Stories from 3 September 2008
Egypt: Tycoon Arrested in Singer's Murder
An Egyptian billionaire has been arrested in connection to the murder of a Lebanese singer in Dubai, UAE. Following are some reactions from Egyptian bloggers.
Russia: Four Years Since The End of Beslan School Siege
Natalia Antonova writes this on the fourth anniversary of the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis: “And, for many of us, the world has not been the same since. That’s all I can say about it, really. Although, even though I’ve linked to C.J. Chivers’ “The School” before, I’ll go ahead...
Russia: “Is Putin a Closet Republican?”
Sean's Russia Blog wrote on Aug. 31 that “for some, Putin’s Republican affinities are all too clear: Putin is a [closet neocon] and the his real intent of his [interview with CNN] was to cast [a veiled vote for John McCain]. There are 243 comments to this post now.
Egypt: Leading Businessman Arrested
A leading Egyptian businessman has been arrested in relation to the murder of a Lebanese singer in Dubai, UAE, writes Zeinobia, from Egypt.
Algeria: The Guessing Game
The Moor Next Door briefs us about the political situation in Algeria. “When Ahmed Ouyahia was appointed Prime Minister of Algeria for the third time earlier this summer, it was an important signal for the direction of the country in the next year.”
Georgia: Pictures from Batumi and Gori
Wu Wei reports that “things are becoming more normal in Tbilisi.” Pictures from Wu Wei‘s pre-war trips to Batumi and Gori are here and here. Lex Libertas posts pictures from last year's trip to Batumi.
Lithuania: Vilnius Pictures
Wu Wei posts pictures and writes about her trip to Vilnius.
Lithuania: “Support for the Georgians in Vilnius”
Wu Wei writes about Lithuania's reaction to the Russian-Georgian conflict and discusses the relationship between Russia and Lithuania.
Ukraine: Political Crisis, Again
Ukrainiana and Foreign Notes discuss Ukraine's newest political crisis.
Georgia: IDPs — Lessons Learned
Following last month's military conflict with Russia, Social Science in the Caucasus examines the issues surrounding Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Georgia. The blog examines the lessons learned from past conflicts in the country in the hope that mistakes can be avoided when international donor money comes flooding in.
Africa: Here Comes Big Brother Africa III
The 3rd season of Big Brother Africa started last month. The show has already developed a huge amount of interest on the continent. African bloggers are currently discussing the show from a variety of angles. For example, Bazanye wants to offer updates of Big Brother III but he does not own a TV. So what does he do? He makes them up!
Armenia: Nagorno Karabakh Independence Marked, Anti-Turkish Protests Planned
While the international media concerns itself with the two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia, bloggers reminds their readers that yesterday marked the 17th anniversary of the declaration of independence by another self-declared republic in the South Caucasus — Nagorno Karabakh. Marking the occasion in Yerevan also gave one political party the opportunity to declare its intention to stage street protests when the Turkish president arrives in Armenia this weekend.
Pakistan: PM's motorcade attacked
CHUP! on the Pakistani Prime Minister's motorcade being attacked in an attempt to assassinate him.
Pakistan: Attempt to Assasinate?
The Pakistani Spectator on an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister's life.
Jordan: Queen Rania's Video Blogging
Queen Rania of Jordan has been named the most famous Arab video blogger on YouTube by Blogger Times, a blogging magazine run by Arab bloggers, following the success of a series of YouTube videos she launched to shake off stereotypes against Arabs.
Zambia: Mwanawasa funeral in photos
Photos of the funeral of Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa, taken by Zambian photojournalist Richard Mulonga.
Korea: Tens of Thousands of Buddhists in Seoul
Although Korea has many religions, there have not been serious religious conflicts. Different religions have peacefully coexisted. Until now… Peaceful coexistence now seems on the verge of breaking. Tens of thousands of Buddhists protested against religious discrimination from the current government. President Lee Myung Bak is famous for being a...
Iraq: Charming Houses
Finnish blogger Sahmaran writes about the charming houses that she has come across in her travels in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Turkey: Dreading the Ramadan Drums
“Last year, we thought it was an opportunity to experience a Davulcu charming dying cultural tradition. This year, it's 30 days of being woken up by drums beneath our open bedroom windows every.single.morning at 3 am, and more than a mild irritant,” writes Carpetblogger on experiencing another Ramadan in Turkey.
Haiti, Jamaica: Hurricane Update
As the Caribbean territories that were hit by Hurricane Gustav begin their clean-up efforts, new storms threaten to disrupt these islands once again.
Trinidad & Tobago: Back to School
Trinidadian blogger Coffeewallah has the back-to-school blues.
