Stories from 13 March 2007
Bahrain: Child Abuse in Schools
Bahrain-based blogger Haitham Sabbah links to a shocking video showing a fight between two students in a classroom, apparently arranged by a teacher! “I have no clue where was this video clip taken. It is a classroom in one of our schools around the Arab world. The teacher’s accent sounds...
Dubai: 200 Women Preachers Trained
Secret Dubai Diary posts a news article which says that 200 women are being trained as preachers in the rich Emirate. He describes the development as “extremely encouraging and significant news.”
Qatar: Weblog Awards a Let Down
Qatar-based blogger Morad Rayyan isn't impressed with the results of the Seventh Annual Weblog Awards. “Though I refuse to acknowledge the list of winners since they have scratched my blog from the list of nominees due to discrimination towards Koreans and Jordanians and blah blah… but since I have a...
Qatar: Al Jazeera Cameraman Force-Fed
Friends of Al Jazeera blogger Karim posts a story which claims that the “lawyer of Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj, who is detained in Guantanamo Bay, has said his health has worsened and he is being force-fed through his nose.”
Tajikistan: Russian Food Aid
Vadim is surprised to find out that Russia is a major supporter of the World Food Program's program in Tajikistan.
Kyrgyzstan: Virtual Trip to Osh
Tamara Tashbaeva takes readers on a quick virtual tour of her hometown, Osh, a city that she says she does not get to visit often enough.
Belarus: Past or Present?
Having watched The Lives of Others – the winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film, “a grim portrayal of life in East Germany before reunification and the twisted relationship between cultural elites and the Stasi secret police” – TOL's Belarus Blog observes: “But as I spoke...
Kazakhstan: Education Steppe
Ben Paarmann notes that Kazakhstan's president was very impressed with Qatar's Education City after his visit there yesterday, and reports on problems in Kazakhstan's education system and a bit on how the government might try to solve them.
Latvia: Imaginary Extremism
Marginalia writes about Latvian graffiti, the “annual scandal on March 16th” and the largely imaginary “extremism” in Daugavpils: “The idea that there could be a significant movement devoted to Russian-bashing in a rather harmoniously multicultural city where ethnic Latvians make up only about a fifth of the population and Russian...
Latvia: The Showdown
Marginalia and All About Latvia write about “the Showdown” between Latvia's outgoing president and the parliament “over the control of the national security services.” (In another post, All About Latvia reports: “The President announced Saturday the push for a national referendum regarding national security laws in the country. If the...
Georgia: Internally Displaced Persons
Onnik Krikorian reports on and posts pictures of ethnic Georgians who were displaced by fighting in Abkhazia
Armenia: Half Silly/Half Serious
Anoush Armenia reports on a recent half silly/half serious exhibition in Yerevan that was intended to provoke participants into thinking about whether or not they are satisfied with the reality around them.
Romania, Moldova: Interference?
Public Policy Watch – Politici Publice in Moldova writes about allegations by the Moldovan government that Romania is interfering with Moldova's internal affairs.
Oman: Rent going up
Rent in Oman is going up, according to Omani blogger Muscati. “Rents in Oman have been going through the sky for the past six months and the situation is now heading out of control. In the past month people have been getting notices from landlords increasing rents by unheard of...
Russia: Still Some More on Putin's Munich Speech
Edward Lucas of The Economist posts “a long rant written last month about Putin and Russian foreign policy which was never published and is now slightly out of date.”
Oman: How Not to Flirt
Omani blogger Lym , who is based in Australia, wasn't impressed with the advances of a fellow Arab from the UAE, who was desperately trying to draw her attention.
Ukraine: Retro Tickets
MoldovAnn discovers a rather amazing thing: theater tickets she has recently bought in Kyiv for the Russian production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” were printed way back in the Soviet times (photo is enclosed).
Bahrain: Islam Needs Positive Public Relations
Islam needs a public relations campaign makeover, writes Bahraini blogger emoodz, following news reports that a British Muslim has been found guilty of soliciting murder during a London rally against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.
Bahrain: Newspaper Accused of Spreading Sectarianism
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif blames a local newspaper for spreading sectarianism. “Whatever it is, the only way to defeat such sectarianism is not to give in to it and expose it wherever and whenever you encounter it no matter how small the incident is,” he writes.
Algeria: Special Focus on Mauritania
Algerian blogger Lameen Souag has kind words for Mauritania. “On the rare occasions when it makes Western headlines, it's generally for slavery or famine, but this week it's distinguishing itself in a rather nobler fashion: holding its first free presidential elections,” he writes, while giving special attention to languages there.
Guinea-Conakry: standing up to a power-hungry President
The technological revolution that enables ordinary citizens to capture and upload video footage on the web has been slow to take root in West Africa. Up to now we haven’t featured any video content from this part of the world on the Human Rights Video Hub Pilot. So this week...
