Stories from 15 January 2008
Russia: New Year's in Grozny
LJ user timur-aliev has posted three New Year's snapshots taken in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, which the United Nations called "the most destroyed city on earth" in 2003. Below is the Chechen blogger's brief account of the festivities - and a couple of clarifications from the comments section.
Ukraine: Akhmetov and Alcoholism
Ukrainiana writes about the connection between alcoholism in Ukraine and the country's richest man.
Slovenia: The EU Presidency
Even though problems seem to loom ahead, “the EU is still there, despite the fact that every multinational entity Slovenia has ever been a part of disintegrated in bloodshed,” Sleeping With Pengovsky reports.
Russia: Dagestan's Party Politics
Window on Eurasia reports on a new political trend emerging in one of Russia's North Caucasus republics: “Daghestan, the most multi-national republic in the Russian Federation, no longer has any ethno-parties which express the interests and will of particular ethnic groups. Instead, the major all-Russian parties there increasingly include representatives...
Russia, UK: British Council
Robert Amsterdam writes on the UK-Russia conflict over the British Council.
Poland: Public Health Underfunded
Our Man in Gdansk writes about the lack of state funding for such crucial areas as health care and education in Poland.
Poland: “Fear” in Polish
A Polish translation of Jan Gross’ Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland is selling well and causing debates in Poland, the beatroot reports.
Azerbaijan: Economic Illumination
Window on Eurasia ponders whether studying images of former Soviet republics at night can't provide an insight into their economic well-being. If it can, the blog says, economic growth in Azerbaijan far outstrips that in neighboring Armenia and Georgia.
Georgia: Election Mess
TOL Georgia examines the circumstances surrounding last November's clashes between opposition supporters and riot police, the declaration of a state of emergency, and the controversy surrounding last week's early presidential election. The blog provides a comprehensive overview of a mess that has yet to be cleared up in the former...
Armenia: Administrative Resources
With the presidential election in Armenia a little over a month away, Blogian comments on allegations from a friend in Yerevan that doctors in State-run hospitals are campaigning on behalf of the one of the candidates, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan.
India: Violence and Language
Arre Kya Baat Hai! reflects on language and violence after reading an article by Efraim Medina Reyes.
Pakistan: Blocking Blogs
Pak Tea House on why the government shouldn't block blogs.
Pakistan: Praying in America
Degrouchyowl tells it like it is on the complications surrounding the five prayers that she has to offer a day.
Nepal: Rehablitation Red Flag
Nepali Netbook on the rehabilitation of former Maoist fighters.
Singapore: No Fake Accents
Fauzirassul is gonna get cross at any fellow Singaporean faking their accents.
Philippines: Riding The Jeepney
ASEAN – Asia's Perfect 10 has a tutorial on riding the Jeepney, the ubiquitous public transport in Philippines.
Lebanon: Nahr al Bared Revisited
From Lebanon, Marcy Newman revisits Nahr Al Bared and brings us to the date with the devastation left in the Palestinian refugee camp after last year's battle between Fateh Al Islam and the Lebanese Internal Security Forces.
Tunisia: Is the Middle East Indebted to Bush?
Is the Middle East indebted to US President George W Bush? Subzero Blue from Tunisia raises this issue here.
Mozambique: National languages and African identity
João Craveirinha debates national languages and African identity on Moçambique Online Blog [pt]. “The fear of the emergence of a pseudo-tribalism movement was the excuse for not to teach our language Banto alongside Portuguese and English. ”
Brazil: Indigenous people dying of white man diseases
Alda Inacio [pt] is revolted by a piece of news that shows how the the many indigenous peoples of Brazil are dying of hepatitis B and other diseases spread by the white man, and by the lack of resources to deal with it. “What happens in Brazil is pure negligence,...
Barbados: Election Predictions
“I'm no pollster or election pundit, nor do I owe any allegiance to any political party. I'm just a sucker for punishment with a blog”: Cheese-on-bread! makes her election predictions.
