Stories from 9 July 2010
Ghana: Partnership betweeen Plymouth and Sekondi-Takoradi
Phillip writes about celebration to honor partnership between the city of Plymouth in Southwest England and Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana.
East Timor: Capital flooding in dry season
Radio Nomad of Notes from Abroad commented on serious flash flooding in East Timor's capital city Dili saying “it's the dry season, but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature”. Local online media outlet CJITL reported that the national TV station was down today due to the floods.
Ukraine under Yushchenko
Anna Babinets of Open Democracy writes about Ukrainian president Yanukovych's reforms to unravel the legacy of the Orange revolution.
Chile: Government's Critical Response to Comedian's Parody Sparks Debate
Chilean comedian Stefan Kramer is known for his accurate and humorous impersonations of famous public figures, including President Sebastián Piñera; Kramer's parody of the president on a TV show last Sunday was later repudiated by the administration and other politicians who considered the performance disrespectful. Former president Michelle Bachelet was also present during the show. Chileans have looked at different sides of the story, sharing their analysis and opinions through blogs and Twitter.
China: Expat views of the Shanghai Expo
The Shanghai World Expo is already two months in to its half-year residency. Bloggers have been active in trying to decipher the purpose of the extravaganza, as well as keep track of the lightning-speed developments few corners of Shanghai have been able to avoid in preparing for the event. The...
Taiwan: Reasons for fights in the legislature
There were fights in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan yesterday over the procedure for reviewing ECFA, a trade agreement between Taiwan and China. Brennpunkt Taipeh has some comments from Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the chairperson of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, about some of the reasons for the opposition party's tactics.
Cambodia: Decline of Monk Morality?
A monk in Cambodia was arrested for illegally taping a video of nude ladies in a monastery. The video was widely shared through mobile phones and the internet. There are also other reports of monks getting drunk and watching porn. Cambodian netizens react
Cape Verde: Rap as Socio-Political Stage
Blogger Redy Wilson Lima talks about the rescue attempt of Cape Verde identity through art [pt]. For him, rap and the hip hop movement have been the country's socio-political stage since the 90s, giving voice to the oppressed (see the local rap video “Difficult Situation“, pt).