· August, 2007

Stories about Migration & Immigration from August, 2007

Kyrgyzstan: Labour migration

Scraps of Moscow links to an IWPR article about the impact of labour migration on the healthcare system in Kyrgyzstan, and finds many similarities to problems elsewhere in the developing...

30 August 2007

Syria: How Can Expats Help?

This month's topic of Creative Syria's Blogger Forum was solely dedicated to the Syrian expatriate community. "What role could expatriates play in building a better Syria? Are you satisfied with the government legislations concerning them? Are you satisfied with the performance of the Minister of Expatriates' Affairs Dr. Buthayna Shaaban?" were the questions waiting to be answered. Syria's expatriate community, albeit dispersed, counts for almost 16 million, with a very high percentage of highly educated individuals. This makes the topic ever more relevant, as their contributions can help speed up the social and economic changes in the country and help rebuild it, writes Yazan Badran.

27 August 2007

Bahrain: Getting Into Gear and Going All the Way…

Our topics range from the highbrow to the lowlife this week, with an exhortation to read more books from across the Arab world, a child’s misunderstanding of a word in a cartoon, and an encounter with a prostitute. A new blogger has just arrived in Bahrain, and another blogger has just returned from a holiday in Iran – where he experienced rather more than he had bargained on during a taxi ride... Read Ayesha Saldanha's take on Bahraini blogs for more.

27 August 2007

Japan: Yokozuna gets the boot

Never far from controversy, Mongolian Yokozuna (sumo champion) Asashoryu is again in hot water. He left Japan having submitted a doctor's note claiming he was injured, after which a video image showing the yokozuna playing soccer in Mongolia made it onto some of the major Japanese TV networks, sparking a controversy.

25 August 2007

Armenia: Intra-ethnic relations

Onnik Krikorian notes that the recent fist fights between Armenian basketball teams from around the world show that divisions and animosity exists between different Armenian groups.

23 August 2007

Syria: On Expatriates

Medaad [AR] brings up the topic of an expat's sense of belonging. “Maybe we forgot that most of us are expats in our own countries, as is the case for...

23 August 2007

Armenia: Pan-Armenian Games

Onnik Krikorian visited the opening ceremony of the 4th Pan-Armenian Games, in which 2,500 competitors from communities in Armenia and the Diaspora compete (more photos here).

20 August 2007

Syria: On Lebanon and Motorcycles

Just as the heat is cooling from an inter-Arab spat involving Jordanians and Iraqis, we move on to the Syrian blogosphere where bloggers are fanning the flames of a Palestinian-Lebanese virtual stand-off. Read Yazan's Badran round up to learn more.

19 August 2007

Armenia: Genocide notes

The quest for the acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide might prevent seeking an explanation for why it happened. Join Onnik Krikorian for several interesting thoughts on the issue of the...

18 August 2007