Stories from 7 April 2008
Kazakhstan: New U.S. Ambassador Coming
KZBlog reports that Richard Hoagland has been nominated by President Bush to replace John Ordway as Ambassador to Kazakhstan. Hoagland is currently serving in the U.S. Embassy to Turkmenistan and was Ambassador to Tajikistan.
Afghanistan: TV Soap Operas Banned
Sanjar reports that the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan has ordered several private TV stations to stop broadcasting popular soap operas that allegedly contain “offensive” and “un-Islamic” scenes.
Environment: An Interview with Isabel Hilton of ChinaDialogue
ChinaDialogue is a fully bi-lingual weblog where environmental matters affecting China are discussed. Isabel Hilton is the editor, and we asked her some questions regarding the environment in China, the Olympics, climate change and lessons that can be learned from China's environmental challenges and solutions. She was kind enough to...
Bahrain: Should young girls wear hijab?
Bahrain's bloggers have recently looked at topics including the difficulties of being a pedestrian in Bahrain, negative thinking amongst Bahraini youth, the pressure placed on young girls to wear the headscarf – and the need to communicate more with Americans, writes Ayesha Saldanha, who brings us the latest buzz from Bahrain.
Armenia: Alternative Women's Day
Unzipped reports that today's celebration of Women's Day will take on a political tone in Armenia. The blog says that the opposition will once again gather on Yerevan's Northern Avenue as well as outside the General Prosecutor's Office to demand the release of all “political prisoners.”
Syria: Human Rights Activist Arrested
Badih Dak al-Bab, a Syrian human rights activist, was arrested last month in Damascus after writing articles critical of the government, reports Or Does it Explode…
Egypt: A Wake Up Strike
Around 500 people were arrested in Egypt Sunday as police quashed a general strike, in protest against the increasing cost of living and calling for better wages. And just as word about the strike was spread via massive text-messaging, email, and popular social networking platform Facebook, bloggers and online activists kept the world abreast with arrests and developments on the ground minute by minute throughout the day. Eman AbdElRahman brings us the story.
Burma: “UN is a failure”
Buddha Warrior uploads a statement of the All Burma Monks’ Alliance and the 88 Generation Students which condemns the failure of the UN Security Council to take an effective action against the military junta in Burma
Vietnam: Returning home
Blogger Vietnamese God shares the happiness of a mother who returned to Hanoi after being away for ten years.
Burma: Road pictures
New Mandala uploads pictures of roads in the eastern Shan State located in the borders of Burma, Thailand and China.
Colombia: Juanes for Nobel Peace Prize
Piso Tres [es] writes about the campaign to nominate Colombian rocker Juanes for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in peacemaking in the country.
Laos: New Year
Nye Noona greets everyone “Souksan Vanh Pee Mai” or Happy Lao New Year! The Lao New Year will be celebrated next week.
Morocco: Reintroduction of the bustard
The View from Fez reports that General Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces has participated in the release of 5,000 houbara bustards in an attempt to reintroduce the endangered species to Morocco.
Guatemala: Using Blogs to Support Good Works and Raise Awareness
Guatemalan blogs are increasingly being utilized to promote the works of non-profit organizations, solicit funds to support worthy causes, or to raise awareness of important, but often unknown issues. Here are few examples of how blogs have been an important factor in promoting organizations and causes around the country.