Archive for
June 4th, 2007
Stories
Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana: JFK “terror” plot
As the news broke over the weekend that US law enforcement officials had uncovered a plot to bomb fuel tanks and pipelines at New York's JFK International Airport, bloggers in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana reacted with consternation. The alleged mastermind of the plot, Russell Defreitas, is a US citizen born in Guyana; two of his alleged co-conspirators are Guyanese citizens (one of them a former member of the Guyanese parliament and mayor of the town of Linden); and the fourth suspect is Trinidadian. As a result, international news media coverage of the alleged plot has branded the two south Caribbean nations as new “hotbeds” of terrorist activity.
Guyana-Gyal's response was “grief”: “we hear the news yesterday, take down we flags and hang we heads instead in shame and grief, stop this rain and let we tears rain down instead.” Elspeth at Now Is Wow said she was “unable to think anything but … why?“ And Allyuh.com posted some of the alarming graphics broadcast during the coverage of the story on Fox News.
The Manicou Report worried about the implications of having these two small countries implicated in the “War on Terror”:
You see, America, the Fox News Channel is up to it's old war-baiting sensational tricks again. It's reporting that Trinidad and Tobago is the “New Hotbed in the War on Terror”. Now hoooooooooooold on for a just a sec…. we would rather not have any part in your war on terror. A couple arrests doesn't make us a hotbed.
KnowProSE wondered exactly how the plot was discovered: “This is a country where they cannot find kidnappers and murderers; it seems somewhat strange that the people accused gave this information out so easily.” Other bloggers were more outspoken about their suspicions. “My country may not be the best, but it sure ain't no hotbed of terrorist activity,” said Outa Meh Head. “I think this whole thing was just an example of the US using the fear of its citizens to distract them from what's happening in Iraq.” Jeremy Taylor asked, “How serious could this thing really be?”:
Of course a really well-planned airport attack would be a nightmare. But this quartet had been infiltrated by the Americans since January last year, and all the FBI could produce as evidence was some banter about how big a deal it could all be to blow up JFK, the sort of conversation that must go on in a million places around the world every day.
And even as the Guyanese newspaper Stabroek News published a detailed summary of the evidence as reported by US investigators, Living Guyana made a few wisecracks:
If this guy, a hardcore Lindener and others were planning to take out the entire JFK then it might not be so far fetched that Osama might actually be hiding out in some spider hole in Buxton backdam.
The CIA better check it out.
More on Moldovans in Italy
A couple of months ago, I translated a comment on Alex Culiuc's blog which I found to be touching and revealing about the lives of Moldovan labor migrants. Since then, I've been meaning to translate a follow-up comment by the same commenter (here's the original), Snejana, and I've finally gotten around to it:
…when I write about Moldova I get very emotional, because I don't understand why life is so difficult. On every corner in Italy there are Moldovans looking for work which they hope will make them some money and allow them to pay off their debts and send some money home to their children. Just today I was standing by a bank, and a strange woman walked up and greeted me. She asked me just one thing: “Do you know of any job at all, no matter what it pays, I'm sick of walking around outside and searching from morning until night,” and she got teary-eyed, then she got embarrassed and left.
It's difficult when there's nothing I can do to help, it's difficult when I hear hurtful words about us, but those at home should know that there are lots of us here who work very hard and aren't ashamed to say we're from Moldova, and to tell people about our holy places; we cook our national dishes, and we pray all the time for our motherland.
I know lots of people who say that they are sick of being someone's slave and have gone home to their villages, because it is psychologically very difficult to always be a foreigner.
My friend is an Italian, and he always wants to learn something about my country, I'm happy that at least Europe is interested in us because of our girls. Because before, 10 years ago, no one even knew what side of the world we were from, but now, like they say, “whether they talk good or bad about you, at least they talk about you.” […she describes differences between Moldovans and Italians…]
I'm still quite young, and I have time to choose my way in life, but now I want to tell the people who want to come here that the land where you were born will always be in your soul. Best to you all, Ciao vi voglio sempre bene.
Another comment from Snejana, in which she summarizes an Italian's opinion and posts it in full (in Italian, which I can't translate and have omitted here):
Here are a few words from Italians who have visited Moldova. I don't know if you'll understand Italian, but I'll translate the most important part, which is that those who have been there a few times say that the situation is getting better; I want to believe this, too.
So do I, although I'm not sure it's true.
Old and New on Str. Cosmonautilor - Chisinau, Moldova, August 2006 - photo by Lyndon Allin
Nicaragua: Where's the Blogosphere?
