Stories from 26 August 2008
Serbia: Belgrade's New Mayor; Monopoly
East Ethnia reports that Belgrade has got a new mayor – and is now featured in the international version of Monopoly.
Ukraine: “Gender Equality and Genuine Democracy”
Mayia guestblogs at The 8th Circle about “gender and democracy” in Ukraine.
Yemen: The Wooden Windows of Seiyoun
Yemeni Omar Barsawad takes us to the picturesque village of Seiyoun, where beautifully adorned doors and windows were traditionally made out of wood. Barsawad posts a few pictures to illustrate the art.
UAE: Favourite Show Host Interview
From the United Arab Emirates, Fahad shares with us an interview [Ar] with his favourite television show host.
Morocco: Giving in the Facebook
Moroccan author and blogger Laila Lalami gives in to temptation and signs up for a Facebook account.
Brazil: Church demands justice do ban sexy pic on Playboy
Milton Ribeiro [pt] reports that the Brazilian Justice has banned a photo in August edition of Playboy, after complains from the Catholic Church because the model was holding a crucifix. “After all, the Catholic Church, who owns the fetish, felt offended and it is now going after the girl and...
Macau: Crime rates on the rise
Leocardo [pt] remarks that crime rates in on the rise in Macao: “In general, crime has increased more than 11% this year compared with the same period last year. We are exposed to professional thieves, many of them from mainland China, which makes it difficult to trace the problem. Authorities...
Brazil: Independent newspaper arrives to the web
Jornal Pessoal [Personal Newspaper, pt], an independent newspaper that goes out every other week since 1987 in the outskirt of Amazon, Belém do Pará city in Brazil, has finally arrived to the Internet, announces [pt] the one-man behind the project, Lúcio Flávio Pinto. He is now working on making the...
Sao Tome and Principe: Reflecting on value crises
Wilson Bragança [pt] talks about value crises, a subject that tends to repeat itself cyclically in all generations. “What seems to be happening now, in our society, is that conduct, standards and overall sense of individual and community life are not based on ethical standards, values, but the immediate criteria,...
East Timor: Wikileaks on Ramos-Horta attempted assasination
Timor Online [pt] posts a link to documents related to the attempted assassination of East Timor President Ramos-Horta, in 2008, from Wikileaks. They are in English and the bloggers are now working on translations into Portuguese and French.
Georgia: Blogging from Poti
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is once again blogging from Georgian towns under Russian military occupation. The station's Tea Absaridze is providing daily updates on the situation in the strategic Black Sea port of Poti, currently controlled by the Russian military despite a ceasefire agreement requiring Moscow to withdraw...
Paraguay: President Lugo to Forgo Salary
Fernando Lugo's presidency started with an announcement that he would forgo his monthly salary. "I don't need that salary, which belongs to the poor," said Lugo. Different local bloggers see things differently, as one applauds the decision and another wonders how Lugo will pay for his own expenses.
Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Michelle Did Well
Trinidadian blogger Afrobella is a “great admirer of Michelle Obama” and thinks she nailed her speech at the Democratic National Convention, calling it “poignant and resonant”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Leatherback Hatchlings
Now is Wow Too posts video of Leatherback turtle hatchlings in Grande Riviere, Trinidad, as they make their first trip out to sea.
Russia, Georgia: Unilateral Recognition of Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's Independence
Russia has formally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia today. Below are some of the initial reactions from LiveJournal's Cyrillic sector.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Rapist at Large
The women of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are under siege by a serial rapist and Abeni is “very uneasy about the whole scenario…I have now developed an intense hatred for the rapist or rapists who have turned women into prisoners in their own homes. Is it too much to...
Jamaica: Gustav etc.
As Jamaican Annie Paul waits for Hurricane Gustav “to huff and puff and blow our house down”, she blogs about everything from Usain Bolt-inspired dance moves to Michelle Obama: “(She) was impressive, wasn't she? Neither pale, nor male–i can identify with that…”
Guyana: Reporter Fired?
Living Guyana says that a journalist has allegedly been fired for writing a less-than-glowing account of the Carifesta Opening Ceremony, which Signifyin’ Guyana agrees the reporter correctly described as “disappointing”.
Georgia: Photo Blogs
Georgia & South Caucasus posts a selection of images from two photo blogs taken in the aftermath of the Russian-Georgian conflict over South Ossetia. The photos include those of IDPs in Tbilisi and from the strategic town of Gori which was until recently occupied by Russian troops.
Barbados: To Sign or Not To Sign
“The buzz issue in the Caribbean media in recent weeks is whether the CARIFORUM members will sign-on to the CARIFORUM/EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)”: Barbados Underground examines a few of the issues.
China: Photos from inside Tibetan Skynet control room
Famed she is, though definitely not for her blogging, which is too bad, because there's no doubt that a lot of people would be interested to see the control-room photos and series of Chinese-language sources that Tibetan writer Woeser has just posted which show just how close of an electronic...
