16 September 2008

Stories from 16 September 2008

Syria: No Chrome for Syrians

  16 September 2008

Syrian Yaser Sadeq says Google new browser Chrome is not available in Syria because “our friends in Google corp. have decided or agreed to withhold their services from syrian users as part of the embargo by the U.S government against Syria.”

Azerbaijan: Gay Artist Detained in UK

  16 September 2008

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that gay Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov has been detained by British police. Badalov is currently seeking asylum in the United Kingdom and the blog posts details of a protest demonstration to be held in his support today.

Suez Canal donates 1,000,000 Egyptian Pounds to Doweika Victims

  16 September 2008

Like Asser Mattar, many Egyptians were happy to find out that Suez Canal canceled its annual celebration on September 14 to donate a total of one million Egyptian Pounds to support the victims of the Doweika tragedy. Scores of people were killed and injured when huge rocks fell on 35 homes in the slum in one of Cairo's poorest neighbourhoods.

Bangladesh: Money vs. Country

  16 September 2008

“11 national cricketers prefer more money than the honor of playing national cricket for Bangladesh.” Unheard Voices echoes the outrage of many Bangladeshis after these national players decided to quit to join the lucrative Indian Cricket League (ICL).

South African Cartoonist Takes on ANC President

  16 September 2008

ANC President, Jacob Zuma, was recently back in the headlines as his trial on charges for corruption, amongst other things, was thrown out of court to the dismay of many South Africans but also to the cheer of his millions of supporters, particularly from parties allied to the ANC. Parallel to this, Jonathan Shapiro a.k.a. Zapiro, South Africa's foremost political cartoonist had Zuma in his sights as he published a controversial cartoon in the Sunday Times.

Kuwait and Ramadan

  16 September 2008

It has been a busy Ramadan in Kuwait, with the collapse of the Stock Exchange, social activities and artistic creativity. Abdullatif Al Omar digs into Kuwaiti blogs to bring us the latest.

The Balkans: Subotica Mosque; Balkan Muslims

  16 September 2008

Kakanien Revisited writes about the new mosque of Subotica, the first one in Serbia's Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, “built with funds from Novi Pazar […] and Turkey.” The 8th Circle jots down notes on the Balkan Muslims from a recent Reuters piece.

Cuba: Assessing the Damage

  16 September 2008

“The blow to food supply is particularly severe: crops lost in the field, stocks damaged in warehouses, and Cuba’s capacity to import affected by losses in sectors that generate foreign exchange earnings”: The Cuban Triangle posts a roundup of reports on post-hurricane damage in Cuba, which is estimated to be...

Zimbabwe: Full Text of Agreement

  16 September 2008

Sokwanele posts the Agreement between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-Pf) and the two Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) Formations: “It is a lengthy document and difficult to read on screen, so we have added jump-links to the top of the document to help you navigate to different sections.”

Cuba, South Africa: Castro Wins Award

  16 September 2008

Uncommon Sense cannot believe that, according to a mainstream media report, Fidel Castro has won the South African Ubuntu award for his contributions to “humankind beyond boundaries.”