23 May 2009

Stories from 23 May 2009

Bahrain: Our Need For Indians Is Like Our Need For Air

Earlier this month, Bahrain announced that it would be ending the system of sponsorship of foreign labour. While the move is intended to stop the exploitation of workers, especially from the Indian subcontinent, for some Bahrainis the idea of it becoming easier for foreigners to work in the country is worrying. In this post a blogger talks about the Indian presence in Bahrain.

23 May 2009

Kuwait: Cinema Censorship, Quality Woes and Limited Telecom Services

Following the Kuwaiti elections and all the previous political drama, bloggers are now focusing their energies on entertainment and technology posts, with Cinescape, the Kuwaiti national cinema company monopoly, taking the brunt of the criticism from younger viewers due to quality control and censorship woes. Also in this post, a blogger laments the limited telecom services available in the country.

23 May 2009

Morocco: Therapy Abroad, Apathy at Home

The global economic downturn seems to be affecting tourism worldwide, a sector upon which the Moroccan economy is heavily dependent. The north African kingdom has launched a wide campaign to polish its image abroad and attract more travelers. But what is the reality on the ground, as local elections approach, as reported by Moroccan bloggers?

23 May 2009

Egyptian Tycoon Sentenced to Death

Egyptians witnessed the most unexpected verdict in the history of their judiciary system: Billionaire Hesham Talaat Moustafa, along with his hired hitman Mohsen El Sokary, have both been sentenced to death for their roles in the murder of Lebanese singer Suzanne Tameem. The gruesome murder took place in Dubai, UAE, and Thursday's sentence was met with shock and bewilderment as the blogosphere comes to terms with the verdict.

23 May 2009

Pakistan: Local Resistance Against The Taliban

CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan informs that the local tribesmen near Swat Valley are forming militias (lashkars) to prevent the Taliban influence in the region. Earlier the Talibans executed many...

23 May 2009

Iran: Face Book and Twitter got Filtered

Several Iranian sites and blogs such as demokracy reported that Face Book and Twitter got filtered in Iran.Ghomar,says [fa] President Ahmadinejad wants to beat his rivals in the presidential election...

23 May 2009

Armenia: Belated election blogging

Unzipped says that the incumbent Mayor of Yerevan, Gagik Beglarian [AM], has started blogging ahead of next week's municipal election in the Armenian capital. However, the blog wonders why the...

23 May 2009

Lithuania: Election Roundup

With a Grain of Druska writes that in Lithuania, “it is time for a younger, more energetic leader.” Eternal Remont mentions president-elect's karate skills: “[…] who wants to see the...

23 May 2009

Russia: Eurovision Roundup

In Moscow, Eurovision coincided with this year's Night of Museums (IZO) – and with an attempt to hold a gay pride parade, which was interrupted by riot police (Robert Amsterdam's...

23 May 2009

South Korea: Roh Moo-hyun dies

Todd Thacker from Ohmynews International reported about South Korea former president Roh Moo-hyun's sudden death. Western media mostly assumed that Roh had committed suicide because of corruption scandal.

23 May 2009