19 May 2010

Stories from 19 May 2010

MENA: International Day Against Homophobia Celebrated

May 17th marks the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is still a region for concern according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (IGLA), as homosexual acts are still legally punishable in all MENA countries with the exception of Israel. Despite this, there are associations in the region which openly and passionately celebrated IDAHO; Katharine Ganly takes a look at some of the major events in the region.

19 May 2010

Facebook Is Blocked in Pakistan As It Indulges In A Controversial Campaign

After the outcry surrounding the Draw Mohammed Day Facebook page, which is campaigning for the creation of mass cartoon caricatures of Prophet Muhammed [PBUH] on the 20th of May, today the Lahore High Court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block the entire Facebook.com domain in Pakistan till the 31st of May. Pakistani bloggers react.

19 May 2010

Bahrain: Why was Al Jazeera's Office Shut Down?

Bahrain temporarily shut down the office of Al Jazeera Satellite Channel for "violating professional conventions." Bloggers and tweeps react to the development in this post - especially after rumours surfaced that the Qatari station's bureau was closed because of a report it aired on poverty in Bahrain. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera says it doesn't even operate an office in Bahrain so what exactly is going on?

19 May 2010

Japan: Buddhist Pet Funerals

The Quirky Japan Blog introduces some actions a pet owner can take following the loss of a beloved pet, in a post titled “Buddhist Pet Funerals“.

19 May 2010

Estonia: Green party purges

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa reflects upon how the Estonian Green Party has just expelled leading members and which consequences this has for the party and the country's political landscape,...

19 May 2010

Russia rises as nuclear exporter

RuNet Echo

Eberhard Rhein of EU Blogactiv writes about a recent agreement between Russia and Turkey on construction of a nucelar power plant, and how Russia is becoming a leading exporter of...

19 May 2010

Brazil: Using Cleaner Fuels in Ships

Ambiente Brasil reports [pt] on the bill nº 7006/10 by the parliamentarian Carlos Bezerra. It intends to prohibit the traffic of ships whose fuels contain more than a thousand parts...

19 May 2010