Stories from 11 January 2008
Kenya: Bloggers seek to heal a wounded nation
After a week of killings, looting and the political madness witnessed in Kenya after last month’s general elections, Kenyan Bloggers are blogging to heal a deeply wounded nation.
Mozambique: The lowest life span
Carlos Serra [pt] is optimistic about the report by the WHO that by 2025 the life span in Mozambique and other African countries will be of 60 years, the lowest in the world. “It seems to be a negative fact, perhaps we can have a more optimistic view if we...
Brazil: How the media reported the rescue the Farc hostages
Leonardo Sakamoto [pt] criticizes the way that the biggest Brazilian TV network reported the released of two prisoners by Colombian guerillas. “First, it classified the Farc as narcoguerrilheiros. Abour six times. Then, it announced that the most important opinion on the subject was the spokesperson for … Uribe? Chavez? Who...
China: Citizen reporter killed—by who?
What began as a protest against a planned urban trash dump encroaching on a residential area held by the villagers there in Tianmen, Hubei province became a murder story after the city management officers moved from beating the residents to attacking passerby Wei Wenhua, the would-be citizen journalist filming the...
Georgia: Falsified Election
TOL Georgia comments on the apparent about face from international observers regarding the conduct of the 5 January presidential election in Georgia. A day after the vote, international observers declared the election “broadly democratic,” but now — less than a week later — they say “there was crass, negligent and...
Jamaica: Love Up
Jamaican Francis Wade is a lover, not a fighter…
Haiti: Cost of Development?
“Dictators, Peace Corps Volunteers, governments, activists, non profits, for profits, companies all talk about development – but can we agree on what it is?” asks Bryan at Haiti Innovation, as he blogs about a hydroelectricity project on the island.
Dominica, Venezuela: Done Deal?
“Apparently Hugo Chavez announced today that construction will begin soon on the oil refinery here”: Living Dominica wonders if she's missed something.
Japan: A new car? No thanks.
Word on the street is that the Japanese economy isn't doing too well, with sluggish car sales apparently a major culprit. Who is to blame? Some say the kids, who have apparently lost the urge for material things. Whatever the reason, Japanese bloggers didn't seem terribly surprised by the news.
China: University School Fee
Some scholars suggested that China should raise university school fee as the poor only constitutes 10% of the university population, government subsidy is sponsoring the rich. Wei Yinjie from my1510 points out that at present the wealth redistribution mechanism is not functioning and the income disparity political, not caused by...
Japan: Guerrilla Flowerpots
Pingmag has a report on citizens’ attempt to change the urban landscape by guerrilla flowerpots.
China: Top Ten “Very Yellow, Very Violent”
Nings blog picks up top ten “Very Yellow, Very Violent” websites, some are official news and information websites, such as sina and xinhua. ESWN has the translation.
Kyrgyzstan: The lives of sex workers in Kyrgyzstan
GenderStan tells about a magazine prepared by sex workers from different regions of Kyrgyzstan and featuring their stories and everyday troubles.
Tajikistan: Energy crisis worsens
Vadim reports that energy monopolists in Tajikistan have again increased prices for gas and electricity by 50 and 20 percent respectively, causing aggravation of the sector's difficult situation that had been initially caused by energy deficit.
Kyrgyzstan: Youth Activists Detained
Asel writes that the members of “I do not believe” campaign, which is protesting against the results of recent parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, were detained while posting leaflets over the building of Parliament.
