Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from November, 2012
Virtual Game Leads to Real Job as Football Manager in Azerbaijan
A 21-year old university graduate who's favourite past-time is playing the computer game Football Manager was confirmed as the new manager for Azerbaijan side FC Baku's reserve team earlier this month. In an unprecedented move this gamer pipped former footballers including Frenchman Jean Pierre Papin to secure the job.
Tajikistan Blocks Popular News Website
The higher the walls they are building, cutting people off from the outside world, the more willing people are to destroy the walls and bury those who build them under the bricks.
Tajik Official Blocks Facebook and Summons its CEO
The chief of the state-run telecommunications service in Tajikistan has ordered Facebook blocked and asked the social network's CEO to travel to the Central Asian country and meet with him. Tajik internet users now ridicule the official.
Ten Years after Attempt on Ex-President's Life, Rumors Linger in Turkmenistan
In November 2002, the then Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov survived an assassination attempt that was blamed on Russian-supported opposition. Ten years after the incident, in the country starved of reliable information, many people still don't trust the official version of the event.
Time to Change Tajikistan's Flag?
Thousands of flags are flown across Tajikistan today as the Central Asian republic celebrates the Flag Day. Meanwhile, some bloggers suggest that it might be time to change the country's flag.
Kazakhstan as Seen by Camera Phone Users
Sometimes you don't need to be a professional photographer or have fancy cameras and lenses to take great pictures. Vox Populi is now featuring pictures of Kazakhstan taken by camera phone users and uploaded on Instagram photo-sharing network.
Russia, Tajikistan: Who is Insulted by the Migrant Worker's Guide?
The youth wing of the ruling People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan has condemned the 'Migrant Worker's Guide' published in Russia. However, a blogger thinks that Russia is doing more for Tajikistan's migrant workers than their home country.
Turkmenistan's Omnipresent Leader
Imagine if every poster on the wall, every advertisement on the side of a bus, hanging in the center of every wall in an office, and even overlooking little children playing in kindergarten, was the face of one man.
Renaming Villages, Streets in Tajikistan
This is just another attempt to rewrite history and build a myth that since the ancient period, the territory of contemporary Tajikistan has been settled by ethnic Tajiks and there were no other ethnic groups here. Blogger Harsavor shares [ru] his thoughts on why the authorities in Tajikistan have been...
Bridge Blog for Afghanistan and Pakistan: ‘Understanding the Neighbor’
In a fellowship program 22 journalists from Afghanistan and Pakistan gathered together twice, once in Islamabad and once in Kabul to understand each others, share value and make cultural exchanges. The documented their experiences in a blog titled ‘Understanding the neighbor' and are ready to challenge the decades old established narratives about their neighbors.
Lenin in Tajikistan: ‘Better Hitler’ or ‘Real Hero'?
Since independence, Tajikistan's authorities have taken down almost all Soviet-erected statues of Vladimir Lenin across the country. The removal of these monuments is quite controversial in Tajikistan, where some bloggers call Lenin a 'better Hitler' while others consider him a 'real hero'.
Tajik Police Explained
We can criticize the law-enforcement agencies as much as we want and argue that police is not doing its job properly and that police officers are not to be trusted... But problems with the police are just a reflection of problems in our society as a whole.
Rediscovering The Bonds Between Afghanistan and Pakistan
An Afghan-Pak Journalist Exchange Programme 2012 brought together 22 journalists from Pakistan and Afghanistan who worked on join reporting projects and cultural exchange to rediscover the bonds between both the countries.
Football Game in Tajikistan Ends in Massive Brawl
A football match in the northern Tajik town of Istaravshan had to be abandoned after a massive brawl broke out on the pitch. This post rounds up netizen reactions to the incident.
Being Pregnant in Kyrgyzstan
On Ivory Pomegranate, an expat blogger shares her experience of being pregnant in Kyrgyzstan. She writes that seven months of prenatal care in a good clinic in Bishkek costs about 10 times less than a single check-up in US. But in Kyrgyzstan, one needs to understand that many medications prescribed by...
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