Stories from 17 March 2010
Jordan: Third “Blog About Jordan” Day a Success
Jordanian bloggers marked the third Blog About Jordan day on March 12th. As was the case in previous years, the cyber event was organized by U.S.-based Jordanian blogger Qwaider. Ebtihal Mahadeen reviews reactions in this post.
Saudi Arabia: 1,000 lashes for YouTube video
A Saudi man has been charged for morality crimes after a video appeared on YouTube where he is dressed in police uniform, dancing and flirting with the male cameraman. He has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, a 5,000 rial ($1,333) fine and a year in prison. Katharine Ganly takes a look at some blogger reactions.
Moldova: Constitution and immunity
Zimbru of Morning in Moldova argues against parliamentary immunity as part of a new Moldovan constitution.
Russia: Results of regional elections
Gabriela Ionita of Power&Politics World analyses the results on Russia's recent regional elections and its effects on the country's politics.
Russia: Blogger Criticizes National Post Service
Blogger cyxoupshk published a video (RU with English subs) address criticizing Russian post service. The video is provoked by increasingly bad quality of service as well as recent DHL's shipping...
Macedonia: International Women's Day in the Blogosphere
International Women's Day is not an official public holiday in Macedonia, but is widely observed through interpersonal interactions and at some workplaces. This year, a number of bloggers used the occasion to draw attention to gender issues or to find creative ways to congratulate women online.
Trinidad & Tobago: Anti-Everything
KnowTnT.com‘s Edmund Gall asks himself, “Are we Trinis more likely to be *against* something than *for* the opposite?”
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: The Order of Things
Barbados-based B.C. Pires posts some observations about the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister's statements “that a war is on between the PNM government and some elements of the construction sector”:...
Colombia: Results from March 14 Elections
On Sunday March 14, Colombians went to the polls to elect legislative representatives. It was also viewed as a barometer of what could happen in the May 30 presidential elections.
Bahamas: Natural Energy?
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith wonders whether natural gas can solve the country's power problem.
Trinidad & Tobago: Untouchable?
Trinidadian bloggers discuss the Prime Minister's behaviour during a recent “walkabout”.
Bermuda: Coming to Term
Bermudian bloggers comment on term limits. Politics.bm: “The requirement to prove Bermuda status for entry is draconian and unnecessary…”; Vexed Bermoothes: “I believe that term limits are very dangerous, particularly...
Iranian women's rights website wins RSF online freedom award
Reporters without Borders and Google have awarded Iranian women's rights website We-change with a "Netizen Prize" for their work in defense of freedom of expression.
China: Various aspects of censorship
March 12 was the World Day Against Cyber Censorship and Reporters Without Borders announced its latest list of "Enemies of the Internet," which points a finger at China, among other authoritarian states.
Sri Lanka: Theaters In Colombo
Indi.ca writes about the adult film theaters in Colombo and how women are portrayed in the film posters.
Pakistan: Terror And The Blame Game
Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan criticizes the blame game of Pakistan's leaders and comments: “the stream of bombings and the subsequent deaths of innocent civilians will continue to...
India: Mumbai Traffic
Entrepreneur and blogger Rajesh Jain comments on the traffic in Mumbai: “from my own experience, average traffic speed has probably halved in the past decade.”
China: College students’ employment problem
PH from veggie discourse translated a local news story from Netease about how 5 college students beat out 395 Others to become feces diggers.
Ecuador: The Yasuni-ITT Initiative
In 2007, the Ecuadorian government unveiled the Yasuni-ITT Initiative, which would call for the oil reserves found in the Yasuni National Park to remain underground in exchange for compensation from the international community.
Uganda: Students riot, Kampala burns
Two separate tragedies struck Kampala, the capital of Uganda, on Tuesday: students at Makerere University rioted after the shooting death of two of their peers. And the Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the burial location of the king of one of Uganda's largest ethnic groups, burned to the ground.
Ukraine: Book-Burning and Book-Recycling Rallies
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about a book-burning rally in Crimea – and a book-recycling rally in Lviv. The latter was in protest to the appointment of Ukraine's new...
