Stories from 5 March 2007
Kazakhstan: E-Government
KZBlog says that given the UK's experience with e-government, Kazakhstan should not be too eager about developing its own e-government initiatives.
Uzbekistan: How to Drink Tea
Uzbeks drink tea all the time. At neweurasia, “Girl of the Sands” explains how tea is made and drank.
Tajikistan: Blogosphere Roundup
Vadim rounds up the latest goings on in the Tajik blogosphere.
Armenia: Changing Face of Agriculture
The Armenian Economist describes how Armenia's agricultural sector has been changing since land was privatized.
Armenia: Paradise for Motorcycling
Blogster explains why Armenia is a paradise for motorcycling. A follow-up post expands on the original.
Iran: Women Activists Jailed, Teachers on the Street and War Whispers
Iranian women’s peaceful protest movement on Sunday was repressed violently by police and more than 32 activists, including several journalists and bloggers, were arrested.Thanks to Kosoof you can see some photos of these activists who got arrested. Iranian bloggers have provided details about what happened, photographs of those arrested and...
India: On Goddesses
A brief history of Goddesses at Days in a wannabe punk's life. “I absolutely adore the idea that we did in fact have Goddesses who existed autonomously without any connection to a male Deity. Call me biased but I find the idea of a goddess who was dark, single, chaotic,...
Sri Lanka: The minorities and Muslims
groundviews on the impact of the ethnic conflict on the Muslims in Sri Lanka. “If you were to go by the international headlines, the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict appears to engage only the two main communities, the Sinhalese and the Tamils. Yet when the conflict exploded into war in 1983,...
Russia: Interview With Mike Averko
Mike Averko doesn't like La Russophobe, La Russophobe doesn't like Mike Averko – Andy of Siberian Light interviews them both.
Sri Lanka: Why is Child Sexual Abuse not a problem?
Manshark's Random Rants finds that Child Sexual Abuse Tourism is still not seen as a serious problem in Sri Lanka. “People are still, on the whole, unaware of the problem or are happy to look sad to 2 seconds when the topic comes up before moving on to “let’s talk...
Russia: Another Journalist Dead
Vilhelm Konnander writes about yet another outspoken Russian journalist who died under mysterious circumstances.
Nepal: On Modernity
Nepal Monitor discusses the meaning of being modern. “The term ‘modernization’, however, has a complex web of meanings. People in different communities understand its nature and characteristics in different ways. Those who practice modernization have different experiences about its consequences to their lives. Those who prefer to prevent themselves from...
Bangladesh: Political Possibilities
Unheard Voices discusses the various political possibilities for Bangladesh. “A big question is in everybodies mind now, that is, what’s next? What will happen next, how this interim government will handover to a permanent government? When that will happen? What kind of government will that government be? Which political party...
Russia: Kadyrov's Human Rights Event
Last week, a number of Russian and international human rights organizations boycotted the human rights conference in Chechnya's capital, reports A Step At A Time.
Romania: Illiterate Politicians; Irrational Policies
Blog Bucharest writes about one of the country's top politicians whose knowledge of the Romanian grammar is shamefully poor. Also, Romania's capital may soon cease being a destination for budget airlines – no sooner than it has become one.
Hungary: Political News
From Pestcentric, a news roundup, a post on the prime minister accusing his opponents of anti-Semitism in the London Times, and a caustic account of “one of the latest ‘events’ in Hungarian politics.”
Malaysia: Blogger Asked to Stop Blogging
A Malaysian blogger is ordered by the industrial court to stop blogging about his wife's troubles with her employer.
Haiti, Dom. Rep.: Gaga = Rara?
Collectif Haiti de Provence wonders whether the Dominican “Gaga” tradition is not derived from the Haitian post carnival musical gatherings called “Rara” [Fr]: “Haitian tourists visiting the other side of the border can tell without a doubt that gaga is practiced and cultivated where Haitians and their descendants reside i.e....
Zimbabwe: cracks, fissures and discontent all around
Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe turned 83 a week ago. While he celebrated at a lengthy gala in Gweru, which was forced on residents and school children there, police issued a repressive ban on rallies and demonstrations in Harare. The ban, the regime's latest measure at calming an incessent tide of...
South Korea: reactions on illegal migrant center fire
Matt puts up with a detailed article on the reactions on the illegal migrant center fire broke out in early Feburary which left 9 migrant workers dead and 18 injured.
China and Japan: Chinese acting Japanese
In a newly released film, Hannibal Rising, Chinese actress Gong Li has taken up a Japanese character. There are some discussions on: Why does Hollywood turn to Chinese actors when casting Japanese characters? Is this a racist implication that “all asians look the same” or a mere matter of economics?...
