Stories from 14 February 2007
War on Israeli Flowers
Adloyada reports on a war on Israeli flowers in the UK. ‘Yes, that's the word from the spokesperson from Britain's Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign, justifying his group's publicity stunt for the oxymoronically named “Israel Apartheid Week” in which they chained themselves to the fence outside Carmel-Agrexco, the wholesaler which distributes...
Israel: Apartheid Promoter Jimmy Carter
Israeli blogger Sultan Knish trashes Jimmy Carter for visiting Sudan here. “Jimmy Carter, freelance moral ambassador to the world, vociferous critic of any free country trying to protect itself from the menace of terrorism, particularly the United States and Israel… is taking a little trip to Africa,” he writes.
India: Kiva, money and lending
Kiran writes on his experience with loaning money at Kiva. “Row after row of picture, description and loan status. Who do I loan to? How do I tell who is more deserving? I might as well have rolled dice and picked the corresponding row. I can’t imagine what Kiva could...
India: A rather dismal Delhi
In Small Pieces on the dismal state of affairs in Delhi. “The same day, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) razes a Mughal era monument in Gurgaon to acquire land for the Delhi Metro. The same day, the Delhi govt unveils Master Plan 2021, which imagines, improbably, endless skyscrapers and...
Saudi Arabia: Clear Succession Mechanism
The Arabist praises Saudi Arabia for developing a clear succession mechanism for its monarchy. “Contrast that with the utter confusion over Egypt’s own succession system — the refusal of President Mubarak to appoint a vice-president in 25 years and the uncertainty about whether Gamal Mubarak, Omar Suleiman, or someone else...
Nepal: Our very own bishop
The Pope's benediction for Nepal – a bishop. Nepali Netbook says “If anyone had it all worked out these bewildering past months, it surely was Pope Benedict XVI. Nine months after the secularization of the Nepali state, the pontiff has elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Nepal to the rank of...
Bangladesh: Valentine's in the country
Reflections on what Valentine's Day is in Bangladesh at Unheard Voices. “Bangladeshis by their own admission have a reputation of being extremely emotional, but quite prudent about showing affection in public — a stark opposite of their western counterparts.”
Egypt: More Dangerous than a Monkey..
Egypt-based blogger Tom Gara is still in stitches over Hugo Chavez's description of George Bush Junior. “I really think that describing George Bush as “More dangerous than a monkey with a razor blade” is a perfect, beautifully descriptive analogy. Spot on. Anyone know if this is a common turn of...
Nepal: Tax heaven for greedy dodgers
With Blogdai one never knows the line between sarcasm and pragmatism. The post presents some radical ideas for Nepal. “Make Nepal and international tax haven. Rich foreigners fleeing tax reporting rules in their home country will take a keen interest in preserving Nepal should their little tax shelter be compromised....
Bahrain: Brother Held Ransom
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif reports a human rights tragedy in Bahrain – where the police are holding a man ransom, until his brother surrenders himself.
Iraq – Draft Oil Law Published
The new oil law planned by the Iraqi government is controversial to say the least. The fact that it is being discussed in secret is doubly so. New blog Al-Ghad gets a leaked copy of the new draft law and publishes the document together with an expert commentary (in Arabic).
Bolivia: When Nationalization is Not Enough
As the violent course of events calmed down in the city of Cochabamba, another conflict emerged in the city of Camiri, located in the southeastern part of Bolivia known as the Gran Chaco. The population was protesting that the hydrocarbons nationalization announced by President Evo Morales last May had not...
Armenia: Soldiers at the Court
Onnik Krikorian reports seeing soldiers manning security at Armenia's Constitutional Court and says that for a country that is supposed to be heading toward democracy, it sends the wrong message.
Armenia: Artists and the State
Sassna Dzrer publishes a press release from Armenian artists criticizing the Armenian government for limiting freedom of artistic expression.
Central Asia & Caucasus: Nonmarket Economies
Registan.net discovers a law proposed in the United States Congress that would slap all of Central Asia and the Caucasus except Kazakhstan with extra tariffs because they would be considered to be economies not functioning on market principles.
Kyrgyzstan: Kulov
Tolkun Umaraliev notes that Kulov is not only the former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan but also a popular vodka in many parts of the world.
Armenia: Election Monitor
Onnik Krikorian has another roundup of Armenian parliamentary election news that covers media restrictions and party recruitment at CRD/TI Election Monitor 2007.
Algeria: War on Terrorism
The war on terrorism in Algeria continues, writes Algerian blogger Nouri. “The Interior Ministry released a statement in early February stating that al-Qaeda in Algeria would be eradicated (as is often the terminology used for defeating “terrorist” groups); this has clearly not been the case; sporadic acts of violence against...
Nigeria: the heartbeat of Africa
Oluniyi Ajao blogs about his experience in Nigeria, “I’ve been in Nigeria since Sunday, so I am well-informed about what I am writing about right now. I just saw an ad on CNN, about Nigeria – the Heartbeat of Africa. I am sad to say that this is just another...
Taiwan: The Justice Won Again
After Ma Yin-Jou, the chair of opposition party KMT got sued for corruption, prominent Taiwanese blogger, munch, immediately expressed his thoughts in a blog post titled “Ma gets sued! The Justice won again!“(zh) In the post he mentions that right now the Justice in Taiwan has finally proved its gut...
Valentine Special: Is Love in the Air in the Middle East?
If a picture says a thousand words, this is the image Cece, who is based between Bahrain and Kuwait, has posted to sum up how she feels about Valentine's Day. Although she isn't alone in shunning the tradition, which is fairly new to the region, for others it is a...
