30 March 2009

Stories from 30 March 2009

Pakistan: Stand Against Terrorism & Extremism

  30 March 2009

Hasan Mubarak at Lahore Metblog mentioned that Lahore keeps its resolve after the attacks on a police training school in the city: “We should not and will not tolerate ideologies of extremism, terrorism, inhumanity, and hatred. We are humans, and yes, proud Pakistanis; Muslims or otherwise – but sorry, we...

Bhutan: Banking Via SMS

  30 March 2009

Tshering Tobgay reports that SMS based mobile banking service has started in Bhutan: “The concept seems to be quite simple: you send instructions by SMS to the bank, and they respond with the required information by return SMS.”

Sri Lanka: Rain Water Harvesting Now Law

  30 March 2009

Navigating on Balance reports that a legislation is in the process of enactment to make rain water harvesting mandatory for new constructions making “Sri Lanka the only country in the world to have a public policy on rain water harvesting!”

Bolivia: The Grape Harvest Fair

  30 March 2009

Juan Angel Tapia of El Miroscopio [es] visits La Vendimia in the Calamuchita region of Tarija, Bolivia. This fair celebrates the important grape harvest used in the wine industry famous in this part of the country.

Palestine: Commemorating Land Day

March 30 is Land Day, on which Palestinians everywhere, but especially those within Israel, commemorate the day in 1976 when six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by the Israeli army and police during protests against land expropriation. The day has become a way to mark the struggle of the Palestinians to hold onto their land, when demonstrations take place as well as other events. Palestinian and pro-Palestinian bloggers around the world have observed the occasion.

Ecuador: Heading to the Polls Yet Again

  30 March 2009

In less than a month, approximately 10.5 million Ecuadorians will head to the polls yet again. After approval of the new Constitution last September, elections to select the president, members of the legislature and other local authorities are scheduled for April 26. The current president, Rafael Correa, has announced his intention to run, where he is favored to win.

Water: One Take International Video Contest

  30 March 2009

“Is access to clean, safe water for drinking a basic human right? Why? or Why not?”. That is the question One Take is asking for you to answer in your own language, recording it on a video no more than 2 minutes long, uploading it on their site and on DotSub and having it subtitled in at least 1 other language. Just this month, world leaders met in Istambul, Turkey at the World Water Forum to have this discussion, and although they aren't sure what the result will be, it is our chance to show what we believe about this issue, and make our voices heard.

Pakistan: Lahore Police Academy Attack

  30 March 2009

Today morning Pakistanis were shocked by the news of the attack on Manawan police training school in Lahore. Some 10-12 masked gunmen dressed as Policemen attacked from four sides when almost 700 trainees were performing their morning exercise in the camp. BBC reports that they succeeded in a siege of...

France, Americas, Africa: The “Y'a Bon” Awards

  30 March 2009

On March 17th 2009, a group called les Indivisibles [Fr] launched the “Y'a Bon Awards”, a dubious honour bestowed upon politicians, journalists, or any public officials who have contributed to the spreading of racism in France. The Awards have sprung from reactions to a century-long advertising campaign that has not sat well with most black people in France.

Palestine: The Changing Face of Jerusalem

  30 March 2009

Ned, who lives in Ramallah, writes about the changes he has seen taking place in Jerusalem: “Israel is clearly trying to change the whole face of Jerusalem, making it more Jewish than it has ever been. In the process, thousands of Arabs are losing their right to live in the...

Trinidad & Tobago: Identifying the Problem

  30 March 2009

Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life thinks that the biggest problem with UDECOTT “isn’t that the public thinks it is a corrupt organization…[it's] that the masses who screamed about the corruption with the Piarco Airport Terminal are now silent and indifferent about UDECOTT.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Shouter Baptist Liberation

  30 March 2009

triniscene.com pays tribute to the Shouter Baptists of Trinidad and Tobago, who today celebrate “the abolition of laws that prohibited the activities of the Shouter or Spiritual Baptist faith on March 30, 1951.”

Barbados: Animal Cruelty

  30 March 2009

Barbados Free Press republishes a letter from an “irate hiker” whose group discovered the body of a dog that was hanged from a tree: “The RSPCA was notified. Their response was ‘write a letter to the newspapers’. Where is the the ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ in such a response?...

Jamaica: Going to Calabash

  30 March 2009

Jamaican Geoffrey Philp and Life, Unscripted, on the Rock are pleased to report that the Calabash International Literary Festival is back on.

Bangladesh: Golf Ball Size Hail

  30 March 2009

Back To Bangladesh reports that golf ball size hails fell from Dhaka sky and injured people. Meandering Memos posts pictures and video of the falling hail.

Armenia: Blogger Interview

  30 March 2009

The DOTCOM project which brings together Armenian, Azeri and U.S. teenage bloggers has now updated its interview with Arzu Geybullayeva with one conducted with Global Voices Online's Caucasus Regional Editor Onnik Krikorian. In particular, the potential for blogs and online social networking sites to cross geographical and geopolitical divides is...

Africa: African Bloggers at G20 Summit

  30 March 2009

Nigerian blogger, Sokari Ekine is one of African bloggers who will cover G20 summit: “My plan of action is to try to cover both the G20 summit and the Alternative G20 along with the mass direct action organized by G20 meltdown in the City. I am doing this because I...

Liberia: Liberia's Natural Born Bloggers

  30 March 2009

David Sasaki writes about Liberia's natural born bloggers: It is hard to imagine a place more difficult to keep a blog than a country that just barely has an electric grid. But a few ambitious, aspiring Liberian journalists are working hard to join their colleagues from the DR of Congo,...