Stories from 13 August 2011
Bangladesh: Celebrating The Monsoon
The Monsoon season is a blessing or sometime woes for Bangladeshis and Shahnaz at Dhaka Dweller celebrates the monsoon season in Bangladesh with some lovely pictures.
Bangladesh: Human Rights Training For Journalists
Shahidul Alam writes about the recently concluded human rights training for journalists in Bangladesh arranged by Drik and INTERNEWS network.
Thailand: Student blogger ‘witch hunted’ on Facebook
Suluck Lamubol writes that the first student blogger who was charged with Lese Majeste in Thailand was ‘witch hunted’ by a Facebook group called Social Sanction. The group's objective is “to increase public awareness of corruption and create pressure to combat it and to stop the crime of lese majeste”.
India: Nationality Debate In Mizoram
Paritosh Chakma reports that a recent comment by Chief Minister Lalthanhawla about the nationality of Mizos sparked much reaction and resentment among the Mizo society.
Bangladesh, India: Illegal Bangladeshis In Assam, Myth Or Reality?
Hisham Barbhuiya at Youth Ki Awaaz breaks the myth spread by communal bigots that Bangladeshi migrants cross over to India everyday and have a sinister plan of turning Assam into a Muslim-majority state.
Malaysia: Islamization of Education
Bakri Musa notes that the rapid Islamization of Malaysian education started in the 1980s. The author cites the negative impact of excessive Islamization on the quality of education in the country.
Sri Lanka: Cutting Down Trees In The Name Of Beautification
Groundviews reports that the Weeping Willow trees at the Independence Avenue in Colombo, which were planted in the 1970s, were cut down in the name of beatification.
Pakistan: The Good And Bad Of Observing Ramadan
Salman Latif lists some good and bad practices in the Pakistani society during the month of Ramadan.
Malaysia: Bersih Rally and UK Riots Compared
Aliran posts an article comparing the Bersih Democracy March which drew thousands of people in the streets of Kuala Lumpur last month and the riots in the United Kingdom.
Malaysia: Poverty Problem in Sabah
Daniel John Jambun writes about the economic hardships experienced by many people in Sabah, Malaysia.
India: Was Delhi's SlutWalk More of a Media Hype?
On Sunday 31 July, 2011, Delhi held it's own version of the SlutWalk - titled 'Besharmi Morcha' to make it more relevant to the Indian context. Netizens discussed the event, its reach, impact and its coverage in the mainstream media.
Malaysian Football Website Hacked
A Malaysian football website, Ultras Malaya, was hacked by an angry Singaporean fan after Singapore's football team lost to Malaysia in a World Cup qualifying round.
Arab World: The Twitter Vs Facebook Debate Continues
A discussion is raging on Twitter tonight, comparing the micro-blogging site where users can post messages in 140 characters to social networking site Facebook. Here are some of the observations from Twitter users in the Middle East.
Comedic Fun with Japanese Hashtag Memes
Since Twitter introduced Japanese language capability for hashtags, the Japanese Twitterverse has turned into an oasis for wordplay.
Japan: Mapping radiation online
Rick Martin gives an update on the radiation mapping work by Yahoo Japan and Safecast.org.
Russia: No Exaggeration in Rumours of Reset Death?
Edward Lozansky of Russia Blog argues that the US Russia reset policy is losing steam in view of decreased domestic support and increasing opposition.
Russia: Babe Armies of Putin, Medvedev and Limonov
Gerhard Mangott reports [ger] that the use of Russian pre-election campaign videos with scantily clad girls now has spread from Prime Minister Putin [ru], via President Medvedev [ru], to National Bolshevik leader Limonov [ru].
Nigeria: Adrift, Awaiting the Arrival of a Woman?
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is Nigeria’s new Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy. Until recently, she was the Managing Director of the World Bank. As soon as her appointment was announced, netizens have not stopped talking about the most powerful woman in President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet.
Japan: Kusoshigoto blog closed down
“Diary of a NEET Working Abroad” by Kusoshigoto “crappy job” was unexpectedly closed down and deleted, with a short message that conveyed his regrets and fear of danger. Tweeps are speculating [ja] that his identity had been compromised. A Japanese expat in Singapore, Kusoshigoto blogged against “slaving away” for Japan...
Brazil: Constraining the “Spread” of Homosexuality by Law
The City Council of São José dos Campos, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, has approved a law by the councilman Cristõvao Gonçalves that forbids the “disclosure of any material that may induce children to homosexuality”, reports [pt] the blog Eleições Hoje (Elections Today).
