Stories from 19 July 2009
Ukraine: Nato membership in question
Ukrainiana strongly reacts against voices in both Ukraine and the West saying no to the country becoming a member of Nato.
Russia: Retreat of the Cold Warriors
Gerhard Mangott discusses [GER] the recent letter by Central and East European leaders, warning the US of the consequences of a withdrawal from the region.
Armenia: Vardavar
Ianyan marks the much-loved Armenian holiday of Vardavar. The blog examines the roots of a tradition which usually revolves around children dousing complete strangers with buckets of water.
Russia: Medvedev Murder Mystery
Anna Politkovskaya... The mere name evokes images of Moscow's worst public relations nightmare in years - an ongoing ordeal for Russia's international reputation in the realm of rule of law. Still, the murderers have not been brought to justice, and Politkovskaya turned into a martyr for world voices critical of Russia - for them epitomising everything that is wrong and wretched with the country. So, should President Medvedev's quick reaction to this week's murder of Human Rights' acitivists Natalya Estemirova merely be regarded as lessons learnt from the Politkovskaya assassination? The answer might be more complicated, as voices from the Russian blogosphere have their say.
Dominican Republic: Wikiproject to Create Content
Leon Taveras has been organizing a Wikiproject via Twitter to help create and improve upon the Wikipedia content relating to the Dominican Republic.
Morocco: Electoral Boycott Campaigners Acquitted
Ibn Kafka reports [Fr] on the acquittal of seven Moroccan pro-democratic activists. He recalls the circumstances and the legal basis upon which the defendants were sued in the aftermath of last month's communal election when they publicly campaigned for the boycott of a poll they deemed undemocratic.
Honduras: 7 Point Document Allows for Zelaya Return
Aaron Ortiz of Pensieve [es] writes about the seven-point document written by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who is acting as a mediator in the Honduras crisis. The terms do not allow for an “unconditional” return of Mel Zelaya, but it allows for him to return as President.
China: Rio Tinto's trouble – commerical bribery or espionage?
According to China Daily, the official newspaper in China, Rio Tinto has virtually bribed the entire management of the steel industry in the country. More than a week ago, four employees of Rio Tinto were arrested on suspicion of ‘espionage, stealing state secrets and harming the nation’s economic interests and...
India: The Moment of Truth, now in Hindi
Youth Curry watches ‘Sach ka Saamna’, the Indianised version of the American game show The Moment of Truth and realises that we are constantly hiding things, not only from others but even from ourselves.
Mauritania: Election Fraud?
Yesterday, 11 months after a military coup d'état led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Mauritania has elected the General to the presidency, resulting in Abdel Aziz's main challengers denouncing the election as a “charade,” according to BBC News. A quick scan of the Sahelian blogosphere shows that the challengers are in good company.
Russia: Grozny photographies
LJ user pumchik posts pictures with comments [RUS] from the new Grozny, rebuilt after the second Checnyan war.
Dominican Republic: The Financial Cost of Undocumented Haitian Immigrants
Ever since the Dominican Republic declared independence from Haiti in 1844, the fates of the two have been intertwined. Since economic development in Haiti is low in comparison, approximately 1 million Haitian immigrants have made their way to the D.R. Many are worried about the increasing cost of providing services to undocumented immigrants.
Nepal: Incentivising widow re-marriage
In the budget for fiscal year 2009-10, the newly elected government in Nepal has proposed an incentive scheme whereby USD625 would be awarded to any groom who married a widow. This proposal has angered widows and women's groups alike, writes Bhumika Ghimire at NewsFlavor
Russia: Did Kadyrov kill Estemirova?
Reactions to the murder of Russian Human Rights’ avtivist, Natalya Estemirova, of Memorial have been frequent in recent days. Sean's Russia Blog discusses accusations against Chechen president Kadyrov of being behind the murder, and posts a translation of a Novaya Gazeta article. Streetwise Professor compares the terror of the Chechen...
Kuwait: Swine Flu and Health Officials
From Kuwait, Dilli O Milli [ar] is surprised with the way officials are dealing with announcements related to H1N1 or Swine Flu. “We are handing our lives to people who are not up to the responsibility,” she writes about health officials.
Syria: Sexual Misconceptions
Syrian blogger Marcelllita [ar] blogs about sexual complexes young people in this part of the world suffer from, such as misconceptions and wrong information.
Palestine: Egypt and Israel and Humanitarian Aid
Writing on Arab-American joint blog Kabobfest, Will notes his disgust with Egypt's stalling of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. “Though we have seen Egypt’s role as essentially Israel’s sidekick before, the machinations around the Viva Palestine really exemplify how much it shares Israel’s sick agenda of collective punishment in Gaza,” he...
Bahrain: Swine Flu Awareness
Bahraini blogger Khalid [ar] blames Bahraini health authorities for not handling the H1N1 or Swine flu virus properly and creating public awareness about the disease. He goes on to provide information about it.
Egypt: 77 Egyptian Prisoners in Israeli Jails
On Twitter, Egyptian blogger Noha Atef [ar] notes: “I didn't know that there were 77 Egyptian prisoners in Israeli jails!! 41 of them are held on criminal charges, meaning smuggling and illegal entry.”
Bahrain: No to Eating Corn in Shop
On Twitpic, Bahraini Twitter user Hussein Nasser posts a photograph of a sign posted in a boutique which reads: “You are not allowed to eat sweet corn inside the shop.”
Azerbaijan: Activists’ support site goes down
Yesterday, as Önər Blog [AZ] reported, the Appellate Court in Baku was to consider again the case of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, the recently beaten and detained youth activists and bloggers sentenced last week. Yesterday, however, one of the main websites created in their defense went down.
