Stories about English from May, 2009
Pakistan: Bomb Blasts In Peshawar
Chowrangi reports that four bombing incidents “hit Peshawar and rocked Pakistan on Thursday killing thirteen people and injuring more than 120 people”. Pak Tea House says that the fight against...
UAE and Saudi Arabia: “It's Gonna Be a Scorcher!”
The Hollywood film Ishtar, about lounge singers in Morocco who get caught up in an international plot between the CIA and the "Emir of Ishtar" is memorable but for one line: "It's gonna be a scorcher!" This past week, Gulf residents have found themselves saying just that, as temperatures in the region rose well into the 40s (Celsius). The Saudi and UAE Twitterspheres have their say.
Bangladesh: Extra Judicial Killing
Asif at Unheard Voice blog has some questions regarding the latest case of extra judicial killing in Bangladesh.
Bahrain: Swine Flu Arrives
Earlier this week the first case of the new H1N1 flu, or swine flu, was confirmed in Bahrain, arriving with a Bahraini student who had been in New York. Bahrain's bloggers react in this post.
Haiti, U.S.A.: Remembering Fr. Jean-Juste
Blogger tributes are pouring in for the late Fr. Gérard Jean-Juste, a Haitian Roman Catholic priest who was known by his admirers as a champion of the poor and an ardent supporter of the Fanmi Lavalas political party, headed by ousted President Jean Bertrand Aristide.
Egypt: Anti-Male Circumcision Campaign
In 2008 Egypt passed a law that banned female circumcision (FGM). Today a group of bloggers started a campaign against male circumcision. Marwa Rakha picks up the story in this post.
Africa: Remembering Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem
Africa has lost one of its greatest sons, Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem. He died on the eve of Africa Day in a car accident in Nairobi on his way to launch a maternal health campaign in Kigali, Rwanda. Tajudeen was the Director of Justice Africa, General Secretary of the Pan-African Movement, Chairperson for the Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme (PADEAP), Chair of the International Governing Council of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Outreach Coordinator on the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.
Trinidad & Tobago: Police Presence
From Trinidad and Tobago, Mauvais Langue cannot believe that “in the year 2009 they [the police] still saying they have no vehicles”, while B.C. Pires takes great pride in the...
Jamaica, U.S. Virgin Islands: Cruise Control
The popularity of cruises to Caribbean destinations gets Jamaican diaspora blogger Labrish thinking about “the overwhelm of the environment, marine and land, that these mega-cities-on-the-sea bring with them.”
Cuba: Sex Change Operations
Repeating Islands notes “that Cuba is reinstating sex-change operations that had previously been banned on the island.”
Belize: Earthquake
Belize-based blogger As The Coconuts Drop recounts his experience of yesterday's strong earthquake.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Schengen Waived
As Bajan Dream Diary reports that “Barbadians travelling to the European Union will no longer need to obtain the Schengen visa”, Trinidad and Tobago's fake Prime Minister asks: “Since when...
Jamaica, Cuba: Amnesty International Report
Iriegal and Jamaica Salt comment on Amnesty International’s criticism of the Jamaican police force, while Havana Times notes that the organization”recognized…that the US blockade on Cuba has a negative effect...
Zimbabwe: Is Movement for Democratic Change backing down?
Is the Movement for Democractic Change in Zimbabwe backing down?, “In a shocking about face, the MDC told the media yesterday that they could live with Gideon Gono because they...
Japan: Open access online journal Journal@rchive
Librarian Charles Ellwood Jones writes about academic journals focusing on antiquity at open access online journal Journal@rchive, an archive site of J-STAGE operated by the Japan Science and Technology Agency....
China: Police harassment
Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated Ai Weiwei's blog posts on how he was harassed by security “rice streamers” (meaning stupid polices) and lawyer blogger Liu Xiaoyuan's article explaining Ai's rights....
China: Deng Yujiao Case Reporters Assaulted
ESWN translated local forum news reporting on the assault of Southern People Weekly magazine reporter Wei Yi when he tried to interview the maternal grandmother of Deng Yujiao – the...
Hong Kong: SC group censored June 4th special feature
Daisy, an editor from Esquire, a lifestyle magazine under South China media group in Hong Kong, disclosed in her blog that the top management banned the publication of 15 pages...
Azerbaijan: Toyland
Fighting windmills? Take a pill introduces its readers to “toy,” the local word for wedding, and comments on the role marriage plays in society in Azerbaijan.
Russia: A Blogger's Review of “The Associate”
About a month ago, Jost A Mon blog posted a “roundup of translated crime fiction consumed in April” - which included several books by writers from Central and Eastern Europe. What follows below is a displeased Russian blogger's blitz review of John Grisham's 21st novel, The Associate.
Azerbaijan: Republic Day
Sheki, Azerbaijan marks the anniversary of the first republic declared in Azerbaijan by looking back at the significance of the event, and also looking forwards.