Second Blog Roundup for Global Voices Online. The first one can be found at Barricada and here Global Voices Online
Where's Nicaragua's Blogosphere?
From Florida
When we started collaborating with Global Voices Online, we thought there wasn't a real blogosphere in Nicaragua… and there isn't, but one does exists in the Nicaraguan Diaspora.
In this case, we'll talk about Martha Isabel Arana, a Nicaraguan resident in Florida USA, who writes in her introduction: “I'm interested in everything about technology, art, music, literature, and cultural interchange with other countries. As an immigrant living in the USA, one of my major desires is to promote the culture of my country for all the readers who want to know more about us.”
In her blog she publishes videos, poems, short stories and reports about Nicaraguan culture. In regards to this work Martha says [ES]:
Nunca pensé compartir al mundo mis planes, era más que todo un proyecto personal. No conocía el mundo de los blogs o bitácoras, ni la herramienta de comunicación tan importante y poderosa que representa. Después de “copiar y pegar” un par de leyendas vistas por allí, los primeros comentarios comenzaron a llegar. Me di cuenta que otras personas en diferentes partes del mundo estaban leyendo mis pequeñas historias y la necesidad de buscar una nueva leyenda para mi bitácora nacía apenas publicaba una anterior…. Me atreví a dar un paso mas adelante y quise recopilar nuevos testimonios. Los nicas me inundaron de vivencias y relatos y me enamoré de sus historias, sus cuentos, del tesoro que estaban poniendo en mis manos. De pronto habían 10, 20… 80 mil visitas de diferentes regiones del mundo leyendo las historias mágicas que nacen en nuestros ríos, explotan con nuestros volcanes y desembocan en el mar.
From Costa Rica
Mi Patria es Ticaragua [ES] (My homeland is Ticaragua*) is a blog edited in Costa Rica that tries to unite both Costa Rica and Nicaragua past any territorial or political differences between the two countries.
* Ticaragua = Is a combined word, from TICA, the short name Costa Ricans gave themselves, and RAGUA, for nicaRAGUA, Ticaragua.
Mi Patria Es Ticaragua posts news, opinion articles, and events which promote positive interchange between both countries. For example, they posted the concert of Nicaraguan singer/songwriter Perrozompopo (Ramón Mejía) and Esteban Monge (see event) or to listen to some songs by Elsa Basil, a Nicaraguan, at her MySpace page.
Nicaragua Actual [ES] compiled a bunch of mp3 songs (some by Nicaraguan authors) in honor to Mother's Day in Nicaragua. It calls itself the “Informative Magazine of the Nicaraguan Community in Costa Rica”.
Nicaragua y su blog
Nicaragua y Su Blog [ES] introduced itself in Barricada some months ago, on April 28 to be exact. We visited them again and we noted that their work had advanced.
Their objective “is the promotion of all the Nicaraguan blogs in the blogosphere. To succeed in this “mission” we'll write a little review of the Nicaraguan blogs that we find along the way and we'll also add them in our link area”.
Their blog began February 22, 2007, and have since published 46 posts to date, reviewing, indexing, and sharing videos or other blog matters relevant to Nicaraguan blogs.
About Barricada they wrote this:
Hoy le presentamos el blog de noticias de Nicaragua “Barricada”. Este nombre pertenecía a un diario que existio en los anos ‘80. Hoy, hablamos no del periódico, sino del blog que lleva su nombre, según ellos nada que ver con el periodico.
and more recently they reviewedour sister website, MarcaAcme.com:
Hasta el momento, después de Barricada, (Marca Acme) es uno de los blogs con diseño profesional y uno de los mas importantes en Nicaragua y porque no decir en Centroamérica
They have blogs we haven't listed yet in the Wiki Marca Acme, but we'll add them in the future.
Mother's Day
We cite three fragments for different blogs published in the month discussing Mother's Day, or by extension about being a woman and their difficulties.
Karla Castillo, from El Nuevo Diario [ES], published the text titled Freedom to Nurse
Hace poco, una conocida de mi familia dio a luz a una niña. Pese a que la madre tiene 38 años, era su segunda experiencia en la maternidad, y sin embargo, la criatura casi se le muere por deshidratación, tres días después del parto, porque los médicos le dijeron que si quería tener una hija sana, inteligente, con las defensas elevadísimas, sólo la alimentara con su leche y que en los primeros seis meses no le diera a beber ni siquiera agua.
