Stories about South Asia from March, 2009
Sri Lanka: Multiple Satellite Dishes In Telecenters
LIRNEasia explains why many tele-centers in Sri Lanka are equipped with multiple dishes.
Nepal: A Prince Speaks
United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal reports that the hot topic of Nepal is now the interview by ex-Crown Prince Paras Bikram Shah on the royal massacre in 2001.
Pakistan: Tehreek-e-Taliban Claimed Responsibility
CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan reports that “Beitullah Mehsud, the head of the Tehreek-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the Manawan police academy in Punjab province, which killed at least 13 people.”
International Opinions On India
The Acorn analyzes an opinion poll on international opinions on India and asks “why do Europeans take a dim view of India’s international role?”
Indian Elections 2009: The Impact of Socially Conscious Corporate Campaigns
In my previous posts for the Global Voices special coverage on the 2009 Indian general elections, I have analyzed how Indian politicians and political parties are using internet and mobile tools for election campaigning and civil society groups in India are using digital tools to run voter registration and transparency campaigns. In this post, I'll analyze the impact of three election-related socially conscious ad campaigns: Jaago Re by Tata Tea, My Idea by Idea Cellular and Lead India/ Bleed India by The Times of India.
Pakistan: Stand Against Terrorism & Extremism
Hasan Mubarak at Lahore Metblog mentioned that Lahore keeps its resolve after the attacks on a police training school in the city: “We should not and will not tolerate ideologies of extremism, terrorism, inhumanity, and hatred. We are humans, and yes, proud Pakistanis; Muslims or otherwise – but sorry, we...
Bhutan: Banking Via SMS
Tshering Tobgay reports that SMS based mobile banking service has started in Bhutan: “The concept seems to be quite simple: you send instructions by SMS to the bank, and they respond with the required information by return SMS.”
Sri Lanka: Rain Water Harvesting Now Law
Navigating on Balance reports that a legislation is in the process of enactment to make rain water harvesting mandatory for new constructions making “Sri Lanka the only country in the world to have a public policy on rain water harvesting!”
Water: One Take International Video Contest
“Is access to clean, safe water for drinking a basic human right? Why? or Why not?”. That is the question One Take is asking for you to answer in your own language, recording it on a video no more than 2 minutes long, uploading it on their site and on DotSub and having it subtitled in at least 1 other language. Just this month, world leaders met in Istambul, Turkey at the World Water Forum to have this discussion, and although they aren't sure what the result will be, it is our chance to show what we believe about this issue, and make our voices heard.
Pakistan: Lahore Police Academy Attack
Today morning Pakistanis were shocked by the news of the attack on Manawan police training school in Lahore. Some 10-12 masked gunmen dressed as Policemen attacked from four sides when almost 700 trainees were performing their morning exercise in the camp. BBC reports that they succeeded in a siege of...
Bangladesh: Golf Ball Size Hail
Back To Bangladesh reports that golf ball size hails fell from Dhaka sky and injured people. Meandering Memos posts pictures and video of the falling hail.
India: Arguments Against The Third Front
Solitary Reaper analyzes the election manifesto of the Third Front, a political alliance contesting in the upcoming Indian elections 2009, and comments: “here are a few people talking about taking India back to the stone age.”
Sri Lanka: New Dissent Voices
ICT For Peacebuilding (ICT4PEACE) blog features two new dissent websites, which are voicing critical perspectives on the current affairs of Sri Lanka.
Digital Civil Society Campaigns in the 2009 Indian General Elections
In my first post for the Global Voices special coverage on the 2009 Indian general elections, I had analyzed how Indian politicians and political parties are using internet and mobile tools for election campaigning. In this post, I'll detail how civil society groups in India are using digital tools to run voter registration and transparency campaigns in the run up to the elections.
Global Recession Survey: Survival Tips and Business Opportunities
Everybody is trying hard to cope with the global economic crisis. Bloggers are offering survival tips to their readers. Businesses around the world are adjusting. Some are even profiting from the crisis. In this post, I will feature individuals and companies exerting their very best to overcome the recession.
Pakistan: Suicide Bombing at Mosque While People Praying
CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan is reporting that ” 48 people were killed (today) when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque near the town of Jamrud in the Khyber agency in northwest Pakistan.” The Blogger comments: “For a suicide bombing to occur at all is horrific, but...
India: Attending TEDIndia vs. Buying a TATA Nano
Pluggd.in is irked by the high cost (in Indian standard) of registration of the TED India conference and compared that one can buy a Tata Nano car with the same amount. The blog adds: “There are ‘Ideas worth spreading’, but there are ‘people worth knowing/interacting whose ideas are worth spreading’”...
India: Cruelty To Animals vs. Cruelty To Humans
The Life and Times of an Indian Home Maker comments: “Cruelty to animals is not a proof of our love for humanity. On the contrary people who are cruel to animals are likely to be cruel to humans also.”
India Elections '09: Netizens react to Political Campaigns
With the General Elections round the corner, major political parties like the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have each unleashed their election campaigns on the Indian populace. In a series of posts, we will explore blogger reactions to the election campaigns of various political parties. In this post, the first in the series, we look at how netizens have reacted to the BJP's Online Campaign.
Sri Lanka: How Should Bloggers Respond To Plagiarizing
ICT For Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) comments: “rampant plagiarism by leading Editors and newspapers in Sri Lanka of content that appears on the web and in blogs is an enduring issue”. The blog also discusses how the Sri Lankan bloggers should respond to plagiarizing.
Pakistan: Persecution of Religious Minorities
Rumbold at Pickled Politics comments: “Before the latest round of violence, the situation was already bad for minorities in Pakistan. But now increased numbers are fleeing as more of them are targeted by religious extremists.”
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