18 February 2011

Stories from 18 February 2011

Pakistan: Two Great Online Initiatives

Kalsoom at CHUP -Changing Up Pakistan informs about two great efforts – 1) ThinkChange Pakistan, a blog that aims to track the social entrepreneurship and innovation space in Pakistan and...

18 February 2011

Bhutan: More On Tobacco Ban

“Now smoking has become one fear and guilt -ridden expensive habit,” thus explains Penstar the impact of the tobacco ban in Bhutan.

18 February 2011

India And Pakistan: Ideological Enemies?

“Are India and Pakistan ideological enemies?” asks Dr. Niaz Murtaza at Pak Tea House. Murtaza thinks that both the countries should resolve their differences maturely by dialogue, not by other...

18 February 2011

Jordan: Societal Criticism through Humor

Participants of the hashtag #Jordanianlies are out to prove the stereotype wrong. #Jordanianlies features statements Jordanians hear that are often untrue. Thus, the hashtag uses humor to point out faults in Jordanian society. While the majority of #Jordanianlies posts center on gender relations, work situations, and everyday life, a few have ventured into political criticism.

18 February 2011

Azerbaijan: From Carpets to Socks

Azerbaijani carpets were last year inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. They also often attract the attention of bloggers.

18 February 2011

Bahrain: Crown Prince Calls for Peace on National TV

In midst of the chaos of the shooting of protesters in the capital, Bahrain's Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa appeared on a live television program tonight on Bahrain TV at around 6:30 pm local time on Friday 18 February, 2011. Bahrain's Twittersphere live-tweeted his interview.

18 February 2011

Jamaica: Get Up, Stand Up

“Next year…Jamaica will celebrate 50 years of being an independent nation, but unless we take Bob Marley's words to heart and emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, our jubilee will represent...

18 February 2011

Cuba: Reina Luisa Tamayo Arrested

Uncommon Sense re-posts a report of the arrest and alleged beating of the mother of the late prisoner of conscience, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, saying: “Wednesday…is [the] one-year anniversary of [his]...

18 February 2011

Venezuela: Views of Caracas from the Local Blogosphere

A huge number of texts, descriptions, stories and articles have been written about Caracas; the blogosphere also plays an important role in describing the Venezuelan capital. Laura Vidal gathers bloggers who devote themselves to recounting the latest developments in the lives of the Caraqueños, some out of a desire for a better city and a love for its culture, and others from a feeling of nostalgia for the noble Caracas of times past.

18 February 2011

Jordan: Tweets for Reform

For the last several weeks, Jordanians have discussed their own government and society in Twitter under the hashtag #ReformJo. The hashtag has provided an opportunity not just to criticize Jordan's government, but to provide suggestions to improve Jordan, from anti-smoking measures to educational reform to amending Jordan's constitution.

18 February 2011

Bahrain: More Gunshots in Capital

Reports of shootings in different locations in the Bahraini capital Manama have flooded social media sites this Friday afternoon. Tweeps at the scene describe the carnage as Bahrain braces itself for more bloodshed and heartbreak.

18 February 2011