10 January 2008

Stories from 10 January 2008

Iran: Frozen!

  10 January 2008

Iran is facing an exceptionally cold winter. Snow has trapped many cities and at least eight people have lost their lives. Even gas supplies have been disrupted although Iran is the second richest gas country in the world. Millions of people are deprived of heating. Several bloggers have provided photos...

Latvia, Russia: Citizenship Scandal

  10 January 2008

Marginalia reports: “Latvia is embroiled in a stunning scandal once again – the sale of perhaps a hundred passports to wealthy individuals, mostly Russian citizens seeking to take advantage of Latvia's EU and Schengen membership.”

The Balkans: Book Review

  10 January 2008

Greater Surbiton reviews ‘Peace and Punishment’ by Florence Hartmann, “former spokeswoman for Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), […] the first senior official of the ICTY to have written a book discussing its inner workings.”

India: Introducing the Tata Nano

  10 January 2008

The unveiling of Tata Nano, a new supermini car at the New Delhi Auto Expo today has created quite a commotion on the blogosphere. The standard version of the car is 100,000 Rs (approximately 2500 USD) making it the cheapest car to hit the Indian market. The reception to the...

Bahrain: Just Bahraini on Target

  10 January 2008

A Bahraini anti-sectarian campaign – Just Bahraini – has raised its target funds, thanks to a generous donation from a donor who preferred to remain anonymous, announced blogger Mahmood Al Yousif, who is the mastermind behind the initiative.

Georgia: Election Trivia

  10 January 2008

TOL Georgia comments on the appearance of newly re-elected Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili on a popular TV political talk show. The blog says that the opportunity to ask the most obvious question about the conduct of Saturday's presidential election was missed.

Armenia: Anger

  10 January 2008

Lara at Life in Armenia paints a depressing picture of what it's like to be director of a Woman's Center in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. Women who decide to leave their husbands or are victims of domestic violence, she says, are often ridiculed or ostracized by what is still very...

Armenia: Polarized Politics

  10 January 2008

The Armenian Observer ponders comments made by presidential candidate Vazgen Manukian that politics ahead of next month's vote is polarized. However, according to Observer, Manukian suggests that this is deceiving as there is a huge gap between the two poles.

Macau: Gambling habits

  10 January 2008

Leocardo [pt] comments on gambling habit in Macau, where “the majority of the population have played in some way during the year 2007, either in casinos or lotteries, and are the less literate citizens who gamble more”

Brazil: Yellow fever alert

  10 January 2008

“The Brazilian authorities have re-issued a health alert for visitors coming to Brazil and intending to visit certain regions of the country where yellow fever is endemic”. See a list of places where vaccination prior to travel is needed, plus basic facts about yellow fever in Brazil and general recommendations...