Stories from May, 2009
Afghanistan: Aid Money Used Badly
Colla reviews the first report by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which noted that the military command overseeing $15bn in US military aid cannot be sure the money is being managed effectively.
Mongolia: Wiretapping to be discussed
Bilguun informs the readers that the Mongolian Parliament is to discuss possible changes to the Communications law, which includes legalizing wiretapping of mobile communication for law enforcement purposes.
Uzbekistan: New Attacks and Bombings
Noah Tucker reports that one or two offices of police/special services departments in Khanabad, Eastern Uzbekistan, were attacked by a group of armed men.
Kazakhstan: Special Report by BNE
Elina Galperin reviews the special report on Kazakhstan, which is especially interesting right now as the country is closely tied to world markets and is therefore struggling.
Egypt: Cairo Refugee Film Festival
Integrating refugees in society is the aim of a film festival with a difference. Marwa Rakha learns about the Cairo Refugee Film Festival, being held from June 16 to 20 from the event's blog through a fellow blogger, and shares her findings in this post.
Jordan: Twittering Queen and Undercover King
Jordanian The Arab Observer observes on Twitter: “In Jordan: A Queen who twitters and a king who goes undercover! A cool Royal family, no?”
Jordan: King Goes Undercover
Jordan's King Abdullah visited the Health Ministry's Patients’ Affairs Department in disguise to see what services were being offered to citizens seeking treatment. Naseem Tarawnah jots down his thoughts on the visit in this post.
Pakistan: Bloggers On Swat Relief Drive
The Observers features Pakistani blogger Teeth Maestro's humanitarian relief efforts for the IDPs in Swat region.
Pakistan: Bomb Blasts In Peshawar
Chowrangi reports that four bombing incidents “hit Peshawar and rocked Pakistan on Thursday killing thirteen people and injuring more than 120 people”. Pak Tea House says that the fight against terror will only be won if Baitullah (Mullah) Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban chief is brought to justice.
UAE and Saudi Arabia: “It's Gonna Be a Scorcher!”
The Hollywood film Ishtar, about lounge singers in Morocco who get caught up in an international plot between the CIA and the "Emir of Ishtar" is memorable but for one line: "It's gonna be a scorcher!" This past week, Gulf residents have found themselves saying just that, as temperatures in the region rose well into the 40s (Celsius). The Saudi and UAE Twitterspheres have their say.
Bangladesh: Extra Judicial Killing
Asif at Unheard Voice blog has some questions regarding the latest case of extra judicial killing in Bangladesh.
Iran:Bomb explosion killed 20 people
A bomb explosion killed 20 people in a Shi'ite mosqe in the Iranian south eastern city, Zahedan. Nimroz, a Zahedan based blogger, says [fa] after explosion some Sunni stores and a Sunni mosque were attacked by Basij forces.
Bahrain: Swine Flu Arrives
Earlier this week the first case of the new H1N1 flu, or swine flu, was confirmed in Bahrain, arriving with a Bahraini student who had been in New York. Bahrain's bloggers react in this post.
Haiti, U.S.A.: Remembering Fr. Jean-Juste
Blogger tributes are pouring in for the late Fr. Gérard Jean-Juste, a Haitian Roman Catholic priest who was known by his admirers as a champion of the poor and an ardent supporter of the Fanmi Lavalas political party, headed by ousted President Jean Bertrand Aristide.
Egypt: Anti-Male Circumcision Campaign
In 2008 Egypt passed a law that banned female circumcision (FGM). Today a group of bloggers started a campaign against male circumcision. Marwa Rakha picks up the story in this post.
Africa: Remembering Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem
Africa has lost one of its greatest sons, Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem. He died on the eve of Africa Day in a car accident in Nairobi on his way to launch a maternal health campaign in Kigali, Rwanda. Tajudeen was the Director of Justice Africa, General Secretary of the Pan-African Movement, Chairperson for the Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme (PADEAP), Chair of the International Governing Council of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Outreach Coordinator on the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.
Honduras: Strong Earthquake Shakes Country
Honduras awoke early in the morning of May 28 when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale shook the country. Five deaths were confirmed, more injured, and slowly there is the discovery of damages to the country's infrastructure like buildings, bridges, and highways. Microblogging platforms like Blipea and Twitter were the first to report the earthquake from users in San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba. However, some bloggers were unable to update their sites due to electrical and internet outages all across the country.
Trinidad & Tobago: Police Presence
From Trinidad and Tobago, Mauvais Langue cannot believe that “in the year 2009 they [the police] still saying they have no vehicles”, while B.C. Pires takes great pride in the way his friend, through a letter to the Editor, comes “around the wicket, to send one right up into the...
Jamaica, U.S. Virgin Islands: Cruise Control
The popularity of cruises to Caribbean destinations gets Jamaican diaspora blogger Labrish thinking about “the overwhelm of the environment, marine and land, that these mega-cities-on-the-sea bring with them.”
Cuba: Sex Change Operations
Repeating Islands notes “that Cuba is reinstating sex-change operations that had previously been banned on the island.”
Belize: Earthquake
Belize-based blogger As The Coconuts Drop recounts his experience of yesterday's strong earthquake.
