Stories from 22 September 2006
Blogs debate over Brazil's latest electoral scandal
In the last days before the October 1 vote, the Brazilian electoral process was shaken again by the latest event in a string of scandals tainting the ruling Workers Party (PT). The PT has been accused of paying 1.7 million reals (790,000 dollars) for a smear campaign that attempted to...
Kurdistance
First up on this week's edition of Kurdistance, there has been a fantastic conversation about the Kurdish Question on the Washington Post's PostGlobal feature. The conversation has been very active for several weeks now, I would recommend reading it and joining in! Save Roj TV, whose courgeous work we have...
Sudan: no solution for Darfur
EthnicLoft is pessimistic about the situation in Darfur, “There is profound displeasure over the crisis; claims by some that the West hasn’t done enough; some have labeled the crisis an Arab-African conflict; some have questioned the indifference of the Northern African and Middle Eastern nations over the killings and humanitarian...
Pana-Blogs Report
#1: From Panama FAQ: Panama's Tap Water – The Best in the World? This might surprise people coming from the US and Europe as I often see them logging bags full of bottled water back to their hotels. But the drinking water in Panama is not only safe to drink,...
Hungary: “Budapest '06 vs. '56”
Amid the continuing protests in Budapest, Pestiside.hu is trying to help foreign reporters covering the situation: “So as a public service to these naive hacks and their even more clueless editors back home, below is a handy guide to the similarities and differences between '56 and '06.”
Serbia: Belgrade Taxis
Belgrade Blog writes about the city's taxis: “Its a sad fact (or happy depending on your perspective) that educated taxi drivers are increasing in numbers.”
Serbia: The Military and Internet Domain Issues
Dictionary of the Serbian Mess writes about Serbian military and domain issues.
Russia: “Don't Try This At Home” Recipes
Copydude shares some literary and real-life “Don't Try This At Home” cocktail recipes from Russia.
Russia: A Road From Moscow
English Russia posts pictures of the Russian Federal Highway “Moscow-Yakutsk”: “Everytime it rains the road gets paralized, these shots are made a few days before the traffic jam for 600 cars got stuck there. Hunger and lack of the fuel followed, according to the witnesses. One woman gave a born...
Russia: “Racism and Human Nature”
Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog writes about “racism and human nature” in Russia: “Xenophobia is even necessary, as is the immune system.”
Ukraine: New Head of Presidential Secretariat
LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about the new head of Victor Yushchenko's Presidential Secretariat, a 43-year-old Victor Baloha, a former mayor of Mukachevo, a man of “decidedly ‘mixed’ [political] background.” .
India: Youth and rebellion
Youth and rebellion. The Delhicate Constitution on why youth and children are the way they are. “I'm simply saying that being rebellious and anti-establishment in this case is not merely a fashion statement. It might be for some, but for the most part it is because it is inevitable. This...
India: Issues and Fatwas
On what issues are the Muslim Clerics in India issuing fatwas? “However, A TV channel, with the help of sting operations, has shown that some of the Muslim clerics were taking money and issuing fatwas on any matter what the reporters were asking.”
Sri Lanka: Pro-LTTE in London
The Tamil Sri Lankan community in London is being pressurized to join demonstrations on UN Peace Day. “What is enlightening is the LTTE organisers are using events like these to get people to come by feeding them with false hopes.”
Barbados: Road signs
Photoblogger Barbados in Focus posted this image of a sign at a crossroads in rural Barbados. “No matter where in the world you are you still have the make a decision,” he writes. “It is so universal, a street sign.” As the image below indicates, however, some types of street...
Notes on Montenegro and Transnistria
In his yesterday's Balkans Blog Roundup, Ljubisa Bojic quoted this passage on Montenegro by a Serbian blogger: […] I know how things operate down there. Its also a privatised state – I wonder how long it will be before the Europeans become intolerant of all those Russian businessmen who own...
Iran:Deep Dish Score Music for Anousheh Ansari
In Community Weblog of Persian Students in the UK we read that Grammy Award-winning production and Iranian-American DJ duo Deep Dish today announced the recording of ‘Be the Change’, an eclectic musical work dedicated to Anousheh Ansari's historic Space flight as she became the world's first female private space traveler.
Africa: who is an African?
Is there such a thing as White Africans? Alexcia joins the debate.
Sri Lanka: Muslim Concerns
Moju on the current conflict in Sri Lanka and the concerns of the Muslim Community. “In August 2006 the Muslim community of Mutur found itself at the centre of the ‘undeclared war’ that is still continuing and as a result, faced multiple humanitarian and human rights violations.”
Bangladesh: Fishermen and their troubles
Drishtipat Group Blog on the issues that the fisherfolk face in Bangladesh. “Without navigation knowledge and equipment, very frequently they find themselves in foreign water and a large number of Bangladeshi fishermen are now in jail in countries like India, Myanmar, Thailand etc.”
Brazil: Lula's Speech to the UN
Bloggings by Boz says that Brazilian President Lula da Silva's speech to the UN General Assembly is not to be missed.