Stories from 29 December 2009
Reasons To Go To Bhutan
“Why should you go to Bhutan?” Polat at Kuzu Bhutan Weblog answers the question.
Myanmar bans western instruments in local orchestras
According to The Irrawaddy, Myanmar's Ministry of Culture has ordered the country's traditional orchestras not to use western musical instruments.
Palestine: Twitter accused of silencing Gaza tribute
Twitter has been accused of attempting to silence tributes to Gaza one-year after an Israeli onslaught devastated the Palestinian enclave. Pro-Palestinian and human rights activists used the influential Twitter to express support for the besieged territory. Tweets using the hashtag #Gaza flooded in on December 27th, peaking at number 3 on Twitter's top ten Trending Topics list.
Pakistan: Pictures Of Bomb Blast in Karachi
Karachi Metblogs posts some pictures of yesterday's bomb blast at MA Jinnah road in Karachi.
Brazil: 100-year-old grandma realises parachute dream
It is never too late to achieve a dream, and a Brazilian granny has proved the cliché true. At the age of 100, she enjoys dancing, swimming, running, playing volleyball, basketball, football and now, parachute jumping.
India: Perils Of Making Democracy Accessible
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor was caught up in another controversy as he tweeted to his approx. 542,000 Twitter followers a personal opinion on the recent change in Indian visa rules. Smoke Signals has the details.
Global Voices partners with Google on freedom of expression award
Nominations open today (December 29) for the Breaking Borders Award, a new prize created by Global Voices and Google to honor outstanding web projects initiated by individuals or groups that demonstrate courage, energy and resourcefulness in using the Internet to promote freedom of expression.
Japan: And the kanji of 2009 is …
Blogger fenetre39 comments [ja] on the kanji, or chinese character, chosen by the Kanji Kentei Foundation as representative of 2009. The kanji is 新 (ara or shin), meaning “new”. In the blogger`s opinion, the reason of the choice [ja] is mainly due to the “new” government that took power in August.
Five Years of Global Voices: Where they are now
Outreach Director David Sasaki remembers the December 2004 meeting that paved the way for the formation of Global Voices.
Kazakhstan: Journalist murdered, professional motives excluded
Sayat Shulembayev, 28, journalist of the news video-portal “Stan” was brutally murdered in Almaty. As “Stan” producer Michael Pak says, Sayat rented a room in the house near bus station. The murderers killed the landlord and the journalist, apparently, to eliminate the possible witness [ru]. The news portal does not...
Lebanon: Beirut Drive-by Shooting
With a camera in hand, Lebanese blogger “Beirut Drive-By Shooting” brings you outdoor advertisements from Beirut – to enjoy or suffer along with them.
Iraq: Arabs, Coffee, and Resistance
Iraqi Mojo, connects the dots between calls to boycott Starbucks, calls to resist the Iraqi government, and the size of foreign troops in countries that send the largest number of suicide bombers to kill innocent Iraqis in poor cafes in Iraq.
Mexico: Increase in Price of a Ride on Metro
The cost of a ride on the Mexico City metro will rise from 2 pesos to 3 pesos starting on January 2, 2010 writes Jess from Vivir México [es].
Guatemala: Ongoing Search for Remains of the Disappeared
James Rodríguez of Mi Mundo documents one of the ongoing searches in the community of Villalobos for the remains of some of the disappeared victims during the armed conflict in Guatemala.
Uruguay: Too Many Governmental Employees
There are too many governmental employees in Uruguay, which only adds to the overall budget writes the blogger at Qué Pasa Uruguay? [es], adding, “Who will pay for all this? We will as usual.”
Russia: “Criminalisation of Tourists”
St Petersblurb describes a recent misadventure at the Russian-Polish border and explains that “the criminalisation of tourists is just another huge nail in the coffin of Russia’s tourist industry.”
