Stories from 18 February 2009
Bhutan: Terrorism In A Peaceful Country
Bhutan is witnessing some terrorist activities in the southern parts and Bhutan: Silenced and Controlled discusses ways to combat those activities.
Pakistan: A Short History Of Asif Ali Zardari
KO compiles a short history of Asif Ali Zardari, the president of Pakistan.
Pakistan: Drones Are From Here
Teeth Maestro reports that the US drone attacks on northern tribal areas in Pakistan was carried out from an airbase in southern Pakistan.
lsrael: Spiderman Stops Traffic
Who is least likely to slow your daily commute? Spiderman probably features low on the list. Israeli police arrested a costumed Spidey yesterday who had created a traffic jam by jumping from car to car with webbed ropes, Benji Lovitt of What War Zone??? reports.
Canada: Rally Threatens Jewish Students at York University
An anti-Israel rally at York University in Toronto, Canada forced Jewish students to flee for cover. Threatening cries included: “Die, Jew, get the hell off campus,” and “Die… go back to Israel,” Jewlicious reports.
Israel: Exhibit Features Intimate View of Ultra-Orthodox Jews
A new photography exhibit will reveal an intimate look into the lives of Ultra-Orthodox Jews. On display at the Land of Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, Menahem Kahana's photographs will be on view until June 2009. Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem recommends: “For those who are curious and interested, the...
Bahrain: “Just Ban It”
Bahraini blogger The Dude is frustrated: “Our ‘parliament’, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that they can best serve society by banning everything and anything that they disagree with, for reasons that they clearly invent.”
Palestine: From Gaza to Puerto Rico
Palestinian blogger Laila El-Haddad, currently based in the United States, describes a visit to Puerto Rico to give a talk: “It was clear the people of Puerto Rico were thirsty for knowledge about the Palestinian conflict, and have a deep sense of the injustice of it all.”
Palestine: Appointment of Female Islamic Judges Ratified
Palestinian blogger and journalist Kawther Salam, currently based in Vienna, has interviewed the two women whose appointment as judges in Islamic courts has just been ratified in the West Bank.
Caribbean, USA: Stanford Charged with Fraud
Fresh on the heels of the latest regional financial meltdown comes another: news that U.S. billionaire Allen Stanford has been slapped with charges for investment fraud - more than 8 billion dollars' worth. The potential fallout for West Indies cricket appears to be concerning Caribbean bloggers as much as the economic ramifications.
Trinidad & Tobago: Taking Responsibility
What really sticks in Trinidadian blogger Coffeewallah‘s craw when it comes to the CL Financial fiasco, is: “At the head of this debacle, someone who has taken no responsibility at all. Someone who is basically being left with his personal wealth intact while the taxpayer via Government intervention is bailing...
Iran:”Ahmadinejad, a lion in the Islamic World”
Mehdi has published a photo of a cover of a book that he discovered in a university book store in Malaysia. We can see on this cover Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's photo and book's title is “Ahmadinejad, a new lion in the Islamic World”. The blogger adds [fa] Ahmadineajd's speeches...
Cuba: “Boring Home”
The book Boring Home, which was banned at the 2009 Havana International Book Fair, is now available on the Internet. Cuban bloggers talk about it here, here and here.
Trinidad & Tobago: Eyes Wide Shut
Although Slacker says that Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an intrinsic part of him, he cannot, in all good conscience, participate in the national festival: “Not when the murder toll as at yesterday stood at 84…a rate of 1.75 a day; not when press freedom and freedom of expression is...
Iran: Three short videos on Iran
Homeyra has published three links to three short videos on Iran by travel writer Rick Steves.One of these films named “Iran's Revolution of Family Values“.
Puerto Rico: Declining Economy
Dondequiera lists ten reasons that Puerto Rico's economy will continue to decline.
Trinidad & Tobago: Facing Down Facebook
“While I have a tendency to be critical of social networks and the companies that run them, it appears Facebook – at the least – is listening”: Trinidadian blogger Taran Rampersad is back on Facebook after learning that its Terms of Service have been changed back to what they were...
Caribbean: Economic Effects
Keith in Trinidad says that “it is troubling that we seem so oblivious to the meltdown that's occurring” in Martinique and Guadeloupe, while Living Guyana cites the many examples of regional economic discord to add weight to his question of whether “Guyana's tenuous economy will be negatively affected.”
Jamaica, Spain: Considering the Environment
As the King and Queen of Spain visit Jamaica, Snailwriter is concerned about what an alliance between the two countries could mean for the environment: “‘Spanish hotels have become part of the geography of Jamaica and they are here to stay.’ And that is the tragedy. When the economic downturn...
India: Interview with A. R. Rahman and Danny Boyle
The Kamla show, the radio/podcast show of Kamla Bhatt, in collaboration with NDTV has published interviews with Danny Boyle and A R Rahman, the director and music director of the film Slumdog Millionaire.
Egypt: Bloggers Take on the “Sons of Zion”
The bombs on Gaza may have stopped falling, but a fierce cyber battle continues, with bloggers on both sides of the fence mobilising their troops to 'obliterate' the presence of the other - at least online. Marwa Rakha taps into the Egyptian blogosphere to present to us another facet of this war.