1 May 2006

Stories from 1 May 2006

Haiti: Week's Happenings

  1 May 2006

Radio Kiskeya lists (FR) noteworthy events taking place in Haiti this week including the following. Monday: President-elect Rene Preval's visit to Canada; the closing of Port-au-Prince's culinary fair in honor of International Labor and Agriculture Day; the city of Jacmel's annual celebration; a pro-Aristide march organized by the former president's...

Martinique: Immigration Scandal

  1 May 2006

Certain government bureaucrats are being investigated for trafficking fake immigration papers, says (FR) Bien Vu. “Once more a group of well-to-do people is under scrutiny. Faced with their dishonesty, we have to ask whether a committee is needed to oversee certain government posts,” concludes the blogger.

Bahamas: Colonial baggage

  1 May 2006

Andrew Allen defends his belief that “colonial baggage” inhibits development in the Bahamas, arguing that while quaint colonial vestiges such as the image of the British monarch on the country's currency may appear harmless, “far more pernicious is our tendency to suppress the growth of genuine local institutions and our...

African women’s blogsphere this week

  1 May 2006

African women have been blogging about the important Kenyan Sexual Offences Bill which members of parliament are currently deliberating. The bill seeks seeks tougher penalties against rape and has been raising heated debate both within and outside the blogsphere. On her blog Afrofeminsta has been providing updates on the bill....

Politician insults single mothers

  1 May 2006

Brand New Malaysian is asking readers to blog and let others know about the politician who insulted single mothers by referring to them as “being horny”. He uttered this word while debating the issue of aid to single mothers in Malaysian parliament. Eventually, protests by other lawmakers attending the session...

May Day rallies in South East Asia

  1 May 2006

Martin Manurang on his Change blog has a post on May day rallies in Indonesia and other countries in the region. Protesters joined rallies in large numbers in Cambodia, The Phillipines and Thailand too.

Martinique: Aftermath of Women's Strike

  1 May 2006

Female workers at clothing store Minimum Maximod won a protracted strike to improve working conditions says (FR) Bien Vu. But their boss refuses to honor the agreement he signed during negotiations and has fled to France. “The women remain without salary or back pay,” says the blogger. “What are labor...

Pramoedya Ananta Toer

  1 May 2006

Lily in Jakarta remembers Pramoedya Ananta Toer, one of Indonesia's most famous writer and political activist. The writer passed away on Sunday in Jakarta.

Afghan Whispers: Lessons to Teach & to Learn

It is interesting that Afghan bloggers look at foreign countries such as Iran & Iraq and they try to learn and teach lessons for peace and happiness. AfghanWarrior gives advice to people in Iraq to follow Afghanistan's example to encourage insurgents to put down weapons. He writes: “The Afghan government...

Bangladesh: Corruption, Politics and Changing Bangladesh

  1 May 2006

Rezwan links to Change Bangladesh, an online project, and provides the context for the need for such a project - “Among other things ‘Change Bangladesh’ is in the process of creating a ‘how to’ guide for voters and a tool using which all Bangladeshis connected to the web will be...

Peru: Chavez and Morales in the Peruvian Elections

  1 May 2006

Writing from Venezuela, both Miguel Octavio and Daniel Duquenal fear for Peru's political future. Un Lobo en Peru inspires some interesting comments with a post about the Peruvian government's decision to withdraw the ambassador to Venezuela. Maxwell Cameron of the University of British Columbia, meanwhile, says that presidential candidate Alan...