Stories from 18 January 2009
Russia: Ten Days At Sea Offshore Sakhalin
White Sun of the Desert writes about his ten days at sea on the Yuri Topchev, “a 100m long icebreaking supply vessel.”
Czech Republic: Relations With Israel and the EU
The Reference Frame writes about the Czech PM's stance on the situation in the Middle East: “The Czech politicians have clearly come under fire from the self-proclaimed exclusively politically correct European politicians who effectively sleep with the terrorists in Hamas.”
Israel, Palestine: A Bosnian Refugee's View
Amila Bosnae is wondering if “a state of Palestine [will be] established somewhere in Europe or the USA in the near future.”
Czech Republic: EU Presidency
The Reference Frame writes about what to expect from the Czech EU presidency.
Ukraine: Ruthenians
Window on Eurasia writes about Transcarpathian Ruthenians of Ukraine, who are “calling on Moscow to recognize the independence of Subcarpathian Rus because Kyiv has ignored their demands for autonomy within Ukraine” and who emphasize that “‘the lion’s share’ of Russian gas on its way to European markets flows through Subcarpathian...
Slovenia: “The Parliament Kitchen”
Sleeping With Pengovsky writes about a place that offers tasty and cheap meals but is inaccessible to most Slovenians: the parliament's canteen.
Croatia, Slovenia: Border Dispute and the EU
Sleeping With Pengovsky writes about “the Slovene-Croat diplomatic crash which happened shortly before new year, when Slovenia effectively blocked the continuation of Croatian EU accession negotiations” – here and here.
Madagascar: Massive Political Meeting as Tension Arises
Two bloggers report photos and proceedings of political meeting in Antananarivo as tension between mayor Andry Rajoelina and current president Marc Ravalomanana arises over the closing of a national TV station (mg). Avylavitra posted photos of attendance at the meeting and Jentilisa wrote a comprehensive timeline of the events (mg).
Greece: Outcry over arms shipment to Israel
With the war raging in Gaza, news reports earlier this month about the routing of an extraordinarily large shipment of arms from the United States to Israel through the private Greek port of Astakos caused an uproar among Greek bloggers. They used Twitter to investigate the matter and put pressure on the government to halt the transfer.
Taiwan: Concerns about future of popular TV program
Claudia Jean points out that there are concerns about the future of the the Talking Show, a popular Taiwanese TV current affairs program. She also writes about the KMT's conflict of interest and interference in PTS.
Israel: IDF Operating a Moral War in Gaza?
Bloggers have been defending the IDF which has been highly criticized for operating an unjust war in Gaza. Many choose to highlight facts which are not necessarily presented in mainstream news on its fighting techniques - minimizing civilian casualties by using precise missile technology, calling homes and dropping warning leaflets, while focusing on the target: weakening Hamas, destroying their artillery and ability to fire missiles into Israeli territory.
Angola: An increase in domestic violence or only in awareness?
The rates of domestic violence in Angola have increased considerably but it is a good sign: by reporting more, Angolan women get a step closer to ending the abuse perpetrated by their partners. But, have the numbers actually increased or is there just a greater awareness of such crimes?
Africa: Coworking Spaces for African Techies
African techies need community spaces, which will be “part coworking space and part business and idea incubator.”
Kenya: KenyaUnlimited's New Look
KenyaUnlimited, the home of Kenyan blogs and bloggers, has a new look.
Nigeria: Facebook Developers Garage for Nigerians
Loy calls for Facebook Developers Garage in Nigeria. He believes that the event will provide a forum for students and professional software developers in Nigeria.
Georgia: Beautiful Tbilisi
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines, the blog of an Azerbaijani political analyst based in Baku and Istanbul, pays its first visit to Tbilisi, capital of the Republic of Georgia. The blog says that the city is beautiful and has preserved it historical charm while it also notes some of the...
Israel: Unilateral “Ceasefire” Goes Into and Out of Effect
Israel declared operation ‘Cast Lead' a success and announced that its security cabinet has voted in favor of a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Although the ceasefire has since been broken, with Hamas sending missiles into Sderot, here are some reflections of Israeli bloggers on developments on the ground.
Indonesia: Bloggers Vs mainstream media on Israel-Palestine issue
Global Voices author Martin Manurung analyzes the media coverage of the Palestine-Israel conflict in Indonesia. He notes that Indonesian bloggers seem to be more mature and informed than most of the Indonesian mainstream media.
Thailand: Rohingya refugee story coverage
Bangkok Pundit provides a round up of the story about Rohingya refugees who were allegedly pushed out to sea by the Thai Navy. The story has been reported in detail by BBC News. According to Bangkok Pundit the news was originally broken by the website Phuket Wan.
Philippines: Helping flood victims through Plurk and blogs
Filipino bloggers have organized a feeding program for the benefit of flood victims in south Philippines. They announced their project through Plurk and other social networking sites.
Palestine: Lies & Murder
Mohammad of the Arab-American blog KABOBfest questions the intentions of Israel's latest ceasefire.
