Stories from 7 March 2010
Russia: Authorities to Eliminate “Digital Divide” in 2010
High Internet access prices in remote regions of Russia significantly slow the process of broadening Internet availability in the country. But it seems that Russian authorities are determined to fight the digital divide and get more people online by the end of 2010.
What is the Japanese Language Proficiency Test?
The NihongoUp Blog gives an in-depth explanation of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) – “It is a Japanese language test for non-native speakers, held twice a year in East Asia and once a year in the rest of the world.”
Russia: Photos of Rally For Police Reform
Rally for police reforms that took place in the center of Moscow on March 6, 2010 gathered approximately 150-500 activists (according to various sources). LJ users zyalt, seg_o and martin_sqare posted photos of the event here, here and here.
India: The Women's Reservation Bill
Sandeep Bansal at Desicritics discusses whether the impending enactment of the Woman's reservation bill will make any significant impact to the Indian society.
Russia: Famous Cop-Blogger Released From Jail
Aleksey Dymovskiy, former policeman famous for publishing a series of anti-corruption videos who got arrested on January 22, 2010, had been released from the prison, newsru.com reported [RUS].
Bangladesh: Photo Competition For The Bihari Refugees
Six Oranges reports that a photo competition titled Ummid (hope) has been arranged to mark the second anniversary of the granting of citizenship to stranded Biharis (Pakistanis) by the supreme court of Bangladesh. The competition will bring attention on the problems of the refugees that still remain.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Hart of the Matter
News broke late yesterday that Calder Hart, the Canadian-born head of The Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (UDeCOTT), the company pegged as "Government's primary developer of choice", resigned from his post as Executive Chairman.
Iraq: It's Election Day on Twitter!
It's election day in Iraq and the Twittersphere has been abuzz with updates since the early morning. Professional and citizen journalists toyed with Twitter to keep us abreast with the latest developments on the ground.
Uganda: Religious leader and activists petition parliament
Religious leaders and activists petition parliament in Uganda: “On Monday 01 March 2010 a delegation of activists AIDS service providers, Spiritual mentors and counsellors took centre stage in Kampala when they met the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda Rt. Hon. Edward Ssekandi Kiwanuka over the Anti-Homosexuality...
South Africa: Wake-up call for South African soccer
Thomas Kwenaite discusses the future of South African soccer in the light of Orlando Pirates’ shocking exit from the African Champions League competition: “The South African Premiership might be rated among the seven best commercially successful leagues in the world and number one in Africa, but certainly the strength of...
Ethiopia: New book examines Ethiopia's 1974 revolution
Arefe reviews the new book Beneath the Lion's Gaze, the latest in a series of works examining the bloody aftermath of Ethiopia's 1974 revolution.
Philippines: Street named after cigarette company
The decision of a remote municipal government in the Philippines to rename a street after cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris was protested by many health advocates.
Ethiopia: Trailer for upcoming film on Ethiopian music
Bernos links to a trailer for an upcoming film on Ethiopian music: “Filmmaker Olivia Wyatt went to Ethiopia to document the music of 13 different tribes for her a film on tribal Music on Ethiopia.”
Malaysia: 3 women caned for having illicit sex
Three women were caned in Malaysia after a Shariah court found them guilty of having “sex out of wedlock.” They were the first Muslim women to be caned for committing Shariah violations. Bloggers react
Ethiopian ‘aid for arms’ story sparks storm
The BBC sparked a storm this week with a story claiming millions of dollars sent to help starving people in Ethiopia's 1980s famine were used to buy arms by rebels.
Japan: Flight Doctor Tweeting in Chile
Flight doctor George Tomioka, who is in Chile as part of the Japan Disaster Relief Team from JICA, is tweeting at @georgetomioka [ja]. Here's a tweet from March 7th: “[Chile Info #3] The parks in Chillan were filled with tents right after the earthquake, but people have started to head...
Bulgaria: Protesting Against Seafront Construction in Varna
Ruslan Trad writes about Varna activists' fight against illegal construction on the seafront promenade - and against rampant corruption plaguing the country.
Syria: Bloggers Discuss Secularism
The Middle East is often associated with Islam, not only as a faith but also as a political ideology and a system of governance. Can secularism ever be implemented in the region? Is it any good? And what is secularism really? These are a few of the questions some Syrian bloggers have been trying to answer.
Russia: More People Use Twitter
The number of Twitter users in Russia multiplied 26 times in one year. There are currently 183.000 Russians using Twitter. The recent statistics were published by the Russian Internet company “Yandex.” According to the data, 60% of users use the microblogging service on a daily basis and leave 150,000 tweets...
