Stories from 21 September 2009
Uzbekistan: Freedom of faith questioned
Musa tells about the persecution of minor grouping of Bahá’í religion in Uzbekistan.
Turkmenistan: Ashgabat hosts ICT events
Musafirbek reports that Turkmenistan hosted international telecommunications and information technology exhibition and the “Turkmenistan and Global Telecommunications System” international scientific conference.
Afghanistan: Mullah Omar's New Statement
Nick Fielding analyzes the political statement of Mullah Mohammad Omar, leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, for the Afghans, particularly those who are loyal towards the Karzai regime.
Mongolia: Central Asian blues
Bilguun shares a new blues music project called “Khusugtun” in Mongolia.
Peru: Antauro Humala Sentenced for 2005 Attack
In Peru, Antauro Humala, the brother of opposition leader Ollanta Humala, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2005 attack on a police station in Andahuaylas, as reported by the blog Que Tal Raza [es].
Ecuador: Quito Twestival Supporting Social Causes
In Ecuador, the Quito Twestival is starting to attract a lot of interest as a way to support a social cause, writes Christian Espinosa of Cobertura Digital [es].
Uruguay: The Trouble with Buying and iPhone
Marcos Crispino has had recent problems trying to purchase an iPhone in Uruguay [es]. Between unsuitable data plans and continuously out of stock in the stores, he thinks it has become too complicated.
Bolivia: 43rd Anniversary of “Constructing Progress” in Santa Cruz
Andrés Pucci celebrates the 43rd anniversary since Santa Cruz, Bolivia “began constructing progress” [es] with the 11% of revenue sharing given to the 9 departments, which was 21 years after the law was passed.
USA: Eid Postage Stamp Provokes Hate in Tennessee
A chain e-mail that falsely claims President Obama has issued a new postage stamp commemorating the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr has even reached a Tennessee mayor who forwarded it to employees encouraging them to boycott the stamp.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: International Peace Day
Marking International Day of Peace, letzi83 notes that Armenia also celebrates its independence from the former Soviet Union on the same day and says her mind automatically makes a connection between the two events. unzippedblog also weighs in and says that despite sounding naive, maybe there's room for hope and...
Thailand: Three Years After The 2006 Coup
Last September 19 Thailand marked the third year anniversary of the Coup D'etat which forced the ouster of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who is now in exile. Bloggers also remembered the coup anniversary.
Japan: Plans to Accept More Foreign Students
The Guyjin blog is positive about the long term benefits of the plan to increase the number of foreign students studying in Japan to around 300,000 by 2020, a 250% increase.
Iran: Quds Demonstration via Google Maps
Watch protest demonstration in Quds Day in Iran via Google Maps and Youtube.
India: China Backs Insurgency
Subir Bhowmik reports that China has started backing rebel groups inside India.
Bangladesh: To Save The Rivers Of Dhaka
An Ordinary citizen highlights the crusade of some local media to save the rivers of Dhaka from pollution.
China: Beijing students protest against parade rehersals
In the upcoming October 1 celebration of the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing will be mobilizing over one hundred thousands secondary and university students for parades. As it is compulsory for students to participate in the prolong parade rehearsal, some are not happy about it. Apple...
Taiwan: Kaohsiung set to screen film amidst controversy
The Kaohsiung Film Festival came under pressure from China over its decision to screen The Ten Conditions of Love, a documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. As a result the Kaohsiung City Government decided to screen the documentary in advance of the film festival. Echo Taiwan criticises the Kaohsiung...
China: Mainland Blogger’s ironic review of shabby government buildings in Taiwan
Blogger Lv Se De Shou Cang recently ran a photo journal titled 'A look at some of the administrative buildings in Taiwan', which has also generated interesting comments.
Japan: DPJ on Press Clubs and Media Opennness
Blogger APEESCAPE covers the way the Democratic Party of Japan has gone back on their promise and closed off press conferences to foreign, internet, and independent press. The Hatoyama administration is now under close scrutiny and APEESCAPE says “Today’s news is an incremental step to media openness, but not nearly...
Vietnam: Sex Trafficking in Saigon
Fish Egg Tree is angry and disappointed to learn that sex trafficking is rampant in Pham Ngu Lao in District 1 of Saigon, Vietnam even though authorities are aware of the problem.
Vietnam: New roads and bridges in Saigon
The Final Word describes some of the new road projects and bridges in Saigon, Vietnam.
