16 March 2006

Stories from 16 March 2006

Palestine: Jericho Prison Raided and Saadat Arrested

On 14 March 2006 Israeli forces raided Jericho prison and arrested PFLP militant leader Ahmad Saadat. The military wing of the popular front threatened to respond to the Israeli operation. Laila el-Haddad from Raising Yousuf took some pictures of Palestinian security forces made to strip down to their underwear by...

Singapore: Meritocracy

  16 March 2006

Singapore Entrepreneurs has some thoughts about meritocracy and entrepreneurship, and how many Singaporeans have traded their passions and risk-taking in exchange for social stability.

Malaysia, Singapore: Eye Scare

  16 March 2006

Jeff Ooi at Screenshots has been following a health scare in Malaysia and Singapore over contact lens solution that is apparently causing blinding fungal infections in people's eyes. The trail starts here.

Barbados: Negrocrat redux

  16 March 2006

A New York Times writer Googles the word “negrocrat” and finds Barbados Free Press‘s reference to Prime Minister Owen Arthur's use of the term — naturally, BFP blogs about it.

Indonesia: Sesame Street

  16 March 2006

Jakartass discusses a US$8.5 million grant to Indonesia to produce a local version of the American children's show Sesame Street.

Cambodia: Voodoo Politics

  16 March 2006

KI Media translates from Khmer an article in the Cambodian media reporting a voodoo session organized by local politicians to exorcise devils believed to be living in a royal palace.

Ukraine: Chernobyl's 20th Anniversary in NYC

  16 March 2006

Languor Management reports on the exhibit that has opened in New York's Ukrainian Museum on March 12: “The Ukrainian Museum is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster with this multi-media exhibition that explores the accident's impact on the lives of residents in the territories of Ukraine most heavily...

Ukraine: Murky Politics

  16 March 2006

LEvko and Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes further examine the murky world of Ukraine's pre-election politics: election campaign heating up; last pre-election opinion polls; Yulia Tymoshenko's conditions for coalition; the president's and prime minister's press conferences; Tymoshenko targeting Yushchenko's voters; and a recent reshuffle at the Ukrainian Security Service.

Ukraine: Playing Run-and-Chase in Pediatrics Dept.

  16 March 2006

A Malaysian medical student posts pictures of spring snow in Simferopol, the capital of Ukraine's warmest region, Crimea. Also, there are pictures from another pediatrics class that evolved into “playing run and chase” with Ukrainian kids: “As usual, Fridays give us a multitude of wonderful feeling and joy as we...

Zimbabwe: Quality of sanitary towels

  16 March 2006

This is Zimbabwe reports on the governments decision to “quality test” sanitary towels” that have been donated during an international appeal….”At the moment Zimbabwean women are forced to use newspaper and toilet paper; those in the rural areas are apparently resorting to leaves and tree bark! And apparently this is...

Rwanda: Testimony to genocide

  16 March 2006

Rwandan Survivors continues to publish the testimonies of survivors of the genocide. Here Ndamyina Gisanura speaks “The genocide didn't exactly start in 1994 – we could see signs of it earlier. There were car bombings, students were beaten up; there was a bad atmosphere and it seemed as if something...

South Africa: Patricia de Lille

  16 March 2006

The Fish Bowl comments on what he sees as Patricia de Lille's “selling her soul”. …”Campaigning on the back of a promise of aggressive opposition to the ANC, she colluded with the ANC on a number of major votes leading up to the mayoral race, a decision that has driven...

Ukraine: Mafia in the Parliament

  16 March 2006

Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes thinks “HBO should start another series on the mob when the Sopranos ends” – about certain individuals posing as Ukrainian paliament members. “Call it, The Verkhovna Rada.”

Kenya: Law and order?

  16 March 2006

African Bullets & Honey discusses the notion of order in Kenya and concludes that words like law and order have until now ” weapons against the hopes of most of us. And furthermore, that if we do not begin to question what these concepts mean in the operations of our...

Nigeria: University closes

  16 March 2006

Jangbalajugbu Homeland Stories reports on the closure of his university, Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife during the middle of semester exams.. “Students are to leave the University before 4pm on Sunday. Mobile policemen have already been positioned at the University gate to ensure that students comply with the instruction. By...

Sudan: Darfur alert

  16 March 2006

Human Rights Action calls on 200,000 to stand in for the victims of atrocities in Darfur...”At least two million people have been forced to flee their homes—and are displaced in Sudan or in camps in neighboring Chad. Help us stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We are...