Stories from 27 February 2009
Afghanistan: Rights Activist Selected as Young Global Leader
Azar Balkhi reports that Fawzia Koofi, an outstanding human rights activist and the first female deputy speaker of the Afghanistan's parliament, was named “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic...
China: From Red Guards to Cyber-vigilantism to where next?
Rebecca Mackinnon from Rconversation discusses the rise of Net power in China: “Will the Chinese people rise above cyber-vigilantism and use the Internet to build a just and fair society...
Bangladesh: Mutiny Is Over, But Question Remains
Yesterday it was a tensed day in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The 33-hour long mutiny and siege by aggrieved lower rank officers of paramilitary forces BDR ended as they...
China: Harnessing human search engines for government use
Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated a recent incident when netizens human flesh search two reporters who are critical towards corrupted practice of local government in constructing their government building.
Japan: Alpha Blogger Awards 2008 (Part 2)
Starting December 24th, the Alpha Blogger website called for people to nominate 1-3 blog entries written in 2008 that had affected them the most. Mid-term results were announced on January 16th, and voting was open until February 18th. The second half of this year's winners are featured in this post.
Uruguay: Key Findings in Report on OLPC in Villa Cardal
OLPC News summarizes the key findings of a report that analyzed the pilot program of the One Laptop Per Child in Villa Cardal, Uruguay.
Lebanon: Christopher Hitchens’ Beirut Scuffle Sparks Debate
Former leftist turned conservative writer Christopher Hitchens ran into trouble in Beirut last week when he attempted to deface a poster/memorial of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), a Hezbollah ally. Versions of the event claim a heavily intoxicated Hitchens shouted obscenities at the party, ultimately resulting in an altercation with several SSNP members nearby. These allegations have sparked a debate across continents, writes Antoun Issa.
Nepal: Load Shedding Woes
For a country where there is an average daily power cut of 14 hours it is hard to carry on with normal life. Bibek Paudel discusses the challenges Nepal is...
