Stories from 19 January 2009
Malaysia: Lessons from the flooding disaster
Last week, flooding hit several areas in the Sarawak State of Malaysia. Bloggers recount their experience and the lessons to be culled from the flood disaster. The flooding was the worst in years in Malaysia.
Palestine: Not faring better
Palestinians who choose to co-exist with Israelis “fare no better than any other Palestinian,” observes Ummkahlil, a Palestinian blogger, who lives in the US.
Syria: Arab Leaders and the Summit
“The Arab summit today was truly surprising and from what has been ‘said’ so far it seems that finally the Arab leaders are saying what the people want to hear, and are actually doing what the people want them to do,” says Arabia Camel: The Revolution, from Syria.
Syria: Where's The Daily Star?
“Qifa Nabki has got the story. It looks like the (Lebanese) Daily Star has published its final edition,” reports the Syria News Wire, in this post.
Israel: Back to Books and Bible Lessons
Imshin from Israel notes that life is going back to its normal routine. He writes: “It’s nice to be back with books and things. Last night I finally made it to the third lesson of a series of Bible lessons I had been planning to go to. I was far...
Bahrain: Why is God not Saving Palestinians?
American Coolred38, who lives in Bahrain, asks: “In your opinion…is it safe to assume…that the millions of prayers sent to God by Muslims asking for Palestinians to be saved and for the genocide to stop once and for all have fallen on deaf ears…but prayers sent out with hopes of...
Bahrain: Links to Gaza Map of Bombing
Bahraini Abdulhadi Khalaf, who lives in Sweden, shares with us links to interactive maps, which show the intensity of bombings and number of casualties in Gaza.
Bahrain: Mafiwasta Interview on Rights of Migrant Workers
Bahraini Esra'a, at Mideast Youth, reposts an interview conducted by Migrant Rights with Nick McGeehan, founding member of human rights group Mafiwasta, set up in 2005 to bring to attention abuses of migrant workers in the Gulf.
Queen Rania of Jordan on Gaza: “Hell on Earth”
Jordanian blogger Ali Dahmash links to this video featuring Queen Rania appealing for aid towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) operating in war torn Gaza.
Indonesia: Blaze at Jakarta's main fuel tank
Devi Girsang talks about the recent fire at Pertamina‘s fuel tank in Jakarta. Since Indonesia is now preparing for legislative and presidential elections this year, speculations among common people spread out that the incident was not merely an accident.
Serbia, Russia: NIS-Gazprom Deal
A roundup on the NIS-Gazprom deal – at Eternal Remont: “In 2008, Deloitte & Touche valued NIS at $2.95 billion. But Gazprom is only going to pay $1.2 billion ($537 million + $721 million in new “investment”) between now and 2012. Better yet, the Serbs refused to entertain offers from...
Georgia: Stalin Monuments in Gori
Photos of Stalin monuments in Gori, Georgia – by Latvian photographer Arnis Balcus.
Slovakia: Euro Currency
A switch to the euro in Slovakia – at CzechFolks.com.
Guyana: Flooding Controversy
Guyana has been experiencing severe bouts of flooding recently, causing damage to crops and livestock and outrage among bloggers.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: The Face of HIV
“Sometimes, life in small island societies can have immense drawbacks”: Blogging from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni says that some of them are “the whisperings about persons with HIV and the subsequent ostracism that takes place.”
Russia, UK: Rallies for Israel, Gaza
LJ user mgor (a London-based native of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) posts photos from a London rally in support of Gaza. LJ user drugoi (Roustem Adagamov, one of the most popular Russian bloggers) posts photos from a Moscow rally in support of Israel. (Text in Russian.)
Jamaica: Praying in Patois
Iriegal shares her thoughts on the production of a Patois Bible: “I just want to say $60 million dollars is a lot to invest…there is so much controversy in translating European English into Patois I really don't know how they are going to do it, even from and audio perspective.”
Ukraine: Photos of Dnipropetrovsk
Photos of Dnipropetrovsk (RUS) from a few years ago – by LJ user mgor.
Anguilla, Bermuda, Turks & Caicos: Good Governance
A couple of regional bloggers have been keeping track of the inquiry into official misconduct and corruption in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Vexed Bermoothes says: “I don’t want to draw the parallels too deeply, but TCI is demonstrating the challenges that many small islands face…this is why Bermuda needs...
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Political Comparisons
As America gears up for the inauguration of President Barack Obama, diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp is reminded of “the euphoria that many Jamaicans experienced when Michael Manley was elected as Prime Minister in 1972.”
Palestine: Assessing the Aftermath in Gaza
On Sunday evening the Israel Defense Forces began a troop withdrawal from Gaza, following three straight weeks of attacks. Israel's unilateral ceasefire was announced earlier in the day, and met with an offer for a one-week ceasefire from Hamas. Ayesha Saldanha shares blog reactions from Gaza.
