Stories from 22 September 2005
Latin America: Approval Ratings and Campaign Polls
Bloggings by Boz has a comprehensive compilation of presidential approval ratings and campaign polls from around the Americas.
Bolivia: Three Political Tests
Jim Shultz lays out all the political hurdles which lay between the presidential candidates today and one's eventual confirmation.
Venezuela: The Censored Dossier
In Friday, Dossier was suspended. A full coverage can be found at El espacio de Lubrio. An ambiguous official statement from the Ministry of Communication and Information and VTV board of directors asks Martínez to appear before the National Attorney Office to present any charge against public administrators that he may have. The statement also warns about the obligation to obey dispositions on responsible journalism included in the Radio and Television Social Accountability Law.
Bolivia: Campaign Promises
Eduardo Avila of Barrio Flores covers what campaign promises have already been made for December's presidential election.
Argentina: Tough Times for Translations
Jeff Barry writes of the increasingly smaller market for translated works of literature outside of the already established names.
Indonesia: Film director-turned-blogger
Via Jakartass, and described by blogger-directory-compiler A. Faith Syuhud as “a young talented-ambitious-energetic film director”, Joko Anwar presents a multi-faceted blog, Lost in Punch-Drunk Adaptation of a Spotless Love.
Philippines: Writing prompts
Clair at Blah! checks out writing prompts: a Web site which tries to get around writer's block by suggesting prompts as you type.
Myanmar: Young rocker
Bangkok-based Myanmar blogger Wai Pyo picks up a feature from a state-run newspaper about 11-year-old rocker Aung Thiha.
Japan: A tale of two giants
Gen Kanai compares restructuring plans announced separately by two giant corporations this week: Microsoft and Sony.
Taiwan, China: Full text of Li Ao
EWSN posts a full-length English translation of the controversial speech by Taiwan writer Li Ao, and urges readers to make up their own minds, rather than relying on imperfect summaries in the Western press.
China: WiFi in Shanghai
Danwei scouts out the best spots for free WiFi Internet access in Shanghai, and provides a handy list.
Sudan: Fresh killings, rape, destruction
Aid worker Sleepless in Sudan reports fresh outbreaks of fighting in the troubled region of Darfur. “It is tragic to see that even after two years of conflict we are still witnessing fresh displacement and horrific stories of burning villages, killings and rape,” she writes.
China: Taishi village discussion removed
EastSouthWestNorth reports that all mention of the Taishi village elections in the southern province of Guangdong has been expunged from the Yannan online discussion forum.
Eritrea, Ethiopia: More war?
Nazret.com‘s Ethioblog picks up on a news release saying that Eritrea has warned that it may resume war with neighboring Ethiopia if the United Nations failed to resolve a border dispute between the two countries.
South Africa: Barclays billions
Wayne Wides, writing on commentary.co.za tracks the movements of the mysterious Barclays billions in the South African Reserve Bank's Monthly Release of Selected Data, with a little help from a local financial journalist.
Live 8: Tinkle of broken promises
Ma-Schamba, a Mozambique blogger who usually writes in Portuguese, picks up on an article by George Monbiot in the Guardian saying that most of the promises made to African countries around the Live 8 concert and G8 summit have already been broken.
Sudan: Follow the crude
Ngomrom examines the death of Sudanese vice-president John Garang in a Ugandan helicopter crash , and the relationship between Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army and the possiblity of a seceded southern Sudan gaining possession of huge oil reserves.
Celebrating Armenian Independence
Armenia just celebrated its independence, and watts up in armenia describes a small celebration marking the holiday.
Armenia's Constitutional Amendment Referendum
Oneworld Multimedia reports that in spite of international pressure and intense debate amongst politicians, most Armenians remain apathetic about proposed constitutional amendments, and that without a public information campaign, interest will likely remain low.
Uganda, Darfur: Interrelated conflict
UgandaCAN urges the international community to think of the fighting in northern Uganda and Darfur as part of an interrelated regional conflict.
African countries get little from FDI
Black Star Journal takes a look at a U.N. report which finds that African countries see little benefit from foreign direct investment.
