Stories about English from June, 2008
Morocco: Shutting down Al Jazeera?
After a clash between protestors and police in Sidi Ifni lead to injuries and possible deaths, Al Jazeera issued a report at a news conference held by the Moroccan Human Rights Centre that several protestors had been killed. The Moroccan authorities, angered by the report, charged Al Jazeera's Rabat bureau...
Israel: Drinking Tap Water Good For Your Health
“Drink tap water, trust me,” Amir Mizroch of Forecast Highs urges. “The desalination plant in Ashkelon… is one of the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world… But there seems to be a vast disconnect between the contention by experts that desalinated tap water is clean and...
Israel: Broken Truce Angers Israelis
Six days after Israeli and Palestinian forces brokered a ceasefire agreement, four kassam rockets fired from Gaza blasted the Western Negev. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the attack, while Hamas, Palestine's ruling party, encouraged “all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement,” asserting, “Hamas is keen to maintain the...
No More Highschool For Omani Blogger
Omani Blogger Abdullah has completed his high school exams and is back on the blogging scene. He has also posted a vlog to tell us how his exams went.
Cuba: Waiting in Miami
Ninety miles away….in another country points readers to an article about the cultural milieu of Miami's Little Havana, where old men eat Cuban sandwiches and dream of regime change in the island of their birth.
Cuba: The Church and Gay Rights
The Cuban government's growing support for gay rights is drawing criticism from the island's Roman Catholic Church. Protest is good, says Uncommon Sense, but the Church has it all wrong on this issue.
Cambodia: Riding the Wave of Change
In a country where men tend to have more privileges in family and society, a new wave of change is about to begin. Sopheap Chak is another urban woman with initiatives and ambitions. The 23-year-old, originally from Kampong Cham province, is a prominent human rights activist. When she talks about changes she believes in it's as if she's a new hopeful inspirational leader.
Cuba: Above average
The Cuban Triangle comments on the astonishing results of a UNESCO education study on third and sixth graders, in which Cuban students did so much better than the rest of Latin America.
Barbados: New laws
The Barbados Free Press is cautiously encouraged by news that the government promises final drafts of Integrity, Freedom of Information and Defamation laws by the end of the year.
Azerbaijan: Media Concerns
Writing on AFP's Correspondent blog, the news organization's Caucasus Bureau Chief, Michael Mainville, laments the state of the media in Azerbaijan. The post recognizes the pressures and restrictions in place on local journalists in the oil-rich country and comments on the case of Agil Khalil who has been recognized by...
Caucasus: Religious Practices Update
Social Science in the Caucasus provides an update on its survey of religious practices in the South Caucasus. The blog of the Caucasus Resource Research Centers (CRRC) says that women place more significance on the importance of religion in their lives than men.
Armenia: Eurovision Metal
Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on rumors that Armenian-American rock band System of a Down (SOAD) are interested in representing Armenia in next year's Eurovision Song Contest. However, there is also speculation that the band are interested in using the contest to gain exposure to campaign for Genocide recognition. The blog...
Armenia: European Media Demands
Following last week's landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, Unzipped comments on the importance of the judgment for the embattled A1 Plus TV station which was deprived of its broadcasting frequency by the authorities in 2002. The blog says that pressure on the government to allow it...
Trinidad & Tobago: Glass Towers
A Trinidadian blogger fears that what sets the island apart is being lost among the tall buildings going up in Port of Spain. Why does the glass have to be half empty or half full? asks why do “we deny our people the right to our waterfront? Where is the...
Cuba: Exploring Oil
The Cuban Triangle is puzzled by a Florida Congressional delegation's idea that Cuba should be blocked from drilling for oil in its own Gulf waters. He says comments by Senator Mel Martinez, reported in El Nuevo Herald, must sound to Cuban readers, “as if he thinks he is in charge...
Barbados: New Consumer Watchdog
Barbados Underground welcomes the emergence of a new consumer organisation in the island. The blog says Barbados Consumers Watch “will advocate using the novel approach of the electronic channels of Facebook and blogging” in serving the needs of the public.
Guyana: Death of a President
Ruel Johnson's Fictions notes the passing yesterday of Arthur Chung, the first President of Guyana, at the age of 90. He held the post from 1970 to 1980, and was “the first ethnic Chinese President of a non-Asian country.”
Jordan: Internet Cafes
Jordanian Qwaider warns Internet users about the security concerns from using Internet cafes.
Saudi Arabia: Flying to Cooler Climes
Saudi blogger ibusy [Ar] notes how many people are escaping his country's heats to cooler climes this summer.
Morocco: Amazigh Festival Planned
The fourth annual Festival of Amazigh Culture will be held in Fez from 3 to 6 July, reports Moroccan blog The View from Fez.
Bahrain:Blocking Sites
Blocking websites is the most effective way of making them famous, notes Bahraini blogger Mahmood AlYousif on his country's latest threat to block some sites.
