· July, 2011

Stories from Quick Reads from July, 2011

U.S.A., Japan: The US Declares War On The Japanese Mafia

  31 July 2011

Investigative journalist Jake Adelstein reported [en] that US President Obama has officially declared war on the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, as it represents an “extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” Japansubculture.com also published the text of the actual executive order.

Japan: On Fake Glasses

  31 July 2011

Marxy at Neojaponisme gives an interesting insight [en] on the “lens-less frame” trend spreading in Japan.

Ukraine: Timoshenko Facing the Law

LEvko of Foreign Notes follows up on the trial against former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Timoshenko, and finds that – despite a weak case – the process is likely to end with a guilty verdict for a number of political reasons.

Russia: News as Rap

Edmund Downie at Foreign Policy Passport reports that Russian president Dmitri Medvedev is much impressed by news agency's RIA-Novosti introduction of news in the form of musical rap info [ru].

Cote d'Ivoire: Unequal pay for equal work

  30 July 2011

Siriki Moustapha explains on africavox.com [fr] why equal pay for women still is a subject of debate in Ivory Coast: “These are men of varying socio-economic and intellectual levels; they do not think of themselves as old-fashioned, enemies of women, or even anti-feminist. Their logic is that the Ivorian woman...

South Sudan/Sudan: Football Torn By Citizenship

  30 July 2011

What is the future of Sudanese football following the decision not to grant citizenship to Southern Sudanese living in the north?: “A large number of southern players have a significant presence on Sudanese football teams, including al-Hilal and al-Merreikh. They have also formed the mainstay of Sudan’s national team, as...

Guinea: Weekly Newspaper Le Defi Vandalized

  30 July 2011

Lamine Camara writes on infoguinee.com [fr]: “The central office of the independent weekly newspaper Le Défi was vandalized and completely ransacked by anonymous looters on the night of July 20- 21, 2011. Those non-identified individuals, after wrecking havoc on equipments, computer and hardwares, left a scribbled message on a sheet of...

Malawi: Ports Turns Into Fishing Ground

  30 July 2011

Nsanje Port in Malawi has turned into a fishing ground, Face of Malawi reports: ”We’re happy that Mutharika built us a fishing pond.We used to go very far away crossing shire river but now we are doing it at the port.”These are words of fishermen based in Nsanje district where...

Zambia: Current Events Through Political Satire

  30 July 2011

Kalaki's corner is a political satire on current events in Zambia in the form of a weekly story: “Spectator Kalaki, aka Roy Clarke, came to international attention in January 2004 when he wrote a story about a foolish elephant. This story was read by the then president of Zambia, Levi...

Zambia/Ethiopia: Only Elephants Should Wear Ivory

  30 July 2011

A Zambian woman has been arrested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for wearing ivory bracelets, Gershom Ndhlovu reacts: “Only elephants, and no one else, should wear ivory. As such, not only the Ethiopian authorities should arrest Zambians wearing ivory bangles on their territory, Zambians should also play their part for as...

Colombia: FIFA's U-20 World Cup

  30 July 2011

Colombia is hosting the U-20 FIFA World Cup. The opening ceremony [es] took place in Barranquilla on July 29. The country is in a happy mood and on Twitter netizens talk about the tournament with the hashtag #Colombiaesmundial.

Nepal: It is Code of Ethics, Not Censorship!

  30 July 2011

Bhumika Ghimire comments on the code of ethics signed by 10 Nepali bloggers which turned controversial: “this code of ethics is part of that effort to help the community, it is not censorship and it is not an attack on a blogger’s individual rights.”