20 April 2009

Stories from 20 April 2009

Colombia: Transfer of US Military Base from Ecuador

  20 April 2009

The US military base currently located in Manta, Ecuador is being transferred to Colombia. “This is a violation of national sovereignty with the aim to maintain a certain level of privileged relationship with the government of the United States,” writes Colombia Hoy [es].

Indian Elections 2009: Villains And Votes

  20 April 2009

If elections are to be described as a process to elect better leaders for the country, the ongoing elections in India are of a very different variety. A number of convicted felons, gang members with long criminal history and leaders accused of violent crime (murder, attempted murder, armed robbery) - villains in every sense are going to the people asking for their vote.

Pakistan: Terror Has A New Name

  20 April 2009

Faisal K. at Deadpan Thoughts realizes: “not a day goes by without some sort of threat in Pakistan to its citizens by these mysterious men we have come to know loosely as the Taliban.”

Bhutan: Don't Ban Nano!

  20 April 2009

Dipika, a Bhutanese journalist who blogs at On The Job, criticizes the recent debate in Bhutan on whether the $2500 car Tata Nano should be banned.

Lebanon: Activists Experiment with Social Media

The use of social media tools such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and mobile technology has become increasingly popular in activism and advocacy work worldwide in recent years. In Lebanon, a group called Social Media Exchange teaches activists how to utilise social media to promote their work and reach a wider audience. Mohammmad Azraq digs into the Lebanese social networking and online scene to find out more.

Sri Lanka: Winning Back The Tamil Diaspora

  20 April 2009

The Whackstar's Lair opines that the Sri Lankan people should stop considering the Tamil diaspora as the enemy. Because: “EELAM is right here, but it’s called Sri Lanka, and people of different races live here together. ‘Come home’ is what the government and all of us need to say to...

India: Importance Of Mother Tongue

  20 April 2009

Manasa Pamaraju at Desicritics states that many of the 22 official languages of India are losing the race to English or other dominant languages. The blogger comments: “what pains me is that that today’s generation doesn’t even know how to pronounce the language right. I have met scores of parents...

Iran: Diplomats walk out at Ahmadinejad's speech

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today made headlines once more, when he referred to Israel as a “racist state” during a address at United Nations conference on racism in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates from several European nations walked out of the conference in protest at Ahmadinejad's remark. Jomhour has published the following video...

Americas: 5th Summit Reactions

  20 April 2009

The much-hyped Fifth Summit of the Americas is now over, culminating with the Hemispheric leaders' adoption of the Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain - albeit with one signatory - the Prime Minister of host country Trinidad and Tobago, who purportedly signed on behalf of all participating leaders. This signaled to many a clear lack of unanimity on the final declaration, hardly surprising given the differing agendas of the 34 participating nations. Bloggers were quick to post their impressions of the three-day engagement.

Afghanistan: Political Machinations

  20 April 2009

While Afghanistan's so-called “rape law” has garnered a lot of Western press, there is a lot of domestic debate over it as well. The women's marches have been covered admirably by mainstream media, but there are sectarian issues to consider as well. Registan.net already highlighted some of those problems—namely, that...

Malawi Politicians Campaign in Cyberspace

  20 April 2009

The presidential and parliamentary race in Malawi is seeing innovative use of the Internet that Malawi's politics has never witnessed before. Parties and individual contestants have established themselves online through websites, Facebook and blogs to get voters' attention.

Bahamas: The Economics of Culture

  20 April 2009

“It is not foreign investment that economists and development agencies are suggesting is the engine of economic development in the 21st century; it’s culture”: Nicolette Bethel thinks that the Bahamian government's apparent postponement of the Caribbean Festival of Arts is “a terrible idea”.

Syria: Independence Day Celebration in DC Draws Crowds

Imad Moustapha, Syria's envoy to the US, shares with us photographs from a celebration to mark his country's Independence Day in Washington DC. “The huge attendance was a testimony to how Syria is regarded by the American people despite years of trying to distort its image by former President Bush,...

Haiti: Election or Selection?

  20 April 2009

Repeating Islands reports that Haiti's Senate elections this past weekend were “marred today by sporadic violence, forcing authorities to cancel polling in parts of the country”. Pwoje Espwa notes: “Fanmi Lavalas (ex-President Jean Bertrand Aristide's political party) will not be in the race due to not being able to satisfy...

Jamaica: Perspective on Pirates

  20 April 2009

Jamaica-based blogger Annie Paul happened to be reading a manuscript about pirates at a time when “the pirates of Somalia were rousing international consternation by capturing a US ship and holding its crew hostage” – and she shares an alternative perspective on this age-old profession.