Stories from 19 April 2007
Colombia: The disappointing debate on paramilitarism in Antioquia
Yesterday finally the long awaited “debate” on paramilitarism in Antioquia department, where President Álvaro Uribe was born and was Governor from 1995 to 1997, was held at the Colombian congress. There was a lot of interest on the topic, because opposition senator and former M-19 guerrilla leader Gustavo Petro had said he would reveal a list of 2,000 figures allegedly involved with paramilitarism.
Russia: Listening In On the Police; St. Pete Rally
Garry Kasparov’s aide, LJ user abstract2001, has posted recordings of the walkie-talkie conversations of riot police officers deployed for the opposition’s Dissenters’ Marches in Moscow on April 14 and in St. Petersburg on April 15. Also, below are some links to photos and text from the rally in St. Petersburg, which ended with the riot police attacking peaceful protesters.
India: Starry Weddings and News
DesiDabba comments on the media frenzy over a star-studded wedding. “The emphasis seems to be more on generating news than reporting news. Agreed that the marriage in first family of Hindi film industry would be a news gold mine but bombarding the viewers with the same news over and over...
Nepal: The Maoist Attitude
United We Blog! has a sharp-worded post on the attitude of the Maoists. The post evokes an interesting discussion in the comments space. “Because of its confusing stand, the Maoist in the past few days is behaving like an unsure and stubborn kid that is throwing everything that handy and...
Water Shortage in Conakry
la plume plus describes the catastrophic effects a long-term shortage of clean water is having on hygiene and human health in Conakry, the capital of Guinea.
Bangladesh: Two parties and a Military strongman
Mash on political developments in Bangladesh. “The military strongman who has taken control of Bangladesh, Lt. General Moeen U Ahmed, is systematically purging the two most popular political parties in Bangladesh. Together these two parties enjoy overwhelming support in Bangladesh and have both held power after close elections during the...
Bangladesh: Liberation and India
The 3rd World View on a young Indian politician's remarks over India's role in Bangladesh's liberation. “But hey something is missing from the picture. They have wiped out the context of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the tremendous struggle of the Bangladeshis for the independence. Needless to mention the millions...
Sri Lanka: Business of News
cerno writes with cynicism and honesty about the business of news. “Unsteady blurry shots of dull buildings become reverting. A true high for the news junkies. The get out of trouble free card for the politician facing the cameras after being caught with his pants down. The death toll is...
Sarkozy on French Minorities
Patrick Lozès looks back at French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy's history of controversial public statements about Africans and Berbers (Fr). He wonders if, given unprecedented levels of voter registration among French minorities, Sarkozy's strategy of playing to the far right will backfire.
Voices from Ghana: The Black Star of Africa Eclipsed by Energy Crisis; Ghana@50, So What?
The pomp and pageantry surrounding the celebrations of Ghana@50 may be over, but the analysis of what it means for Ghana has spawned a number of ruminations for both Ghanaian bloggers and those blogging about Ghana. Let’s start with a particularly interesting post by a Canadian blogger-couple A Canadian Couple...
A Guadeloupean Family Heads Back to Africa
Regardailleurs writes about a Guadeloupean family that decided to abandon the privileges of French citizenship and “repatriate” to Benin (Fr), land of their ancestors, after centuries of exile.
Congo's Rainforest for Sale
Citing an article in the Guardian, Forum Realiance writes that since 2002, American and European companies have been buying up the rights to the Congo's virgin rainforests (Fr), paying less than US$20 million for an area roughly the size of Great Britain.
Russia: Shell's Sakhalin II “Fiasco”
Robert Amsterdam writes about Shell's Sakhalin II “fiasco” and the maze of the Russian energy investment politics.
Estonia, Latvia: Robert Amsterdam's Impressions
Following his visit to Latvia and Estonia, Robert Amsterdam shares his thoughts on the two countries and their relationship with Russia.
Ukraine, Poland: Euro 2012
The beatroot and Vilhelm Konnander write about problems facing Poland and Ukraine as they are beginning to prepare to host Euro 2012.
Russia: Reactions to Virginia Tech
Sean's Russia Blog and Lyndon's Scraps of Moscow examine the reaction of the Russian media and bloggers to the tragedy at Virginia Tech.
Arabeyes: Thoughts on the Virginia Tech Massacre
For Algerian student Nouri, who studies in the US, the shooting at Virginia Tech is too close to home for comfort. He links to the above photograph, from the Washington Post, which features one of his acquaintances, who goes to school there. “The brown fellow to the right, just above...
The Moroccan blogosphere reacts to the Virginia Tech massacre
These past few days, the world's eyes have been turned toward the Virginia Tech massacre; the Moroccan blogosphere in particular notes the connection that Fox News has tried to make between Islam and the Virginia Tech gunman. Bo18, a blogger of the Moroccan diaspora, says, “You could've guessed it. Fox...
Ukraine: Kyiv Developments
Foreign Notes and Ukrainiana run brief summaries of the recent developments in Ukraine; Abdymok.net posts a picture of riot police near the Central Election Committee: it may appear that Kyiv has begun to resemble Moscow.
Barbados: Cricket Legends Give Back
Cricket Legends of Barbados, an organisation which boasts famous names like Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Everton Weekes and Wes Hall, is lending its support to former team-mates who have fallen on hard times. My Barbados Blog links to the full story on BBC Sport.
Trinidad & Tobago: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Trinidadian blogger Elspeth at Now is Wow responds to a comment on a post she had written about American rapper Akon's appalling behaviour on stage with a female fan, in the context of Elton John's upcoming performance at the Tobago Jazz Festival: “Yes, women should respect themselves and not cheaply...
