Stories from 4 April 2008
China: Nude Chat a Crime?
Liu Xiaoyuan commented on a recent conviction of a nude chat case by Zhejiang provincial court. The convicted were charged with “distributing obscene object for making profit”. The blogger argued...
China: Create Your Own Facebook
yangzhiping taught readers how to create their own social network site with open source [zh]. Zoula followed the advice and created his own facebook.
China: Price Control Can't Help
Kaie argued that the Chinese government's policy on the price control won't be able to help the poor as the biggest consumer group is the middle upper class. The government...
China: Money Talk
Zhang Yi-fang from mindmeters reposted two emails that explained the stock market performance in China and the U.S.
China: Wikipedia Unblocked
williamlong said that the English wikipedia has been unblocked and the Chinese version can be visited with https [zh]. More websites are expected to unblocked before the Olympics.
Kazakhstan: Olympic Torch in Almaty
Adam reports on the Olympic Torch Relay in Almaty, which has become the first city on the Beijing Olympiad’s flame, and shows some video from the event.
China and Tibet: Post-March 14-Lhasa
ESWN translated a Lhasa Han citizen account of the city atmosphere after the riot.
Kyrgyzstan: President’s Visit to Kazakhstan
Elena reviews politicians’ and analysts’ opinions about the significance of the Kyrgyzstani President’s forthcoming state visit to Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: Waiting for the Torch
Kamneed posts some pictures from the streets of Almaty, largest city and former capital of Kazakhstan, showing the citizens’ preparations and expectation of the Olympic torch relay.
Afghanistan: Talking to the Enemy
Joshua Foust looks at the political parties in Afghanistan, particularly at the the United National Front, whose nature and course seems to be deeply worrisome for Afghanistan’s future.
Afghanistan: Two Young Men Stoned to Death
Mohammad Fahim reports that two young lovers were stoned to death in the southern province of Afghanistan after they decided to leave their village and start new life, but were...
Costa Rica: New Recycling Program in Playa Tamarindo
Sandcruiser writes about a new recycling program in Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica, which will be very good news for the local environment.
Bulgaria: What Can Force a Minister to Resign?
The deputy director of Bulgaria's special division for combating organized crime has been arrested on charges of corruption and contacts with organized crime groups. The minister of the interior is facing similar accusations - but is unwilling to resign. Yavor Mihaylov writes about a Bulgarian blogger who has launched a short story contest, hoping to get an answer to this question: "What has to happen so that we could see a minister tender his resignation?"
Russia: More on Litvinenko's Poisoning
Sean's Russia Blog “revisits” Aleksandr Litvinenko's poisoning case and, among other things, recommends reading a piece the New York Sun by Edward Jay Epstein: “The article’s value is in his...
Russia, U.S.: NATO Summit
Scraps of Moscow writes about various aspects of the NATO Summit in Bucharest and the coverage it is receiving in the U.S. and Russian media.
Russia, U.S.: Response to Opinion Piece on Russophobia
A detailed response to an opinion piece by Andrei Tsygankov, associate professor of international relations at San Francisco State University, who claims that “the U.S. presidential candidates are increasingly playing...
Kosovo: Ramush Haradinaj Acquitted
A Fistful of Euros comments on the acquittal of former Kosovo PM Ramush Haradinaj at the Hague: “Testifying against a popular KLA commander-turned-popular politician: not so easy.”
Moldova: Mrs. Zinaida Greceanii, the New PM
Public Policy Watch – Politici Publice in Moldova writes about the new Prime Minister, Mrs. Zinaida Greceanii, and makes “a (wish)list against which I will evaluate her performance until the...
Lithuania: Divided Over Kosovo
Lituanica reports that the Lithuanian parliament failed to recognize Kosovo's independence on April Fool's Day.
