Stories from and

Sri Lanka Plans to Deport 1,500 Pakistani and Afghan Refugees

  23 July 2014

Facing persecution in Pakistan, many Ahmadiyya Muslims and Christians have taken refuge in Sri Lanka. These refugees are mostly held in Boossa and Mirihana detention centers and have to live on government-provided rations as they are not eligible for work. According to the media, the Sri Lankan government is preparing to...

Indians Say Goodbye To Orkut, Reluctantly

  12 July 2014

Indian users are reacting to the impending demise of Google's Orkut social networking platform. Orkut is the oldest citizen media site Indians used and around 20% of Orkut’s users today are from India. Vinaya Naidu at Lighthouse Insights compiles some of the users’ comments on the end of Orkut: Priya...

Bangladeshi Sex Workers Take Cow Steroids To Mask Their Real Age

  10 July 2014

ActionAid, a British charity, mentioned in a recent report that 90% of commercial sex workers in Bangladesh are addicted to Oradexon, a steroid meant for cattle. Diaspora Bangladeshi blogger Anushay Hossain explains why they use this drug: This medicine meant to fatten cows has become the preferred drug among the...

Yes, I Wear a Bra, and It's Visible. So?

  8 July 2014

Nivedita N Kumar, a journalist, posts an emotional Facebook note which has gone viral. Here is an excerpt from the powerful essay that lashes at the notion of the Indian patriarchal society that clothes provoke rapists: Why? Why do you do that? Stare at my breasts like they are cute...

Mobile Phones Drive Social And Economic Changes In Pakistan

  7 July 2014

From a slow start in the late Nineteen Nineties mobile phone penetration in Pakistan has jumped up in recent years to 77% nationally and amongst urban class people to almost 100%. Dr. Tahir Rauf at Pak Tea House reports that the ubiquitous mobile phone use in Pakistan has brought a...

Attacks Against Muslims Continue In Sri Lanka

  30 June 2014

It has been two weeks since the violent riots against Muslims in the Sri Lankan coastal cities of Aluthgama and Beruwala. Although the situation has died down after widespread condemnation, sporadic violence against Muslims continues in different parts of Sri Lanka. Blogger Abdul Khaleq tweets about one such recent incident in...

Srinagar-Leh Highway: An Adventurous Road Trip

  28 June 2014

The 434-kilometer-long Srinagar-Leh Highway is a spectacular and often scary highway in the Kashmir Valley. This road, which is open for traffic from June to November, is generally muddy, gravely and non-existent at best. The Zoji La mountain pass at 3,528 meters is particularly dangerous with only enough clearance for...

Jonbeel, a Barter Market in the 21st Century

  23 June 2014

The centuries old Jonbeel Mela, a community fair in the northeast Indian state of Assam, has a unique ritual. Around 10,000 indigenous people from tribes like the Karbi, Khasi, Tiwa, and Jayantia of the northeast come down from the hills to the Jonbeel wetlands with their produce or catch and...

Why Quality of Internet Service Is Needed in Nepal

  18 June 2014

Internet penetration in Nepal has increased to 29.78 percent in recent times mainly due to about 8 million mobile Internet users. But the quality of Internet service by the providers, lack of standards and bad customer service makes the user experience so unpleasant that many users feel that their time,...

The Unintended Consequences of Pakistan's Operation Zarb-e-Azb

  17 June 2014

On June 15, 2014, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb, a joint-military operation involving Pakistan against armed insurgent groups such as the Taliban (TTP), al–Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). The operation started exactly a week after the terrorist attack on the...

How to Stop the Dhivehi Language From Dying

  14 June 2014

Dhivehi, the national language of Maldives, is a pidgin language spoken primarily by the Maldivians. However, practically every Maldivian speaks English, the unofficial second language, because it’s the language used in Maldivian school curricula. Lack of proper language standards is impeding the growth of Dhivehi. Aishath Khashia at Work of...

Homosexual Asylum Seekers from The Maldives Face Prosecution Upon Return

  6 June 2014

Same-sex relationships, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are illegal in the Maldives under Sharia law and there are several cases of prosecution against persons of same-sex orientation. Ibrahim Muaz, a spokesman at the President’s Office recently said that Maldivians seeking asylum abroad on grounds of religion or sexuality can be...

Farewell Hindustan Ambassador

  3 June 2014

Hindustan Motors has recently suspended production of India's iconic Hindustan Ambassador car which was first rolled out in 1958. Soumyadip Choudhury at Cutting The Chai posts a tribute to the classic car creating an unofficial (and animated) Google doodle. The car still remains popular with taxi drivers, some politicians and...

Creating Biogas from Water Hyacinth

  27 May 2014

Water hyacinth (water weed) is a menace in Bangladesh which restricts water flow and blocks sunlight in rivers and ponds contributing to contamination and killing of fish. Instead of spending much in removing or eradicating them they can be used for a good cause. Kristin Boekhoff at Panigram blog informs...

Internet Policy In India – Which Way?

  24 May 2014

The newly elected Bharatya Janata Party headed by Narendra Modi is expected to implement policies and regulatory reforms that will augment economic growth in India. Avantika Banerjee at India Law and Technology blog opines that there is a strong correlation between economic growth and internet access/internet freedom and the expected...

Bangladesh's Economy Remains Stable, Analysis Finds

  20 May 2014

Equity analyst and blogger Asif Khan posts a brief economic update of Bangladesh in his blog. According to the analysis, despite political uncertainties the economy looks stable and inflation remains under control: The chances of an interim election in the next 12 months look slim. Current account surpluses continue, currency...