Stories from 28 September 2006
Zambia: candidates capitalize on anti-chinese sentiment
“Many Zambians are angry about Chinese petty merchants who are outcompeting local retailers and the poor or unsafe working conditions of Chinese-owned mines,” writes AfricaBeat, noting that anti-Chinese sentiment has become a useful tool for election campaign in Zambia.
Ghana: how to participate in web economy
Tropically Tolerant has an interesting idea: “In my last entry, I suggested that it was time for the average Ghanaian developer with an Internet connection to participate in the new web economy. I concluded that the main barrier to entry is a distribution network for the money being earned. Today,...
Ethiopia: were blogs blocked?
“One day Ethiopia had one of the busiest and fastest-growing blogging scenes in the whole of Africa. The next, more than two-thirds of its online journals simply disappeared,” begins the BBC's Focus on Africa magazine article about the great Ethiopian blog blockage.
Venezuela: Elections and Crime
Oil Wars dissects and criticizes the anti-crime platform of opposition candidate Manuel Rosales.
Peru: Inca Kola
Alejandro of Peru Food tells the incredible story of Inka Kola, or “the little cola that could.”
El Salvador: Religious Freedom and Murdered Priest
Just a day after writing about religious freedom in El Salvador, Tim Muth learns that a priest was brutally beaten and killed.
Kazakhstan: Borat vs. Nomad
Registan.net says that Western media are over-hyping the Kazakh government's displeasure with Sasha Baron Cohen's character Borat, a racist, homophobic journalist claiming to be from Kazakhstan.
Kyrgyzstan: Storming Pyramid
Yulia of neweurasia reports on the latest attack on Pyramid TV in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek Panthers
Tolkun Umaraliev reports on the Bishkek Panthers, the American Football team at the American University of Central Asia, the only such team in Kyrgyzstan. Tolkun says that the team has finally bested its rivals from Almaty and it plans to participate in international contests in the future.
Nigeria: corruption in high places
Oloniyi David Ajao writes about corruption in high places in Nigeria, “Accusations have been that the Vice President is corrupt, and should not be allowed to stand as president in next year’s election. Gbenga Obasanjo (President Obasanjo’s son) accused him, as did the President himself. Several such accusations have been...
Kazakhstan: The Deal with Blogs
Leila at neweurasia writes a detailed post on the legal status of blogs and online journalism in Kazakhstan.
Afghanistan:Between war and peace
Afghan Warrior talks about countrie's security problems. The blogger says the daily life of most Afghan people is normal but in some southern and western provinces the daily life of Afghans is not very peaceful, particularly for those people who work for government and foreign organizations. They are not feeling...
India: Discussing feminism
Hip Hop Grandmom discusses feminism. “When we talk of equal rights for men and women what exactly do we mean? I know of a family a young couple where the husband is supposed to sweep and the wife has to swab.”
Syria: Democracy vs. Engagement!
While the Democracy Faith seems to have been based on the assumption that authoritarianism and corruption in the Broader Middle East and North Africa region seem to play a role in encouraging international terrorism, the Engagement Faith is premised on the assumption that authoritarian regimes are much more capable of...
Palestine: Citizen Profile
Are Palestinians still romanticizing with the fantasies and daydreams of complete liberation and the return to a land they only heard and read about? Maybe these daydreams were legitimate and reasonable in the previous era of the struggle, but under the current necessity for re-evaluation, the options for realizing the...
Tunisia: Ramadan Beggars
We all see beggars on the streets, on subway corners, and especially traffic lights. But Ramadan sees a sharp rise in beggars and their activities. Of course, these people would like to exploit this holy month as much as possible and play on the high level of religious emotions of...
Jordan: 1st Grade Curriculum
Beside believing that Christian private schools are far better in discipline than Muslim schools, Batir thinks that the 1st grade curriculum is so tough, and a 6 year old children can't accommodate it.
Bahrain: Michael Jackson quits Bahrain?
Khalid wonders if Michael is quiting Bahrain and his buiness with King's son after reports that he parted company with a record label based in the Gulf state of Bahrain. Jackson has lived in Bahrain since being acquitted of child abuse charges in 2005.
India: Education and English
The government in Karnataka flexes its muscles by quoting a specific rule and shutting down schools. More at the Indian Economy Blog – “The point of contention behind closing the schools is apprently a rule dated 1994 that mandates that “children attending government schools must be taught only in Kannada...
Russia: Sakhalin Housing and Other Problems
Tim Newman of White Sun of the Desert posts pictures from Sakhalin Island and writes about housing and other problems he's encountered there: “We have managed to find a very nice apartment to rent for three months until we find somewhere permanent, which is costing my employers a mere $2,700...
Russia: Cultural Misunderstanding
Russian Marketing Blog writes about cultural misunderstanding caused by the ad campaign of a health resorts and spas travel magazine.
