Stories from 16 September 2009
Cambodia: PM rides a motorbike to visit disaster area
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen rides a motorbike to visit a flood-affected province. A photo shows the PM has failed to tie his helmet strap.
Afghanistan: New Blog in Kunar
Joshua Foust writes that the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan has a blog with news and some great pictures.
Singapore: Housing grants
A single person from Singapore is complaining against a policy which prevents unmarried persons from applying for housing grants.
Thailand: Prime Minister is a twiterrer
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has a twitter account. Thai leaders have been using the internet to win public support.
Kazakhstan: Informal summit of the Caspian Sea states
Elina Galperin informs her readers that leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan met in Aktau (Kazakhstan) to ‘informally’ discuss the resources in the Caspian Sea. Iran did not take part.
Afghanistan: Growing presence of Taliban
Nick Fielding reports that Taliban now has a permanent presence in 80 per cent of Afghanistan, up from 72 per cent in November 2008 and 54 per cent in 2007.
Afghanistan: Rethinking “Af-Pak”
Nick Fielding analyzes the shifts in understanding of the Afghanistan politics by the West, as more politicians are rejecting the idea of linking policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Dominican Republic: Switching Companies While Keeping Mobile Number
Mobile telephone users in the Dominican Republic will now have the option to switch companies, and keep their original numbers. Many think that this will be a good development for consumers.
China: The Founding of a Republic
As a celebration of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October, the all-star epic “The Founding of a Republic” will be screened tomorrow, on 17 September. The film has stirred a heated discussion on the Internet – not for the film itself, but for the nationalities of the stars.
