Stories from 5 December 2010
Chile: Students Protest Reduction of Hours for Social Sciences
A decision by Education authorities to reduce class hours devoted to Social Science subjects, in order to increase hours dedicated to Mathematics and Language, ignited a debate and led to several protests. Juan Arellano was present in the capital, Santiago, during one of these protests.
Bangladesh: Grameengate And Beyond
The hottest topic in Bangladesh now is the allegation against Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of diverting foreign aid from Grameen Bank to another sister company called Grameen Kalyan. An investigative documentary was aired in a Norwegian Television and local media jumped on this story. The bloggers are divided on this issue.
Iran:Iranians vs. US Navy
BlogPost writes “Iranians have taken to Facebook to show their displeasure, writing messages of support for “Persian Gulf” on the U.S. Navy's Facebook page. All day, messages such as: “It's not A.R.A.B.I.A.N gulf. It was PERSIAN gulf.”
India, Pakistan: The Cyber War Continues
“On Friday, the Pakistan Cyber Army hacked the Indian CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) website” and the Pakistani “OGRA (Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority) website was hacked yesterday by the Indian cyber army, reports Chowrangi.
Iran: Bloggers discuss Wikileaks documents
The Wikleaks Cablegate documents exposed shady ties between Iran and Afghanistan; inside information about the Iranian regime and opposition; and fear in the Arab region of Iran's nuclear policy. Iranian bloggers reacted to these revelations, sometimes with irony, sometimes with conspiracy theories in mind, and sometimes seriously. Natour Shahr says...
Wikileaks: 994 secret cables from Malaysia
About 994 secret cables from Kuala Lumpur are expected to be published by Wikileaks. The cable reports which were initially downloaded revealed that two Malaysia firms were mentioned as being suspected of procuring arms in behalf of Iranian entities.
Malaysia: Two Firms Mentioned in Wikileaks Documents
The recent leak of U.S. ‘diplomatic cables’ by Wikileaks implicated two Malaysian firms for allegedly being involved in ‘a network controlled by Iran to purchase missile technology from China’ but did not generate much buzz among the country’s citizens, with more attention being paid to domestic affairs
Singapore: Educamp photos
Preetam posted photos of the recently concluded Singapore EduCamp. “EduCamps are BarCamp style un-conferences where educators and people interested in education come and share their projects, ideas and findings.”
Thailand: News stories about King's birthday
Political Prisoners in Thailand summarizes the news stories and commentaries about the 83rd birthday of Thailand's King.
Malaysia: Police use tear gas to break protest
Police in Malaysia used tear gas and water cannons to break up an opposition-backed protest against the privatization of water management in Selangor State. More than 5,000 people participated in the rally.
Thailand: #hismajesty hashtag
Thai netizens have been using the #hismajesty hashtag to greet King Bhumibol Adulyadej who is celebrating his 83rd birthday. The hashtag is now a top twitter tending topic.
Japan: Confusion and speculations on the North Korean incident
The latest attack by North Korea on South Korea has put Japan on the alert. Is it the beginning of a war? Will it be Japan's turn next time? Or is it just a ‘beat-up' created by both conservative and alarmist media alike? People in Japan are alarmed but don't know what to think.
India: Umbrella And Mobile Phone Etiquette
Sindhu Subramaniam thinks that some citizens of the Indian mega city Mumbai need umbrella and mobile phone etiquette.
India: No Regulation In Cyber Journalism
Jayanta Deka discusses about the need for a regulation for cyber journalism in India as online news sites more than often resort to sensitized headlines for more web hits.
Japan: Watching Wikileaks
Wikileaks Watch Japan sums up and translates in Japanese Wikileaks’ major findings. The blog was started this month and is updated daily by user fryingpan.
South Korea: Spa mogul reaches out to Yeonpyeong Refugees
After an artillery attack by North Korea on a populated South Korean island which killed four people and turned the island into a ghost town, offers of help for the desperate islanders have come pouring in. About 800 refugees are staying in one of finest spa facilities, thanks to the generosity of its owner.
Ukraine: WikiLeaks on Russian Officials and Holodomor
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about the WikiLeaks’ cables that mention high-ranking Russian officials discuss the 1932-33 famine in Ukraine (Holodomor).
Russia: WikiLeaks’ Putin-Berlusconi Story
At The Daily Beast, Julia Ioffe comments on WikiLeaks’ revelations about the relationship between the Russian PM Vladimir Putin and his Italian counterpart, Silvio Berlusconi.
Slovenia: Correcting the Cablegate Story
Piran Café and Sleeping With Pengovsky (here and here) are sorting out WikiLeaks’ content pertaining to Slovenia.
Russia: Lawlessness and Violence in Kushchevskaya
Natalia Antonova posts an update on lawlessness and violence in Kushchevskaya.
Russia: North Korean Construction Workers
At Desolation Travel, Jane Keeler writes about North Koreans in Russia.
