3 February 2010

Stories from 3 February 2010

On Indo-Bangla Relations

  3 February 2010

Anirvan Chatterjee, an Indian American, shares his experiences during his visit to Bangladesh and comments on its relationship with India: “Indians don't know what kind of soft power they have–if only they were to stop focusing on governments and think about people-to-people relationships.”

Nepal: Gulf Returnees

  3 February 2010

Migrant Rights Blog writes about the stories of Nepalis who came back home after after a stint working in the Gulf: “for every individual, there is a different story; some are tales of social mobility and achievement, others are tales of exploitation and disappointment.”

Sri Lanka: Reason For Rajapaksa's Landslide Victory

  3 February 2010

Serendipity comments on the reason for the landslide victory of Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Sri Lankan presidential election – namely gratitude for ending the war against LTTE: “living in fear of the LTTE for so long, left a permanent scar on the psyche of the people, which only the end...

Pakistan: How Not To Be Hacked

  3 February 2010

Faisal K. at Deadpan Thoughts shares from his personal experience how to be prepared for a hacking attack on all your email/social network accounts.

Trinidad & Tobago: Common Courtesy

  3 February 2010

“If more people stood up for themselves, less people would take advantage of others. And if less people took advantage of others, you'd probably have a lot less crime”: Trinidadian blogger Taran Rampersad thinks it all begins with basic etiquette.

Trinidad & Tobago: Judge & Jury

  3 February 2010

As the government “seeks to do away with juries and have hearings in front of a judge alone”, Jumbie's Watch comments: “The reason I am doubtful that this is a workable solution in Trinidad and Tobago is because of the clear corruption in the judiciary there.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Local Rasputin?

  3 February 2010

Trinidadian blogger Tattoo shares his thoughts on former Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday: “I’m sure of one thing: [he] will never be able to live down the events of last month. He will never be able to dust-off the fact that he contested the post of leader within his own party...

A ‘climate of fear’ at the Thai-Burma border

  3 February 2010

Between 1.5-2 million Burmese refugees live in Thailand. For many reasons, this young, traumatized population knows little about reproductive health, which underscores the need for peer health educators and improvements in access to health care.

Cuba: Identifying with Mandela

  3 February 2010

Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense reports that “3 Cuban political prisoners this week delivered their congratulations to South African patriarch Nelson Mandela on this month's 20th anniversary of his release from prison”, and notes that they “identify with Mandela's own 27 years in prison, his lifelong struggle against an illegitimate...

St. Lucia, Jamaica: Commonwealth Writers

  3 February 2010

“The race to win the coveted titles of Best Book and Best First Book in the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize has begun”: St. Lucia's Caribbean Book Blog reports, while Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp is excited about the 2010 Commonwealth Short Story Competition.