El resultado fue catastrófico, aunque la pequeña sobrevivió, y no quiero pensar que la mujer intentó en algún momento someter sin necesidad a su hija a este tipo de carencias. Pero ¡Por Dios! reflexioné, si ella ya había parido hace algunos años, pecó de confiada, al creer todo lo que los médicos dicen sobre la leche materna.
The outcome was catastrophic, even though the girl survived. I don't want to imagine this woman putting the baby through this kind of suffering. But… Jesus!, I said to myself, if she was already a mother, why did she trust the doctor's advice about the milk so blindly.
The post continued to examine various issues on this topic.
Therapeutical Abortion
A PDF file was transmitted trough various email chains with this text in it:
37 Muertes Maternas en el 2007, 80 niños y niñas sin madre
37 mothers died in 2007, 80 boys and girls are now orphans
and the next image counts the dead, which was a consequence of the banning of therapeutic abortion or the fear of the law.
The figures speak for themselves.
Mother is Merchandise is Marketing
Martha Cecilia Ruiz [ES] posted a sincere and straightforward blog entry on the celebration of Mother's Day in Nicaragua (May the 30th)
Mother to buy for, to sell to, to give birth to and to forget..
Otra vez el día de las madres. Nuevamente las rosas rojas anunciando la venta de electrodomésticos y los productos de belleza para que las madres cumplan de mejor manera con sus roles –dentro y fuera de sus casas. Con mayo, más que lluvias, caen torrenciales de propuestas comerciales para convertir a la madre “en reina por un día”, pues para servir, obedecer, callar y parir los hijos que “Dios mande” está el resto del año. Y por si alguien duda del mandato, ahí están las canciones que confirman los cánones que dicen que madre buena es aquella sufrida, resignada, con vida sexual solamente para la reproducción y que vive la maternidad como un apostolado.
Hernaldo Zuñiga, fan-blog
“Official” blog for the fans of Hernaldo Zuñiga.
Bio, discs, lyrics and news about Hernaldo… the great nica trovador
The blog is edited by Marcela, who she says: “I'm married with Jaime, and I have three sons: Jaime, Ignacio & Sebastián”. She lives in Chile and posts videos, reviews, concert dates, lyrics, news and song of the Nicaraguan author that lives in México working as songwriter. He recently released a new album called Nomada (2007).
The blog is part of a Yahoo! Group dedicated to Hernaldo Zuñiga. Visit the official website.
Why there is not a Nica blogosphere?
Actually, it exists, but not as blogosphere. Many users have accounts on social networs as Hi5 or MySpace, but the main space for dialogue in internet is in the forums.
Here we give account of some formums, somes with hundres of users, others with a few loyal visitors, and others dedicated to local audiences only
Foros Bacanalnica, it seems to be the biggest. 5 years working and more than 6000 users and 30 subforums.
Foros Rocknica, dedicated to local music scene.
Area 505, for the nicas in Miami.
Foros de Nicaragua en Skycrapercity, a Nicaragua community discussing developments in the construction and architecture fields in Nicaragua.
Foros de Computación de la UNI, used by ingeniering students, experts and open source communities.
Forums for local cities: Jinotega Life (Jinotega), DBakanal (León).
Add your citizen media event to the Global Voices calendar!
One of the best kept secrets of this website is a calendar of local and world events, bloggers meetings and conferences.
This month is busy with meetings in South Africa, Tanzania, and the G8 Summit in Germany. Got any ideas for new blog projects? There's just one week to go before Rising Voices and J-Lab grant proposals are due. Scroll ahead in the calendar to see more events.
Bloggers, we want to know where you're going and what you'll be blogging. Event organisers, send us information about your conferences, unconferences, barcamps, and blogger meet-ups. Make sure to include links, dates, and location of events…
Use this form (addressed to managing editors) for your suggestions. Many thanks for your tips, links, and ideas (so you know it, we reserve the right to keep some things off the calendar).
Kuwait: Parties, Art and Telecom
With Yemenis in Kuwait celebrating their Unification Day, Kuwaiti bloggers are out in full force checking out art exhibitions, the telecoms situation, wedding parties and book censorship, to name a few.
Our first stop is with The Stallion, who covers how Yemenis in Kuwait marked their Unification Day.
Since the 22nd was on a Tuesday the organizers decided to have the event on Thursday the 24th! Many of you might be wondering what this celebration is for, well the 22nd of May commemorates the day when the unification of North and South Yemen occurred! There is a large population of Yemeni citizens in Kuwait so every year at this time they have a celebration!
