Stories from 24 November 2008
South Asia: Desis in the White House
Taz at Sepia Mutiny discusses about the prospective South Asian (Desi) American candidates who will join the Transition Team of the US president elect Barack Obama.
Pakistan: ISI closes political wing
Deadpan Thoughts reports that the political wing of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI ceased its operation after three decades of spying on politicians and fixing political deals.
Japan: Bloggers debate prohibition of cannabis
Starting with the case of two sumo wrestlers who tested positive for marijuana at the beginning of September and continuing with the announcement last week by Waseda University that three students were arrested over suspicions of growing cannabis, scandals related to the use of cannabis have topped the headlines in the media over the last few weeks in Japan.
Lithuania: Flaws of foreign media election coverage
Lituanica criticises an article in the German Times for misrepresenting results of the recent parliamentary elections in Lithuania, in portraying parties as Eurosceptic.
Latvia: Freedom of speech in peril?
Latvian bloggers react to the security police incarceration of two citizens for publicly criticising the government financial policies. Free Speech Emergency in Latvia covers the story, and Marginalia provides links...
Chile: Returning Historical Documents to Peru
The Chilean government recently returned some historical documents that had belonged to Peru. The act was facilitated by the Chilean Office of Libraries, Archives and Museums of which Enzo Abbagliati...
Peru: Against Child Pornography and Prostitution
Juan Arellano of Globalizado [es] is joining in the international campaign against child pornography, and links to some blogs that talk about child prostitution in Peru.
Bahrain: Apartment Blocks
Ian Hamza, from Bahrain, posts a number of photographs featuring apartment buildings.
Jordan: How Not to Cook Tongue
Jordanian Hareega lists 10 ways in which you shouldn't cook beef tongue.
Bahrain: Charity Stamps Question
Redbelt from Bahrain questions the purpose of the charity stamp, people have to purchase when mailing letters abroad and wonders: “Shouldn't charity be optional?”
Israel: Why isn't Twinning Week held in Saudi Arabia?
From Israel, Yisrael Medad writes about the Week of Twinning, in which mosques and synagogues across the US joined forces to confront Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and asks: “Well, why can't...
US: Mosque and Synagogue Twinning Week
Richard Silverstein, a Jewish blogger in the US, writes about how 40 mosques and synagogues in the US conducted a joint programme on Islamophobia and anti-Semitism this weekend. “The goal...
Jordan: Spotlight on Atlantis Opening in Dubai
Jordanian Jazarah posts photographs and videos from the opening of the world's most expensive hotel ($1.5bn), Atlantis Resort, in Dubai, UAE.
Israel: Straw and Mud Mosque to be Demolished
International and local activists spent the night waiting for demolition crew to come and destroy a new straw and mud mosque built in an unrecognised village of Wadi el-Naam, Israel. One blogger gives us a detailed account of what happened on the eventful night while another wonders what the reaction would be had it been a synagogue that was being threatened.
