Stories from 3 April 2010
Guatemala: The Colorful Sights of Holy Week
Holy Week, which is celebrated the week before Easter, is an eagerly anticipated time in Guatemala. With colorful religious traditions and the abundance of typical foods, local bloggers have been experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of Holy Week.
India, Pakistan: A Celebrity Marriage Tests The Relation Between Two Countries
A cross-border marriage between an Indian tennis star and a former captain of Pakistan cricket team is the hot topic among the mainstream media and the social media of India and Pakistan. Bloggers of both countries engaged in intense debate on this wedding.
Kazakhstan: Uranium World Bank Becomes A Reality?
Joshua Foust weighs the perspectives of Kazakhstan’s plans to serve as the primary global “bank” for refined uranium products.
Afghanistan: Some Tricky Numbers
Joshua Foust analyzes the latest freshly released numbers about opium seizures in Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan: Black market currency trade
Nathan says that serious economic trouble in Uzbekistan is represented by the proliferation of black market currency trading, as the value of the national currency rapidly decreases.
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan: Rights Activist's Extradition Pondered
Dushanbe writes that the authorities in Tajikistan say they are still pondering whether to extradite Kyrgyz human rights activist Nematullo Botaqoziev, who was detained in Dushanbe in late February.
Uzbekistan: HIV-outbreak is covered up, anti-AIDS campaigner is sentenced
About 150 Uzbek children were infected with HIV in hospitals of Namangan, the third-largest city of Uzbekistan. Although the incident was registered in 2007-08, the issue became public only in March 2010, when the opposition-minded Ferghana.ru website (blocked in Uzbekistan) leaked a documentary [rus], which had been shot by the...
Lebanon: Special Tribunal Monitor
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon Monitor is a blog of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) which publishes daily press reviews, UN documents and similar information related to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon that was set up to try those involved in the assassination of former prime minister Rafic...
Lebanon: Who's the Pervert
Ibrahim Arab writes about the stunned reaction by the Arab youth to the news that Ricky Martin is a homosexual, using the Arabic word شاذ which means pervert or not normal. He comments “your perversion, Ricky Martin, is more merciful than our perversion,” pointing to issues of injustice and crimes...
Lebanon: Sabotage in the University
Lovanlife wrote, in Arabic, about how the commemoration of “Land Day” by the People's Movement, of which he is a member was sabotaged, by rival parties at the University of Lebanon.
Lebanon: Colored chicks – literally
Najib writes about the habit of selling artificially colored live chicks in Lebanon, especially during Easter.
Lebanon: Harassment on the Streets of Beirut
“One man decided to actually follow me, ten meters behind… I sprinted.. He ran too!! I then pulled the biggest Lebanese drama you can imagine on him,” Ivy Says reports on her personal experience of sexual harassment on the streets of Beirut.
Lebanon: Police Round-Up Israeli Spies
Marco Villa writes at InstaBlogs about the not so publicized and recent arrests, by the Lebanese police, of about 25 Israeli spy rings that were operating within Lebanon.
Lebanon: ArabNet discussed the future of Arabic web in English
Arabnet 2010 is a tech conference that was held in Beirut recently. While many of the participants considered it a success, there was a major criticism that kept people talking and writing about it days after the conference was concluded. The problem was that while the conference supposedly focuses on Arabic web it adopted English as its official language and the website, discussions, and presentations were all in English.
Morocco: Fez World Music
The View from Fez offers a discussion of the Fez World Music Festival and its critics.
Morocco: Photos of Meknés
Marie of Près du Puits takes us on a photo journey of Meknés in this post.
Music With A Message – New Music Videos from Tibet
The blog translation project High Peaks Pure Earth has recently focused on “music with a message” by translating the lyrics of Tibetan songs from music videos that have been uploaded onto the internet. On March 10 this year, the blog presented a hip hop video titled “New Generation” by the...
Pakistan: Energy Saving Bulbs
Deeda-e-Beena at All Things Pakistan blog informs that to tackle the recent energy crisis, the Pakistan government has decided to import 30 million energy saver bulbs for reportedly ‘free’ distribution.
India: Liveblogging from TEDx Mumbai
Amit Verma at India Uncut liveblogs from the TEDx Mumbai event, which is taking place today.
Bangladesh: The State Of Business Blogging
Bangladesh Corporate Blog discusses the state of business blogging in Bangladesh in recent times.
Colombia: South American Games a Success
The 9th version of the South American Games was recently held in Medellín, Colombia with the participation of athletes across the continent. Many local residents felt that the Games were a success and they hope for similar events in the future.
