Stories from 22 March 2007
Uzbekistan: Outside Looking In
Ambar discusses desperately trying to feel part of the Uzbek family she married into, but constantly feeling like an outsider.
Tajikistan: Chopping -ov
Vadim reports that Tajikistan's president wants to remove the Russian -ov from his last name, changing it to Rakhmon. Further, he wants a general return in Tajikistan to traditional national toponymy.
Armenia: Yezidi Election Divisions
The CRD/TI Armenia Election Monitor 2007 says that Armenia's largest minority group, the Yezidis, are divided over the upcoming parliamentary election.
China: Homeowners hold their ground
How does China's landmark, much-blogged about new property law relate to the average citizen? An illustration comes with the decision by two residents of central China's Chongqing Municipality to hold their ground when the land upon which the house they purchased had been sold, then dug up, by a developer...
Kyrgyzstan: Military Mars Navruz
Gene Daniels says that the heavy police and military presence on the streets of Bishkek marred Kyrgyzstan's Navruz celebrations. There is speculation that the president ordered the heavy security presence to dissuade his opponents from staging protests.
Central Asia: Celebrating Navruz
Sue Sypko says that celebrating a holiday like Navruz is tough to do for a group because everyone disagrees on how to spell the holiday's name, how to decorate, and what food to serve.
Ukraine: Lutsenko's Problems
Foreign Notes reports on Yuri Lutsenko's legal problems and the obstacles his People's Self-Defense Movement is facing. Also, read about Ukraine's fuel and energy minister's visit to London.
Russia: Problems at MGU
Sean's Russia Blog and La Russophobe (guest-blogging at Publius Pundit) report on the current problems at Moscow State University.
Poland: Anti-Abortion; Iraq War
The beatroot writes about Poland's anti-abortion politicians (21 comments so far) and the country's involvement in Iraq (70 comments!).
Egypt: A First for Parliament
“In what I think is a first in Egyptian political history, on Sunday 18 March, 102 opposition legislators began a boycott of parliament’s plenary sessions. The sessions are devoted to swiftly passing what the Mubarak regime is calling ‘amendments’ to the 1971 constitution,” writes Egyptian blogger Baheya. “In reality, the...
Egypt: Gamal Faints
Egyptian blogger Ibn Al Dunya links to an article which claims that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's son and heir-apparent Gamal fainted for five minutes prior to a NDP General Secretariat meeting.
Slovenia: A Roundup
The Glory of Carniola writes about the “diabolical” parking meters recently installed in Maribor; a “memorable” birthday gift (memorable in a diabolical kind of way, I'd say); and yet another Slovenia/Slovakia mix-up.
Russia, Central Asia: Interview With Nathan Hamm
Andy of Siberian Light interviews Nathan Hamm of Registan (and also the Central Asia and Caucasus Regional Editor for Global Voices Online).
Russia: Billionaires and the “Elite”
Sean's Russia Blog writes about the Russian billionaires and the Russian “elite.”
Bulgaria, Libya: Tripoli Six in the Economist
The Economist's Edward Lucas reposts his piece on the “Tripoli Six”: “Bulgaria has tried hard to make the scandal an international issue, and has also raised money to help the AIDS-infected children. But Libya appears to want to do a deal, involving freedom for the Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi,...
Eastern Europe: Edward Lucas Roundup
The Economist's Edward Lucas posts his pieces on East European churches; Solzhenitsyn; Chechnya; Poland's relations with other EU members; color revolutions and foreign funding.
Ukraine: Lutsk Artists
Olechko writes about Lutsk artists and showcases some of their work.
Part Two: Inside the school of the Egyptian blogosphere
Source: original image from Baheyya (photoshopped), text in Arabic from Misr Digital (Read Part One of this article here) In order to better understand this highly organized Egyptian blogosphere and how bloggers perceive their role in this new, turbulent phase in their country's history, on March 15, 2007, I talked...
Russia: The Turkish Invasion
The Turkish Invasion warns readers of the upcoming Turkish invasion: “This weekend you will have a chance to see, meet (and hate) a lot of Turkish guys in Moscow. It is the annual “Operation White Meat: Assault to Moscow” or MITT (Moscow International Tourism Fair) as the foreigners and sensible...
Part One: Inside the school of the Egyptian blogosphere
Source: original image from Baheyya (photoshopped), text in Arabic from Misr Digital It is being made clear almost daily that the dynamism of the Egyptian bloggers isn’t just online; the country's activist bloggers are also highly engaged on the street as well. They've been playing an active part in the...
Egypt: Jokes Not Allowed
Egypt-based blogger Issandr El Amrani links to an article which claimed that the State Security banned Kifaya leader Dr. Abdul Wahab Al Meseiri from holding seminar on jokes.
