30 January 2013

Stories from 30 January 2013

Nepal: Wither Democracy?

Siromani Dhungana at United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal opines that recent political events strongly suggest that Nepal is on its way to being ruled by an autocratic political...

30 January 2013

“Judges in Tajikistan are like Elite Prostitutes”

The judiciary in Tajikistan has recently attracted more than its usual share of criticism from social media users. Following two controversial high-profile cases, Tajik netizens have slammed the country's 'corrupt' judges and compared them to prostitutes.

30 January 2013

Bhutan: Security Taken For Granted

According to tourists Bhutan is a safe place. But ShyGuard at Writers Association Of Bhutan warns not to take it for granted. The blogger opines that Bhutanese should be more...

30 January 2013

Colombia: A Long Way to Peace?

Despite ongoing peace talks, Colombia refused to recognize the most recent ceasefire declared by the FARC and launched an airstrike on New Year's day. Meanwhile, the deadline for brokering a peace agreement approaches.

30 January 2013

Why Did Mali's ‘Soldier of Death’ Go Viral?

This photo of a French soldier wearing a scarf depicting death's face has been shared around the world and has become a concrete symbol for many of the start of French military operations in Mali. But why has this soldier captured imaginations on the Web?

30 January 2013

Tens of Thousands Affected by Heavy Rains in Mozambique

In Mozambique, the rains that have been falling since early January devastated populations in the country's center and south. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, and 45 deaths have been reported. While the number of victims continue to rise and damages continue to increase, the online community has called for solidarity and expressed its indignation in the face of the vandalism and pillaging that has occurred.

30 January 2013

Saudi Arabia: 36 Days in Jail for a Human Rights Sign

Saudi Mohammad al-Olayan was detained for 36 days for having a sign against arbitrary detainment on his car. Although he denied the charge, saying he found the sign on his car, he was held in inhumane conditions. al-Olayan shares his experience on Twitter.

30 January 2013

Navigating Entrepreneurship in Ghana

Ghana, a sub-Saharan country, has many budding young entrepreneurs. Some have even been recognised and awarded by international organisations, including Bright Simons, Regina Agyare and Elikem Kuenyehia.

30 January 2013

‘Student Hair Revolution’ in Thailand

Kaewmala writes about the complaint of many Thai students against the official school hair policy of “crew cut for boys and ear-lobe-length bob for girls.” Some student groups want to...

30 January 2013

Indonesian Hackers Strike Again

Several Indonesian websites were hacked by individuals who are supporting Wildan Yani Ashari, the person who was arrested by the police for hacking the website of the Indonesian president. Enricko...

30 January 2013

First International Urdu Bloggers Conference

Mehwish Khan at ProPakistani reports that the first international Urdu bloggers conference was held on January 26, 2013 in Lahore, Pakistan. Over 70 Urdu bloggers from different parts of the...

30 January 2013

Myanmar: Biggest Barcamp in the World

At over 6,400 participants on January 19 and 20 this year, BarcampYangon not only dwarfs every barcamp in the region but even exceeds last year’s number by over one thousand...

30 January 2013

Two Versions of Mao's China: History Retouched as Propaganda

A collage of historical photos showing two versions of Chinese history during the Mao's era (1949-1976) published by micro-blogger @Pongyoung with a brief comment: "How history has been amended?", has been retweeted 13362 times with 2237 comments within one day.

30 January 2013

China: Air Pollution in Major Cities

Jacky Huang from China Hush translated a local media feature on the problem of air pollution in major Chinese cities. According to a report published by National environmental analysis of...

30 January 2013