Stories from 18 November 2008
Sri Lanka: Shooting in the air
Indi.ca slams Sri Lanka's air defense to protect citizens from air raids by LTTE planes: “All we can do is black out Colombo, fire guns in the air and get bombed anyway. There surely is a better way.”
Bhutan: On Thimphu
Most Beautiful Cities in the World describes about Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan: “It's expensive to visit Bhutan, and expensive to stay here – a deliberate policy to keep tourism at a low level. Bhutan is poor in material goods, but boundlessly rich in other qualities contentment, inner peace and...
Barcamp Saigon 2008
David attends the 2008 Barcamp Saigon. It was his first time to participate in a Barcamp.
Indonesia: Pesta Blogger 2008
Five bloggers from different countries have joined Indonesia's Pesta Blogger 2008, a blogging trip and festival.
Singapore: TV programs
Cheryl Ng comments on some of Singapore's TV programs.
Philippines: Video tribute for young martyr
A short video pays tribute to a young activist and nursing graduate who was killed while attending to the heath needs of a rural town in the Philippines.
Indonesia: Earthquake displaces thousands
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit north Sulawesi in Indonesia last Monday displacing thousands of residents. A tsunami warning was also issued by the authorities.
Bangladesh: First Heritage Lodge
Mikey Leung at JoyBangla.info reviews the first heritage accommodation property in Bangladesh.
India: Podcasts
Here are links to some podcasts by Indian bloggers. Kiruba Shankar interviewed Benjamin Wegg Prosser, the director of LiveJournal. Kamla Bhatt interviewed Yogen Dalal of Mayfield Fund, Mitchell Baker of Mozilla and Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn which were broadcast in LiveMint Radio.
Nepal Jumps Ahead on Gay and Transgender Rights
After California voters passed the proposition to ban gay marriage in the state, gay and transgender rights is back on the headlines in America. While the debate rages on there, Nepal – a faraway country, much smaller and often ignored on the world stage is now being looked upon as...
Peru: After-Effects of Mercury Spill in Choropampa
Silvio of Lapicero Digital [es] writes about the lack of news in the Peruvian media about deaths caused by mercury contamination in Choropampa. The recent death of the Mayor of Choropampa, Vicente Zarate Minchán is thought to be a result of the contamination caused by the mercury spill that took...
Serbia: Does Barack Obama Mean Hospitality for the World?
Ljubisa Bojic reviews what Serbian bloggers think of Barack Obama's chances of changing the U.S. policy towards Serbia.
Bolivia: Challengers in Next Presidential Elections
Miguel Buitrago of MABB speculates on some possible challengers to Evo Morales in the presidential election scheduled for December 2009 in Bolivia.
Uruguay: National Volunteers Gathering for Plan Ceibal
Pablo Flores provides a summary of the recent National Gathering of Volunteers in Montevideo, Uruguay. These volunteers have been working with the Ceibal Plan, which has been distributing and working with the XO computers throughout the country.
Costa Rica: Free Trade Agreement Ready For Implementation
After a lengthy process, which included a nationwide referendum where Costa Ricans approved a free-trade agreement with the United States, the laws will go into effect on January 1, 2009. However, it took consensus building within the National Assembly in order to pass the necessary laws, while some sectors of society had been calling for a process of renegotiation.
Tunisia: Yes, they can. No, we can't!
The week of the US election coincided with the 21st anniversary of 'change' in Tunisia. But while Americans went to the polls to elect their 44th president, in its 50 years of independence, Tunisia has had just two presidents. Tunisian bloggers mark Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 21st year as president with a call for change.
Egypt Ranks High in Corruption
Egypt ranks 115 in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, which tracks 180 countries by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. The rankings are in ascending order, with the more corrupt countries scoring higher ranks.
Bahrain: Playground politics?
Bahraini blogger Yagoob is not impressed with the behaviour of a member of parliament who followed another member to Kuwait to make sure he didn't taint Bahrain's reputation at a conference: “What next? Is he going to give out spankings for any MPs who say something he doesn’t like?…Now if...
Saudi Arabia: The problem of pirates
Crossroads Arabia comments on the case of the Saudi oil tanker hijacked by pirates and now anchored off the coast of Somalia: “Perhaps we’ll be seeing Saudi naval vessels escorting the country’s own ships soon. The Royal Saudi Navy hasn’t had much of a chance to exercise its abilities, compared...
Barbados: Arrests Made in Russian Girl's Murder
Keltruth Corp. reports that “two St. Philip men have been arrested and charged with the murder of Anna Druzhinina which occurred at Palmers Plantation House in St. John, Barbados.”
Bermuda: Identify Yourself
More on the Bermudian Expat ID card issue here and here.
