Stories from 24 March 2010
Russia-US: Towards a new Start of nuclear disarmament
Nikolas Gvosdev of The (Ex) Washington Realist reflects upon what now seems a clear road ahead for a renewed Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between Russia and the US, signifying a breakthtrough in nuclear disarmament.
Russia: Theorizing Stalin's deportations
Otto's Random Thoughts draws attention to Robert Blauner's ideas on internal colonialism and how they could be theoretically applied on Stalin's deportations.
India: Mutation Of News And Entertainment
Harini Calamur at A Point of View informs that a private news channel in India is resorting to a reality show to conduct a nationwide hunt for an anchor for their news program.
Palestine: Anger At Opening Of Hurva Synagogue
Last week the rebuilt Hurva, or Ruin, Synagogue was opened in the old city of Jerusalem, amidst a wave of protests by Palestinians. The opening has been denounced by a number of Palestinian leaders as being part of a project to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is only 700 metres away. Mays Dagher reports on what Palestinian blogs are saying.
Estonia: Blank pages of press freedom protest
Paul Becker of GUS News comments on [GER] Estonia's four leading newspapers publishing issues with blank pages in protest against a government proposal that could curtail journalists’ ability to protect their sources.
Moldova: Fear for a fifth column
Zimbru of Morning in Moldova argues that Moldova's centre-right politicians underestimate the power of political forces aligned with Russia and thus put the country's democratization and plans to join the European Union in peril.
Côte d'Ivoire: War of Words between Political Figures
Théophile Kouamouo has published a tense back and forth exchange between Venance Konan, editorialist and former ally of ex-President Bedié and members of the FPI, the party currently in charge (fr). The Ivorian government states that the peace process is in jeopardy a month before the scheduled presidential elections.
Ghana: Blogging for World Water Day
World Water Day is a day observed on March 22 since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared March, 22 as World Day for Water. Jemila Wunpini Abdulai, an active member of the Ghana Blogging Group suggested we make the day a Ghana Blogging Universal Day post.
South Africa: Grandamas who play soccer
Africa is a Country writes about Grandamas who play soccer in South Africa: “About 55 women take part in the games with the youngest 4 years old.”
Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname: Alice Bangi
A big bench for liming? Trinidad's Alice Yard gets its own piece of traditional Surinamese outdoor furniture.
Trinidad & Tobago: Disconnected?
Trinidad and Tobago diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch is afraid that the Prime Minister is “showing signs of ‘disconnect’”.
Ghana: Do Ghana's oil fields belong to Ivory Coast?
A dispute that could break out between Ghana and neighboring Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast is reportedly laying claims to portions of the huge oil wealth in the deep waters of the Western Region of Ghana.
Haiti: Social Media Speaking
Jamaal Bell writes for The Huffington Post on how social media is helping Haitians share their stories post-earthquake.
Argentina: Arrest Order Against Judge's Father Creates Controversy
Argentinean Judge María José Sarmiento believes that the arrest order for her father, accused of human rights abuses in the 1970s, is "obviously related" to her ruling against the government regarding the use of the federal reserves.
Jamaica: Blake Dies
Jamaica Salt blogs about the death of Vivian Blake, “the convicted drug boss and reported head of the ’shower posse’”, saying: “This death is all the more relevant right now as Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is facing an extradition order…”
Guyana: Virtual Love
“What a la-la. The I-net become the We-net”: Guyana-Gyal notices that “rosemantic” things have been happening in cyberspace.
Zimbabwe: Farmers Field Day
Cormac watches as farmers in Gokwe North in central Zimbabwe take part in an old tradition in rural Zimbabwe called Field Day
Madagascar Update: Death Toll from Tropical Storm Hubert now at 78
Tomavana writes that official report have raised the death toll from Tropical Storm Hubert in Madagascar from 36 last week to 78 and affected 145,000 people. He adds that health experts on site fear an outbreak of Chikungunya because of the flood (fr).
El Salvador: 30th Anniversary of Assassination of Oscar Romero
Each year on March 24, the people of El Salvador and around the world commemorate the life of Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated 30 years ago for his outspoken criticisms of the repressive government.
Japan: Live Streaming Tokyo Marathon
Joseph Tame live streamed his run of the Tokyo Marathon with a hotel room “studio”, multiple live stream channels, Twitter, and GPS uplinks. Here's his full feature post chronicling the successful project.
Rio Tinto and Chinalco Sign a Joint Deal with Guinean Junta over Mining Project
Baldeabdoulaye explains that mining companies Rio Tinto and Chinalco have come to an agreement on jointly developing an iron ore project in Guinea. The opposition criticizes the signing because they perceive the deal as a way for the military junta to take advantage of the current obscure political circumstances to...