Athbi over at moodless checks out a friend's art exhibition.
التقطت بعض الصور يوم أمس لمعرض بدر المنصور التي تحدثت عنه قبل ايام، اخترت منها عدة صور فقط كون اغلبية المعرض لم يكن قد انتهى منه بعد (تغييرات اخر لحظة!)،، اتركم مع الصور واتمنى ان اراكم في الاقتتاح اليوم الساعة السابعة مساءا في جمعية الفنون التشكيلية بمنطقة حولي. (اضغط على الصورة لحجم اوضح)Yesterday I took some pictures for Bader Almansoor's exhibition which I wrote about a few days ago. I picked some pictures of it since most of the exhibition was not done yet (last second changes!). I will leave you with pictures and I hope I see you at the opening tonight at 7pm at the Arts society in Hawali. (Click on the images for larger pictures.)
KtheKuwaiti explains a new service from one of the telecommunications companies in Kuwait and why he thinks that most people wouldn't need it in the first place.
MTC has finally launched the Blackberry service in Kuwait (after Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE). Their Ad campaign was a bit unnecessary as those who know what Blackberry is already want the service. And those who don’t know what it is probably don’t want it.
Qias over at io81 talks about what he considers a bad business practice from the same company.
I have always got these weird SMS asking me to send back the letter R if I’m interested in the latest dairy of Halema Boland (a Kuwaiti TV presenter), who the hell cares! anyways this is not the matter, so i just ignore these messages hoping others wont reach my mobile anymore, most probably MTC is selling my information to all of these service companies.
Zdistrict goes to another soical event - this time it's a Milcha (wedding party attended by men only).
This was an event I was looking forward to going to and it's always nice going to them. This time I had to stay the whole time since the milcha is for a good friend and lots of people I know were there. I have to say that it was nice seeing some old faces and saying hello.
ChillNite is amazed with an expression English newspapers in Kuwait are using.
The newspaper headlines in Kuwait amaze me everyday! This time its Daily Star Kuwait online edition. The headline is ‘State bans sale of White Weapons’ read it here [LINK]
WTF are white weapons? According to the news article they are Daggers, Swords and other sharp metal objects. Damn now I cant buy kitchen knives no more in Kuwait, nor can I buy nails and hammer.
Q over at kuwaitism wonders .. What's up with the National Symbol.
A friend of mine today told me about an issue that bothered his dad, and that is the numerous versions of the Kuwait national symbol, so I came back and checked out what’s available online, and I was surprised!!
All the symbols have been found online, through the various government websites
Aseel over at Brahat Mubrak talks about an episode of Dewaniya (a talk show) she watched on TV .
فتحت التلفزيون بالصدفة بعد عودتي من خارج المنزل ليلة الاثنين لألتقط أذيال حلقة البرنامج
وكان الموضوع رقابة وزارة الإعلام على الكتبحقيقة لا املك خلفية كافية ووافية عن الموضوع ولكني أسمع بالجدل الدائر هنا وهناك عنه
I turned on the TV by chance after I came home on Monday night and I caught the last part of the program. It was about the Ministry of Information's censorship on books.
سمعت أحد طلبة الجامعة يطلب حرية من دون سقف ومن ثم يتكلم عن كتب كلية الشريعة وما تحتويه بعضها من وصم لبعض المسلمين بالفرق الضالة ويندد بهذه الكتب رافضا لها
يعني دام انك تبي حرية تامة ليش زعلان على كتب الشريعة يا ولد دشتي..
ولا لمّا الحرية تمس المذاهب… العلمنة تبعيتكم بتحطوها عالرف وتشغلوا الموجة الدينية؟
الكويت ليست دولة متقدمة حتى يكون فيها حيادية بالفكر والتوجه..الديني وغير الديني
فلا تطلبون أكثر من المستطاع ولا حد يناقض أفكارهI heard a university student calling for unlimited freedom and the abolishment of censorship on books. Then he spoke about the College of Sharia (Islamic law) and that their books contained derogatory terms about other Islamic sects. He said such books should be banned.
Well, if you wanted absolute freedom why don't you want the Sharia college books? Or is it only when freedom touches your sect that you shelf your secularism and operate the religious voice?
