28 April 2009

Stories from 28 April 2009

India: Showing The Middle Finger

Über Desi reports that according to “a new ruling by The Election Commission of India, voting officials in certain polling stations are now marking middle fingers with the purple ink,...

28 April 2009

Nepal: Politics of Energy

Nepali Perspectives comments on the failed power supply deal between India and Nepal: “Nepal’s.. interest will be best served by ensuring energy security and being self reliant in the matters...

28 April 2009

Fiji: New rule creates thousands of retirees

A recent government decree in Fiji orders all civil servants 55 years and older must retire Thursday, April 30. The new rules affect any person working within Fiji’s government, police force and prisons service. Previously, those workers would be employed until turning 60.

28 April 2009

India: A Peek Into The Young Voters

Kamla Bhatt profiles an young voter from Trivandrum, Kerala to understand who the young voters of the Indian elections 2009 are and what are their issues.

28 April 2009

Egypt: Stigmatized by AIDS

A group of Egyptian bloggers and independent media personalities are putting their hands together in support of the “Openness” initiative, which aims at anti-stigmatizing AIDS patients, and calls for integrating them in the society instead of alienating them further by educating people on how to deal with them to avoid getting infected, reports Marwa Rakha.

28 April 2009

Egypt: Wandering Internet Trolls

Wandering Scarab posted an interesting note on the four types of Internet trolls: “creatures that wander into forums and blogs, with malicious intent to generally interrupt online discussions by flinging their...

28 April 2009

Indian Elections 2009: God and Country

The ongoing elections in India have exposed deep fractures in the country's religious landscape. Blogs are buzzing with allegations and counter allegations of religious persecutions in the land where you can...

28 April 2009

Egypt: Interviewing a Baha'i Assailant

Egyptian blogger Ibn Rushd interviewed one of the Baha'i assailants. Marwa Rakha translates the interview, in which the assailant admits to his role in the burning of six homes belonging to Baha'i families in the village of Shoraneya, from Arabic.

28 April 2009

Armenia: Joke of the Day

Unzipped says joke of the day in Armenia is news that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) are now calling themselves an opposition political party. Having left the ruling...

28 April 2009

Morocco: AIDS, Money and Sex Toys

Morocco has a reputation of tolerance, and although this is mainly a young and fairly open society there are still instances of prejudices suffered by people infected with HIV/AIDS, and the stigma attached to the disease, writes Hisham, as his country marked a nationwide day of campaigning, information and screening on April 25.

28 April 2009

Cuba: Right to Travel

“Hasn’t it been said already—by enough voices—that the requirement for permission to leave and enter Cuba has to be repealed?”: Generation Y wants to know “What more has to happen...

28 April 2009