Stories from 23 August 2007
Barbados: Chinese Labour
“Our government has obviously made some agreements with the Chinese, but Bajans are still in the dark as to what has been promised and agreed to by whom.” Barbados Free Press tackles the controversial issue of immigrant labour on the island.
Bahamas: Government Responsibility?
Sidney Sweeting, writing at WeblogBahamas.com, thinks Bahamians need to understand “where their own responsibilities end and the Government's responsibility begins or vice versa.”
Bangladesh: under curfew
Civil unrest began in Bangladesh on the 20th of August when a petty dispute broke out concerning comments passed by armed forces personnel during a soccer match at a university gymnasium ground. An army camp has occupied part of the ground since the declaration of a state of emergency on...
Taiwan: The Internet Is Subverting Local Government Power
ESWN translated an article from China Times which argued that the Internet is challenging the traditional definition of journalism as well as the local politicians’ sense of splendid isolation.
Japan: Asia’ partnership of Democracies
Japan Observer commented on Abe's scheme in creating a “broader Asia’ partnership of democracies”. The project would include India, the U.S. and Australia, but leave out China: whether on a regional or a global scale, an organization of democracies suffers from the simple problem that it is wholly unclear to...
Japan: 30-Million-Yen Platinum Gundam
James from Japan Probe wrote on the unveiled of a 30 milllion yen (about USD262,000) by a jewelry store in Fukuoka.
Japan: Street Art
PingMag interviewed Motokazu Terai, the director of KOMPOSITION on Shibuya streets’ graffiti
South Korea: A Girl's Suicide
Matt from Gust of popular feeling looked into the suicide of a 16-year-old girl, Lee Eun-ji. The cause was believed to be cyber bullying by superjunior fans. However, Matt pointed another factor: the T.V program's framing of her image in weight loss.
Korea: Relation With Islam
Robert Koehler from the Marmot's Hole looked into the historical ties between the Islamic and Korean civilizations since the Unified Silla period (668-935).
Iran:Iranian-American Scholar Freed
View from Iran writes that Haleh Esfandiari,Iranian-American scholar,is free now.The blogger says that Esfandiari's mother had to put up her house as bail. This is the case time and time again. It is one way that the regime retains control over its middle class population. The family's financial security is...
Bolivia: The Latest in Blogs
Actualidad Boliviana [ES] continues its broad overview of what Bolivian bloggers are talking about in its weekly summary.
Argentina: Videos Por Vos
Mariano Amartino of Denken Über [ES] talks about the Argentine video sharing platform Videos Por Vos and its attempt to compete with YouTube.
Cuba: Obama's Viewpoints
Bloggings by Boz takes a closer look at U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's statements regarding policy towards Cuba.
Kuwait: Sponsorship System
Kiwi Nomad, who lives in Kuwait, links to an article which discusses the ‘sponsorship’ system in the Arabian Gulf.
Peru: Remembering Pisco
Alejandro García takes a break from discussing food on his blog Peru Food to remember the city of Pisco, which was recently destroyed in the August earthquake.
Environment: A sampling of Voices from South Africa
This time on this short edition, we will take a quick trip to South Africa where there is a vibrant blogosphere, to hear from three bloggers. One reminding us about Blog Action Day for the environment, another on bringing up eco-friendly children and another blogger shares their opinion of environmental...
Syria: Ambassador's Summer Holiday
Syria's Ambassador to the USA Mr. Imad Mustapha, takes some time off from Washington DC, hops on a plane back to Syria and spends his summer holiday with his family water-parachuting in Latakia's Cote d'Azure. He writes about his time here.
Saudi Arabia: Health and Saudisation
Saudi Jeans shares his moment in the limelight in this post – about the Saudisation (localisation) of the health sector.
El Salvador: Idiosyncrasy and Culture
El Salvador Post [ES] is a new blog that takes “a snapshot of the Salvadorean idiosyncrasy and culture (if any, you decide.”
Israeli Journalist ‘Terrorises’ Ajram
Lebanese pop star Nancy Ajram was ‘terrorised’ by an Israeli journalist in Jordan, notes Naseem Tarawnah.
Lebanon: Make Falafel, Not War
Writing about Beirut's new farmers’ market, Dove's Eye View posts about a Lebanese chef's vision to make falafel and not war.