Stories from 30 May 2009
Bolivia: The Launch of Social Networking Site for Diaspora
Karen Heredia aka Joup [es] announces the launch of Bolivianos Globales, a social networking site for those in the Bolivian diaspora.
Iran: YouTube, Broadway music and the Election
Campaigners in the Iranian elections have used YouTube in different ways to promote their favorite candidate or discredit their opponents. Four candidates will be on the ballot for the presidency on June 12, including the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Qatar: Online Resources
Marjorie in Qatar links to a number of essay collections about Qatar's history and culture that are available online.
East Timor: Thoughts on Abortion A Few Days Before Law Approval
A heated debate about the provisions of a new draft penal code pertaining to abortion is taking place right now in East Timor. If the law is passed, abortion will become a crime and those who perform it will be punished with 2 to 8 years imprisonment, even in cases of incest or rape. The blogosphere reacts, Timorese women raising their voices and questioning why the more pressing issue of underage prostitution is not being debated instead.
Afghanistan: Aid Money Used Badly
Colla reviews the first report by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which noted that the military command overseeing $15bn in US military aid cannot be sure the money is being managed effectively.
Mongolia: Wiretapping to be discussed
Bilguun informs the readers that the Mongolian Parliament is to discuss possible changes to the Communications law, which includes legalizing wiretapping of mobile communication for law enforcement purposes.
Uzbekistan: New Attacks and Bombings
Noah Tucker reports that one or two offices of police/special services departments in Khanabad, Eastern Uzbekistan, were attacked by a group of armed men.
Kazakhstan: Special Report by BNE
Elina Galperin reviews the special report on Kazakhstan, which is especially interesting right now as the country is closely tied to world markets and is therefore struggling.
Egypt: Cairo Refugee Film Festival
Integrating refugees in society is the aim of a film festival with a difference. Marwa Rakha learns about the Cairo Refugee Film Festival, being held from June 16 to 20 from the event's blog through a fellow blogger, and shares her findings in this post.
Jordan: Twittering Queen and Undercover King
Jordanian The Arab Observer observes on Twitter: “In Jordan: A Queen who twitters and a king who goes undercover! A cool Royal family, no?”
Jordan: King Goes Undercover
Jordan's King Abdullah visited the Health Ministry's Patients’ Affairs Department in disguise to see what services were being offered to citizens seeking treatment. Naseem Tarawnah jots down his thoughts on the visit in this post.
