Stories from 10 March 2010
Russia: Two Journalists Kidnapped in Caucasus
Israpil Shovhalov and Abdulla Duduev, two journalists of the “Dosh” online magazine were kidnapped on March 9, 2010 in the Republic of Ingushetia, one of the most unstable regions in Russia, Kavkazky Uzel reported [RUS].
Azerbaijan: “Ordinary people with extraordinary talent”
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on today's appeal court ruling upholding the sentencing of video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. Adopted as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International, the blog posts two video tributes and says that both men are “ordinary people with extraordinary talent” and...
Bahamas: Staying Power?
Bahamian Nicolette Bethel questions the staying power of a Ministry of Tourism marketing campaign which commissioned 14 films from British filmmakers. Here's what peeves her: “It’s the idea that lies at the heart of the way in which the Bahamian government spends its money: ‘their output is likely to be...
Trinidad & Tobago: Inertia
KnowTnT.com feels “compelled to write about the elephant – or in T&T, the Manicou – in the middle of the room. Inertia.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Thought Bubbles from London
Trinidad and Tobago's fake Prime Minister blogs from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, here and here.
Bulgaria: CME Buys Bulgaria's Most Watched TV Channel
Ruslan Trad reports on the recent sale of bTV, one of the most popular TV channels in Bulgaria, to Central European Media Enterprises.
Jamaica: Remembering Watson
The blog of the National Gallery of Jamaica pays tribute to the late painter and sculptor Osmond Watson.
Barbados: Murder Charge
Barbadian bloggers report that three men have been charged with the recent murder of a retired senior police officer.
Middle East: Mourning the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque
Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the Grand Sheikh of the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, has died at age 81. Reactions to his death have varied from mourning to critical recollections of his many controversial fatwas.
Macedonia: Most Popular Pop Songs on YouTube
Igor Mihajlovski published [MKD] an interesting analysis of number of views of Macedonian pop songs on YouTube, sorting them by time periods (1945-1979, 1980-1999, 2000-2010). He included videos of the late international star Toshe Proeski, whose interpretation of folk song “Zajdi zajdi” is the ‘winner’ with almost 4 million views....
Chile: Earthquake Reveals Social Inequalities
The quick burst of lawlessness that ensued after the February 27 earthquake in Chile sparked a national debate about the existing social and economic inequalities in the country.
Azerbaijan: Appeal court upholds ruling against video blogging youth activists
Rufatagayev tweets that an appeal court in Baku, Azerbaijan, today upheld a previous court ruling sentencing two video blogging youth activists to 2 and 2.5 years in prison. Most observers consider the case again Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli to be politically motivated and Amnesty International have since declared the...
Nigeria: Images of children killed in Jos
Images of children killed after violence erupted in Jos, Nigeria.
China: Zola's English blog
Well known citizen reporter Zhou Shuguang starts to blog in English as he wants to be more international. Here is his first post.
India: Sugarcane Price Stirs Worry
Ram Bansal at India in Peril discusses about the rising price of sugarcane in India and the impending crisis in the sugar market because of it.
Ecuador: Guayaquil Demands Greater Budget Allocation
The municipal government of Guayaquil, Ecuador, recently held a "March for Dignity" demanding greater budget allocation from the central government. However, it was also an opportunity for its Mayor, Jaime Nebot, to take on a more visible political opposition to the President.
Azerbaijan: Confusion over Internet problems with Azadliq site
In the past few days in Azerbaijan, some users have complained that many sites, including Yahoo Mail, Gmail and Facebook, were inaccessible. When one news site was affected, however, some Internet users feared the worst.
Japan: No Nukes
Martin J Frid blogs about the recently revealed secret agreement between Japan and the U.S in 1969 which has violated the three non-nuclear principles signed by former Japanese Prime Minister Sato in 1974. The agreement stated that if there was a war or a crisis, Japan would not object to...
Nicaragua: The Passing of Musician Salvador Cardenal
Nicaraguan musician Salvador Cardenal passed away on March 8, 2010 after a lengthy illness. His official blog [es] is collecting memories of his life in music, as well as receiving messages from his fans.
China: Do Chinese people live with dignity?
China’s top leader has made a historic statement regarding human rights and human dignity which has posed both doubts and meaningful questions. During this year's Spring Festival, China's Premier Wen Jiabao made the unusually phrased statement that his government vowed to "make Chinese people more dignified".
China: The First Chinese Novel on Twitter?
Lian Yue, an ex-teacher and ex-procurator and now a famous blogger and political commentator in China, announced on his blog that he is starting a novel, entitled 2020, on twitter this month. According to the blog, the novel will last until 2020.
