Stories from 10 January 2008
Egypt: Chinese Goods
Chinese goods are swamping markets worldwide. Egyptians now have to deal with roving Chinese salesmen and women knocking on their doors. Tarek Amr brings us the story.
Korea: Game Addiction and Solution
Last year, 14 year old boy killed his 10 year old brother with a pocket knife. The motive was simply curiosity about the feeling after murder. He was known to be excessively liking games that particularly are full of violence and bombing. He was analyzed as being confused between imagined...
Lebanon: Without a President
Lebanon has been without a president since the deadline for the election passed on November 24, 2007. The political bickering continues. A number of foreign initiatives have been launched to resolve the conflict issues but have so far been unsuccessful. The latest is the Arab League initiative, which is in progress this week. Here is a sample of Lebanese bloggers' reflection about the presidential vacuum and about the resulting political situation.
Trinidad & Tobago: Causes of Violence
Caribbean Free Radio links to an article that challenges the “tribe-centric” analysis of the violence in Kenya to make a point about the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica: Achievement vs. Reality
Jamaican Francis Wade blogs about “the fallacy of achievement”.
Barbados: Election Issues
“With one week left to go before elections, Barbados is in the grips of one of the most intense election campaigns in recent memory,” says Notes From The Margin, while Living in Barbados thinks “the issues are as usual getting mixed up with nonsensical activities.”
Armenia: Ter Petrosian's Manifesto
The Armenian Observer takes a more in-depth and objective look at the pre-election campaign manifesto of the first and former president of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Ter Petrosian.
Bahamas: Is Religion a Business?
Adrian Gibson, blogging at WeblogBahamas.com, likens certain pastors to “religious terrorists who are doggedly fleecing Bahamians!”
Anguilla: Dolphin Pros & Cons
“We would all have heard by now that the Ministers have agreed to give the ‘swim with the dolphins’ company a licence…for their new facility”: Corruption-free Anguilla raises some questions.
Japan: Naked Festival Posters = Sexual Harassment?
The festival is a thousand-years-old. But the Japan Railway refused to put up the poster under the excuse of sexual harassment. More details from James, Japan Probe.
Japan: Aiming Downward Kids
David Marx from Neojaponisme has a great article about Japan youth culture.
China: Destroying Corpse
Not only did the Hubei Tianmen City management team murdered Wei Wenhua, the police tried to rob his corpse in order to suppress the event. Izaobao describes that as Power Anomie (zh).
China: Discrimination Against Illegitimate Child
A 17 years old girl, Ling Ling, committed suicide because she didn't have a proper household registration (her mother was not married when giving birth) and could not apply for university. Liu Xiaoming criticizes the Beijing family planning committee regulation for discrimination against illegitimate child (zh).
China: Banning Free Plastic Bags
Although banning free plastic bags in China is a good news for the global environment, however, Kaie doesn't like the word ban (zh). Moreover, he pointed out that the cost of the free plastic bags would be transfered to the poor people, and more polluted materials may enter the market.
China: More on Journalist Arrested for Defamation
Imagethief comments on the attempt to arrest a Beijing journalist by Liaoning cadres ended up in an outraging scandal.
Kenya: Moving images of unrest and hope
A video walkthrough of the recent violent events in Kenya following the December 27th elections, with shocking images, insightful interviews and hopeful thoughts on the future.
Tajikistan: Tajik Immigrants in Russia
Jamiyat says that according to the Russian news agency Regnum reports that there were 356 deaths of immigrants from Tajikistan reported in 2007. Just to compare: There were about 450 US casualties reported in the Afghanistan campaign.
Turkmenistan: Trip to the Seaside Travelogue
Maciula offers some notes on the road in Turkmenistan, heading from Turkmenbashi town towards the north-west and Avaza – the most popular Turkmen seaside resort.
Kazakhstan: What the Kashagan Deal May Look Like
Steve LeVine reviews the report by Milano Finanza newspaper on the skeleton of a final settlement of the Kashagan dispute. With at least 13 billion barrels of proven reserves, Kazakhstan's Kashagan is the largest discovery in the world in the decades.
Central Asia: U.S. Official Responsible for Caspian Region Resigned
Steve LeVine updates on Thomas Pickering, the senior U.S. statesman who was to lead the high-level U.S. pipeline campaign on the Caspian. Despite his recent appointment to the position, he has withdrawn for unspecified reasons.
Aghanistan: Bagram Holds Twice as Many as Guantanamo
Afghanistan Watch reviews a New York Times report, in which it is said that the secretive American detention center at Bagram base in Afghanistan now holds more than twice as many prisoners as Guantanamo Bay.
