Stories from 2 January 2007
China: Teacher strike
Teachers in Huadu, an outlying suburb of Southern China metropolis Guangzhou went on strike yesterday in front of the local district government building yesterday, calling for higher wages. A thorough look through Google search results for “Huadu” “teacher” and “protest” suggests a media blackout, which the teachers seem to have...
Iran:A new law wants to force bloggers to get registered
Kamangir writes about the new law in Iran which wants to force all blogs and sites owners get registered.They have to provide a lot of personal datas such as telephone number. He says the new mandatory law literally forces all bloggers and website owners to register. The new law gives...
Lebanon: Saddam Hussein and Lebanese Politics
The last week in 2006 wasn't just about the celebration of the holidays. There's also the anti-government protest, the hanging of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and politics in the Middle East. Let’s start with the non political posts. The environment was the concern of Dove’s Eyes View who comments...
Kyrgyzstan: Real & Metaphorical Earthquakes
Yulia rounds up reactions in the Kyrgyz blogosphere to political and actual earthquakes that have hit Kyrgyzstan in recent weeks.
Armenia: Independence Viewed Through Sports
Levon writes about how the state of Armenian competition in international sporting events can be seen as a smaller version of Armenia's post-independence experience.
Turkmenistan: Moscow Reaches Out
At neweurasia, Peter reports on Russia's overtures to Turkmenistan, which he says should come as a relief to acting President Berdymuhammedov and signal Russia's commitment to the political direction taking form in Turkmenistan.
Kazakhstan: Aid to Kyrgyzstan
Registan.net posts about Kazakhstan supplying aid for victims of the recent earthquake in Kyrgyzstan, highlighting the shrewd political component of the decision.
Kyrgyzstan: New Year & New Constitution
Yulia writes on Kyrgyzstan's new constitutional amendments — ones which reverse very recent changes that weakened the power of the president. She says that faced with abandoning their principles or possibly losing their seats in new elections, parliamentarians eagerly chose the former.
Armenia: Traffic Reactions
Onnik Krikorian surveys Armenian bloggers’ thoughts on making Yerevan's roads safer for pedestrians.
Sri Lanka: The Moped Diaries
aljuhara on beginning the Moped diaries and commute in Sri Lanka. “A truly expert bus driving tease will then not bring it to a complete halt but continue to drag it temptingly about twenty feet more so that the bright little crowd has to run following it.”
India: Indians in Kenya
Sepia Mutiny on Indians in Kenya, culture, identities and the economy. “The aloofness question comes down to whether or not Indians are perceived to have a stake in the future of the country and are not a foreign population siphoning wealth and keeping it for themselves.”
Brazil: New iCommons Chairman
Heather Ford of iCommons announces that Brazilian lawyer Ronaldo Lemos will take over Joi Ito's role as Chairman. The next iCommons Summit will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia from June 15 – 17.
India: Hajj Reports
Live reports from the Hajj at Indian Muslims. From the post on Day 1 – “Large crowds of pilgrims converged upon Islam’s holy city as the ‘Day of Standing’ on the plain of Arafah, which falls on Friday, drew close. Makkah resembled a global village on Wednesday with people of...
Nepal: International Elephant Race
Wagle Street Journal on the International Elephant Race in Nepal. “The public concern about the illegal poaching of Rhinos in Chitwan National Part overshadowed the international elephant race. People were carrying placards, like these students, demanding life for Rhinos.”
Guatemala: Digitizing Police Records
The Guatemala Solidarity Network has a fascinating post about the digitization of the Guatemalan police archives: “The archive workers are racing against time. In March the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman is up for reelection. The project must take full advantage of the current Ombudsman's unconditional support while he is in...
Bangladesh: Politics of terror
The 3rd World View on a booklet called Fang of Fanatics. “Bangladesh was battered by religious (Islamic) terrorists, who with their politics inside the mosques tried to establish a reign of terror with gruesome killings, and bombings in public gatherings.”
El Salvador: Top Stories of 2006
Tim Muth has put together an incredibly useful roundup of the top El Salvador stories of 2006.
Bolivia: And the winner is …
Mundo al Reves announces [ES] that Crónicas Urbandinas [ES], written by Estido from La Paz, received the most votes as the best Bolivian blog. The three runners-up are also listed.
Argentina: Cromagnon, 2 years
Jeff Barry attended the remembrance this past weekend held at Plaza de Mayo for the 194 people killed in the República Cromagnon nightclub fire two years ago. Speaking of the plaza, VivirLatino notes the loss of Nelva Mendez de Falcone, one of the founding members of the protesting “Madres of...
Singapore: The politics of Singapore's new media in 2006
Gerald Giam (via theory.isthereason.com) looks at 2006's highlights in new media and citizen journalism in Singapore. “The government’s “light touch” approach to regulating the Internet was probably one of the factors that emboldened many Singaporeans to step up and push the political boundaries through their blogs, podcasts (online sound clips)...
Indonesia: Airplane Crash
Indcoup looks at the average age of the planes used by Indonesian airlines and remarks that the new year day crash of an private airline was a disaster waiting to happen.
