Stories from March, 2008
Jamaica: Hope & HIV
“Behind the images of hedonism in Jamaica, the specter of AIDS has overshadowed the glitter and garish of the Tourist Board commercials,” writes Geoffrey Philp, as he blogs about Hope: Living and Loving with HIV – a multi-media reporting project which he says “is not just an extended essay with...
Guyana: Walking Trees?
Guyana-Gyal will believe anything…except that.
Zimbabwe: First 20 election results
This is Zimbabwe has the first 20 election results in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: The story of Zimbabwe in photos
Zimbabwe elections in pictures: “The Netherlands Institute of Southern Africa (NiZA) kindly gave us a grant to capture the Zimbabwe election in pictures. Using that grant a team of 3 journalists (two in Zimbabwe and one in South Africa) have been bringing you all the drama and action of the...
Zimbabwe: First six seats announced
First six seats to be announced officially in Zimbabwe elections: “Chegutu West MDC MT 6772 / ZPF 3713 / MDC AM 750 /, Chipinge Central ZPF 6377 / MDC MT 5862 /, Goromonzi West ZPF 6193 / MDC MT 5931 /”
Zimbabwe: What is MDC waiting for?
Bev Clark writes about elections in Zimbabwe:”But what now? What is the MDC waiting for . . . the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s “official” results which everyone is suspicious of? It seems odd to temper a wonderfully audacious move (claiming victory) with the predictable path of comparing results.”
Japan: Why does Mario move from left to right?
Blogger lastline has drawn over 400 bookmarks on the Japanese bookmarking service Hatena for a detailed investigation of the question: Why does the video game character Mario run across the screen from left to right, and not right to left [ja]? The blogger explains that video tends to prioritize movement...
China: Foreign Media
DANWEI has organized a panel discussion on foreign media's news coverage of China. Here is a sum up.
Uzbekistan: Presidential Daughter Establishes Think-Tank
Mansurhon tries to understand the purpose of the Center for Political studies founded by Gulnara Karimova, daughter of Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov and rumored successor of the country's leader.
Tajikistan: The murder of Russian journalist
Vadim is concerned that the wrong reporting of the murder of Russian journalist by mass media can increase the anti-Tajik sentiments in Russia.
Kazakhstan: Podcast Interview with Joanna Lillis
Adam Kesher meets Joanna Lillis, a journalist working in Kazakhstan for Eurasianet.Org and Al-Jazeera television. She’s been living in Kazakhstan for 3 years already, and they talk about her first impressions about the country and how they changed over these years.
Kazakhstan: Olympic Torch Lands in Almaty
KZBlog reports that the Olympic Torch will pass through Almaty on 2 April on its way out from Beijing to Istanbul. Almaty, former capital of Kazakhstan and its largest city, will be the first city on the way of relay.
Afghanistan: Hazara People Want Justice
Mohammad writes that representatives of the Hazara ethnic group in Afghanistan arranged a large demonstration in Kabul on March 29, to stop migration of nomadic tribes that threatens agricultural sector in their provinces.
China: Open Media Market
In response to the anti-CNN campaign, Huge argued that the solution was to open the media market and protect press freedom [zh].
Japan: Views on Yasukuni, the movie
A documentary film about the controversial Yasukuni shrine, shot by a Chinese filmmaker through funding by a Japanese government agency, has sparked debate and discussion after a group within the ruling LDP party convened a screening to assess its "neutrality". Bloggers offer differing views on the move and on the idea of their government subsidizing what some see as a "political" film.
China: Zeng Jinyan
Zeng Jinyan is back to internet communication [zh] after three months house arrest. As for Hu Jia, he will be on trial again in April 7.
China: Chaos and Nationalism
Shangguan from Tianya blog felt that the Chinese government campaign against western media in the report of Tibet riot has stirred up nationalistic sentiment in China [zh].
Taiwan: Counter Culture
Blog worker wrote a letter to gutsy youths who vote to use counter culture spirit for changes in Taiwan [zh].
Egypt: Human Rights Defenders Harassed
Or Does it Explode… links to a report submitted by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies to the United Nations Human Rights Council which says there has been “huge harassments of human rights organisations and defenders have been increasingly subject to abusive and suppressive actions by government actors… in...
Israel: Three New Jerusalem News Websites Launch
Interested in knowing all the happenings of the Holy City? Look no further. Three English-language Israeli websites have recently launched to bring you news of Jerusalem. Check out Jerusalem Blueprint, Janglo (Jerusalem Anglo), and Go Jerusalem.
Bahrain: Scorn for inflation package
To alleviate the effects of inflation in Bahrain, the government has introduced a BD40 million (USD105 million) aid package – and Bahrain's bloggers are unanimous in questioning how effective it will be, writes Ayesha Saldanha.