Kuwait is not that advanced of a country to have neutral thought - be it religious or otherwise. So don't ask for what is not attainable and don't contradict your ideas.الكاتب الصحفي أحمد ديين يقول إن رقابة الكتب ليست تحت أي ضغط قبلي أو تياري أو سياسي
وانما تندرج تحت قوانين ولوائح…
هذا بس جذي حجي ما يوكل خبز .. واحنا من متى نطبق لوائحنا؟
بالأدق من متى واحنا ما نخترق قوانينا عشان سواد عيون القبلية والمكاسب السياسية واذنك خشمك؟
عجبتني جملة ذكرها: علينا أن نفرق ما بين الكتاب الاباحي وكتاب يتعلق بالثقافة الجنسية
أتمنى من الناس المتطرفين يفهمونThe columnist Ahmad AlDeyeen said that book censorship is not under any tribal or political pressure but under laws and regulations. This is not a definitive answer and since did we abide to regulations? To be precise, since when have our laws and regulations not been broken for tribal and political gains?
I liked a phrase he said: “We need to distinguish between book pornography and the book on the sexual culture.”
I wish that extremists would understand.أحد مسئولي وزارة الاعلام ما أذكر اسمه يقول احنا ما بيدنا شي
اذا في جماعة يطالبون برفع سقف حرية الرقابة على الكتب
خل يكلمون أعضائهم يضغطون على الحكومة
مشالله هذا نظام اداري عالمي جديد في الوزارات الحكومية ولاّ فنتـق كويتي؟
اذا هذا مستوى فكر القيادات الحكومية عندنا وهذا أسلوبهم في اتخاذ القرار
فيعطيهم العافية أشوفنا كل ماله نرد ورا.. ونقول الخلل من وين.. كديّنا خيرOne of the Ministry of Information officials whose name I don't remember said: “We can't do anything, if people want to abolish the censorship on books, tell them to talk to their Parliament members, to pressure the government.” Wow, now that's a new management way. If this is how our management thinks and this is the way they run work, then that is why I see that we are going backwards and we wonder where the problem is.
عبدالله الخلف أمين عام رابطة الأدباء يقول إن قبل كان عادي الكتب المصورة لصور الأنبياء موسى وابراهيم عليهما السلام وغيرهم.. اما الحين فتم منع هذا الموضوع —> يعوي بووزه مو عاجبه
هذا وهو امين عام الرابطة الأدبية اللي عندنا يقول جذيه
نعاني من مشكلة دارجة بالمجتمع وهي.. الجهل بالفرق ما بين الحداثة والتغريب
هل يعتقدون أن التشبه بالغرب في أمور تعد مسلّمة عندنا كمسلمين هو تطور وحداثة
آنا مو فاهمة شنو مشكلتهم.. بس لما الموضوع يوصل لرجل من طبقة مثقفة.. صعبةAbdullah Alkhalf, Secretary General of the Association of Authors, said it was normal to have books with images of Prophets Moses and Abraham in the past. Now, it is banned.
He says this and he is the Secretary General of the Association of Authors. We have a problem in society - that is ignorance of the difference between modernity and westernization. Do they think that following the West in some areas where it's agreed upon between Muslims is modernity?
I don't understand their problem but when such ignorance effects a person from the educated class, it's bad.الجماعة المتأسلمين يتكلمون عن العلمانيين وكانهم عبدة الشيطان
والجماعة العلمانيين يتكلمون عن الاسلاميين وكأنهم من حقبة الانسان الأول
متى بينولد مفهوم تقبل الطرف الآخر في مدينة الكويت وضواحيها؟
ومتى بيَسْري مفهوم التعايش في دمائنا حتى نصبح كالدول المتقدمة؟People who act like devote Muslims talk about secular people as devil worshippers and secular people talk about Islamists as if they are cavemen. When will the idea of accepting others emerge in Kuwait? And when the idea of coexistence flow in our blood so we become like the advanced countries?
العلمانيين يخلطون اوراق الاسلام والتأسلم والمتأسلمين ويسدون آذانهم
وتالي يقولون ما نبي قمع.. ما نبي دهس.. ما نبي سحق.. نبي حرية
لو يروحون يعمّدون نفسهم بأقرب كنيسة وايد أحسن
ذولاك المتأسلمين وعارفين مشكلتهم العويصة والكسيفة في طريقة التفكير والأسلوب
بس بني علمان شنو مشكلتهم.. آنا للحين ماني فاهمة!؟
اللي يسمعهم يقول الكويت هي أحد كهوف طالبانSecular people mix up between Islam and people acting like Muslims and block their ears
and then say we don't want suppression, oppression and being run over. They want freedom. Those pretending to be Muslims, we know their problem in thinking and understanding. What is the the problem with secular people in Kuwait? I don't know! Anyone listening to them would think Kuwait is one of Taliban caves.
