· January, 2011

Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from January, 2011

Video: Sports of the World and Games People Play

  27 January 2011

Sticks, ducks, carcasses, horses, raiding and dancing all have one thing in common: they are all elements used in some of the world's national sports. Today's videos show us a bit about the sports and games that people play in different parts of the world.

Afghanistan: A journalist attacked with acid

  23 January 2011

Suffering City, an Afghan blogger, writes that Afghan journalist and author Abdul Razaq Mamoon, who wrote a book about Iranian security forces in Afghanistan, was attacked by acid. The blogger adds now the journalist must live with a scar.

Armenia: Not so spiritual remedies abroad

  22 January 2011

Unzipped comments on news that the spiritual leader of Armenia, Catholicos Garegin II, has undergone medical treatment in the U.S. However, the blog concludes, traveling abroad for a simple procedure might seem more like a damning indictment of the Armenian medical system.

Armenia: A pointless conversation and environmental waste

  22 January 2011

The Armenian Odar, a Dutch expat blog, recounts a visit to a local supermarket in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, and a pointless conversation with a security guard who refused to allow her to take a canvas bag into the store in order to avoid needlessly using plastic carrier bags.

Azerbaijan: Bloggers remember Hrant Dink four years on

  21 January 2011

Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the murder in Istanbul of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor, and human rights activist who advocated for reconciliation and friendship between nations, and especially estranged neighbors Armenia and Turkey. This year, however, the anniversary was also unexpectedly marked by many bloggers from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan: Remembering Hrant Dink

  19 January 2011

The Önər Blog [AZ] remembers Hrant Dink, the slain Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor and human rights activist who was murdered in Istanbul four years ago today. The post is also available in Armenian. 1+1=3 [AZ], another Azerbaijani blog, also posts an entry in memory of a figure who stood for reconciliation...

Kazakhstan: President consolidates power

  15 January 2011

KZBlog reports that the Parliament in Kazakhstan approved an amendment to enshrine the incumbent president's status as Leader of the Nation and the right to prolong his authority without elections on a referendum, while Germany, the US and the OSCE express their concerns.

Tajikistan: The death of a newspaper

  15 January 2011

Alpharabius draws a bottomline under the last ear's historical multimillion lawsuit that had been brought against three newspapers in the Tajikistan’s Supreme Court. One of the publications has disappeared from the market, while the two others became less brave and more self-censored.

Armenia: Gay Russia

  12 January 2011

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reviews a documentary from three years ago on homosexuality in Russia. However, the blog notes, two of the gay men documented in the film are Armenians and concludes that it would be useful to screen the film in Armenia proper.

Armenia: Charity or Mismanagement?

  6 January 2011

The Truth Must Be Told [AM/EN] posts a two-part examination of the work of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, a charitable organization which attracts annually appeals for donations from Armenians worldwide. However, the blog says, with senior government figures on its Board of Trustees, the fund's work is overshadowed by allegations...

Kazakhstan: Bloggers discuss religion

  4 January 2011

Because Kazakhstan does not have a clear religious policy, it has become the norm that everyone is entitled to his or her own perspective on faith. As it was twenty years ago, no one is really bothered by this multitude of views, which is evidenced by the debate on religion...

About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage

Nurbek Bekmurzaev
Nurbek Bekmurzaev is the Central Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Arzu Geybullayeva
Arzu Geybullayeva is the South Caucasus editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.