Stories from January, 2007
Madagascar: Ministers in the New Government
Madagascar Croissance posts (Fr) a list of the ministers that make up the new government.
Mayotte: Who Lives There?
Reunion Passion usually blogs on her homeland but recently she focused on nearby Indian Ocean French overseas department Mayotte (Fr): “Many cultures cohabitate in Mayotte, the first, of Comorian origin, constitutes 60% of the population, the second is Malagasy and is heavily influenced by the first and finally the French...
CAFTA and WiMax in Costa Rica
Three articles stand out this week: The first describes events that are a glimpse of what we will see once the CAFTA discussions begin, the second denounces the newspapers for failing to report accurately on these same events, and the third stumbles upon a discovery of virtual private network (VPN)...
Haiti: Pre-Carnival Festivities A Blast for All
Due to regained security in the capital, pre-carnival festivities in Port-au-Prince have been about as well attended as carnival itself, says (Fr) HaitiXchange. Adds the site: “Marching bands and the better known DJs were all part of the festivities. People came from everywhere: Petion Ville, Delmas, Cite Soleil, Martissant…in order...
Philippines: Taho Seller
Senor Enrique in Manila introduces us to Jun, a Taho seller. Taho is a popular sweet snack in Philippines and it is made with bean curd, liquefied raw sugar and tapioca balls.
Myanmar: Inle Lake
Bangkok Dazed takes us to Inle Lake, one of Myanmar's popular tourist destination. Inle Lake is a large fresh water lake in Shan state.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Drive-bys arrive
Abeni regrets to report that drive-by shootings have arrived in St. Vincent.
Caribbean: Dramatic cricketing names
Ryan Patrick at the West Indies Cricket Blog offers up a list of his favourite “dramatic cricketing names” and invites you to submit yours.
Bahamas: Does the war on drugs make sense?
Larry Smith offers a useful historic overview of the history of the drug trade in a post that asks the question: can the war on drugs be won?
Cuba: Fidel's video
Alejandro Armengol attempts to make sense (ES) of the reaction of Miami's Cuban exiles to the video of Cuban president Fidel Castro released yesterday.
Trinidad & Tobago: Festivals and all that jazz
Laura at the Caribbean Beat blog is interested to see what the impact of the three-year old — and inaptly named — Tobago Jazz Festival will be on the region's other music festivals.
Trinidad & Tobago: A nation unravels
“How do you take back a country that at independence failed to take real responsibility for itself, whose fabric has been slowly unravelling ever since, and which now equates modernisation with a frantic rush towards industrialisation and “developed country status by 2020″?” asks Jeremy Taylor of his country, Trinidad and...
Haiti, France: Creole Language Catholic Mass in Marseilles
Collectif Haiti de Provence reports (Kr) on a Creole language mass that took place last Sunday in Marseilles, France for the Haitian community there: “More than 120 people showed up in their Sunday best. Restless young men weren't very excited about the music and hymns but they still showed up…...
Iraq: Another Terrifying Day
Iraqi blogger Nabil writes about yet another terrifying day in his neighbourhood. “Me and several people ran to the roof of the house, and there was my neighbour lying on the floor with his legs got cut due to the explosion and he was severly bleeding and there was blood...
Iraq: Massacare in Najaf
Iraqi blogger Imad Khadduri reports a massacare in Najaf, which left about 260 people dead.
Israeli Ambassador to Egypt ‘Can't Stand Security Measures’
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia is in stitches that the Israeli Ambassador to her country has left his residence in Maadi Suburb because of the Maadi Slayer. “Oh yes the Israeli Ambassador and his family pack their bags to stay in the Embassy in Giza area near the Zoo because of the...
Bolivia: Advice From and For Morales
While Bolivia Rising posts the translated text of Evo Morales speech at the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Jim Shultz of The Democracy Center publishes “three messages that Morales and MAS need to hear.”
Colombia: Same-Sex Unions
Andres Duque of Blabbeando documents the various political paths that GLBT advocates and activists in Colombia are using to gain the rights of same-sex unions.
Russia: Amber
Copydude writes about the sorry state of the Baltic ecology and about the amber mines of Kaliningrad.
Russia: Conversation With Litvinenko's Widow, Part 10
Part 10 of the conversation with Aleksandr Litvinenko's widow is translated and posted at A Step At A Time.
Poland: Politics
“This is not a deeply unpopular government at all. It’s supporters appear to quite like it,” writes Warsaw Station in a lengthy post (followed by a lengthy discussion).