Stories from 29 August 2007
Bahrain: Editor in Court
A Bahraini newspaper editor is in court for defamation, writes Mahmood Al Yousif.
Bahrain: Bloggers Meeting Set
Bahrain's bloggers are bracing themselves for their 32nd Bloggers’ Gathering on September 1, announces Mahmood Al Yousif.
Oman: One Ramadhan Please!
Omani blogger Sleepless in Muscat hopes all Islamic countries will mark the beginning of Ramadhan on the same day. “Hopefully, this time around we would stick to one date across the whole Arab & Islamic world instead of fooling ourselves and then stating that we ‘never saw the crescent’,” he...
Morocco: The Death of Butcher Basri
Driss Basri, one of Morocco's most powerful figures during the past 50 years, has died in Paris at age 69. Jillian York brings us the latest reactions from Moroccan bloggers writing in Arabic, French and English.
Brazil: Gunshots along the border
Altino Machado reports a radio call [PT] from José Meirelles, who coordinates an Etno-Environmental Protection Front at the Brazil-Peru border on Acre state, deep in the Amazon Forest. He tells about gunshots that fortunately missed 2 workers on a canoe yesterday, in an event that can be linked with the...
Lebanon: Uproar at School in NY named after Khalil Gibran
Beirut Spring writes about an uproar surrounding a newly established public school in Brooklyn (NY), that is named after the Lebanese/Arab writer and poet Gibran Khalil Gibran. The school teaches many of its material in Arabic and has some courses on “Arab Culture”. Jewish groups demonstrated and condemned the opening...
Trinidad & Tobago: Irresponsible Reporting
“Someone…is writing the evening news as if it were an opinion column. What kind of crappy reporting is that?” asks Manicou, unimpressed at the latest media faux-pas.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean Review of Books
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp is excited about the latest issue of the Caribbean Review of Books, while Antilles highlights the issue's feature on Trinidadian fashion designer Meiling.
Uzbekistan: Karimov forever
At Registan.net, Nathan Hamm thinks that Uzbekistan's president Islam Karimov will stay in power beyond his constitutional term.
Jamaica: Are You Busy?
Francis Wade examines the concept of busyness from a Jamaican perspective.
Barbados: Recovery Effort Continues
It's Day 4 of the recovery effort to find the victims of the apartment building collapse in Barbados. Barbados Underground says that a significant part of the day was “spent stabilizing and preparing the cave for the extraction of the bodies of the Codrington family presumed to be dead”, while...
Anguilla: Sea Bath
Bob Morris fondly remembers what Anguilla's “most famous citizen” taught him about the “unspeakable joy” of a good sea bath…
India: India and the US
With controversy surrounding the nuclear deal between India and the US only increasing, GreatBong reflects on the political dynamics within India.
India: Mark Tully from the BBC
The Middle Stage on Mark Tully, BBC's correspondent who covered India for a long time and his book India's Unending Journey.
Bangladesh: Military and Power
Adda reflects on the military in Bangladesh, and in light of the recent clash with the students of Dhaka University, wonders what's next.
Sri Lanka: Ranil and Others
Lanka Rising discusses politician Ranil in a scathing post.
Nepal: Maoist moderation
Nepali Netbook on the political dynamics in the country and Maoist moderation.
Mongolia: Kazakh eagle hunters
American filmmaker Joseph Spaid tells readers about his film Kiran over Mongolia over at neweurasia. The documentary portrays a young Mongolized Kazakh youth from the urban capital who is taken into an apprenticeship by a true Kazakh eagle master.
Kyrgyzstan: Threat of Islamisation?
Some Kyrgyzstani bloggers are worried about the threat of Islamisation in their country, while others do not share their concerns. This debate was the result of an commission's decision to allow Muslim women to wear hijabs for their passport photographs.
Afghanistan: Releasing the hostages
Although the Korean hostages are likely to come free after more than a month in custody in Afghanistan, OneFreeKorea is unhappy with the deal struck with the Taliban. In the blogger's opinion, this will “stamp “kidnap me” in fluorescent letters in every Republic of Korea passport”.
Argentina: Protesting Demolishment of Hotels
Line of Sight looks in on a protest in the upscale neighborhood of Recoleta, where residents protested the demolishment of a hotel. The amateur protests did little to get others involved and many were there for the photo-ops.
