Stories from 2 April 2008
Vietnam: Internet speed
Blogger Saigonnezumi is happy to report that internet connection and internet speed in Vietnam is about to improve.
Thailand’s first snowfall in history
Residents in a moo baan in tambon Pa Bong, Saraphi district, Chiang Mai, were treated to Thailand’s first snowfall in history. Meteorologists suspect that the snow is the result of global warming.
Thailand: Getting a driver license
Blogger Isaan Style writes about getting a driver's license in Thailand.
Romania: NATO Summit & Civil Rights
Stan Faryna writes at length about the NATO Summit, which has opened in Romania's capital today, and reviews reactions in the Romanian citizen media: “As the minutes ticks closer to the start of today’s NATO Summit in Bucharest, some Romanian bloggers question the zeal of their leaders in ensuring there...
Romania: NATO Summit in Bucharest
Mihnea Dumitru announces his plans to leave the city for the duration of the NATO Summit in Bucharest, which begins today: “In a perfect show of support for my government and its intentions to transform the capital into a no-man’s land where nothing can possibly go wrong, I have decided...
Colombia: bloggers gathering signatures for copyright and industrial property letter
Carolina Botero, lawyer and Creative Commons promoter in Colombia has been asking bloggers and anyone else with computer access and an interest in what are popularly called "intellectual property rights" to sign an open letter which will be sent to CONPES, the National Council for Social and Economic Politics, to counter a bill the DNP (National Planning Department) previously sent to them, where the new models of sharing knowledge that provide alternatives to the traditional "protection and enforcement" policies were completely ignored.
China and Tibet: Thanks Giving Campaign
The Chinese government started a thanks giving campaign to urge Tibetan be thankful to the pro-Tibetan policy. Wang Lixiong made a list of thankful policy and asked why Tibetans are not thankful afterall? And he invited Tibetans to speak out in woser's blog[zh].
Central Asia: Central Asian Rulers on Postage Stamps
Epolet offers in his post a collection of postage stamps with the images of Central Asian presidents.
Kazakhstan: Opposition reacts to Aliyev trial
Zhanna reports that as the trial over Rakhat Aliyev — former presidential son-in-law, former chief of special services and former media mogul — ends, the major opposition party of Kazakhstan “Azat” is quick to react to the revealed facts of treason and planned coup.
Kyrgyzstan: Pharmaceutical companies and women’s health
GenderStan reports on the situation in health sector – particularly in the gynecology services – in Kyrgyzstan, telling about low qualification of doctors and widespread corruption as well.
Afghanistan: No Pashtuns Here?
Josh Foust opines on the statement made by a provincial official in Afghanistan about the insurgents, particularly that most of the fighters are foreign.
China: Upgrading National Product
Xueyong discussed about Japan's extremely high price in agricultural product and suggested that China should up-grade its national product rather than depend on property market and extensive development for sustaining economic growth [zh].
China: An Email From a Tibetan Girl
Liang Yue posted an email from a Tibetan girl talking about her experience in encountering with Han people and culture. She was educated in Han Chinese and couldn't speak in Tibetan due to subtle cultural discrimination [zh].
Kuwait: Bloggers to Play Leading Role in Elections
It's already Summer in Kuwait, where temperatures peaked 42 degrees Celsius. But what's also heating up in the race to the Parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 17, writes Abdullatif AlOmar, who reviews Kuwaiti blogs.
Korea: Conflicts between Koreans in their 20s and in their 30-40s
Recently, there has been a series of demonstrations that Korean college students have led against the increase in tuition fees. Presidents of college students’ associations got together and tried to hand the letter to President, Lee Myung Bak, directly. Some students have had their heads shaved. The rapid increase, 6.5-9%...
China: Anti-CNN and Press Freedom
Glockwq has joined the anti-CNN campaign. For him the campaign is to fight for freedom, not for Olympic, nor for the country [zh]
Ukraine: Customs Ordeal
MoldovAnn spent over two months waiting for a package to get delivered to her in Ukraine. Then, the Ukrainian customs demanded that she pay “$53 in taxes for $100 worth of clothes.” She writes about her ordeal and inquires: “Anybody know what the heck is going on at customs? Can...
Ukraine: Bush and NATO
Leopolis cites media reports on Bush's visit to Kyiv and quotes a colleague's forecast: “If Ukraine takes any serious steps towards NATO in Bucharest, the scenario for serious civil conflict in summer and fall is ready. If serious measures are postponed, then something else will appear.”
Ukraine: Kerch Churches
Photos and background on a few Kerch churches – at The Gaws.
Ukraine: Bush in Kyiv; NATO Aspirations
Taras of Ukrainiana posts a comprehensive overview of George W. Bush's visit to Ukraine, complete with photos and video of the anti-NATO protest that took place in Kyiv. The issue of NATO featured prominently not only on the local level: “What followed was an otherwise boring press conference, except for...
