Stories from 7 February 2009
Russia: Vegetarian Borscht
Russian Blog shares a vegetarian borscht recipe.
On Overseas Filipino Workers
That Word in Me reflects about Overseas Filipino Worker (OFWs). “OFWs are not heroes. They don’t work abroad so they can help ‘alleviate’ our country’s economic status by their remittances… There are very little jobs that can sustain an ordinary Filipino and I bet if he had a choice, he’d...
Philippines: Creating A Top-rating Noontime Show
Insoymada drafts a primer on how to create a top-rating noontime show for Philippine television.
Russia, EU: Barroso's Criticism of Russia
George Iulian Jiglau writes this about Jose Manuel Barroso's criticism of Russia's human right record at Th!nk About It: “Do you risk the energetic safety of several EU member states for the sake of presenting yourself as the defender of human rights? Shouldn’t this kind of ‘concerns’ be left in...
Peru: El Comercio Newspaper Activates Comments
The Peruvian newspaper El Comercio recently activated the comments section on its online version writes Letra Suelta [es], but wonders whether its readers are capable of treating one another with respect.
Qatar: Tagged.com blocked
Twitter user Ammar Mohammed, from Qatar, reports that tagged.com has been blocked in that country.
Ukraine: Grey Market Car Importers and the Customs
Petro of Petro's Jotter describes how Ukrainian customs officials benefit from the crisis and the “grey market premium car importers.”
Madagascar: More than 25 killed in march to presidential palace
At least 25 people were shot dead today in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo during a march to the presidential palace called by the city's mayor Andry Rajoelina after he declared himself the leader of a new transitional government at a political rally. In the past weeks, a power struggle between the mayor and the president Marc Ravalomanana has led to both violence and looting.
Bangladesh: The Six Hundred Thousand Dollar Cricketer
Back to Bangladesh comments on the Bangladeshi cricket star Mashrafee's remuneration, who recently was “sold” to an Indian outfit for $600,000 in an auction: “The amount may not be much compared to what Western sports stars make, but here it is staggering.”
Iran: Iranian blogger, Mirsayafi was jailed
OmidReza Mirsayafi, an Iranian blogger and journalist was jailed on Saturday.Read more here and here.
Iran: YouTube and Facebook are not filtered anymore
Somayeh Tohidloo, an Iran based blogger, reports [fa] “that something strange happened a few days ago: YouTube and Facebook are not filtered anymore in Iran.”
Plans for Angry Arab TV News Service Underway
From the Angry Arab News Service, Lebanese Dr Assad Abu Khalil writes: “I have received enthusiastic messages from readers around the world expressing their desire to volunteer for the upcoming Angry Arab TV News service. This is the beginning: we can first formulate a plan that I can post, and...
Palestine: Shoe thrown at Israel's ambassador to Sweden
Palestinian Laila El Haddad links to a video and story showing protesters throwing a shoe at Israel's Ambassador to Sweden Benny Dagan, during a talk at Stockholm University.
Morocco: 10-digit numbers soon
“Morocco will move to a 10-digit numbering system on 6 March, due to the high demand for mobile services,” reports The View from Fez.
Kuwait: Hotel security ‘a gimmick’
Mark, in Kuwait, complains about lax hotel security, after being allowed to pass through a security checkpoint, without a huge suitcase in his trunk being checked. He remarks: “I always knew hotel security was just a gimmick of a sort to let guests feel more secure.”
Syria: Israel arrests and deports aid workers
Syria News Wire reports that a group of Syrian and Lebanese aid workers have been arrested and deported from Israel.
Jordan: Reckless school bus driver
Kinziblogs, writing from Jordan, complains about a reckless school bus driver in this post.
Cambodia: Report accuses elite of theft
Global Witness, a non-governmental organization based in London released a report which warns that Cambodia risks descending into a kleptocracy, alleging that large sums of monies paid to the government are benefiting the ruling elite instead of the people of Cambodia
Ukraine: “Pynzenyk Memo Divides Cabinet”
Ukrainiana writes about the reactions to “a written wake-up call from Finance Minister Viktor Pynzenyk that extrapolates current economic data and warns of an impending economic meltdown.”
Russia: Notes on the Protests
Sean's Russia Blog compares the protests in Russia to those taking place elsewhere.
Russia: EU and Human Rights
Following “a notable exchange between PM Vladimir Putin and EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso,” Robert Amsterdam writes: “In my opinion, it was about time that Europe woke up to the fact that it is not OK, it is not normal for the leadership of any country to say nothing...
