Stories from 25 February 2009
Bangladesh: BDR Mutiny And Gunfires
Unheard Voice is live blogging and posting pictures of gunfires and battles inside the headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), the paramilitary forces of Bangladesh. Apparently this is a mutiny and senior officers were reported killed. More roundups and news are available at The 3rd World View and BDfact.
Malaysia: Many are not satisfied with their sex lives
Myhorng links to an article which shows that many Malaysians are not satisfied with their sex lives.
Malaysia: Operation Valentine
Malaysian police arrested 26 unmarried Muslim couples in hotel rooms during Operation Valentine to curb premarital sex. The crime of “khalwat,” or “close proximity” forbids unmarried Muslims to meet behind closed doors.
Brunei: Fund drive for flood victims
As part of the efforts to collect donations for flood victims, charity drives have been organized in recent weeks in Brunei. The heavy downpour last month caused heavy floods and landslides in the country, affecting homes of more than 200 families, and destroying milllions of dollars in properties and crops.
Jordan: Blog About Jordan Day
March 12 will mark the second Blog about Jordan Day, announces Qwaider. Bloggers are being encouraged to blog about Jordan on that day.
Egypt: Philip Rizk's Four Days in Detention
A day after publishing “Egypt: More activists and bloggers arrested” on Global Voices Online, news of Philip Rizk's detention spread like wildfire around the world - and the blogger and activist was finally released. Lasto Adri visits Rizk's blog, where he writes about his ordeal and that of another blogger Diaa Gad, who was arrested on the same day and still remains behind bars today.
Indonesia: Tsunami museum
A Tsunami Museum opened in Aceh, Indonesia last Monday to commemorate the 230,000 people who died in the 2004 Asian tsunami. But some have criticized the project since they want the government to prioritize the homeless tsunami refugees.
Vietnamese equivalent of the Christmas tree
Jerome from Hanoi posts a picture of a fallen peach tree: the Vietnamese equivalent of the Christmas tree during the Lunar New Year
Nepalese doctors in the Philippines
Due to shortage of doctors in government hospitals, a province in the Philippines plans to import doctors from Nepal.
Philippines: Praise for “Milk” film
Talinghagang Gala, a student leader in the Philippines, is happy for the Oscar victory of Sean Penn for his acting performance in the film “Milk.” He praises the progressive message of the film.
China: A hard place to defend
Angry Chinese blogger explains why it is difficult to defend China human rights condition by referring to the visit petition of 62 year old Zhong Ruihua.
Japan: Alpha Blogger Awards 2008 (Part 1)
On the 20th of February, the 2008 Alpha Blogger Awards were held in Tokyo. Sponsored by Pringles Chips, the event this year was attended by close to 80 people (including the team of GV Japan), awarding prizes to the twelve posts from the Japanese blogosphere in 2008 that received the most votes on the ABA site.
Japan: Pop-culture mashup
Edo from Pink Tentacle blogs a selection of pop-culture mashup posters by enfu.
Japan and South Korea: Cheap Won Draws Japanese Shoppers
Jean Min from Ohmynews! reports about the drop in South Korean currency Won and its side effect of drawing Japanese tourists to Seoul for shopping.
Fiji: Samoan PM criticisizes Fiji's government
Bloggers in Fiji and around the Pacific are remarking on recent comments by Samoa’s Prime Minister harshly criticizing Fiji’s military government. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said in an interview that he believes Fiji’s self appointed Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has no intention of relinquishing power. He also called on the people of Fiji to reclaim its government
China: Control 2.0 Mastermind
David Bandurski from China Media Project gave more background about the propaganda event in the “eluding the cat” case, especially on the mastermind behind the control 2.0 strategy.
Egypt: Police Crack Down on Student Demonstration
The 21th of February 1946 marks a shameful memory in the modern Egyptian history. On that day, hundreds of students demonstrating on the movable Abbas Bridge were either shot dead or drowned in the Nile, after British officials ordered to open fire, before finally deciding to open the bridge. Since then, this day has been commemorated at the Egyptian Students National Day. Lasto Adri rounds up blogger reactions to this year's events - and how police crackdown on protests by students demanding for reforms on campus.
Egyptians on the verge of insanity
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Egyptians are struggling to maintain their sanity, faith, and stability. Marwa Rakha presents the following selection from Egyptian blogs which discuss dreams, suicide, unemployment and the gruesome murder of a woman and her children - at the hands of her husband.
Jordan: 7iber.com Discusses Vital Issues For Jordan
For the last 10 days or so, 7iber.com has been discussing very important issues affecting Jordan, with issues ranging from water scarcity, energy, unemployment and economics to the recent changes in the government. Mohammad Azraq has the story.
