Stories from 25 May 2006
Bolivia: “Reelection is not an Official Position”
Responding to the pervasive worry that Evo Morales is trying to change the constitution in order to stay in power, Eduardo Ávila responds that while “some of the social movements and other MAS congressmen have publicly come out in favor of changing the Constitution so that a president can be...
El Salvador: Violence, Economics
The blog of “El Salvador/CNY Companion Diocese” reports that there were twenty two murders in El Salvador just on Sunday and Monday of this week. “The government claims to have deterred violence in many different locations. The numbers don't support their assertion.” Tim Muth posts an excerpt of the IMF's...
Venezuela: Raiding ULA and Featuring Bolivarian University
Oil Wars recommends an article in the Washington Post about Venezuela's new, free Bolivarian University. Both Daniel Duquenal and Miguel Octavio say that the Venezuelan National Guard illegally raided University of Los Andes.
Argentina: “Northern soul, boobs, and comics”
Liz Henry introduces the Argentine feminist blog Pescado Rabioso [ES].
New Caledonia: Holidays Not Necessarily Days Off
Notre vie a Noumea explains that although today was a holiday in New Caledonia, she did not take the day off. You see (Fr) “In New Caledonia, holidays are not necessarily days off. The employer can ask employees to come to work anyway. Every industry has 6 to 7 days...
Chile, Argentina, and Latin America's Two Lefts
After years in the shadows – and only referenced for its Cold War legacy – Latin America is back in the limelight. The world over, economic liberalization has been the call of the day. But recent elections throughout Latin America have inspired commentators to call the region a notable ideological...
Martinique: French Black Presidential Candidate Stephane Pocrain
Le Blog de [Moi] on Stephane Pocrain's candidacy for the 2007 French Presidential Election (Fr): “Yet another candidacy from the left. Ex- Green Party spokesperson and founding member of the Representative Council of Black Associations of France (CRAN), Stephane Pocrain enters the dance. His program? First and foremost, equality and...
Senegal: Immigration as colonization
“No Sarkozy! Immigration does not come from a vacuum,” says (Fr) Semett in a post on French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy's immigration policies. “With centuries of merciless exploitation of subsaharan countries and a continuous transfer of their riches to the North, it is logical that the disinherited masses from Africa...
Argentina: Music and Misinformation
This week, Argentinean newspapers informed readers that some Internet users had reached an agreement with CAPIF, the company that represents record companies in Argentina, to pay an amount of money as a compensation for the songs they had illegally downloaded from the Internet. The news coverage shows clear differences between...
Sri Lanka: M.I.A not welcome in the US
London rapper M.I.A who is of Sri Lankan origin, and sprinkles her lyrics with quite a few political statements has been denied a visa by the US. Moju on why this could be and what it implies for making political statements about the LTTE.
Sri Lanka: Da Vince Code Banned
The Da Vinci Code has been banned in Sri Lanka. Deane's Dimension on the issue – “On a more personal note, I, myself being a practicing catholic don’t think anything depicted in the movie (or the book) will change my prospective on the religion I was brought up on. The...
Armenia & Azerbaijan: Momentum for Peace
Onnik Krikorian says that momentum for peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Karabakh continues.
Kyrgyzstan: Citizenship & Civility
Students in Kyrgyzstan write about citizenship and civility.
Mongolia: Parliamentary Walkout
Luke Distelhorst reports on the walkout from parliament of Mongolia's Democratic Party over the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party efforts to delay by-elections for a seat formerly held by a Democratic Party member.
Kyrgyzstan: HIPC
Kyrgyz students call for their country not to join the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Bangladesh: Labour issues continue
An update on the textile workers strike in Bangladesh, along with a recommended letter to the Bangladesh Ambassador or High Commissioner in your country at imperfect world 2006.
Mongolia: Mining Issues
Chris of For Optimists and Philosophers writes about mining issues in Mongolia.
India: Caste and Census
The Nanopolitan wonders why caste is not included in the demographic data collected for the Indian census. “In a caste-agnostic India, ‘caste’ would just be another dimension of one's identity, without any connotations of hierarchy.”
South Asia: Homosexuality and Islam
How does one place sexuality within the larger framework of faith? Morofilm points to a film ‘Name of Allah’ which “With unprecedented access and depth, gay Muslim filmmaker Parvez Sharma brings to light the hidden lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Muslims and goes where the silence has been...
Caribbean: WI cricket resurrection?
He's afraid of blighting them with his positive words, but Jeremy Taylor at the Caribbean Beat Blog has been more than pleased to see the West Indies cricket team show some of their old mettle in their recent encounters with India: “. . . in the last week some real...
