29 January 2009

Stories from 29 January 2009

Zambia: Gateway Liberalisation

Zambian Economist is happy about the Zambian government decision to liberalise international gateway, “Its been a long road arguing for decoupling Zamtel and full IG liberalisation. To see government signal...

29 January 2009

Kenya: Writing Queer Kenya

Writing Queer Kenya is accepting submissions from Kenyan queers, “We lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals, in a word, queers, have had the distinct un-pleasure of being told we...

29 January 2009

Ethiopia: The Boy Without Arms

Are you ready to help Aschelew, “the boy without arms“?: Several years ago Aschelew was depressed over his parents’ AIDS, and his family chained him up to keep him from...

29 January 2009

Kenya: Can You Help?

Kenya Community Initiative Support is looking for your help to improve the lives of children at Twiga. They need, among other things, gardening tools, spades, forks, hoes, rakes.

29 January 2009

Azerbaijan: Democratization Under Siege

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on the state of democracy in Azerbaijan and wonders about the country's future now that foreign radio broadcasts have effectively been banned and a...

29 January 2009

Armenia: Army Day

517 Design [RU] posts photographs of a youth procession to the Yerablur military cemetery in Yerevan to mark yesterday's Army Day in Armenia. The national holiday also gave the blog...

29 January 2009

Bangladesh: Urban Life

Ashley Wheaton at The Dhaka Diaries portrays the urban life of Bangladesh through a series of photo essays.

29 January 2009

Japan: Obama vs. Aso

Like every other country in the world, Japan, one of the strongest of America's allies in Asia, followed closely the election of President Obama. His speech has been broadcast, translated and commented on in all kinds of ways by the Japanese media and local TV shows. So it was natural that many bloggers drew a comparisons between the American President and the Japanese Prime Minister, Tarō Asō.

29 January 2009

Protest Video: Dancing Filipina Maids In Hong Kong

There are videos of dancing Filipinos which were conceptualized as a component of protest campaigns. Last month Juana Change videos became popular in the Philippines. These videos were used to express opposition to the administration-sponsored legislative bill that would amend the 1987 Constitution. Another video which entertained the public was the protest dance of Filipina migrant workers in Hong Kong

29 January 2009

Russia: Conscript Seeks Asylum in Georgia

Aleksandr Glukhov, a 21-year-old Russian conscript, has asked for asylum in the Republic of Georgia to escape the "unbearable conditions" in the Russian army. One of Glukhov's media appearances took place as he was dining at a McDonald's restaurant in Tbilisi. Russian officials claim that Glukhov was captured by Georgian armed forces in South Ossetia, where he was performing his compulsory military service, and taken to the Georgian capital. Quite a few people in Russia seem to consider Glukhov "a traitor." Below are some of the reactions from the Russophone blogosphere.

29 January 2009