24 August 2008

Stories from 24 August 2008

China: Games over

Well we couldn't watch it on YouTube, but there was Twitter so we know the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony involved [note: links to profanity] some sort of [profanity] hot-pot tower...

24 August 2008

Venezuela: Antonio Lauro and His Classical Guitar

Antonio Lauro is well-known for composing waltzes for the classical guitar. As part of the group Trio Cantores del Trópico, Lauro managed to contribute to the Venezuela's musical heritage converting original European structures into melodies that sound very much like the Venezuelan idiosyncrasies. He toured extensively around neighboring countries to spread the sounds of Venezuelan music.

24 August 2008

Russia: Rally at Red Square

Photos and video of seven activists holding a rally at Red Square in Moscow on Aug. 24 – “For your and our freedom” – in commemoration of the protest against...

24 August 2008

Arabeyes: The Olympics, Pride, Equality and Hope

Millions around the world were glued to their television screens watching their favourite athletes at this year's Beijing Olympics, which just closed. What did Arab bloggers have to say about the world's premier sporting event and their country teams? Following are a few reactions.

24 August 2008

Egypt: Blogger Detained

Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt, draws our attention to yet another blogger detained. “Mohammed Refaat, a student and a blogger, was detained on July 21 on charges of ‘threatening public security’...

24 August 2008

Georgia: Regional Reporters

The conflict between Georgia and Russia over the breakway territory of South Ossetia were accompanied by cyber-attacks on several Georgian official government and independent media sites. But rather than prevent journalists from utilizing the Internet to report on the war, it achieved the opposite. Many Georgians -- media professionals and citizen journalists alike -- set up blogs to report or comment on the conflict.

24 August 2008

Breastfeeding in Thailand

absolutelybangkok.com is worried that Thailand has the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rate in Asia and one of the lowest in the world.

24 August 2008

Malaysian politics and Olympics

A Malaysian badminton silver medalist found himself at the center of power struggle among Malaysia's political parties when he arrived home. Blogger 4896 advises politicians to spare athletes from political...

24 August 2008

Laos in the Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Olympics informed many people around the world that Laos is pronounced as Lao (silent ‘s’), as noted by I Eat Padek.

24 August 2008

Lebanon: Israel threatens while Syria seeks to buy arms

"What’s cooking?" is probably the most common question people in Lebanon are asking since Israel Environment Minister Gideon Ezra’s speech few days ago and the recent news of the Russian-Syrian arms deal. Last week, Minister Ezra said that the Lebanese state will be considered a target if it legitimizes Hizbullah (which the Lebanese government did). On the other hand, Russia has announced that it is ready to sell new weapons to Syria. What do Lebanon's bloggers have to ay about those developments?

24 August 2008

Georgia: Dispatches Under Russian Occupation

When Russian forces rolled into the strategic Georgian town of Gori, information on the occupation was scarce. Journalists died during Russian bombing runs in the military campaign leading up Gori's capture, others were shot at, and access to the town was not only limited, but also perilous with South Ossetian, Chechen and Cossack militia hijacking cars and robbing occupants. The posts by the radio station's Goga Aptsiauri are a fascinating account of life under Russian occupation. In his final post made two days ago, Aptsiauri reports that the Russian military had finally left.

24 August 2008

Georgia: Ukrainian Bloggers Action

Peace in Georgia points its readers to an action staged by Ukrainian bloggers. Following reports that Russian troops and South Ossetian irregulars engaged in looting, the bloggers have set up...

24 August 2008

Georgia: Russian Withdrawal

Registan questions the sincerity of the Russian withdrawal of combat troops from Georgia. The blog says that Russia is clearly delighted by the impotence of the U.S. and NATO during...

24 August 2008

Georgia: Economic Fallout

Regional Reporters [RU] reports on the economic consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia. The blog says that with the damage to civilian infrastructure in Georgia...

24 August 2008