Stories from 2 May 2007
Iran: A trap for students?
Kamangir reports that more news is coming out of Amir Kabir University (AKU).The whole story began when three articles were distributed on the campus, published on papers which held logos of student publications. The titles of these stories were “No One is Sacred”, “Black Crows [referring to Chador-wearing women]”, and...
Peru: Bloggers and Codes of Conduct
Bloggers are often friendly people that like to get together and talk amongst themselves, but every once in awhile they also like to argue. These battles can be quite heated. Lately the subject of codes of conduct has been a topic that has generated disagreement among some Peruvian bloggers, and it hasn’t always been clean, and some have resorted to dirty tactics. The debate is far from settled.
Ukraine: “The Squeaker is Back [Again]”
Foreign Notes writes about prosecutor general Piskun's re-appointment – here and here.
Bulgaria, Libya, France: Appeals to Politicians
Last week, the families of the Bulgarian nurses met with Segolene Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy, Declan Butler reports.
Czech Republic: Civic Democrats’ Leader and His Wife
Dr Sean's Diary writes on the wife of the Czech Civic Democrats’ leader, who is running for the Czech Senate for an opposing party.
Russia: The New Times Magazine
The Economist's Edward Lucas reposts his piece on a magazine that's “pretty much the only truly independent weekly left in Russia.”
Romania: Political Crisis
A week ago, Kosmopolit posted an overview of the political crisis in Romania.
Ukraine: On Stanik and Her Husband
Ukrainiana reports on Justice Suzanna Stanik's removal from the Constitutional Court – and on her husband's interview to Channel 5.
Russia: “Addressing Others With Respect”
VeryRussianTochkaNet runs into a site “about ‘addressing others with respect’ in Russia” – and corrects some pretty amusing mistakes.
Russia: Bloggers on the Dissenters’ March
La Russophobe posts a translation of a Russian blogger's text on the Dissenters’ March, and another blogger's comment. Here's the gist: “The initial impression is that the government’s actions are hysterical and obviously excessive. But I suppose that this is a false impression. The ruling clan has so far been...
Russia: Saratov
Ruminations on Russia travels to Saratov, a Russian city that, among other things, “suffers from a surfeit of small roads which were designed for horses and carts and not for Lexus 4×4's.”
Uganda: What is wrong with Juba peace talks?
John Akec writes in-depth analysis of Juba peace talks between the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army: The question is: why Naivasha peace talks between Sudanese protagonists succeeded, whereas Juba peace talks between the LRA and government of Uganda have so far failed to make any headway? The...
India: World Cup? Bah!
GreatBong is a little disappointed with the way the World Cup 2007 turned out. “World Cup 2007, the most bloated, insipid, one-sided World Cup ever, ended appositely in pitch darkness (reminding old hands of that match in Sharjah which for the first time brought into focus the farce that cricket...
Pakistan: Dalrymple's Last Mughal
chapati mystery has a post with a response to a review, and a wonderful discussion follows. “Dalrymple posits a connection between the mythmaking that passes for history in the subcontinent and the absence of credible “popular” histories. To a certain extent I absolutely agree with him, which is why I...
India: Aishwariya Rai, women and ambition
Life is a street car named Desire on women, ambition, movies and politics. “She understands this and she has gone ahead and married into one of the most powerful families in Bollywood. Her decision is not a sign of weakness but of ambition. Sure, there are millions of women in...
Bangladesh: “Soft” Bombs
black and gray on the “soft” bombs in Bangladesh. “The nature of bombs that simultaneously went off yesterday morning in three major rail stations in Bangladesh is a curious one. The bombers used thick layers of paper and leather to make the bombs harmless; not only that, no traces of...
Sudan: Darfur's Beauty, Peace Negotiations & The Complex Sudanese Dating Scene
To many people, the name Darfur is synonymous with terror, death and hopelessness. Darfur, as we will soon see, is a very beautiful place despite the human suffering. We'll start this round up with some wonderful pictures of Darfur posted by Precious, a Sudanese girl in her early 20's who...
Bolivia: Nationalization Falls Short
One year ago, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced that the hydrocarbons natural resources would be nationalized. Martin P. Gutierrez of Vitrina de Realidad Boliviana [ES] writes that the events of the announcement was only a show to help with the election of the delegates of the Constitutent Assembly. Up until...
Guatemala: Government to Implement New Adoption Regulations
Children adopted from Guatemala has become a common occurrence. Nearly 1 out of every 100 Guatemalan children is adopted by a family from the United States. About Guatemala writes about why this happens and what the government is doing to ensure best practices are followed.
Nicaragua: Balloons Provide Joy
On a filming assignment in the main plaza in Managua, Julia Ardón snapped a portrait of a small boy. She recalls giving to him and his friends some of the helium-filled balloons used for the shoot. The kids screamed with delight over their new found presents and something that Ardón...
USA: Photos of Immigrant Rally in Los Angeles
Alejandro of LAX-LIM provides firsthand accounts of a rally that “ended in violence, thanks to the attitude of the Los Angeles Police Department, who dispersed the crowd with rubber bullets and tear gas, a crowd including mothers with children, the elderly and handicapped, and many others who were peacefully congregated.”...
