Stories from 10 December 2008
D.R. Congo: Authorities close Lake Bukavu to fishing
Congoblog [Fr] reports on a planned 3-month closure of Lake Bukavu, in eastern Congo: “This decision by local authorities has upset a number of fishermen on whose fish the town of Bukavu depends and who have no other means of subsistence. ‘This is an illegal and inhumane decision. We are going...
Bangladesh Gets Its Own Taj Mahal
Azmi Jahan Dot Com reports that a replica of the Taj Mahal has been built in Bangladesh by a Film producer. India has already protested the move.
Guadeloupe: Gas too expensive; the island is blocked!
After the general blackout in French Guiana, it's now the turn of the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to wake up all numbed. The butterfly shaped island linked by the bridges of “le Pont de la Gabarre” and “le Pont de l'Alliance” has been paralyzed on both sides: Grande-Terre and...
Bangla News Headline Aggregator in Unicode
On a trail less travelled shares the link of a new site (Kashphool.com) which aggregates news headlines (সংবাদ শিরোনাম) from Bangla/Bengali online newspapers published from Bangladesh and India converting them in Unicode from different dynamic-font schemes.
Cuba: Human Rights Day
Today is International Human Rights Day - an annual reminder of the day on which the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights back in 1948. Sixty years later, Cuban bloggers (particularly from the diaspora) remain vocal about the many human rights abuses that plague the island of their birth.
South Asian Laborers Duped Again in Iraq
After 12 Nepalese laborers had been kidnapped and murdered by Iraqi terrorist group Ansar al-Sunna in 2004, there was hope that officials in Iraq, United States and in Nepal would take steps to ensure the safety and security of those traveling to Iraq in search of work. Unfortunately, reports suggest...
DR Congo: Human Rights and Gender Violence Situation in North Kivu
Today is International Human Rights Day as well as the last day of the campaign "16 days of activism against gender violence" but in many parts of the world there's not much to celebrate on those fronts, as shown by this roundup of blogs by aid workers in North Kivu.
Puerto Rico, Barbados, Guyana: Indigenous Rights
The Voice of the Taino People Online reports that Damon Corrie, “the sometimes controversial Barbados born Indigenous Rights activist of Guyanese Arawak descent” is attending negotiations on the draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Dominica: Rights of the Child
“The stunning reality is there are a number of incidents of uncalled-for brutality and abuse against children every day in our society”: Dominica Weekly says that there is a fine line between discipline and child abuse.
Bahamas: Death of an Icon
“Mr. Farrington was one of the most brilliant men I have ever met. He was often in another world, but when he was in ours his intellect was staggering”: Nicolette Bethel acknowledges the passing of a Bahamian “cultural giant”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Waste Not
“The next time you see your neighbor’s garbage scattered on the road don’t think of it as an unsightly mess but as an opportunity to get to know them better”: Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life gets trashy!
Western Sahara: Trouble with McDonald's
Nick Brooks of Sand and Dust reports that McDonald's recently came under fire in Morocco for not including the Western Sahara on its maps of the country. The fast food giant caved to pressure. Brooks shares his opinion.
DR Congo: Subversive photo montages
Art me Africa features the work of Sammy Baloji, a Congolese artist that “extracts b&w images of migrant mine workers from the early 20th Century and superimposes them over contemporary shots of the now abandoned industrial landscape”.
Mongolia: Local singer's John Lennon tribute
Bilguun shares a tribute to John Lennon, a cover of Imagine by Naran, a Mongolian singer with powerful voice.
Kazakhstan: Krishnas Save Kazakhstan Farm
Gumir reports that the Kazakhstan government withdrew its claim for demolition of the only Temple of the Krishna Society in Kazakhstan after 1,5 years of standoff.
Uzbekistan: Bulgarian president hunts in Uzbekistan
Akmal reports that after reports about Bulgarian president Georgi Purvanov's hunting for protected animals during his official visit to Uzbekistan, there have been severe debates online on the role of ethics in todays politics.
Tajikistan: Aging Cars Resurrection
Daniel McIntosh writes about Khujand’s cargo train station in the northern part of Tajikistan, where retired vehicles of the developed world are given a second life to later go on to become a family’s pride in one of Central Asia’s poorest countries.
Kazakhstan: Human Rights Watch Condemns the OSCE “Ugly Trade”
Joshua Foust writes that just before the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Helsinki, Kazakhstan – the OSCE's chairman-in-office in 2010, faced condemnation from Human Rights Watch over its human rights record.
Uzbekistan: Economic Model?
Nathan reports that preisdent of Uzbekistan Islom Karimov in his recent public speech took a moment to heap praise upon himself for his wise economic policy decisions, while much of the population lives in poverty and hundreds of thousands of Uzbek people have left the country for seasonal jobs elsewhere.
Afghanistan: Afghans Win Homeless Soccer World Cup
SunLeaf says that the Afghanistani team took part in the Homeless Soccer World Cup and showed true character and determination in winning.
Afghanistan: Young Female Politicians Meets Youth
Azar Balkhi reports that Fawzia Koofi, 32, Deputy Speaker of the Lower House of the National Assembly of Afghanistan, paid visit to Kabul University students. This lady is getting more and more popular as a modern young leader among the youth in Afghanistan.
