Stories from 19 July 2010
Portugal: Seagulls Invade the city of Porto
A seagull problem has been occurring in Porto's historical center. Portuguese netcitizens report that the birds are hungry and fearless and have even killed pigeons. For Cristina Santos, they are...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Sometime in my lifetime
Scary Azeri makes a guest post on Armenia-Azerbaijan relations in the context of the still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh as part of a series of...
Russia: Pictures of the Khimki Forest Defense

Photographer Igor Podgorny publishes [RUS] pictures from the camp of the defenders of the Khimki forest park [EN] situated in the Moscow's outskirts. After authorities started to cut the trees...
Chile: How to Fight Poverty
A recent Casen survey revealed an increase of 1.4% in poverty in Chile; that means that “just over 355 thousand people reached the poverty line for the first time in...
Global Lives: Revisiting the project recording people's lives
Two years ago we wrote about a project in its initial stages: Global Lives set out to record a day in the life of 10 people from all over the world. Today we revisit the project and check up on how they're coming along.
Guatemala: Foundation Talita Kumi Helping Women in Rural Communities
Cobán Galería Fotográfica posts [es] images and information about a foundation called Talita Kumi. The blogger highlights how the foundation teaches young women technical skills they will later use to...
Bolivia: Interview with Argentinean Blogger and Journalist
Alberto Medrano shares [es] his email interview with Dady Rubio, an Argentinean journalist and blogger [es]. In the interview Rubio answers questions about Argentina and its bicentennial celebration, but also about Bolivia,...
Guinea: Awaiting the Second Round of the Elections Amidst Fraud Allegations
A historical presidential election is underway in Guinea as the official results of the first round [fr] are about to be made official. Despite the allegations of fraud, the overall sentiment is that of relief for the absence of turmoil and a remarkable turnout. The Guinean blogosphere was also actively involved:
India: Railway Or Death Trap?
Being Cynical at Desicritics reacts on today's tragic train accident in the Indian state of West Bengal and opines that the Indian railways are turning into a death trap.
Lebanon: Saving the Planet and Sustainability
In this post, Ghassan Karam argues that “the biggest threat to human civilization and biodiversity as we know it is the human species itself” since the increase in the population...
Lebanon: The Plight of Palestinian Refugees
“We can work in any field or industry, they can’t. We can learn for free, they aren’t allowed. We have access to free healthcare, they don’t. We enjoy our dignity...
Lebanon: Swimming Pool Discrimination
“A group of independent activists organized a direct action on a number of touristic resorts that adopt racist policies towards migrant workers in Lebanon on the basis of color, race,...
Egypt: Men and Women You Shouldn't Date
What started as an observation by an Egyptian blogger on Twitter on women you shouldn't date turned the microblogging site into a battlefield. Tweeps from Egypt and further afield joined the warring factions. Tarek Amr reports from the front line.
Pakistan: The Urge To Ban
Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts criticizes the urge of some Pakistanis to ban any problematic thing: “a ban is never an answer to any dilemma since it is an extremely...
Estonia: Awaiting the Euro
Andrei Tuch of Antyx discusses the ongoing popular debate about the pros and cons of Estonia adopting the Euro as currency.
Egypt: The Beginning
“Welcome all to ‘Bedayaa‘ (which translates to ‘The Beginning’ in Arabic) a long-awaited project, a special place for gays and lesbians in the Nile Valley- Egypt and Sudan”: A new...
Russia-Belarus: Authoritarian antagonism?
Ilya Yashin discusses [RUS] the ongoing conflict between Russia and Belarus and argues that it is a case of authoritarian antagonism.
Lebanon: Don't kill your language!
Is the Arabic language being murdered? Dany Awad comments on a new awareness project taking part on the streets of Beirut, imploring passers-by not to kill their language. See photos...
Bangladesh: Freedom Of Speech And Book Ban
Bangladeshi singer, songwriter, poet and blogger Maqsoodul Haque at The Bangladesh Poet of Impropriety discusses the politics behind and effectiveness of the recent banning of book of a controversial religious...
Russia: Gas find in Lake Baikal
Windows to Russia reports that new gas hydrate fields have been found in Lake Baikal, adding to those already explored in the Black Sea. If technologically exploitable, these finds could...
Hungary: Rich man, poor man
Pesticide.hu notes that the new model of luxury Louis Vuitton handbag arrived on the Hungarian market today, as both state bonds and the forint plummeted to new lows, forcing an...