Stories from 4 January 2011
Iran:”Green Taxi”
Bavar Sabz, an Iran based blogger writes[fa] he uses his car as a taxi to talk about the protest movement with people. The blogger never accepts money and asks clients to pray for the movement.
Iran: Snow in Tehran
Kosoof, a leading photo blogger has published a photo from snowy Tehran.
Nepal: The Status Quo Is Beneficial For The Law Makers
Dr. Hari Bansha Dulal opines that the political status-quo in Nepal is not that bad for the law makers as it does not stop the cabinet and parliament members from drawing their salaries.
Sri Lanka: Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill
Juanita Arulanantham at Groundviews provides a critique of the proposed Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill which was scheduled to be introduced in Sri Lankan parliament today.
Bhutan: Dream of An Iconic Lungtenzampa Bridge
Passu dreams of an iconic bridge in place of the existing Lungtenzampa bridge at the heart of Bhutan's capital Thimphu, which is considered an engineering blunder.
Pakistan: Salman Taseer's Tragic Assassination And The Blasphemy Law
In one of the saddest moments of Pakistan's battered political history, the Governor of the Punjab, Mr. Salman Taseer was assassinated in cold blood by one his own body guards, who claims he did it because of the Governor's comments regarding the infamous blasphemy law.
Cuba: Essays on Cuba
In Octavo Cerco [es], guest author Boris González Arenas publishes the first part of a trilogy of essays on the political situation of Cuba.
Lebanon: Tweetups YouTubed
Liliane captures some memorable moments of the Lebanese 2010 tweetups in this YouTube clip.
Lebanon: 11 Tweeps to Follow in 2011
“For this year make sure to follow 11 Lebanese Birds always here tweeting regularly making this place special and 100% Lebanese” writes Joe, who lists the Tweeters with a short description of each.
Rwanda: Situation for media activists in Rwanda
hjlawton discusses the situation for media activists in Rwanda: “Kagame’s restriction of media outlets has been noted by Reporters Without Borders 2010 World Press Freedom Index, which lists Rwanda as one of the ten most repressive countries towards journalists.”
D.R.of Congo: Thoughts of DRC mining ban
Sara Geenen says that the mining ban in the eastern Congo has made life worse for many Congolese: “Almost three months ago now, Kabila decided to suspend all artisanal mining activities in South Kivu, North Kivu and Maniema.”
Africa: Young Women Lead Africa's Tech Scene
Young women across the continent lead Africa's tech scene: “Africa is a rich mixture of countries and ethnicities and its women are equally diverse in their leadership. I found it interesting to take a look at some of the women who were noted in 2010 in tech and media.”
Sudan: Tech Monitoring in the Southern Sudan Referendum
Lema looks at various tech efforts that have been put in place to monitor the Southern Sudan referendum that will take place on 9 January 2011.
Cote d’Ivoire: Manufacturing a president
The manufacturing of a president in Cote d’Ivoire: “The current deadlock in Cote d’Ivoire stems from the massive fraud that the electronic tally-ups revealed from the votes in the areas of the country still under the control of the armed rebellion.”
Africa: eLearning Africa Launches Scholarship Trust
eLearning Africa has launched the Scholarship Trust EAST, a not for profit organisation designed to enhance knowledge sharing and to promote awareness of the benefits of technology-assisted learning and training across Africa.
Uganda: LGBTI win court case over Rolling Stone
Victory for LGBTI people in Uganda: “The High Court of Uganda ruled that the Rolling Stone had violated the constitutional rights to privacy and safety and has awarded the three plaintiffs damages of £400 each plus a warning to the magazine not to repeat the outings.”
Kazakhstan: Bloggers discuss religion
Because Kazakhstan does not have a clear religious policy, it has become the norm that everyone is entitled to his or her own perspective on faith. As it was twenty years ago, no one is really bothered by this multitude of views, which is evidenced by the debate on religion...
Japan: 2010 in Manga
A look back to 2010 with Neojaponisme's Matthew Penney who “presents [en] some highlights of 2010 that speak to different directions in contemporary manga” [en]. Among those also Saint Young Men and Thermae Romae.
Vietnam's first e-market
Launched last month, Agromart is Vietnam's first e-market featuring the country's agricultural, forestry and aquatic products. More than 400 products are already listed on the website.
Vietnam: Facebook inaccessible again
Adam Bray from Phan Thiet, Vietnam notes that Facebook seems to be blocked again in many parts of Vietnam. He wonders if it is related to the forthcoming National Congress of Vietnam’s Communist Party.
Vietnam: Top education stories of 2010
Vietnamnet publishes Tu Uyen's list of top education stories of 2010 in Vietnam. The top story is about Ngo Bao Chau, a famous mathematic professor.
