Stories from 25 November 2008
France Antilles news website launched
le blog de [moi] writes about the launch of a new, daily news website for the French Antilles[fr], featuring the latest from Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyane: “What joy! Yes, pure and simple joy, because it was really ridiculous not to use [the internet] at a time when everything is going...
Burkina Faso: Fertility and Underdevelopment
According to new official statistics, Burkina Faso's population is growing [Fr] at an annual rate of 3.1%. Quophybloguer writes [Fr]: “Will the government have the courage to officially limit births in this country, where wrongly or rightly it is believed that children are also a ‘wealth'?”
Thailand: Rallies and Twitter updates
Thailand’s anti-government protesters have surrounded the Parliament building; they are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. Thai bloggers and Twitter users have been sending updates about the protest actions in Bangkok.
Afghanistan: Meeting Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh
Nasim Fekrat, an independent Afghan journalist, met with imprisoned journalism student Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh in Pul-e Charkhi prison. He seemed disappointed and desperately waved at me. Only for a few seconds I got closer to him, closer to hear him, which was difficult because of the noise. Suddenly my left...
DRC: Didace Namujimbo Radio Okapi Journalist Murdered
Cedric Kalonji writes about the tragic shooting death of Didace Namujimbo [Fr], the second Radio Okapi journalist to be murdered in Bukavu: “After learning this news, I was torn between pain, sadness and anger. I asked myself how a democracy can last in a country so visibly allergic to independent, professional journalists....
Russia: The Plight of Journalism
As the West continues to turn attention to the Politkovskaya case, Foreign Policy Association's Russia Blog gives focus to the plight of Mikhail Beketov, editor of the obscure Khimki Pravda.
Latvia: Images of an abandoned past
Arnis Balcus’ Photo Blog posts pictures of the abandoned Soviet secret town of Skrunda with the military radar station once scanning space against presumed western missiles.
China and Japan: Paper Schools at Earthquake Zone
Ayana from Pingmag reports on a Japanese student project for building temporary school buildings out of cardboard papers at Chengdu.
China: Photos of Longnan Mass Incident
ESWN collected a series of photos showing the Longnan Mass Incident happened last week.
Chile: Construction of a Zoo in Curicó
Marcelo Aliaga of Bloggeando la Vida [es] opposes the construction of a zoo on the Condel Hill located in Curicó, Chile. He believes that the construction would not be a creative alternative to help promote tourism.
Guatemala: 3,000 XO Computers to Be Donated
Three thousand XO computers will be donated to the Guatemalan government for distribution to schoolchildren through the offices of the Ministry of Education and the Secetariat of Social Works of the First Lady, writes Interactiva Web [es].
Guatemala: The 5th Annual Jilotepeque Festival
The 5th Annual Jilotepeque Festival will take place on November 29-30 in the Guatemalan municipality of San Martín Jilotepeque. The Casa de la Cultura Sanmartineca is coordinating the event and more information can be found on its blog [es].
Ecuador: High Monthly Salary for Assembly Members
Libertad Ecuador [es] does not agree with the monthly salary of Assembly members, which is many more times higher than the average monthly salary of ordinary Ecuadorans.
Argentina: Created By Immigrants?
Juan Pablo Meneses starts his latest series of blogs posts at Crónicas Argentinas [es] by asking the question, “Was Argentina Created by Immigrants? [es]” and receiving dozens of responses, many from those who share their stories of being children and grandchildren of immigrants.
Philippines: Hunger and poverty
Filipino journalist Joe Torres writes about hunger and poverty in the Philippines and Asia.
Malaysia: Yoga is OK for Muslims but…
The National Fatwa Council of Malaysia has ruled that the physical aspect of yoga without the mantras and other spiritual elements is not wrong. Blogger Nuraina thinks the edict is unnecessary.
Laos: Street lighting
Samakomlao uploads an article about the street lighting project in Vientiane, Laos.
Thailand: Protesters surround Parliament building
Anti-government protesters have surrounded the Parliament building of Thailand. They are demanding the removal of the Prime Minister.
East Timor: Air quality
Reacting to a report about the worsening pollution in Asia, Dili-gence notes that air quality in Dili, East Timor is better than in the whole region.
Bolivia: Elderly Not Collecting Their Government Pension
Willy Jordan writes that many elderly Bolivians are not collecting their “Dignity Pension,” which is a government plan that provides a small stipend to Bolivians 60 years and older. [es] It is primarily because they simply do not know about the benefit or are lacking the proper identification.
Nagorno Karabakh: Compromise Necessary For Peace
Blogian provides background information and analysis on the latest developments in efforts to resolve the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. The blog says that peace would be beneficial for both sides, but notes that compromise will be necessary.