Stories from 17 September 2008
India: Mobile phones help flood victims
MobileActive.org reports how mobile phones are saving lives of the flood victims in Bihar providing 24 hour connectivity to the rescuers and the marooned people.
Twitter Saigon gathering 2008
Chip 2.0 blogs about the first gathering of Twitter Saigon.
Cambodia: Online petition to save Boeung Kak Lake
An online petition was set-up to stop a government project that will displace residents around Boeung Kak Lake in central Phnom Penh
Indonesia's anti-porn law
Yalun blogs about the negative impact of Indonesia's anti-porn law.
Thailand's new Prime Minister
Thailand has a new Prime Minister: Somchai Wongsawat.
Maldives: Election concerns
Free & Fair Election in the Maldives blog raises some valid questions and concerns about the requirements of ID to vote.
Environment: Powering our way to Extinction
Rory of Carbon Copy considers the decline in biodiversity and includes thoughts on the role of humans as animals within the ecosystem.
Bhutan: The culture of stating the obvious
Lilac discusses in Kuzu Bhutan Weblog about the Bhutanese culture of stating the obvious.
Uganda: Forest Destruction by the Government
Blogger Moses Sserwanga calls on MPs not to allow forest destruction by the government in the form of allocations to companies.”Parliament should not give free rein to government to do as they please; to destroy what remains of the country’s forest cover.”
Russia: Where did the votes go?
Osteuropablog accounts for [GER] an article in Kommersant, stating that information about election results have disappeared from the website of Russia's Central Election Commission.
Angola: MPLA wins over 80% of votes and secures 191 seats
Angola's National Electoral Commission has disclosed the final results of the first Parliamentary Elections in 16 years and they confirmed victory for the ruling party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, which won 191 of the 220 parliament seats. See some of the reactions.
Nigeria: Another beast in power
Who is “another beast in power” in Nigeria?: “It’s so sad that under a useless arrangement called democracy, the leadership of Yar Adua will shut down a media house.”
Morocco: Training Online Journalists
The View from Fez [en/fr] notes that Morocco will soon provide online journalism training for its print journalists. The trainings are supported by the U.S. Embassy and financed by the “Partnership Initiative with the Middle East” (MEPI). Moroccan blogger and journalist Rachid Jankari will lead the trainings.
Jordan: Killing Firefox
Jordanian blogger Qwaider writes of his prediction that Chrome will eventually outdo Firefox in the browser wars.
Africa: People will work on their mobiles
Joshua Goldstein looks at the future of mobile technology in Africa: “As I mentioned in a recent post, one of the most striking aspects of the African Internet economy is that we don't know what the mobile Internet will look like when it is proliferated in Africa, much the same...
Russia: BP gets off scots free?
Steve LeVine of The Oil and The Glory comments on the apparent reasons why BP seems to have reached an agreement on its Russian assets in TNK-BP.
Poland: Poles return home from Britain
Polandian discusses how and why a growing number of Poles choose to return home from Britain to Poland.
Russia: Merger of opposition parties
Osteuropablog discusses [GER] a story in Rosbalt on plans among Russian opposition parties to merge into a single party.
Estonia: Impressions of Haapsalu
Itching for Eestimaa tells a story about his impressions of Haapsalu – a town unscathed by the passing of time.
Estonia: Russians calling for autonomy
Eternal Remont comments on a story in Vesti Dnya, reporting the birth of an organisation calling for territorial autonomy of ehtnic Russians in Estonia.
Bahrain: Hair-raising conversation
Sous, a Swede living in Bahrain, repeats a conversation she had with an Indian woman, who after finding out that Sous was fasting told her she should cover her hair: “Swede: Well, I’m thinking to shave it all off and then that problem is solved! Indian:No!…Aren’t you married? Swede: No....