Kuwaiti Liberal over at Jibla Square writes an eulogy about one of Kuwait's finest oil ministers.
ودعت الكويت د.حمود عبدالله الرقبة الذي توفي عن عمر يناهر ال 57 عاما والذي ساهم عبر مسيرته العملية في خدمة الكويت في كل مواقع المسؤوليات التي اسندت اليه.حيث كان اخر بئر من الآبار النفطية الكويتية التي فجرها النظام العراقي البائد عند اندحاره من الكويت قد اطفيء عندما كان حمود الرقبة وزيرا للنفط بحضور امير البلاد الراحل المغفور له الشيخ جابر الاحمد الجابر الصباح.Kuwait bid farewell to Dr. Humod Abdullah AlRaqba who died of age of 57. He contributed to serve Kuwait in all of fields of responsibility that he was given. He was Oil Minister when the last burning oil field that the Saddam's regime in Iraq blew up when he was driven out of Kuwait in a ceremony attended by the late Amir Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah.
India: On Dirty Gold, Tamil Muslims and Orkut
Gold and diamonds are symbols of purity and love, but Desi Italiana from Passtheroti has arguments to believe why gold, the “Indian Passion” is dirty and why diamonds “forever” are sodden with blood. While reasoning with women and their love for gold, she points out why gold pollutes. She also talks about blood diamonds and India's mammoth stake at polishing them.
[.]From 1991 to 2002, there was a civil war in Sierra Leone that took place alongside Liberia’s 14 year long civil war as well. Both civil wars were partially funded by “blood diamonds;” that is, diamonds from these two countries which were used finance the civil war. This spawned a whole industry of middlemen, smugglers, and so on, especially after the UN imposed sanctions.One of the stops that smugglers made was in India.[..]
The oldest communities are those of southern India and north-eastern Sri Lanka, when it comes to the Tamil language. At present there are huge number of Tamil emigrant communities scattered around the world, especially in central Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, and Mauritius. And PK Balachandran from TW News has reports on Tamil speaking Muslims from India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia finding common ground, re-establishing ties weakened for 400 years now. Ancient histroy of their immigration, is also described.
[.]The Portuguese introduced the “cartaz” or a permit system, which in effect, prevented Muslims from using many ports in South and South East Asia. In Sri Lanka, they were driven away from the prosperous Western coast. Under Dutch rule, they were not given government contracts.[..]
Roshan from his blog is having the last laugh at the deprived state of IT education in the rural areas, and the cause for ill-favored action due to communities in the mega virtual hangouts of Orkut, towards cyber café owners. While Orkut has been having its share of trouble in India, Asif Khan from Itsmaklife writes of how he made friends through orkut who not only tipped him to bring an umbrella, but fed his Indian food hungry soul with his favorite dish Dhal, all the way in Japan
[.]I found Gautam on orkut before coming over to Japan. I contacted him via scrapbook. He was more than happy to hear from me and told me to bring an umbrella. This advice was really of great value as it rained just the next day of my arrival.[..]
Links for Mon, 2007-06
With Rakhat Aliev, the son-in-law of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev, having been arrested in Austria and released on bail awaiting extradition to Kazakhstan to face kidnapping and other criminal charges, Bonnie Boyd examines some of the possible outcomes of his extradition hearing and what they might mean for relations between Kazakhstan and the EU.
SunLeaf discusses some non-Afghan champions of Afghanistan.
Afghanistanica examines the prospects for tourism in Afghanistan's Nuristan province and finds them quite good if one happens to be an elite airborne soldier.
neweurasia reports on a notable departure from Kazakhstan's embassy to the United States. Embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko, whom the post's author calls Kazakhstan's “most useful person in Washington, DC,” will be moving on to a new post in Kazakhstan along with the ambassador.
Non Pon reports on the debate over Kyrgyzstan joining a confederation with Russia, an idea proposed by former Prime Minister Feliks Kulov.
“The big news today is the announcement that the Israeli Defense Ministry has decided to take a pass on one of the only fully deployed/fielded solutions available today against the ongoing kassam/ketyusha threat faced by Israel in the south and north. Instead they have decided in favor of an unproven solution being developed by the Israeli company Raphael that will only be availible in 2011!
“It boggles the mind!” writes David Bogner from Israel, in his award winning blog Treppenwitz.
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif shares his thoughts on broadband penetration in Bahrain.
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