20 March 2010

Stories from 20 March 2010

Iran: Obama's Norouz message

President Obama sends a message to those celebrating the Persian holiday of Nowruz (Norouz), and in particular to the people and government of Iran. Here is the message in You Tube with Persian subtitles.

Martinique: Election, tension and abstention

  20 March 2010

On Sunday March 14th, all French citizens including those in the four French overseas departments were asked to vote for the regional elections... but two major elections in a three-month period may have been too much for the 55.55% of Martinican voters who decided to stay home and not vote.

“Damas de Blanco:” A Week of Protest in Cuba

  20 March 2010

Cuba's Damas de Blanco protests come on the heels of a flutter of international condemnation incited by the hunger striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo's death last month. Wednesday's crackdown by Cuban police was the first in two years on the political group, which is made up of the daughters, wives and mothers of imprisoned political dissidents.

Martinique, French Guiana: Murder & Politics

  20 March 2010

Martinican blogger Bel Balawou posts [Fr] an homage to the late policeman (from French Guiana) who was killed in the line of duty by an ETA Basque terrorist in the suburbs of Paris, last week. This murder happened between the two rounds of the French regional elections, causing more political...

Iraq: Seven Years On

With the recent elections still fresh in the news it is all too easy to forget that the anniversary of the start of the war is this week. But this will not pass some bloggers. And, the latest results show that the election on 7th March is still too close to call. In the mean time, I have some speculation from the Iraqi blogs.

China: Revaluing the One-Child Policy

  20 March 2010

Amidst talk of an aging society and a depleting demographic dividend, appeals for a reconsideration of China’s One-Child Policy were voiced during the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.