Stories from 25 December 2008
Ethiopia: Clerics seek constitutional ban on homosexuality
EthioBlog reports that religious leaders in Ethiopia have urged lawmakers to amend the country's constitution to ban homosexuality, sparking a heated debate amongst the readers of the blog about homosexuality...
India: No War with Pakistan
The Acorn quotes the Prime Minister of India to confirm that there is no war ahead with Pakistan, at least initiated by India.
Bangladesh: Change Lies In The Hands Of The New Voters
An Ordinary Citizen wonders whether the 27 million (34%) new voters in Bangladesh hold the key to the much needed change in the governance of Bangladesh.
Macedonia Timeless
On December 24, 2008, there was a presentation of a promotional video for Macedonia – “Macedonia Timeless.” The video is written and directed by Milcho Manchevski (an Academy Award nominee in 1995), and its purpose is to promote Macedonia as a tourist destination. The video will be aired on CNN, and a dozen countries in eight different languages. Elena Ignatova reviews bloggers' reactions to the video.
Bangladesh: The Siemens Bribery Scandal And The Son Of Ex-Prime Minister
Shada Kalo blog looks deep into the recent Siemens Bribery Scandal and analyzes the case of $5.3 million bribes to government officials in Bangladesh including the son of the Ex-Prime...
Sri Lanka: Fighting during Christmas
Cerno reports on the ongoing civil war around Nevil in Northern Sri Lanka: “as the world celebrates Christmas lots of humans from a volunteer army are fighting a crumbling terrorist...
Instability in Guinea could mean trouble in Liberia too
Emmanuel of Liberia Journal expresses concern about the recent developments in neighboring Guinea because “any power struggle would be extremely dangerous, and could easily become a regional problem”.
Zimbabwe: Update on Jestina Mukoko's abduction
Denford Magora's Zimbabwe Blog posted some photos of human rights activist Jestina Mukoko (who was abducted a couple of weeks ago) appearing in court yesterday accused of recruiting insurgents to...
Guinea: Late President Lansana Conté's legacy
Sofa Jawaro of The sword of truth reflects on the legacy of late President Lansana Conté of Guinea, and about what the future holds for the country after 24 years...
Caucasus: 2008 Blog Review
Last year ended with a state of emergency declared in Georgia, but few could imagine that the events of 2008 would eclipse those of 2007. Three presidential elections, a war,...
Saudi Arabia: Attitudes towards suicide
Saudiwoman discusses suicide in Saudi Arabia: “In general, Saudi society views suicide as deeply sad but not quite shameful. It’s better to have someone in the family who committed suicide...
Bahrain: Comparing the Bahraini and Japanese work ethic
Bahraini blogger Yagoob is currently studying in Japan - and has seen firsthand the legendary Japanese work ethic. In this post he compares the attitude of many Bahrainis towards work with that of the Japanese.
Morocco: Obama to Speak?
Algerian-American blogger The Moor Next Door has reported on a campaign set up by Moroccans to encourage President-Elect Barack Obama to make his first speech abroad in Morocco. The blogger...
Taiwan: Charter 08 and Taiwan
David on Formosa commented on Charter 08 along with quotes from Taiwan News and Financial Times. At the end he said: “In realising the dream of a free China lessons...
Western Sahara: Student Reported Detained
Saharawi-students.org reports that a Saharawi law student has been detained in Tan Tan. The student was released after 10 hours.
China: Interview with Bei Feng
Adam from DANWEI interviewed a famous blogger, Bei feng, who talks about new media space in China.
China: Interview with Journalism Professor
ESWN translated an interview with associate professor Hu Yong of Peking University, School of Journalism and Communication at Tianya forum.
