, Kofi Opoku-Manu, has recently taken great heat for remarks he made during a speech to supporters of the ruling party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) on January 6th. According to Ghana’s Ato-Kwamena Dadzie, Opoku-Manu “urged party supporters to resort to violence to resolve their differences.”
China: No more dirty joke via SMS
According to last week's Xinhuanet report, Mobile China Shanghai branch will start suspending a mobile phone's SMS function if they find the number distribute “vulgar”, “pornographic” and other illegal contents(Details see GVA). Other cities and mobile companies also carry out similar practices since the beginning of 2010. The new policy...
Timor Police Brutality Video
Police brutality in Timor-Leste is not new, but getting it on video is. This is something of a “Rodney King” moment for Timor-Leste and its police service.
Sri Lankan Presidential Election: Social Media In Election Reporting
In less than 24 hours Sri Lankan voters will start to vote to decide who will be their 6th president. In this roundup we will highlight the use of social media in election reporting and the use of online campaigns by the candidates.
China’s Orwellian Future
John Chan (陳冠中), an author from Hong Kong who is currently living in Beijing, has written a novel entitled The Fat Years: China, 2013 (盛世 – 中國, 2013). The story happens in 2013, when China enters a new era of material prosperity and everyone is happy, while the western world...
Guatemala: United for Haiti After Earthquake
In 1976, an earthquake killed nearly 23,000 people in Guatemala. Now, 34 years later, Guatemalans are united to help Haitians with their own earthquake tragedy, through a wide variety of fundraising efforts and other signs of solidarity.
China: How does the young generation view Confucius
A rumor circulated on the web that all the 2D versions of Avatar have been pulled out of the Chinese cinemas to make way for the domestic movie Confucius. Despite reports like this, government officials quickly denied it. Yet like all rumors, even if wrong, they may contain a kernel...
Russian Blogger Harassed For Marrying Chinese
Maria Gromakova became a victim of comprehensive virtual attacks of Russian extreme nationalists. Online harassment eventually turned into a real-life nightmare forcing Maria and her family to leave Russia. She tells her story to GVO.
Sudan's First LGBT Rights Organization?
Throughout 2009, the Sudanese blogosphere has been in slumber mode. However, many previously inactive bloggers are blogging again along with new ones that have arrived on the scene recently, writes Sudanese Drima, who brings us the latest online discussions.
Saudi Arabia: AIDS treatment takes step backward
Saudi Arabia has announced its plans to shut down a volunteer clinic in Jeddah’s King Saud Hospital that is known for providing medical services, counseling and privacy to AIDS victims. Bloggers lash out against the move saying it is a step backward.
Egypt: Engulfed by Floods!
Over the past few days, several Egyptian governorates and cities have been engulfed by a severe wave of flash floods and heavy rains. Bloggers react to the calamity.
Tunisia: And They Censored Arabicca!
Tunisian blogger Fatma Arabicca, who was arrested two months ago, decided to resume blogging last week. With only one post on her new blog, authorities swooped in to block it. Tunisian bloggers react to the ban and to the censorship of other blogs as well.
Israel: Activists and bloggers protest against deterioration of human rights
As activists are rounded up and arrested on the ground, Israeli bloggers and Twitter users turn to the Internet to fully employ alternative media platforms to influence public opinion and public opinion and struggle for democracy, writes Carmel L. Vaisman, who also updates us about Israel's new biometric law.
Chile: Piñera's Victory Raises Questions About Pinochet's Influence
When Sebastián Piñera was elected Chile's next president on January 17, 2010, many bloggers commented on the relationship between the president-elect and deceased dictator Augusto Pinochet because of public support showed to Pinochet after Piñera’s victory.
Azerbaijan: Demonstrations in London and Paris for imprisoned video blogging youth activists
On the same day that an appeal court hearing for imprisoned blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli was adjourned, supporters of the two men protested outside the Embassies of Azerbaijan in London and Paris.
Haiti: Teens’ perspectives on the earthquake
Although the coverage of the aftermath of the 7.3 earthquake which has left Haiti's capital partly devastated, has been massive, one group of Haitian bloggers has been overlooked - teenagers. Here is a look at what young people have to say about this catastrophe, which foreshadows a new era in their lives.
Haiti: “1+1=3”
More than ten days after the 12 January earthquake in Haiti, with large-scale relief efforts underway, Haitian bloggers and Twitter users wonder what the future holds in store, and how reconstruction efforts will be managed. Others seem concerned that media reports don't always add up with what they observe on the ground.
China:Google's announcement to clarify rumors brings in more speculations
The latest announcement by Google.cn is that all the rumors about their quit is just rumors. However, more speculations came in, questioning whether Google's move is to cover up its business failure, or to serve for a political purpose
Haiti: Shelter Coming Both Too Slow and Too Fast
Talk is already turning to reconstruction in Haiti. Early reports on the damage pointed mostly to lax construction standards, but Marc Herman takes a closer look.