Stories from 19 August 2008
Saudi Arabia: It's all in the name
It is common practice for converts to Islam to adopt Muslim names. But is it necessary - and what kind of name is appropriate? One Saudi blogger ponders the question, while some others are thinking about the use of aliases in the blogosphere - and yet another encourages the government to 'name names'.
China: India-US nuclear deal
While anticipating a question regarding China in Katie Couric's upcoming interview of American presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain, Out Of The Way blogger Ellaconic has instead opted to look toward India and a less-observed issue, and presents a lot of background which led up to the recently-approved India-US...
Georgia, Russia: Feeding Looters and Refugees
A number of Tbilisi residents gathered in front of the Russian embassy Saturday for a protest prank against looting. LJ user oleg-panfilov posted photos of the items left by the protesters for the Russian army; LJ user tony-geo called to Georgians to take care of the refugees' needs first, before getting involved in the "information war."
Lebanon: The Beijing Olympics
Lebanon presence in the Beijing Olympics might be in small numbers, but it is interesting to note that the Lebanese athletes were only absent once since 1948. Ajnabiya gives us a refreshing overview on the Lebanon's participation in this year's event in her latest post.
Lebanon: Waste water treatment
While the political situation in Lebanon is undeniably taking over the media’s focus, blogger Rami at Land and People turns his attention to a critical and rarely addressed issue: Waste water treatment.
Egypt: Death of Three Arab Cultural Icons
The Arab world lost three of its cultural icons in the spam of a month. They are Egyptians philosopher Dr Abdelwahab El Mesery and film maker Yousef Chahine and Palestinian poet Mahmood Darwish. Egyptian Blogger, ElGharep, or The Stranger, reflects on the loss in this post [Ar].
Pakistan: What next after Musharraf?
Kamla Bhatt posts a round-up of international media reactions on Pakistan President Musharraf's resignation.
Bhutan: Reduced Maternity Leave?
Recently Bhutan government has proposed reduction of maternity leave from 3 months to 45 days only in a draft revision of the labor act. Tshokey in Kuzu Bhutan weblog builds a case against the reduction stating why the leave is important for the newborn and the mother and what the...
Nepal: A new Prime Minister
Kathmundu Speaks on the new Nepali Prime Minister, the Maoist leader Prachanda (Pushpa Kamal Dahal): “I'd be really happy if he fulfills his promises. But there's much to be done besides politics.”
Sri Lanka: Lunar Eclipse pictures
Shehal of kanabona.com witnessed the partial Lunar eclipse on August 17th in Sri Lanka and posts some beautiful photographs of the eclipse.
North Africa: Bringing Home the Medals
In the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games, there was much speculation on how the Middle East and North Africa would fare. Although Turkey is the only Middle Eastern country to medal thus far (in athletics, weightlifting, and Greco-Roman wrestling), North Africa is enjoying great success. So far, Egypt's Hesham Mesbah and Algeria's Soraya Haddad and Amar Benikhlef have all medaled in Judo (bronze, bronze, and silver, respectively), Morocco's Hasna Benhassi took home a bronze in the women's 800m dash, and Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli scored gold in the men's 1500m freestyle.
Saudi Arabia: Review of Saudi blogs
American Bedu, an American living in Saudi Arabia, reviews some Saudi blogs written in English in this post.
India: Chengara land struggle
Sudeep's Diary analyzes the ongoing struggle for land in Chengara, Pathnamtitta district, Kerala by landless Dalits and Adviasis (indigenous people) and informs that “women are being abducted and raped, and men kidnapped in an attempt to kill the struggle”.
Bangladesh: Is SAARC a paper tiger?
Ahmede Hussain of Black and Gray writes on the recently concluded South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit in Colombo and comments, “SAARC leadership must show brinkmanship to make the region an economic powerhouse.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Visa Teaser
Applying for a South African visa gets Caribbean Free Radio thinking about international travel and visa restrictions – and she is determined that “the country (she) plans on founding one day” will be different: “From a passport page-hogging stigma signifying ‘our country deems people from your country deeply suspect and...
Pakistan: Musharraf has Left the Building
Eight years, three hundred and five days ago a peaceful coup masterminded by a Pakistani Army General overtook the reigns of power from the then ruling corrupt leader Nawaz Sharif. It was then the promise of a new tomorrow; it was then a romantic walk towards the faint vision labeled...
Haiti: Future of Film
“It would be impossible to understand Haiti without knowing its music, art, and dance”: Haiti Innovation thinks that film-making should be no different and has high hopes for Haitian cinema.
Guyana: Carifesta Hopes
“As I make my way there very conscious of Guyana's problems, and still very irritated by the lack of information available about Carifesta goings-on, I nevertheless will take every opportunity offered to revel in the arts”: Signifyin’ Guyana thinks the regional festival means more than political grandstanding.
Dominica: Bring Down The River
“It's the rivers that set Dominica apart”: Steve's Dominica explains.
Barbados: Environmental Management
“We don’t have much to sell to the tourists on this island except our natural beauty, and lately that beauty is becoming difficult to see with walls of condos blocking the seaview and garbage piles taking care of the rest of the island”: Taking a cue from Brazil, Barbados Free...
Bahamas, Guyana: Regional Travel
After traveling for an astounding 14 hours to get to Guyana for the Carifesta celebrations, Bahamian blogger Nicolette Bethel says: “The biggest barrier to Caribbean integration is the difficulty of moving around in the region.”
