Stories from 20 November 2008
Bangladesh: Hajj pilgrims vote issue
Ghore Baire critically analyzes the point one major political party of Bangladesh raised that Hajj pilgrims will not being able to vote if the elections are held on December 18.
Thailand: Blast inside protest site
An anti-government protester was killed and scores were wounded in a bomb blast Thursday inside a demonstration site in Bangkok. The blast was dropped in the Government House complex. Check out the video clip showing the bomb blast site.
Vietnam/Singapore: Bridal service controversy
A Singapore newspaper published an article announcing the discount rate for Vietnam brides. This drew criticism from many Vietnamese individuals and groups: “It's horrible to see them [Vietnamese would-be brides] ‘discounted’ like they are a sack of rice or a pair of shoes.”
Philippines: Typhoid fever downs 77
More than 70 persons contracted typhoid fever in Quezon province in the Philippines. The diarrheal disease is linked with contaminated water supply.
Philippines: Bloggers file impeachment case against president
Several Filipino bloggers have filed an impeachment complaint against the Philippine president. The president is accused of corruption, electoral fraud, betrayal of the Constitution and public trust.
Sri Lanka: Censoring the web and Internet
ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) discusses about a proposed law in Sri Lanka restricting private TV broadcasting: “disturbingly, the proposed regulations are a significant challenge to all bloggers in Sri Lanka, since they seek to hold accountable all ISPs for the qualitative nature of the content transmitted, accessed and produced using...
Egypt: Jailed for Complaining about Sexual Harassment
Egyptian Zeinobia writes about how a 31-year-old woman and her sick elderly mother spent the night in jail, after reporting to the authorities that a police officer had sexually harassed her.
Cambodia's new intellectuals
Vuthasurf uploads an article written by GV author Geoffrey Cain which was published by the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review. The article features young bloggers who are hailed as Cambodia's new intellectuals.
Egypt Wins Sixth African Cup Football Championship
From Egypt, Ibn Al Dunya celebrates Al Ahly Club's sixth African Club Championship title in football.
Qatar: Museum of Islamic Arts to Open
Qatar Living announces the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art on November 22. The museum will open its doors to the public on December 1.
Harry Potter translated into Khmer language
GV author Tharum writes about the Khmer translation of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book. Tharum also reflects on how to improve readership in Cambodia today.
Bangladesh: Tour on Padma river
Kristin Boekhoff posts about a photographic boat tour on the mighty Padma River in Bangladesh.
Kazakhstan: Political Economy and Blocked Blogs
It has been more than a month since Kazakhstan’s telecom monopolist blocked access of the users to Livejournal, the most popular blog platform in the Central Asian country. At the same time, the networks of online discussions did not get bleaker, still providing speedy reaction to the socio-political and economic...
Brazil: Attempts to censor a documentary about censorship
Gagged in Brazil, a documentary about the relationship between politics, media and censorship in Brazil was taken off the Current TV networks after a political party's complaint. After a full investigation into the sources, the film is back online - but media censorship in Minas Gerais is an old and ongoing issue.
Egypt: Sawiris Takes on Switzerland
Cairo's Scene & Heard celebrated entrepreneur and hotelier Sameh Sawiris's new project in Switzerland saying: “Now that we're branching out into Europe…do you think we stand a chance next to the already existing competition?!?”
Egypt: No More Natural Gas to Israel
An Egyptian court has banned the export of natural gas to Israel. Marwa Rakha briefs us about the deal, and what an Egyptian blogger is writing about the court order in this post.
Rain in the Middle East
It's raining in the Middle East and bloggers are taking to their keyboards to register their thoughts about the change in climate. Here's review of what some bloggers in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kuwait, the UAE and Israel had to say about the rain.
Iran: Two cyber activists jailed
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns online journalist Shahnaz Gholami’s arrest at her Tehran home on 9 November. RSF reports that theologian and online journalist Mojtaba Lotfi was arrested on 8 October for a posting a sermon by a well-known opponent of Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei online.
Egypt: American University in Cairo's New Campus Sparks Debate
Designed to accommodate 5,500 full-time students and 1,500 faculty and staff, the American University in Cairo's new $400 million, 260-acre campus is technologically advanced and environmentally friendly. Students say that it was a premature move as they suffer sexual harassment and expensive food, among many other issues. Marwa Rakha reports.
Oman: King Abdullah's Meeting with Saudi Students Cool
Omani blogger Amjad says King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met with Saudi students during his visit to the US. He describes the gesture as “really cool.”
Oman: Blogger's Meet Up Planned
Oman Community Blog is planning a blogger meeting. The dates have not been finalised – but tentative dates are the 17th, 18th or 19th of December.
