Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from May, 2009
Uzbekistan: ISAF Logistics, Reloaded
Peter Marton informs that Uzbek President Islam Karimov agreed to give a cargo airport in the city of Navoi for the airborne transport of NATO non-lethal supplies destined for coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Expats’ Routine Life
Onne Parl writes that the life of the international community in Afghanistan is ruled by security companies.
Afghanistan: Rights Abusers Among Nominations
Sanjar reports that there are persons, who have committed and continue to commit heinous violations of human rights, to run for the provincial council elections in Afghanistan, and lists thier crimes.
Afghanistan: Update on the presidentials
Peter Marton reviews a political situation around presidential campaign and candidates in Afghanistan.
Azerbaijan: Respect
Fighting windmills? Take a pill comments on the system of Hormet or “respect” in Azerbaijan. In a post which defines how corruption and connections work in the countries of the South Caucasus, the blog gives just one example of how a system meant to show respect to some means those...
Caucasus: Mutual self-destruction
Security in the Caucasus and beyond… comments on the tendency of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian nationalists to selectively use and manipulate history to justify territorial claims on each other as well as to perpetuate ethnic hatred. The specialist blog concludes that its time for the South Caucasus to decide between...
Azerbaijan: Nationalism fatigue
Fighting windmills? Take a pill, a new English-language Azerbaijani blog, comments on last weekend's Eurovision Song Contest held in Moscow. The blog laments the nationalism and petty antics displayed by both Armenians and Azeris towards each other during the international music competition.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Political Eurovision
As voting for the Eurovision Song Contest gets underway in Moscow, bartlemot tweets that the telephone number to vote for the Armenian entry in Azerbaijan was censored. In a second tweet, the same user says that instead of displaying a telephone number in the lower section of the screen it...
Video: 48 Hour Young Lions YouTube Contest and others you can join
Tonight could be your chance to make it big in the online video field, almost anywhere you live. All it takes is 48 hours to make, upload and get as many votes on your video, and you could go to the Cannes Film Festival. If you can't make it on time, don't worry: following is a list of other contests open for participants from all around the world.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers speak about Baku youth protest, detentions
Following a terrifying shooting spree at a Baku university which left 13 dead, students took to the streets to demand that a national day of mourning be declared in Azerbaijan. With the request falling on deaf ears, several youth activists, among them some bloggers, planned to protest the inaction, and specifically a festive holiday of flowers scheduled for 10 May. Many were detained.
Armenia: Online insult leads to tragedy
Blogian comments on the killing of a teenager in Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri after he reportedly insulted a local girl on Odnoklassniki, the Russian equivalent of Facebook. The blog says that the story is indicative of a culture of violence, relationships between men and women, and a failed...
Kazakhstan: Turmoil Royale
Rakhat Aliev, former son-in-law of the Kazakhstani president, former ambassador in Austria and former Kazakh oligarch, sentenced to 40 years in jail for abduction of the people, leadership of the mafia-type organization and attempt of the coup, keeps on creating a “democrat's” image by leaking discrediting materials against top officials....
Armenia: Eurovision Reaction
Ianyan rounds up the reaction to Armenia's entry in this year Eurovision Song Contest currently under way in Moscow. The blog says that the two singers, Inga and Anush, could be described as “traditional Armenian wear meets Star Wars meets Diva Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element.”
Kazakhstan: Kazakh bloggers against online censorship
The Kazakh Internet regulation amendments which were sent to the Parliament last week have woken up the Kazakh language bloggers’ activism. A lot of posts in Kazakh language tried to analyze the influence of the draft law on the future of Kazakhstani segment of the Internet. Some are full of...
Azerbaijan: Shameful…
Fighting windmills? Take a pill, a recent addition to the English-language Azeri blogosphere, comments on the notion of “Ayibdi,” or “shameful.” The blog wonders why the word is used in connection with limiting individual freedoms but not to decry corruption or the lack of democracy in the country.
Russia: Translation of Baymurat Story
Jost A Mon translates Roman Gruzov's Bolshoi Gorod text (RUS) about Baymurat, “an unlikely star” of the Russian internet, mentioned on GV back in April – here: “… a poorly dressed Tajik gastarbeiter who brilliantly performed the song ‘Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja’ from the Hindi film ‘Disco Dancer’ with such...
Azerbaijan: Bloggers published
Fighting windmills? Take a pill, a new English-language blog from Azerbaijan, is pleased to announce the publication of a book by bloggers in Baku. The blog commends a local bookshop owner and prominent blogger for coming up with the idea.
Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar Children’s Park
Axel writes about and posts pictures of the newly built Children’s Park close to the city centre of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
Uzbekistan: Uzbek regime again named among most oppresive ones
Musafirbek wonders whom he should thank for such a popularity of Uzbekistan in the list of totalitarian regimes published by The Guardian newspaper.
Kazakhstan: Euro Standards for Fuel
Zara reflects on the introduction of the environmental standards for fuel “EURO-2″ in Kazakhstan and also on the quality of fuel in the country.
Kazakhstan: Draft Law on Internet Censorship
Slavasay says that a small victory in the Kazakhstani Internet community’s fight against repressive draft law on Internet regulation may turn out to be a sign of defeat
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