Stories from 17 March 2008
Armenia: Moving Forward?
Unzipped comments on an op-ed co-penned by president-elect Serge Sargsyan and former parliamentary speaker Artur Baghdasarian published by the influential Washington Post. The piece is in response to another op-ed published in the same newspaper by opposition leader and former president Levon Ter-Petrossian.
Barbados, Jamaica: Law and Order
Barbados Free Press weighs in on reports that an estimated 20 percent of Jamaica's murders are committed by police officers.
Japan: Crackdown on File Sharing?
Danny Choo writes about an announcement that Japanese ISPs are going to forcibly cut off users who share files over the Internet, pointing out differences between English-language and Japanese-language coverage of the story.
Uzbekistan: Foreign Policy Perturbations
The Uzbek regime's violent suppression of the uprising in Andijan in May 2005 was a turning point in the country's foreign policy. The government did not allow EU to investigate the case and then, after the U.S. administration's strong opposition to “non-observation of basic human rights”, Tashkent forced American airbase...
Trinidad & Tobago: Guarding the Guards
Notes from Port of Spain asks: “Who will guard the guards?”
Trinidad & Tobago: Senseless Murder
Club Soda and Salt is saddened by news of Trinidad and Tobago's latest murder: “Ultimately, this man was shot for doing what so many of us lack the courage to do: taking responsibility for the children in his community, instead of just ignoring them.”
Bermuda: Freedom of Information
When it comes to Freedom of Information in Bermuda, Vexed Bermoothes says: “Sorry, press conferences full of spin, manipulated statistics, and avoidance of substance do not equal a transparent government.”
Jamaica: Corrosive Column
Francis Wade is left without words after reading a recent article in the Jamaica Gleaner that deals with US politics, “Jamericans” and race.
Jamaica: Dancehall
The recent Global Reggae Conference, held at the University of the West Indies, has Agostinho Pinnock blogging about whether or not dancehall music is Jamaica's “solution to civil society”.
Iran: Writing about a fictional character can lead to jail
Khabgard writes [Fa] Iranian writer,Yaghoub Yaadali, was sentenced to three months in jail, suspended for nine months, last September because of one of his fictional character.In his book, The Rules of Restlessness, a fictional character has an affair with a woman from an ethnic Bakhtiari village.Read more in English.
Japan: Tibet Tibet
Blogger and artist Takami Toshio writes about the Japanese film Tibet Tibet [ja] at his blog Radical Imagination. He points out the similarity in perspectives between the director, who is Zainichi Korean, and the people of Tibet, both of whom do not have a country of their own.
Iran:9 more magazines were banned
Iranian authorities banned 9 more magazines yesterday. Zannevesht says [Fa] they (authorities) have power and are against these things (media). The blogger writes “I was just reading an interesting article about singer Leonard Cohen in Hafat ,one of the banned magazines, a few days ago.”
Japan: Support for Tibet
As fires rage on in the streets of Lhasa, bloggers in another part of the world have been anxiously following developments in Tibet with open eyes and open ears. Over the weekend, as mainstream media in Japan presented what many criticized as toned-down coverage of ongoing events in Lhasa, the word "Tibet" climbed to number one on Japanese blog search engines with thousands of entries largely in support of the uprising.
Tanzania: To quit or not to quit?
Pernille is a well-known blogger from Denmark. She entered the African blogosphere scene when she started working in Uganda and blogging at “I've Left Copenhagen for Uganda”. She is now lives in Tanzania and blogs under a new name, Louder than Swahili. Last week she decided to put her blog on stand-by following comments she received via email, SMS, and phone calls, which made her uncomfortable.
Azerbaijan: Karabakh Resolution
Archuk's blog comments on the success of an Azerbaijani-sponsored resolution adopted by the United Nations condemning the Armenian occupation of territory inside the republic and recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The Armenian Observer also carries the news.
Armenia: I am Karabakhtsi
In light of divisions between ethnic Armenians from Armenia proper and the self-declared [Armenian] Republic of Nagorno Karabakh which were exploited and further encouraged by the opposition during last month's presidential election in the country, Archuk's blog proudly displays a banner stating that he is a Karabakhtsi. The idea for...
Georgia: Sports Ambassadors
Archuk's blog recounts conversations with English football fans and concludes that for any country to have a good image abroad they must first have sports and pop stars to export. In this regard, Georgia seems to be doing better than Armenia although the same logic applies.
Africa: Hope Supersedes All
Women love to share their experiences and express themselves, but no clock will wait for them to sit and share every detail with each other - not even if they do it on their blogs. Life must go on.
Kyrgyzstan: Ban on alcohol and tobacco advertising
Ayan Dane writes that the Kyrgyz Parliament is initiating a law to ban alcohol and tobacco advertising, although the prospects of this draft law are uncertain as some deputies have business connected with selling alcohol and tobacco.
Turkmenistan: A Central Asian Gas Ultimatum
Maciula reports on the ultimatum given to Gazprom – and therefore to the Western consumers – by Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and wonders about its impact on the Central Asian geopolitical situation.
Kazakhstan: Shadow Puppet Master Comes Up as Billionaire
Sean R. Roberts reports that the Forbes’ list of billionaires has added another Kazakhstan name to its list – Bulat Utemuratov– bringing the country’s “official” members in the elite billionaire club to 8.
