Stories from 3 February 2010
Paraguay: Footballer Salvador Cabañas Recovering After Shooting
In the early morning of January 25, Paraguayan footballer Salvador Cabañas was shot in the head during an altercation in a Mexico City bar bathroom. Although he is slowly recovering, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
On Indo-Bangla Relations
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
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
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
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.
Pakistan: Economic Performance Between 2001 and 2008
Corporate Finance and Accounting blog summarizes Pakistan's economic performance between 2001 and 2008.
Talking to Trinidadian journalist and blogger Andre Bagoo
An interview with Trinidadian journalist Andre Bagoo, who writes hard-hitting political coverage for the daily press, and innovative, wide-ranging cultural commentary on his blog PLEASURE.
Trinidad & Tobago: Common Courtesy
“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
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?
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
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
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...
As Liberia stabilizes, youth begin to talk about sex
As Liberia continues to emerge from its horrific civil war, many fear the combination of extreme poverty and risky sexual decisions will increase the country's HIV/AIDS rate and the number of unplanned pregnancies.
St. Lucia, Jamaica: Commonwealth Writers
“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.
Taiwan: Studying in a doctoral program
Scott Sommers writes about his experience in the first semester of a Ph.D. program at National Taiwan Normal University.
Russia: Threat to dispose of parliamentary chairman
LJ users drugoi and Alymov Aleksandr comment [RUS] on a threat to remove Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Russian parliament's upper chamber, the Federation Council, from office allegedly due to critique against Prime Minister Putin's policies.
Bosnia: Croats call for secessionist referendum?
M. Bozinovich of Serbianna reports on an alleged plan among Bosnian-Croats to have a referendum on secession from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Japan: For a military base-free Okinawa
TenThousandThings from Kurashi blogs about the weekend rally attended by 6000 people demanding a military base-free Okinawa.
China: Race and racial conflicts
C. Custer from ChinaGeeks interviewed famous Chinese blogger Hecaitou on race issue in China.
Costa Rica: Online Videos add Humor to Presidential Elections
The Costa Rican Presidential elections are this Sunday and through videos, many Costa Ricans are expressing their concerns regarding the candidates and the future of their country through parody and humor.
Syria: Damascus’ Own Marathon
Damascene Jasmin [AR] writes about Syria's first international marathon. Damascus marathon is planned for April 16, to commemorate Syria's independence day (April 17).
