Stories from 18 August 2010
China: More than half of the sold housing in Shanghai is vacant
Elaine Chow from Shanghaiist blogs about an online survey conducted by sina.com in which netizens reported that 51.23% of the sold housing in Shanghai is vacant.
Zambia: Citizens react to Chiluba's court clearance
Zambian President Dr. Frederick Chiluba and seven others were found guilty of stealing US$46 million public funds by Zambian High Court judge Evans Hamaundu. As expected, the court's decision last week has attracted debate in the Zambian blogosphere.
China: Technology and Offshore Farms
David Wolf from Silicon Hutong predicted that Chinese offshore farms are likely to invest in agricultural technology in the coming five years.
Bahrain: The Sorry State of Affairs of a Hidd Mosque
On Facebook, a Bahraini posts an eye-opening letter to a minister asking him to visit a mosque in Hidd, describing its sorry state of affairs. Read to the end of the letter to find out what could await those who raise their voices.
South Korea: North Korea's Twitter Is Limited In South
On North Korea's newly opened twitter[en], South Korea's Unificiation Ministry hurriedly went checking legal issues in interacting with the North's Twitter account. South Korea's Chosun, along with other Korean local media predicted that the South's government may limit [kr] its people from retweeting some of North Korean propaganda links and...
Russia: Independent Regional News Portal Blocked by Internet Provider
“Center-Telekom,” the state-controlled Internet provider in the Tula region [EN] blocked “Tulskiye Pryaniki” [RUS], an independent website known for its critical articles towards regional authorities, blogger publikator-s reported [RUS]. The website had already launched a mirror at blogger.com [RUS].
Mexico: Parents to be Reminded About Vaccinations through SMS
Health officials will send parents text messages reminding them about the date, time and place where their children can be vaccinated. Ximena Vega explains [es] that health officials aim to reduce infant mortality rate through this initiative. She adds that the geographical scope of the SMS campaign and its official...
Indonesia: “What's wrong, Mr. President?”
The speech of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the eve of the country's Independence Day celebration disappointed many people, including netizens. Here are some online reactions.
Poland: “Defenders of the Cross”
Updates on Poland's “Defenders of the Cross” story and on “how a tragedy has turned into a feacial farce” – at 20 east and the beatroot (here, here, and here).
Russia: TorrentReactor Village; $17,000 in Roaming Charges
Svetlana Gladkova of Profy shares two stories much discussed in the Russian blogosphere now: how a “Russian village almost got named after a torrent website in a publicity stunt,” and how a Russian woman received a $17,000 roaming charges bill after her son had spent some four hours playing games...
