Stories from 14 July 2007
Russia: The “BAMers”
Russian photographer Oleg Klimov is on a work trip across Russia and has been on the road since June 23. Read his sketch on the Baikal-Amur Mainline: once "the construction project of the century" and now a place populated by the people who, according to Klimov, are either afraid to leave or have nowhere to go.
Is Africa ready for a United States of Africa?
United States of Africa. The idea is not new. It was alive during the times of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Mwalimu Nyerere of Tanzania. Today, the idea is being pushed under the auspices of the African Union (AU). Its most visible proponent is the Libyan Leader, Muammar Gaddafi. July...
Africa: Kerosene Magazine: call for submissions
Kerosene Magazine is a new opinion magazine for the African Diaspora: “The print edition of magazine is currently being worked on and this is an open call for submissions. Please look at the “Submission Guidelines” page for further details and if you are interested, please send your work along. The...
Iran:Brain drain!
Lord Kavi says “brain drain costs $50 billion or more yearly for Iran.”He explains a lot more about the “roots” of this problem that Iran has faced since Islamic Revolution.
Malawi: reclaiming a place at the Pan-African table
Steve Sharra reclaims Malawi's place at the Pan-African table: “It augurs very well for Malawi’s place in the pan-African world that we are celebrating our 43rd independence anniversary this year the same week that the 9th African Union Summit has been taking place in Accra, Ghana. After 43 odd years...
Japan: A Social Media “Explosion”
A seminar entitled "Explosive Social Media" held at the Jiji Press Hall in Tokyo last Tuesday brought together people from various sectors of the business world interested in finding out about the explosive potential of social media in Japan.
Malaysian blogger arrested for comment published on his blog
Malaysian blogger Nat Tan has been arrested for a comment published on one of his blog posts last year. His Laptop and desktop were seized. Tan has been remanded for four days, until Tuesday, to facilitate investigation under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
Blog of a Tunisian journalist and blogger hacked
The blog of the Tunisian journalist and blogger Slim Boukhdhir has been hacked and deleted. The work seems to be done by the same group of hackers who are targeting Tunisian opposition websites and blogs. Last weeks, the website of the Progressive Democratic Party (a legal opposition political party) has...
Kyrgyzstan: Missing in action
Major Jill Metzger disappeared from the US military base in Kyrgyzstan last year. CXW is catching up with the latest developments on the mysterious case and finds that the American officials are not investing enough effort into a full investigation.
Georgia: Controversial murder
Melissa is appalled that the murder of a famous politician is being brought into connection with the repatriation of the Meshkhetian Turks. The murder victim, Guram Sharadze, had always spoken against inviting the ethnic minority to return to Georgia.
Central Asia: Clash of opinion
Josh Foust engages in an extremely interesting discussion with an Uzbek journalist (working for a Russian news agency) about Western promotion of democracy in Central Asia.
Uzbekistan: Cotton boycott
As the Uzbek cotton sector is often brought in connection with gross human rights violations, Craig Murray finds the first major retailer's boycott of Uzbekistan's cotton products commendable.
Korea: Bogus-degree and Success
A young female professor who was appointed as a director of one of the biggest festivals in Korea this month was revealed to be a bogus-degree holding intellectual. An art professor and supposed Yale University degree holder, she has brought a positive influence to the field of art by making...
The Baltics: “Russian Literature With a Baltic Accent”
A Step At A Time links to a Tartu-based site featuring Russian-language writing from the Baltic region.
Albania: “A Creative Traffic Calming System”
Our Man in Tirana writes about and posts pictures of “a creative traffic calming system” recently installed in his neighborhood.
Albania: Still No President
Our Man in Tirana reports on the lack of progress in electing the president.
