Stories from Quick Reads from February, 2011
Singapore: “Flawed” immigration policy
Sgpolitics.net comments about the ‘flawed’ immigration policy of the Singapore government which favors the hiring of more foreign workers at the expense of its local workforce.
Singapore: Human rights record
Spotlight on Singapore compares the human rights record of Singapore with Hong Kong and comments that Singapore is trailing in the area of political freedom.
Malaysia: Rally against ‘racist’ book
A rally was held by Malaysian Indians in Kuala Lumpur to protest the continuing use of Interlok novel in schools. The controversial book, according to protesters, discriminates against the Indian community.
South Korea:Protest Against Foreign Finance's Encroachment
KEB(Korea Exchange Bank)'s employees and civil rights groups held a protest in Seoul today against Hana Financial Group's final decision to takeover KEB. The protesters, explaining the U.S. buyout fund Lone Star's involvement with Hana, accused it of foreign finances’ encroachment on Korean turf. South Korea's influential Tweeter @Barunsori6 posted a photo of...
Japan: Football player exodus
At World Cup Blog, Aidan reflects on whether the exodus of soccer talents from Japan to European teams is a good thing for Japanese football. Considering the big number of players who left Japan recently, the blogger examines the positive and negative aspects of such trend.
Central African Republic: Are citizens better off without elections
Louisa writes a report about elections in the Central African Republic: Though it would be an overstatement to say that Central Africans would be better off without elections, it is hard to see how elections contribute to making people's concerns heard and responded to by capital-based leaders who like to...
Africa: Let's Talk About African Governments
lgazissax discusses African governments: “The uprisings in northern Africa and the Middle East had gotten me wondering about certain things I’d read about problems of African government in general, and I wanted to see how they played out in different countries.”
Uzbekistan: Exit visa requires a no-whore plea
Beginning this year, female Uzbekistan nationals must pledge that they shall not become prostitutes outside of the country in order to receive their exit visa, reports neweurasia’s Abulfazal.
Kyrgyzstan: Interim president won't seek re-election
Incumbent president of Kyrgyzstan Rosa Otunbaeva announced that she would not be taking part in the upcoming presidential elections, Malika reports.
Tajikistan: Egyptian echo makes the government mull constitutional reform
Alpharabius reports on the plethora of new laws curtailing Islamic religious practice and the slew of house demolitions that all seem to point toward a government that’s simultaneously nervous and ambitious amidst rumored constitutional reform.
Kyrgyzstan: Central Asia's largest market affected by Customs Union
Rahat reports that “Dordoi” – the largest market of Central Asia near Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, is experiencing a fall in sales with the establishment of the Customs Union by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.
Kyrgyzstan: Parliament names mountain after the Russia's strongman
Kyrgyzstani parliamentarians voted in support of Kyrgyz Prime Minister's proposal to name a peak in the country’s northern Tian Shan range after his counterpart Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to “cement friendly ties between Kyrgyzstan and Russia”, Christya Riedel writes.
Uzbekistan: Unauthorized use of energy
Elina Galperin reports that Uzbekistan is systematically sneaking electricity from Kazakhstan’s power grid beyond amounts agreed between the two parties, according to the claims by the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC).
Russia: Police Receives Right to Close Websites Without Court Order
Starting March 1, 2011, new law “On Police” [RUS] grants Russian police the right to order the heads of hosting companies to terminate the activity of those Internet resources that infringe Russian or International law or endanger individual or public security. Previously, police needed a court order to close a...
Côte d'Ivoire: Images of Vandalised Mosque in Yopougon
Ibrahim Diarra posted pictures of a mosque in Yopougon, Côte d'Ivoire which he says was vandalised on February 26 by President Laurent Gbagbo's Young Patriots. The photos appeared on the Facebook page, Pour la paix, rien que la paix en Côte d'Ivoire (“For peace, nothing but peace”). Côte d'Ivoire has...
Sri Lanka: The Process Of Making An Insurance Claim
Rajaratarala describes the long process of making an insurance claim in Sri Lanka, resulting from an accident.
India: The Future Of Delhi
Sharad Kumar describes the future of the mega city Delhi as he sees.
Bangladesh: On Meherjan
RealTime Bangladesh joins in the debate regarding the controversial big budget Bangladeshi film “Meherjan”, which was withdrawn from the theaters by its distributor.
Chile: Remembering 8.8-magnitude earthquake with tweets from Feb. 27, 2010
Gonzalo A. Luengo O. compiled a long list of tweets [es] from February 27, 2010, when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile at 3:34 a.m. local time.
China: 50 Cent Party's Fake Retweet
Several Chinese online activists have noticed that the 50 Cent Party has adopted a new tactic in creating fake retweets of prominent online opinion leaders. China Media Project has a brief account of the situation. Rebecca MacKinnon wonders if Twitter abuse team can deal with the problem of fake retweets.
Azerbaijan: Great People's Day
Activists in Azerbaijan have opened a Facebook page, 11 March – Great People's Day in Azerbaijan / 11 Mart – Böyük Xalq Günü, to attract support for their plans to protest after being inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
