15 October 2008
Stories from 15 October 2008
The Balkans: Macedonia and Montenegro Recognize Kosovo
On Oct. 9, Montenegro and Macedonia recognized Kosovo's independence. One blogger noted that "coincidentally, this raises the number of countries recognizing to exactly 50." Below are a few more responses from the English-language blogosphere.
Iran: Strikes over New Sales Tax
Traders in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran, and bazaars in other major Iranian cities such as Tabriz, Isfahan and Mashad, went on strike for around two weeks in protest over a new 3% sales tax. Strikes in Iran are rare, and there are no legal trade unions in the country. Several Iranian bloggers talked about this event.
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Brazilian myths and haunts on the Lusosphere - Part 1
The first of three articles that will take us around the virtual campfire to hear stories about ghosts and enchantment from Brazilian folklore: Cuca, Negrinho do Pastoreio, Boitatá and Curupira, are just some of the beings that inhabit the nights, dreams, and nightmares of Brazil. We also find a group of artists who are telling anew a long told Brazilian popular story.
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Arabeyes: Mickey Mouse Must Die..or Maybe Not
Mickey Mouse must die, declared a Saudi cleric in a television interview. Or perhaps that is not exactly what he said. Regardless, the interview found its way to television screens and newspaper headlines around the world and bloggers are at loggerheads with the issue. Did the cleric literally mean that Mickey Mouse must die or was it just another ploy to sensationalise and poke fun of anything an Arab and a Muslim utters?
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Global: Babbling Doll Offensive to American Parents
If you think that the incomprehensible sounds babies make mean nothing, think again. Keeping up with the times, the blogopshere is abuzz over Fisher-Price’s Baby Cuddle and Coo doll, which allegedly proclaims: "Islam is the light." Parents in the US are outraged and some shops have even pulled the 'offensive' doll off the shelves.
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Came to find this post after signing the AllOut petition (which already has almost 50k signatures, and needs to grow...
Please sign this if you are pro