Stories from 11 March 2010
Morocco: Christian Aid Workers Expelled
Last week, 20 staff members of the Village of Hope, a small orphanage in a small town in rural Morocco, were deported from the country without warning, under charges of proselytizing.
Russia: Photos of Khrapovitskiy Estate
Blogger vadych posted photos of ruins of the magnificent Khrapovitskiy estate, the only Russian estate built to compete with classic French mansions. Under Bolsheviks, the estate experienced nationalization, transformation to public college, then dormitory, fire and now it is close to complete destruction.
Russia: Soviet Singer Becomes Internet Meme
A wordless song “I'm Glad I'm Finally Returning Home” performed by Soviet singer Eduard Hill became the recent Internet meme on English-speaking blogosphere. The Youtube video for the song counts about 2 mln. views, 13 thousand comments and 96 video replies.
Pakistan: Say No To Honor Killings
Dr. Awab Alvi at Teeth Maestro asked his readers to act to prevent a possible ‘Honor Killing’ in Quetta. Today the blogger updates the status of the couple under threat.
Russia to Launch Social Network for Public Officials
Russia will launch a social network for governmental officials involved in implementation of e-government program. The Minister of Telecommunication Igor Schegolev explained that the network would foster communication between the federal government and regions.
South Africa: The Democratic Alliance and Politics 2.0
Several political parties and politicians in Africa understand the importance of using social media tools to engage with citizens and party members. Today, lets look at the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's Official Opposition and its leader, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille.
India: Honor Killing Recognized By A Court?
Dilip D'Souza at Death Ends Fun writes about the reasoning of a verdict by the Supreme Court of India and comments: “what I want to know is, when will we stop referring to this kind of murder as “honour killing”?”
Sri Lanka: Salutations To Mrs. Sonia Gandhi
Lankawomen.net, a blog dedicated to improve the representation of women in Sri Lankan politics, honors Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and President of Indian National Congress, for her role in the recently enacted Women's Reservation bill.
Against Cyber-Censorship – Voices in Hindi
On the occasion of the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, netizens across the world are realizing that even in this age internet is not free from restrictions on freedom of expression. In this post, Hindi bloggers reflect on press freedom from different angles.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Drought
From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Empath says: “This drought is the longest in my memory.”
China and the U.S: Obama's China strategy
China Matters has a commentary on China and the U.S relation. While China offers economic partnership and cash, Obama government isolates China in issues like Copenhagen climate summit, non-proliferation, Iran sanctions and RMB valuation
Nepal: Tibet Uprising Anniversary Exposes Growing Rift
Nepal's forceful approach towards the Tibet Uprising Anniversary on March 10 and public programs that are organized by Tibetan refugees in the country is attracting criticism from Tibetan & Nepali blogs.
Trinidad & Tobago: Hart to Hart
Bloggers continue to comment on the latest woes of the Trinidad and Tobago government.
Google, Yahoo & Other Tech Companies to Operate Freely in Cuba
A recent decision by the United States Treasury Department to open up closed societies to American technology companies was met, at least for the first few hours, with radio silence in Cuba. The minimal reaction online is indicative of one of the biggest obstacles to this effort: social media works best with internet access.
Thailand: The Red Shirts are coming!
The anti-government Red Shirts in Thailand are planning to stage a big rally this weekend. There is heightened tension and panic gripping the city of Bangkok. Bloggers share their views and observations.
Indochina: Drying up of Mekong River
Andrew Walker, writing for the New Mandala, blogs about the drying up of Mekong River in Indochina.
Myanmar: Female military officers
Nicholas Farrelly, writing for New Mandala, writes a short note about the role of women military officers in Myanmar.
Myanmar: Halal shops
Today in Myanmar instructs visitors how to spot Muslim Halal food stalls in Myanmar.
Japan: Most visited 50 websites
Two different lists of the “most visited websites in Japan”. One by the Tokyo Ogilvy Digital Influence team and one by Authority.jp [en].
Japan: Bulwark of citizen journalism closes shop
JanJan, Japan Alternative news for Justices and NewCultures, Japan’s most popular news website based entirely on citizen journalism is about to suspend publication. At the end of March, the Japanese version of Ohmy News, launched in 2002 and following in the footsteps of its Korean counterpart, will shut up shop....
Iran: OR318 memorial to blogger's death in prison
The one year death anniversary of blogger and journalist Omid Reza Mir Sayafi is coming around and the OR318 movement is quite active, raising awareness regarding not only Omid's death in an Iranian prison but also the risks bloggers take when they decide to write.
