Stories from Quick Reads from January, 2008
Pakistan: Lahore in 1947
Lahore Nama gives us a glimpse of the violence in 1947 – when the subcontinent was partitioned.
Nepal: Supporting Obama
United We Blog! from Nepal voicing support for Obama in the presidential elections.
Bangladesh: Islamic banking and jargon
a bengali in TO is rather annoyed with all the jargon that accompanies Islamic banking, and puts forward a list of questions on interest, incentive and money.
Barbados: Bring on the ferries
Barbadian Notes from the Margin argues for an inter-island Caribbean ferry service. “Moving people and goods from island to island is hugely difficult….”
Jamaica: “Heartbreaking” deterioration
Montego Bay Day By Day posts “heartbreaking” photos of a deteriorating historic building in Falmouth, Jamaica.
Anguilla, China: Illegal foreign labour?
Are Anguillan building contractors using cheap and illegal Chinese labour? Corruption-Free Anguilla is concerned.
Trinidad and Tobago: “Not playing mas”
Trinidad's Coffeewallah explains why she will not be participating in this year's Carnival masquerade.
Trinidad and Tobago: Water woes
If Trinidad and Tobago is so good at pumping oil out of the ground, OpenDepth asks, why are water mains so often dry?
Guyana: World ignores Lusignan?
Caribbean Lionesse asks: Why has the international media ignored the recent Lusignan massacre in Guyana? “Are 11 brown and black lives worth such scant attention?”
Georgia: Political Alternatives
TOL Georgia reports that while there are many things wrong in the country, the situation just can't be compared to that which it found itself in before the November 2003 “Rose Revolution.” However, the blog says, the upcoming parliamentary elections are of vital importance and not least in checking the...
Kazakhstan: A Shadow Billionaire Spotlighted by Forbes
Lena B-Va cites the newly released Forbes report on the billionaires “you’ve never heard of” – including a Kazakhstani citizen.
Kazakhstan: Mobile Video Festival
Zhanna Zhukova reports that the first festival of short films, shot by cameras installed in the cellphones, was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 26.
Kyrgyzstan: Human rights situation deteriorating
Asel writes that human rights activists are voicing concerns over the increased number of ungrounded arrests in Kyrgyztsan.
Kyrgyzstan: First MacCenter in Central Asia Opens
Akbalta informs readers that the first Apple's MacCentre in Central Asia is going to be opened in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, in February this year.
Afghanistan: Journalist in Danger
Nasim Fekratْ urges action on the death threats that are addressed to Basir Ahang, 27, an independent journalist who was directly involved in the release of Gabriele Torsello, the Italian journalist, who was kidnapped by Taliban in Helmand province.
Afghanistan: Reports Call for New Strategies
Barnett R. Rubin reports that several groups of the U.S. foreign policy establishment have released reports calling for major changes in strategy on Afghanistan.
Bolivia: Place to Study in El Alto
Marisol Medina of Lengua, Cultura y Sociedad [es] celebrates that many more people, especially indigenous women who still dress in traditional clothing, can now have a place to study at the public university in El Alto, without having to worry about discrimination.
Armenia: Early Release
Nazarian points his readers in the direction of a post in Russian alleging that the notorious son of Gyumri's Mayor has been released from prison in the weeks preceding the 19 February presidential election in Armenia. The blog also says that perhaps his release following a mass shootout in Armenia's...
Armenia: Pondering Scenarios
Unzipped says he believes one scenerio ahead of the 19 February presidential election is that Orinats Yerkir's Artur Baghdasarian will pull out of the race and support another opposition candidate instead. However, the blogger believes, the chances of an opposition victory would be possible only in a first round of...
China: Learning from Pornography Website
Dupola suggests that internet business should learn from pornography websites (zh) in terms of their market strategy, relation with the users, income sources and scale.
Hong Kong: Party Politics
Despite the fact that people are in general cynical about political party, legislator Tsang Yok Shing predicts that the 2017 timetable for universal suffrage will bring party politics to the peak (zh).
