Stories from 17 February 2009
Hungary: MTI's 1989 and 1956 News Items Online
Hungarian Spectrum writes that Hungarian news agency MTI has made all its 1989 and 1956 news items available online: “As someone who with great difficulty and and at great expense (admittedly underwritten by grant money) tried to collect news items from 1919-1921 I can really appreciate how technology has freed...
Estonia: “Consolidation” of Tallinn
AnTyx writes about Tallinn mayor's campaign to get rid of the city's boroughs: “Ostensibly this is beneficial to the mayor's Centrist Party, and should allow them to keep control of the city, as well as give them a boost in other elections.”
Bulgaria: IHT's Coverage of Corruption
Veni Markovski criticizes the International Herald Tribune's coverage of corruption in Bulgaria.
Afghanistan: “Copyright on God’s Words”
Amila Bosnae reacts to the news of a death sentence given to two Afghans who “translated the Quran into one of their country’s languages.”
Belarus: Feb. 14 Peaceful Protest
Belarusan American Blog writes about the dispersal of the Feb. 14 peaceful protest in Minsk.
Egypt: The Amazing Pepsi Logo
SandMonkey explains why the Pepsi logo looks like a rip off of the Obama campaign logo.
Lebanon: Students make banner of peace for Gaza
Students in Lebanon pose with their banner of peace, a denunciation of the conflict in Gaza.
MENA: Is the BBC Impartial in its Refusal to Air the Gaza Appeal?
Long respected as a beacon of free speech, bloggers across the Arab world and beyond have been left questioning BBC's integrity after its refusal to air an appeal for the victims of the latest Israeli war on Gaza.
French Caribbean: Strikers Bloggers
Nowadays, no mass movement can ignore the importance of public relations and the social crisis in Martinique and Guadeloupe is no exception, according to Collectif5février [Fr, Martinique] and LKP and Elie Domota [Fr, Guadeloupe].
France, French Caribbean: Mobilization in Paris
It has often been said that l'Ile de France (Paris and its surroundings) is the Fifth French Overseas Department, due to its huge population of French Guianese, Guadeloupeans, Martinicans and Reunionese. In this announcement published by CaribCreoleOne, a group called Continuité LKP [Fr] invites the diaspora to march in Paris...
Iran: Mapping change of Iranian blogosphere
Discover a new mapping of Iranian blogosphere thanks to Bruce Etling and John Kelly.
Iran: A new competition for bloggers
Ghomar Asheghaneh,an Iran based blogger, writes[fa] that a group called “Human Rights Activists in Iran” has organised a competition for Iranian bloggers who cover human righst issues.
Colombia: The Awá Indigenous Community Caught in the Middle
The ongoing conflict deep within the Colombian jungle between the FARC, ELN and the Colombian Armed Forces often finds people caught in the middle. Authorities are investigating the killing of dozens of members of the Awá indigenous community, and are blaming the FARC guerrillas for the crime. Many say that the Awá have been targeted because of the suspicion that they are acting as informants, something which the government denies. Nevertheless, this indigenous group is now being displaced from their land because of the violence.
Pakistan: Lahore International Book Fair
Hasan Mubarak at Lahore Metblogs writes about the 23rd Lahore International Book Fair and posts some pictures.
Sri Lanka: Blog Posts In A Book
Cerno announces an idea of publishing Sri Lanka’s top 100 blog posts in a book. In a followup post the blogger explains how people can contribute to the project.
Bhutan: Yartsa Guenbup
Kaptang at Kuzu-Bhutan Weblog describes the dark side of the Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis) or Yartsa Guenbup (caterpillar fungus) which is collected at an altitudes beyond 4,000 Mtrs.
Saudi Arabia: On relationships and divorce
From Saudi Arabia, American Bedu answers a reader's questions on relationships with Saudis, the consequences on divorce on women and whether Saudi men can live in a relationship without being married.
Israel: A Royal Link?
Israeli blogger Yisrael Medad may soon be counting British royalty as relatives. Click here to find out how.
Egypt: On Suicide
People don't commit suicide because they lost faith or a job, argues Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein.
Yemen: A Visit to Tarim
Yemeni blogger Omar Bawsawad takes us on a visit to Tarim, once the cultural and academic centre of Hadhramout and the Arab peninsula but which is neglected today.
Saudi Arabia: Introducing Yanbu
American Bedu, who lives in Saudi Arabia, takes us on a tour of Yanbu, an industrial and port city located in Medinah province about 350 kilometers north of Jeddah.
