Stories from 11 May 2009
Guyana: Saving the Rainforest
“When ordinary folks talk, nobody don’t listen. When celebrities talk, everybody care” – which is just fine with Guyana-Gyal, as long as they keep talking about saving the rainforest.
Saudi Arabia: Why are they better than us?
After a visit to the the UK's capital London, Saudi blogger Prometheus [Ar] asks: “As I was looking at all those monumental achievements, I asked myself: Why don't we have similar things? We aren't any less than others. We have immense wealth which, if it was used properly, our conditions...
Jordan: 11th Honour Killing this Year
Kinzi from Jordan recounts the 11th honour killing in Jordan this year: “Mother of six, stabbed 18 times by one brother, 4 by another, for telling them her whereabouts were ‘none of their business’.” This last crime claimed the life of the mother's 20-week-old fetus as well.
Morocco: Blogging tools
Moroccan blogger Mohammed Saeed Hjiouij [Ar] shares 10 popular tools and services which come in handy to bloggers in this post.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Jeans Marks 5th Anniversary
“Today marks the fifth anniversary of Saudi Jeans. What I started as place to have fun and improve my English has become one of the most well-known blogs in the Middle East,” writes Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran.
Iran: Ahmadinejad's supporters launch online grassroots campaign
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has registered as a candidate for the June presidential election. Like his rivals, he now awaits official approval to run in the election from the Council of Guardians. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad's supporters have launched a multi-media campaign called Dar Emtedad Mehr (meaning, “Following Kindness”) covering social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and other online media.
Japan: Virtual consolation service
Serkan Toto from Asiajin introduces a virtual consolation service in Japan. The website would praise the user according to their profile information.
Japan: Business models of social media
Fumi Yamazaki looks into the various business models of social media in Japan.
Malaysia: Massive arrest of activists
A black T-shirt caused the massive arrest of 116 opposition members by the Malaysian government. Chong reports on the recent suppression of oppositional party in Malaysia at interlocals.net.
Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar Children’s Park
Axel writes about and posts pictures of the newly built Children’s Park close to the city centre of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
Uzbekistan: Uzbek regime again named among most oppresive ones
Musafirbek wonders whom he should thank for such a popularity of Uzbekistan in the list of totalitarian regimes published by The Guardian newspaper.
Kazakhstan: Euro Standards for Fuel
Zara reflects on the introduction of the environmental standards for fuel “EURO-2″ in Kazakhstan and also on the quality of fuel in the country.
Kazakhstan: Draft Law on Internet Censorship
Slavasay says that a small victory in the Kazakhstani Internet community’s fight against repressive draft law on Internet regulation may turn out to be a sign of defeat
Afghanistan: Civilian Casualties Problem
Joshua Foust reports that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has ordered an investigation into a reported massive civilian casualty strike and adds that some commentators unacceptably blame the civilians themselves for being caught in the middle.
Afghanistan: Opium Eradication Campaign
Joshua Foust reflects on how actually affective is the opium eradication campaign in Afghanistan.
Armenia: Transgender video blogging
Unzipped comments on news that transgender blogger Hye Trent will be video blogging his physical transformations during surgery and other procedures. The blog says the move is unprecedented and brave.
Paris court investigates three African leaders
A Parisian judge has ordered an inquiry into alleged corruption and embezzlement on the part of three African heads of state: Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville, Omar Bongo of Gabon, and Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea.
Fiji: Bloggers debate media censorship
As reported here last week, Fiji’s government extended for another 30 days its “emergency regulations” that, among other things, controls public gatherings and forbids the media from printing stories that “undermine the Government and the State of Fiji.” These rules allow the Permanent Secretary of Information the ability to place censors in newsrooms, accompanied by plainclothes policeman.
Ecuador: Lawsuit Against Oil Company for Environmental Damage
Communities in the Ecuadorian Orient are suing the multinational company Texaco, and its parent company Chevron for environmental damages and resulting health problems in their residents. However, the company claims that it has already paid for the pollution, and that the government is trying to dip its hands into their "deep pockets." It is also accused of applying pressure to the judge for a favorable decision. As a result, it has started a public relations campaign to show its side to the story.
Bolivia: Early Poll for December Elections
Miguel Buitrago of MABB analyzes one of the first surveys for the upcoming December general elections that indicate that 41% of Bolivians would vote for Evo Morales, and the next candidate comes in at 7%
Pakistan: Help The IDPs
Chowrangi blog appeals to the world community to help the 500,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Pakistan and posts ways to help them.
