Stories from 26 December 2010
India: The Efficacy Of High Alerts
Raj at Plus Ultra questions the efficacy of the brief ‘High Alert’ notices by the Indian security agencies.
Bangladesh: Integrity Of Judiciary Questioned
Rumi at In The Middle Of Nowhere accuses the judiciary of Bangladesh as corrupt and Partisan.
India: Aishwarya Rai In Skin Lightening Controversy
Pickled Politics writes about the latest controversy of Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, where she appears to have had her skin whitened for a photoshoot for Elle magazine.
Serbia, Albania, Kosovo: More Info on “Yellow House”
Sasa Milosevic has collected some of the available information about the “Yellow House” and human organ trade in Kosovo on his blog, The Bloody Yellow House (ENG).
China: Christmas Day death of a Zhejiang village leader
After more than 5 years of leading and serving prison time for protests against fixed elections and illegal land expropriation, the former leader of Zhaiqiao village in Zhejiang province, Qian...
Russia: Is Internet Guilty of Organizing Nationalistic Riots?

Russian media and blogosphere ponder who is responsible for the nationalists’ riots in Moscow in mid-December. But the authorities found their own scapegoat – the Internet.
Tragedy bookends Year 2010 for Francophone Citizen Media
It appears that tragedy will bookend yet another year rich in remarkable events in the world of francophone citizen media. The month of January set the tone with the fallout from the earthquake in Haiti and December saw the elections in Cote d'Ivoire take a dramatic turn. Here is the year 2010 reviewed through the lenses of francophone citizen media users.
Jordan: Sentencing of Critical Football Club President
Former Jordanian MP and Wihdat football club president Tareq Sami Khoury had been sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting and insulting a gendarme officer. Netizens react to the sentence.
Lebanon: One in Every Four Lebanese is on Facebook
Facebook users in Lebanon will soon reach 1 million, which means 1 out of 4 Lebanese currently has a Facebook account. That’s pretty good given that we have the fifth...
Lebanon: One Wig Stand for Cancer Awareness
One Wig Stand is an awareness project that shares the stories of women battling breast cancer in Lebanon. The author explains that the site is not a sappy one intended to...
Morocco: The Minister Goes to Facebook
In a first of its kind, Moroccan minister for Youth Affairs and Sports offers to publicly exchange thoughts on his Facebook page, once every week, with fellow netizens, as reported...
Morocco: Rare Recording of Popular Jewish Song
Chris Silver, writing on Jewish Morocco, shares a rare recording in this post. It's a song by Haim Abitbol, from the time when Moroccan Jews performed popular music.
Philippines: Filipinos welcome new year with new banknotes
The Philippine Central Bank has issued a new set of generation bank notes which features not only improved security measures, but more so it heralds a new design highlighting historical events, figures in history and tourist spots in the country. But experts instantly detected errors in the new banknotes. Bloggers react
Cambodia: Review of 2010
Tharum Bun from Cambodia reviews the major news events in the year 2010.
Singapore: Treat toilet cleaners fairly
Cloudywind writes about the need to improve the working conditions and benefits of toilet cleaners in Singapore
Malaysia: Non-nuclear energy options
A blogger suggests that before going nuclear, Malaysia should first explore whether it can better manage its varied energy resources more efficiently and effectively.
Singapore: Blueprint for ageing population
Noting that Singapore is one of the fastest ageing nations in the world, blogger guanyinmiao proposes the drafting of a blueprint for Singapore’s ageing population
Singapore: Weaknesses of the media
Caroline Ng proposes the liberalization of the media landscape in Singapore to foster democracy and free access to information.
Malaysia, Singapore: Open letter to Lee Kuan Yew
Malaysian blogger Art Harun writes an open letter to Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew in response to the Wikileaks expose about the unflattering remarks made by Singapore's senior diplomats against...
Singapore: Sleeping room of maids
Observing that housing flats are getting smaller in Singapore, Blinkymummy is curious to know the sleeping room of house maids/helpers.
Indonesia: Football and nationalism
Multibrand blogs about the role of football in reviving nationalism in Indonesia.