18 January 2010

Stories from 18 January 2010

Tunisia: Bloggers Against Student Imprisonment

The recent trials of a group of Tunisian students and their sentencing to prison terms ranging from six months of three years after organizing a sit-in in a university accommodation to claim the right of girl students in housing prompted bloggers to launch a support campaign calling for their freedom, writes Lina Ben Mhenni.

18 January 2010

Syria: Journalist Maen Akel Still Detained

Maen Akel, a Syrian journalist, was arrested on November 11, 2009, by the Syrian Intelligence Department (State Security) in Damascus. Within 48 hours of his arrest he was also dismissed from his work at Al-Thawra, a state owned newspaper. The reason for his arrest remains unknown.

18 January 2010

MENA: Does Rain Bring Happiness or Misery?

Many bloggers and Twitter users from Egypt and different parts in MENA region reported rain and some dusty storms today. Depending on their circumstances, some welcomed the drops of rain with joy while others braced themselves for the storms, flooding and heartbreak.

18 January 2010

Chile: Sebastian Piñera is the Next President

Sebastián Piñera was elected on January 17 as the first right-leaning president in Chile after 20 years of left leaning rule. For many in Chile, these elections demonstrated the country's strength as a transparent and healthy democracy.

18 January 2010

Sri Lanka: Impressions Of Jaffna

Indrajit Samarajiva visited war ravaged Jaffna recently and writes about his impressions of the capital city of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka.

18 January 2010

Nepal: Saraswati Puja

Alisha at Pour Les Femmes writes how Saraswati Puja (Basanta Panchami) is celebrated in Nepal.

18 January 2010

Haiti: Online Maps Shift from Charting Damage to Targeting Aid

Marc Herman takes a closer look at some maps that humanitarian aid responders are using to communicate the evolving situation in Haiti’s earthquake zone. Nearly a week after the disaster -- and aftershocks equal to major temblors -- the maps and satellite imagery are proving some of the most reliable information available.

18 January 2010

Canada: Aboriginal Youth Suicides Hit Crisis Rate

Suicide rates have declined in Canada but not in Aboriginal communities, particularly among the youth. Suicide among Aboriginal youth continues to occur at alarming rates, leading to crisis-like situations in some communities

18 January 2010

Hong Kong: The Siege of Legco

DM from Learning Cantonese has a very detailed account of the protest against the government finance plan of the world's most expensive Express Rail Link project on Jan 16, 2010.

18 January 2010

China: Speculating the future

ESWN translated Han Han's blog post on his wild speculation of the future of Chinese Internet. The blog post was removed by sina blog hosting.

18 January 2010