Stories from 20 May 2010
Russia: Kid Sets Up Lego Video Blog
A 7-year-old boy set up a Lego video blog “Lego News” presenting his Lego people as news anchors. Pilot series can be found here and here.
Czech Republic: Update on the Flooding
The Czech Daily Word links to photos and news updates on the floods in the Czech Republic.
Bulgaria: Update on Arevik Shmavonyan's Case
Maya's Corner posts a detailed update on the case of Arevik Shmavonyan, a pregnant Armenian citizen who is still being kept at the Special Centre for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners in Busmantsi, and on the legal status of David Arutyunyan, Arevik's boyfriend.
Uruguay: First Woman Elected as Intendant of Montevideo
Ana Olivera, a member of the Uruguayan Communist Party was elected Municipal Intendant of Montevideo. Her candidacy and the politics and history behind it gave social media users and bloggers a lot to talk about.
Russia: Crisis and demography in Eurasia
Anatoly Karlin of Sublime Oblivion discusses the relationship between economic and demographic crisis in Russia and Eurasia.
Pakistan: Facebook Ban And Productivity
“Watch out India, Pakistani productivity is about to spike!” – comments one reader at Sepia Mutiny's post on the ban of Facebook in Pakistan.
Sri Lanka: When To Settle The Political Score?
Dayapala Thiranagama at Groundviews attempts to make some observations on the difficulties of political resolution of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and wonders when it will be settled.
Bangladesh: Colours Of Water – Leather Tanneries
Daniel Lanteigne posts a photo essay on the environmental impacts of the approximately 200 leather tanneries in Hazaribagh district of Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh.
Kenya: Linking banks and mobile payments
Erik writes about linking banks and mobile payments in Kenya: “People are excited about M-Kesho (money for the future) which launched yesterday, where Safaricom has linked their mobile payments service Mpesa as a joint venture with Equity Bank in Kenya.”
Nigeria: A debate on pedophilia, Sharia law, and the ‘two’ Nigerias
The headline is tabloid-esque: "Nigerian senator marries 13-year-old girl". It refers to 49-year-old Ahmad Sani Yerima, whose marriage a few weeks ago has drawn criticism from around the country, playing into the divide between the Muslim north and Christian south of Nigeria.
Malawi: The world reacts after sentencing of gay couple
A day after the world marked International Day against Homophobia, a court in Malawi sentenced Malawi gay couple to jail for fourteen years.
Madagascar: Video of Gun Battles between Rival Armed Forces
Malagasy blogger MyDago posted a video of the clash between the army and dissident police forces in Antananarivo today (May,20th 2010).
USA: Tough Reviews on Huffington Post's Birthday
Upon the 5th anniversary of the Huffington Post, five harsh critiques of the infamous U.S. lefty news website on Columbia Journalism Review.
Madagascar: Violence Erupts Between Army and Dissident Police Unit
On May, 20th 2010, sustained gun battles between rival armed forces lasted for an hour in the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo. The ongoing political crisis has once again erupted into violence as a report from the local Red Cross states that at least three people were wounded in the...
Middle East: “Blood Borders”
Martin W. Lewis from GeoCurrent Event blog reviews Ralph Lewis’ “Blood Borders” article on the idea of a complete reshape of Middle East borders in order to fit more appropriately the ethnic and religious affiliations of the region.
Technology for Transparency Review, Part V
Representative democracy, while necessary, takes citizens away from the decision making process. While traditional media tend to focus on individuals more than issues, a new generation of websites are combining parliamentary information with social media tools to give citizens more information about the profile and activities of their representatives, and to become more active in the legislative process.
South Korea and Thailand's Cold War Context
John P. DiMoia from Korea History Group looks into the common historical context (Cold War) of the economic and political development of South Korea and Thailand.
Russia: Provider “Accidentally” Blocks Opposition Web Site
Web site sineevedro.ru dedicated to “Little Blue Buckets Society” (online community against law nihilism on the roads) has been shut down along with other resources at the Moscow-based hosting, ru_vederko reported. The incident might be connected to another recent road accident involving high officials.
Russia: Another Web site Closed For Extremism
Alleng.ru, one of the largest educational portals in Russia, has been turned off by the provider Peterhost due to the hosting of the electronic copy of the book “Basics of the Muslim Creed,” which is acknowledged by the Orenburg city court as “extremist,” blogger r_li reported.
Taiwan: In memory of Chao-Jung Hsu, a Taiwanese WWII veteran
As part of an impassioned campaign to create a memorial park for Taiwanese WWII veterans, Chao-Jung Hsu's set himself on fire and died exactly two years ago.
Revolutionizing the Indonesian music industry
Blogger Wibisono Sastrodiwiryo believes that in the near future, accessible broadband connection will revolutionize the Indonesian music industry to a point where major labels can't stick to their old anti-piracy tunes [id].
