24 October 2007

Stories from 24 October 2007

Guyana: Give the People what they Want

  24 October 2007

“Guyanese people Abroad so home sick they does crave every juicy detail about things happening here. If ants belch, they need to know what decibel”…so Guyana-Gyal gives them what they want.

Haiti: Constitutional Amendments?

  24 October 2007

“Is a Constitution a living document?” asks Bryan Schaaf at Haiti Innovation as he raises the issue of modifying certain sections of the island's existing constitution “for the betterment of the country”.

Armenia: Genocide Recognition or Democracy?

  24 October 2007

Raffi K and Arshineh, both bloggers from the Armenian Diaspora writing on Life in Armenia, post letters they've written to U.S. Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi praising her for House Resolution 106 which recognizes the Armenian Genocide. Despite increasing pressure not to do so, both hope that Pelosi will still bring...

Kazakhstan: Prices Unleashed

  24 October 2007

Immediately after the parliamentary elections, which were deemed undemocratic by the international monitors, the prices went crazy in Kazakhstan. The ruling party “Nur Otan”, led by president Nursultan Nazarbayev – who rules the country already for 17 years – had been building its campaign on socio-economic achievements and promises of...

Armenia: Opposition Detainees Released

  24 October 2007

Via Romamerda1 on YouTube, there are updates on the latest developments following the arrest of Armenian opposition leaders, Nikol Pashinyan and other members of the “Impeachment” bloc. The description accompanying the video reads: Nicol Pashinyan and other members of “Impeachment” party were unjustly imprisoned for 8 hours on 23 October...

China: Same Life Same Price

  24 October 2007

In China, if a rural peasant got killed in a traffic accident, the compensation is likely to be much lower than those with a urban household registration. Recently, Liu Xiaoyuan won a case in Beijing for a “same life same price” compensation of a car accident which killed a rural...

DRC: Che Guevara on Laurent Kabila

  24 October 2007

History speaks as Congolese blogger Alex Engwete translates (Fr) Che Guevara's pessimistic assessment of Laurent Kabila‘s potential to become a revolutionary leader: “He lets things drag on forever without caring about anything other than internal quarrels, and he also devoted to women and drink…”

Korea: Kissing in Public Places

  24 October 2007

Kissing in public places can turn into a major issue and generate arguments. An adult is being tried in court for beating teenagers who were kissing at a metro station. He had also beaten a teenager who smoked in public. After the news, a blogger writes how he/she feels about others’ opinions about this accident.

Burkina Faso: Mariam Sankara returns from exile

  24 October 2007

Ramata Sore posts a statement by Mariam Sankara (Fr), wife of assassinated former president Thomas Sankara, thanking the Burkinabe people for their warm welcome. Mrs. Sankara returned to Burkina Faso for the anniversary of her husband's death after twenty years in exile.

Tanzania: IMF no longer viewed as an enemy

  24 October 2007

Tanzania Common Cents writes about Tanzania's relationship with IMF: “While it is true that over the years Tanzania has graduated in her relationship with IMF to the point of currently operating under a PSI and thus driving its own development agenda; and while its true that IMF policies have evolved...

Afghanistan: Asia Foundation Survey

  24 October 2007

Afghanistan Watch looks inside the Asia Foundation's latest survey of the Afghani people and notes that it paints a nuanced picture and provides some fascinating data on various issues: from support for traditional institutions to democracy and women’s rights.

Bangladesh: Bloggers, the media and the army chief

  24 October 2007

The political arena of Bangladesh heated up after the Eid holidays. Bloggers cum citizen journalists had a role to play in this. J Rahman at Mukti has some background: Earlier this year, Bangladesh experienced an extra-constitutional change in government. The Economist called it a coup that dares not speak its...