Stories about Weblog from September, 2010
Pakistan: Do You Care About The Plights Of The Flood Victims?
While some countries of the world came forward to donate for the victims of the recent Pakistan Floods, most international responses were slow. Cindy Yang looks for the answers in the blogosphere.
Middle East: Iran Launches New Movie Channel in Arabic
Iran inaugurated it's first Arabic language movie channel during the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Fitr, which commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The new channel will be called iFilm and it is meant to target about 300 million Arabic speakers.
Bermuda: Battling Hurricane Igor
Remaining true to its most famous namesake, Hurricane Igor has, thus far, been the biggest and strongest storm of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, battering the tiny island of Bermuda even as it maintains its course towards Newfoundland, Canada. A handful of Bermudian bloggers managed to get information out in the midst of the barrage…
South Africa: Thou Shall Not Burn the Bible
A South African businessman and law student Mohammed Vawda planned to burn the Bible on September 11, 2010 in Johannersburg central business district. He claims that he was enraged by pastor Terry Jones who wanted to burn the Koran in the United States of America. The South African High Court stopped Mohammed from setting the Bible on fire arguing that the act was an insult to all religions. The ruling has receive mixed reactions from bloggers.
Venezuela: September 26 Elections, Activism and Opinion via Twitter
On September 26, Venezuelans will vote to renew the National Assembly, its legislative body. Twitter has been one of the most used tools during the campaign, used by candidates to promote their campaign and by citizens to support their favorite politicians and voice their political opinions.
Iran: Jailed blogger, Hossein Derakhshan (“Hoder”) may face death penalty
Tehran's prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan ("Hoder"). The judge has not yet ruled. Derakhshan stands accused of “collaborating with enemy states, creating propaganda against the Islamic regime, insulting religious sanctity, and creating propaganda for anti-revolutionary groups.” He was arrested 22 months ago.
Brazil: Real Estate Speculation Threats the Cerrado
Real state speculation is taking over Brazil and sparking a debate on the environmental and social impact of the ever growing construction sector. In Brasilia, the modern capital of Brazil, this debate involves indigenous rights and the destruction of the Savannah, known as Cerrado.
Indonesia: Local government closes church defying court order
A Christian protestant church, GKI Taman Yasmin in the regency of Bogor, Indonesia was forced to cease activities by Bogor's regency on Sunday night. The police and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) surrounded the church, disbanded a church meeting, then sealed the building by the city's order.
Japan, China fishing boat row: a war of words
Just as the Diaoyu Islands row between Japan and China intensifies over the detention of a Chinese fishing captain, whose detention has just been extended by a further 10 days, a war of words has broken out between prominent bloggers Yoshikazu Kato and Zhang Wen. Yoshikazu Kato, bilingual in Japanese...
Australia: Muslim Dress Code Backlash
Residents of a Melbourne suburb in Australia were asked by the mayor to cover-up in a pool event to avoid offending Muslims. This order has sparked an online debate
Bangladesh: Digitizing Land Records to Combat Corruption
There is a lot of hope riding on the effective use of ICT in the Land Management System of Bangladesh to usher in modernization, user-friendliness, transparency and accountability in this very important sector. Aparna Ray explains.
Peru: Mayoral Candidates, Twitter and an Intercepted Phone Call
"Lourdes" became a Twitter Trending Topic for a couple of hours. The story behind what looks like a trivial Trending Topic is the release of a conversation where Lourdes Flores, a candidate for mayor of Lima, uses unreserved remarks about the mayorship. Bloggers and Twitter users reacted to the audio and the politics behind it.
Philippines: President answers Facebook note
A facebook user wrote an open letter to the Philippine President expressing his disappointment with the two-month old government. The letter became popular in the web; even the president wrote a response through his facebook account.
Brazil: World's Largest Graffiti Inaugurated
Brazil's President Lula da Silva inaugurated the world's largest graffiti at over 37 000 square feet in the area of Foz do Iguaçu. This area; famous for the Iguaçu falls and the triple border where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet will now be home to a decorated highway honouring children and teenager's rights.
Thailand Medical Tourism Blog Contest
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a new blog contest to promote medical tourism. The decision of tourism officials to embrace social media is appreciated by many bloggers but some are questioning the strategy for this particular blog contest
Ecuador: Twitter Campaign Against Car Accidents
#sitomasnomanejes [if you drink, don’t drive] is the recent Twitter campaign to reduce the number of deaths from traffic accidents in Ecuador. Twitter users have been hashtagging #sitomasnomanejes amidst the nationwide commotion caused by recent and fatal car accidents and a discussions regarding the country’s new traffic law.
Mauritius: Facing Their Past in South Africa's Footsteps
Like South Africa and other African countries, Mauritius created a "Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation" Commission in 2008 to heal the wounds of slavery, as well as to find national unity through the process of restoring historical truth.
China: Fishing boat captain detained, protests planned
More than a week after a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats in territory disputed by governments of those two countries and the Chinese captain was detained, anger in China shows little sign of abating soon, and a number of protests are planned for this weekend.
Colombia: The Case of J.J. Rendón, ‘he who can't be named’
Tomáz Garzía, a Colombian blogger and cartoonist, revealed through his blog that he had received an email from the legal representative of controversial Venezuelan Juan José Rendón, demanding that he erase the content where he refers to Rendón's participation in the recent Colombian presidential elections. Twitter users and bloggers have reacted to the email, emphasizing the right to freedom of speech.
Azerbaijan: As elections approach, social networking steps in
On 7 November, Azerbaijan will once again head to the polls to cast their ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The pre-election campaign won't officially start until 23 days before election day itself, but there already some signs of activity appearing on Facebook.
Chile: Bloggers and Social Network Users Question Bicentennial Celebrations
On September 18 Chile commemorates 200 years of its Independence from Spain with a Bicentennial celebration. But the date has generated reactions from bloggers and Twitter users who are relating the celebrations to a prolonged hunger strike by the Mapuche indigenous group and other current issues of concern for the Chilean people.
