Stories from 26 October 2007
Syrian blogger Roukana Hamour has been Kidnapped
Update: Last night (October 26), we've received a call from Rokana Hamour. She is fine. She has been interrogated by the Syrian Security Services about a comment left on her blog. Rokana was released three hours later. We've received an email that appeared to come from someone who witnessed the...
Poland: Auschwitz Book Reviews
Bosnia Vault reviews two books on Auschwitz.
Macedonia: A Bit More On Toše Proeski
Bosnia Blog talks to a Macedonian about singer Toše Proeski, who died in a car crash earlier this month: “He did a lot of charity concert. He was very nice. He is the only thing we have.”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Srebrenica Memorial Quilt
Srebrenica Genocide Blog and Bosnia Vault write about the Srebrenica Memorial Quilt project, an initiative to commemorate “over 8,000 men, children (boys), and elderly who died during Srebrenica genocide.”
Kenya: Breaking News: Election date
Collins reporting about the Kenyan elections: “Its now official the Elections for Kenya this year will be held on Thursday 27th December, 2007.This was announced this morning by the electoral commision of Kenya Chairperson Mr Samuel Kivuitu!”
Kenya: Good riddance of bad rubbish
Good riddance of bad rubbish, declares Mental Acrobatics: “Although you may stumble across a few good individuals in the 9th parliament, collectively they were a big disappointment.”
South Africa: Meet a freelance WordPress designer
Nick interviews a South African WordPress designer: “I recently decided that I need to do more interviews with great people in SA. The first person I chose is Adii. He is a freelance WordPress designer but he’ll tell you more about that. Recently Adii has gained huge exposure on some...
Lebanon: Al Jazeera Interview
Lebanese academician and blogger Dr As'ad Abu Khalil links to his interview with Al Jazeera here. The interview was on the private security firms in Iraq.
Jamaica: Lucea
“I so wish there was a way to modernise the town without losing the old world charm and without knocking down all those beautiful old buildings,” writes Montego Bay Day By Day as she features the charming Jamaican town of Lucea.
Grenada: The Cure
Free Spirit shares the Grenadian cure for the common cold.
Cuba: Of Speeches and Workshops
While The Cuban Triangle comments on US President George Bush's speech about democratic change in Cuba, Child of the Revolution almost “missed a big event currently under way in Havana. Believe it or not, the Castro regime is hosting something called the 2nd International Workshop on Financial Management.”
Barbados, Dominica: Journalist Sued
“It all started when The Times published an article asking how it was that the Prime Minister acquired a million dollars worth of real estate on his politician’s salary”: Barbados Free Press reports that the editor of a Dominica newspaper is being sued by the island's Prime Minister.
Bahamas: The Answer to Crime?
Callers to a radio programme in the Bahamas think that enforcement of the death penalty would act as a deterrent to crime. Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com begs to differ.
Anguilla, Cayman Islands: Environmental Value
“Unless our leaders can come to understand the economic value of our environment, they will be unable to make good decisions about projects and policies,” says Corruption-free Anguilla.
China: Official excess met with humor, scorn, death threats
Bloggers for some reason kept mostly or dead quiet about the 17th Party Congress while it was being held during the third week of this month, and now that it's over, blog posts on the subject are being deleted even before they get published [zh]. A chance for bloggers to...
Kazakhstan: OSCE Bid Puzzle
Arthur reflects on the recently reported speculations concerning the prospects of Kazakhstan’s bid for the OSCE presidency in 2009.
Turkmenistan: India Looks to the Caspian
Peter reports that Turkmenistan’s gas and oil reserves may soon attract the attention of yet another world players.
Kazakhstan: Falconry on the BBC
KZBlog tells about the BBC report on falcon hunting in Kazakhstan, specifically problems with finding funding to keep the birds. There are tries to use elite hunting trips to subsidize falcon preserves.
Kazakhstan blocks opposition websites
On October 18, 2007, Kazakhstan has blocked access to a number of independent websites switching off main opposition outlets including kub.kz, geo.kz, zonakz.net and inkar.info [more on GV Advocacy…]
Hong Kong: China's Olympic Opportunity
Legislative Councilor Martin Lee was accused of inviting interference from U.S to China. ESWN brings together Martin Lee's article from the Wall Street Journal, member of Executive Council Tsang Yok-sing's criticism on Martin Lee and local newspapers report on the issue.
Japan: Family Crests
There are around 20,000 Kamon, family symbol, in Japan. Ryoko from Pingmag introduces some of the kamon design with animal motif.