Stories from 18 September 2008
Bangladesh: Celebrating Ramadan
Dhaka Dweller describes the culture of Ramadan in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh accompanied with photos. Back to Bangladesh posts more photos adding some Iftar colors from the streets of Dhaka.
Pakistan: Truck art
Ali Usman at Pak Tea House portrays the culture and history of truck art in Pakistan.
Nicaragua: First Twitter Meetup Successful
The first Twitter meetup in Nicaragua was a total success [es] according to Juan Ortega.
Nicaragua: Software Freedom Day 2008
Fitoria [es] announces workshops for Software Freedom Day to take place in Managua, Nicaragua on September 20, which will also feature conference and installations.
Armenia: Competing Opposition Ideologies
Unzipped comments on statements from the leader of the Marxist party in Armenia that God and Russia are considered to be the solution to the problems faced by most of the population. The blog says such statements are embarrasing for the opposition and raises questions about the conflicting positions of...
Mexico: Aftermath of Morelia Explosions
Manuel Robles of Experto de Nada [es] collects some of his observations in the aftermath of the explosions in Morelia, Mexico, especially about President Felipe Calderon's behavior.
India: Economics behind terror
Diganta of The New Horizon believes that economics was also a factor in the recent Delhi bombings: “People who were in traditional business do feel deprived when they compare themselves with the common employees of knowledge industry. I feel the entire gang of people involved in the blasts are from...
Mongolia: First Paralympic Gold
Bilguun reports that Baatarjav Dambadondog brought the first Paralympic Gold medal for Mongolia in Men's Individual Recurve.
Kazakhstan: National Football Team's Coach Sacked
Adam reports that Kazakhstan football federation decided to fire Dutch coach Arno Pijpers and replace him with a German one.
Tajikistan: The Host with the Most Problems
Patrick Frost, in the wake of the Dushanbe’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization 2008 summit, analyzes the difficult situation in Tajikistan, citing energy crisis, political instability and poverty.
Tajikistan: More than $1 Billion Funnelled Out
Ian writes that continuing controversy over nontransparency of Talco, the Tajikistan's leading enterprise that produces aluminum, and how it diverted more than a billion dollars abroad into some private hands.
Turkemenistan: Real Street Battle. Imaginary Islamists?
Kayumars Turkistani reports on the alleged overnight battle between government forces and “Islamic Militants” in the capital of Ashgabat, which resulted in approximately 20 policemen killed in the battle.
Afghanistan: Herat Bombing
Azar Balkhi reports that a rival tribes provocation allegedly was behind the US air-strikes which killed up to 90 civilians in a village in western Afghanistan.
Hong Kong: King of Youtube
Dm from Learning Cantonese explains how Long Hair and League of Socialist Democracy (LSD) would get support from a wide range of political spectrum with Youtube effect.
Japan: Healthy Diet
Ampontan writes some Japanese diet tips for staying healthy.
South Korea: Han River
Robert Neff from Ohmynews! posted some historical photos of Han River (from an exhibition) to indicate how the river changes over time.
YouTube Contest for aspiring journalists
As I had mentioned back in August, YouTube and The Pulitzer Center have launched Project: Report, a contest for aspiring journalists and now the full rules and instructions are up. The contest and awards are limited to participants who are legal residents of countries where YouTube is officially launched: Australia,...
Lula on the US ambassador’s expulsion: “Evo is right”
The New World Lusophone Sousaphone translates a comment on the expulsion of the American ambassador in Bolivia by Brazil’s President Lula da Silva: “If it is true that the U.S. ambassador was meeting with the opposition to Morales, then Morales was right to kick him out.”
China: Media Manipulation on the Poisonous Milk Powder Scandal
The “Sanlu poisonous milk scandal” attracted more and more attention until the Central Propaganda Department gave strict orders on 9/15 to stop all Chinese media to report and investigate this scandal. Xinhua News, which is a mouthpiece of China government, shifted from a critical tone of voice to more positive reports and eulogy for the government departments' effectiveness in dealing with this scandal...This is a tragedy for hundred of thousands families. However, the sad story is being transformed into a happy story
Why do Egyptians get Divorced?
Statistics show that 75,000 Egyptian couples got divorced in 2006/2007. Marwa Rakha brings up oline reactions to the phenomena in this post.
Lebanon: Political Tensions are Escalating
While the people in Lebanon were under the impression that the latest negotiations between the leading political groups might translate into a glimpse of a brighter and calmer days to come, two people were killed and four injured in a clash between two rival Christian parties in Bsarma village in Koura, north Lebanon.
