Stories from 28 March 2006
Bangladesh: Elections
Salam Dhaka muses on election time decisions. On what basis is the government judged, and what cards are played to maximum effect?
Bangladesh: The Millionaires
imperct world 2006 on the changing perception of Bangladeshi Diaspora in the UK.
Haiti: Army
Hayti outlines the reasons certain parties think Haiti should re-instate its army, and why others think the opposite.”Whether it is an army, a national police force, or a combination thereof, it is the poor of Haiti who are the best gauge as to whether it is a good idea for...
Bermuda: E-commerce Obstacles
“High cost of living; small size; restrictive immigration policy; poor state education system; lack of IT professionalism and work ethic issues; reliance of IT sector on expats; prohibitive telecoms costs; shortage of accommodation; expensive airfares; “political instability” and racial tension; punitive and indiscriminate customs duties; and the Island's location in...
From Charango to Sea Controversy
Wikipedia Map Chile and Bolivia have different controversies issues. Last week it was the origin of Charango, a musical instrument that can be found through Central and South America. Bolivian president Evo Morales give it as a present to Condolleza Rice, while ex-president Lagos give it as a present to...
Mexico: Free software? or elite software?
Mexican blogger Leon Felipe Sanchez asks if free and open source software is, paradoxically, also elitist software.
Cuba: Inner tube
Pac Mclaurin posts a lovely photo of a Cuban fisherman, his girlfriend, and the “pneumático” or inner tube which is his fishing vessel.
Cuba: US foreign policy and internet access
US blogger Boz disagrees with US policy as regards Cuba, but isn't in favour either of the internet access restrictions Cuba places on its citizens.
El Salvador: “Some final election coverage”
Tim Muth has one last rundown of El Salvador election analysis.
Colombia: Fifty FARC Leaders Indicted
Adam Isacson gives his assessment of last week’s indictment of fifty FARC leaders for drug trafficking.
Armenia: MCA
Onnik Krikorian notes that the US plans to release significant aid to Armenia despite the Armenian government's failure to demonstrate a commitment to democratic reforms.
Colombia: Gay Marriage Debate in Colombia
After highlighting the attention on gay rights in Colombia's presidential campaigning, Andrés Duque says that presidential candidate Antanas Mockus backs marriage for gays.
Mongolia: Eagle TV
Thomas Terry, in charge of Mongolia's Eagle TV, posts photos and notes from studio expansion after which the station will offer greatly expanded news broadcasts.
Uzbekistan: German Relations
Ben Paarmann discusses Uzbekistan's relations with Germany, the only Western state that still has a significant relationship with Uzbekistan, and adds to a recent media report on the relationship.
Mongolia: Traffic
…yuu bna? writes about Ulaanbaatar's traffic problems.
Kyrgyzstan: A Year After
Writing from Bishkek, David Read discusses the muted public reaction in Kyrgyzstan on the first anniversary of last year's revolution and the lack of notable progress under the new government.
Belarus: Diary of a Protester
Rush-Mush links to a LiveJournal translation of the diary of Dasha Kostenko, a Minsk protester who has recently been sentenced to ten days in jail.
Serbia & Montenegro: Likes and Dislikes About the Country
Daniel Ginsberg of The Native Speaker gives an honest answer to this question from an anonymous commenter: “will you be honest and say what (or who) makes you really angry here in serbia? be honest… how do you like people here?”
Serbia & Montenegro: Memories of Belgrade Bombing
Viktor of Belgrade Blog writes about what it felt like to be in Belgrade during the bombing seven years ago.
Belarus: Letter From Female Prisoners
LJ user kapitan_tanaka translates a letter written by Valyantsina Palyavikova and Larysa Bukholenka, two female prisoners who were jailed for their participation in the post-election protest in Minsk.
Belarus: Election Fraud Video
German-language Media-Ocean switches into English to write about a short video from a polling station in Belarus, which conveys repressive atmosphere during the count and shows how one observer, despite being barred from the table with stacks of bulletins on it, catches a violation that could've benefited Aleksandr Lukashenko, the...
