Stories from 19 July 2008
Egypt: Early Morning Earthquake
Egyptian Chronicles reports that an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale has hit Egypt. No damages were reported.
Israel: Why did Israel Approve the Hezbollah Deal?
A day after the controversial deal with Hezbollah, many Israelis are still puzzled and disappointed. Puzzled over why their government accepted the terms of this deal, knowing that the kidnapped soldiers were not alive. How did the government and security entities approve handing back live prisoners with blood on their hands for dead bodies?
Palestine: The Word of the Israeli Against that of an Arab
A few days after the release of Lebanese Samir Kuntar from three decades in an Israeli prison, Palestinians bloggers are reminded that when it is the word of an Israeli against that of an Arab, the Israeli's will always be the one to be considered.
Mexico: Withdrawn Claim of Mexican Cartels Receiving Training in Iran
A recent article in the newspaper El Universal indicated that members of somd Mexican drug cartels had been traveling to Iran to receive training in the use of arms and...
Bolivia: Blogging from El Alto
Mario Durán of Palabras Libres [es], who has been blogging for the past three years from El Alto, Bolivia, writes about how he started his personal blog and other projects.
Tunisia: Where are the State Funerals?
Eight Tunisians were among the 197 bodies handed over by Israel to Lebanon, in the latest prisoner swap between the two countries. Tunisian bloggers are calling for the return of their remains to their country - and honouring the dead in a state funeral.
Equatorial Guinea: On Simon Mann's sentencing
Kate Cronin-Furman of the blog Wronging Rights, comments on Equatorial Guinea's last week sentencing to 34 years in jail of Simon Mann for his role “in the World's Most Ill-Conceived...
Saudi Arabia: Death on Roads
New traffic laws have been introduced in Saudi Arabia. Yet, according to Sabra: “A ‘weekend traffic rush’ resulted in three traffic accidents Wednesday night wherein NINE people have died and...
Bahrain: Arrogant French Embassy
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif complains about the ‘arrogance’ of the French Embassy in Bahrain in this post – where he claims he wasn't treated well when he went to...
Czech Republic, Slovakia: Czechoslovakia
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia lists “a few basic facts” about the region that used to be known as Czechoslovakia.
Slovakia: “Folk Culture and Communism”
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia writes about the communists’ role in preserving Slovak folk culture.
Ukraine: Woman Who Tried To Sell Her Son
Ukrainiana posts and translates a video about a 30-year-old Odesa woman who tried to sell her son for $1,500.
Ukraine: Ukrainska Pravda Reporter Interrogated
Ukrainiana writes about the questioning of an Ukrainska Pravda reporter in connection with Yushchenko poisoning case.
Israel: The Israeli failure and the Lebanese Radicalization
“The prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hezbollah is a forlorn expression of the failed second Lebanon war and the lack of firm policy in the Israeli government. We follow...
Israel: Change the Government
“(W)e must change our government now – and change the way we deal with the issue of our kidnapped soldiers and the terrorists we have in our prisons,” writes Chik-Chat...
Israel: ‘Kuntar Not a Victim’
Israeli Carl in Jerusalem criticizes the coverage of the New York Times of Lebanese Samir Kuntar's release. “Wednesday's New York Times included an appalling, sickening article in which the ‘gray...
