January, 2009
Stories from January, 2009
20 January 2009
Russia: Lawyer Markelov and Journalist Baburova Shot Dead in Moscow
Russian human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, 34, was shot to death Jan. 19 as he walked from a news conference in central Moscow. Journalist Anastasia Baburova, 25, who accompanied Markelov, was also shot as she tried to intervene; she died in hospital a few hours later. Many Russian bloggers reacted with shock and outrage to these broad-daylight shootings. Below are some of the initial responses, translated from Russian, as well as links to a few posts in English.
19 January 2009
Malaysia: Lessons from the flooding disaster
Last week, flooding hit several areas in the Sarawak State of Malaysia. Bloggers recount their experience and the lessons to be culled from the flood disaster. The flooding was the worst in years in Malaysia.
Guyana: Flooding Controversy
Guyana has been experiencing severe bouts of flooding recently, causing damage to crops and livestock and outrage among bloggers.
Palestine: Assessing the Aftermath in Gaza
On Sunday evening the Israel Defense Forces began a troop withdrawal from Gaza, following three straight weeks of attacks. Israel's unilateral ceasefire was announced earlier in the day, and met with an offer for a one-week ceasefire from Hamas. Ayesha Saldanha shares blog reactions from Gaza.
Ecuador: Correa Faces Pressure From Indigenous Groups
In Ecuador, President Rafael Correa is facing pressure from indigenous groups over his government's support of a new mining law. The coalition led by the National Confederation of Indigenous Nations (CONAIE) say that there was very little discussion and that it would violate the communities' sovereignty, as well as cause environmental contamination. Correa must decide how to face these mobilizations from groups that historically have been strong backers of his government.
18 January 2009
Greece: Outcry over arms shipment to Israel
With the war raging in Gaza, news reports earlier this month about the routing of an extraordinarily large shipment of arms from the United States to Israel through the private Greek port of Astakos caused an uproar among Greek bloggers. They used Twitter to investigate the matter and put pressure on the government to halt the transfer.
































I think the reason it stuck with me is that I was fired from my first real job--teaching at a...