Stories from 12 January 2007
Haiti: Commemorating Novelist Jaques Roumain
Reacting to news that this year will be the 100th anniversary of novelist Jacques Roumain‘s birth, Collectif Haiti de Provence asks (Fr): “Will Haitians do the comemoration of the author of Gouverneurs de la Rosee [Masters of the Dew] justice?”
Kazakhstan: The New Government
At neweurasia, Leila translates a post that gives a rundown of who's who in the new Kazakh government and how power balances between different interest groups.
Armenia: New Year's Recovery Advice
Zarchka offers helpful advice for overcoming the aftermath of the days of feasting following New Year's in Armenia.
Armenia: Landmark Ruling
Onnik Krikorian says that the decision by the European Court of Human Rights to rule in favor of an opposition activist in Armenia is a landmark ruling that he hopes will encourage Armenians to stand up for their rights. He also notes that the English-language Diasporan blogging community largely ignores...
Haiti: Petion-Ville Market Burnt Down
On Jan.9, HaitiXchange wrote (Fr): “The market in Pétionville went up in flames this morning. It was in horror that we watched all of our merchandise go up in smoke. The merchants complained, since their means of making a living, and their very survival, the education of their 10 and...
Kazakhstan: Wikipedia Sanitation
Ben Paarmann reports that the Wikipedia entries for the heads of a Kazakhstan-based, UK-incorporated mining company linked to a potential 2007 IPO in London are being sanitized.
Kazakhstan: Reshuffling the Government
A government reshuffle took place in Kazakhstan this week and – this time being no exception – occasions like this are a great chance to get a rare glimpse behind the scenes of intra-elite power-brokering Kazakh style. According to Kazakhstan specialist Daniel Kimmage of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty,...
Guadeloupe, Montserrat: Soufriere Hills Volcano Eruption
Guadeloupe Attitude writes (Fr): “Mrs. Deborah Jones, Governor of the British island of Montserrat, ordered yesterday the evacuation of the volcano's North West zone. About 50 households are involved. La Soufriere Hills began erupting about a week ago. Monday, smoke columns over 7 kilometers high seeped out of it and...
Cuba: Mother of Guantánamo prisoner
Zenia, in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, posts a photograph of a woman holding a postage stamp-sized photo of a man, with the caption (ES): “Zhora Zewawi, mother of a prisoner in the United State's illegal prison of in Guantánamo, denounced the tragedy of his son Omar Deghayes.” A demonstration was...
Slovenia: Public Holidays
The Glory of Carniola rejoices: “…Slovenian workers will hit the jackpot in 2007: All public holidays this year fall on weekdays.”
Lithuania, Latvia: The Barricades Remembered
Marginalia remembers the events of 16 years ago that took place in Lithuania and Latvia: “In Riga, between half a million and seven hundred thousand people (out of a total population of just over two and a half million in Latvia, Soviet military personnel and colonists included) gathered on the...
Hungary: Budapest's “Broadway”
The Hungary Years writes about the reconstruction of the “Hungarian Broadway.”
Estonia: Soviet Monument
Itching for Eestimaa writes about the ongoing controversy around a monument to the Soviet soldiers in Tallinn: “Every Russian person that finds themselves the victim of Russophobia and Western mistrust today owes a great deal of their position to Mr. Djugashvili. His government killed millions, and yet very few of...
Croatia: Human Rights Watch Report
Neretva River discusses the 2007 Human Rights Watch report on Croatia: “Interestingly (or troublingly) the report completely ignored the status of Roma and other more recent (and more rapidly growing) minority groups settling in Croatia, for example immigrants from China, who like Croatian Serbs, have found themselves the targets of...
Ukraine: Information Society Law
Information Policy reports on a new law adopted by the Ukrainian parliament: the Law On Fundamental Principles of Development of Information Society in Ukraine in 2006-2016.
South Africa: $40m leadership academy
Idland has a response to the Financial Post Passport critique of Oprah Winfrey's $40M Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, “So next time you see someone with a Master's degree puffing out his chest and asking, “Aren't there better ways to spend 40 million dollars?”, take a step back...
Vietnam: Visiting Dalat
The final word in Saigon visits the hill station of Dalat and posts some pictures of the town and the surrounding nature.
Malaysia: Thoughts on Censored Article
Lucia Lai wonders why two articles from a recent issue of Economist were censored. She has posted links to online archive of the articles. “so i highly recommend you to go read the articles and judge for yourself how interesting the articles are and wonder what in the world made...
Fiji: Fiji's Council of Chiefs And the New Government
Stuck in the Mud of Fiji says that Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs that had initially refused to endorse the new government set up by coup leader General Frank Bainimarama has now decided to support it. Despite the support, the blogger wants to see how they resolve their difference with...
Cambodia: Selling and Buying Sex
Mungkol and a friend are having a discussion on selling and buying sex. The blogger has a mini-survey for his readers to find out some of the moral and ethical issues involved.
Cambodia: Child Pornography
Vutha is concerned about the spread of child pornography in Cambodia. “Presently, porn VCDs have been selling on the market and spreading throughout the country even to small distant remote village. So that, the government have obligation to take strong action against the sales and import of porn VCDs and...
