Stories from 21 October 2010
Panama: Freedom of the Press
The Panama Digest reports that “Panama fell 26 spots on the annual Reporters Without Borders Freedom of the Press Index published Wednesday.” The post also points out that, “just yesterday, on the day the report was published – journalists picketed against government limits on their freedom of expression.”
Nepal: Texting During Dashain
XNepali blog informs that there was a huge surge in SMS greetings in Nepal during the Dashain festival.
Bangladesh: Beware Of The Population Bomb
Recent reports say that the population of Bangladesh has risen to 164.4 million. “Obviously Bangladesh’s biggest problem is over population,” says Fuad Hasan.
India: What's your culture ?
“Culture is how we were brought up. And how we plan to bring up our children,” opines Ugich Konitari.
Debating Animal Cruelty During Nepal's Dashain Festival
Nepalese around the world celebrate the fifteen day long Dashain festival with gusto as it brings communities and families together. But, lately this popular holiday has been criticized for a number of reasons but mainly animal cruelty.
Bermuda: Open or Closed?
Politics.bm calls “presumptive Premier-in-waiting” Paula Cox's recommitment to term limits “economic suicide”.
Cuba: Hunger Striker Recognised
Uncommon Sense and Along the Malecon celebrate Cuban hunger striker Guillermo Fariñas being awarded this year's Sakharov human rights prize.
Barbados: Castle Destroyed in Fire
Historic Sam Lord's Castle burns to the ground; Barbados Free Press is not surprised.
Shintaro Ishihara’s views on China, Japan
Shintaro Ishihara is a politician, author and governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government since 1999. He is well known for his critical stance on Japan’s dependence under the US-Japan security alliance. In 1989, he co-authored the book The Japan That Can Say No with then-Sony chairman Akio Morita. He is...
China: Maoist worker activist in jail
JJ from China Study Group looks into the significance of Zhao Dongmin's arrest and imprisonment. Zhao is a lawyer, labor activist and Maoist. He has been put in jail more than a year after his arrest for trying to setup a workers’ watchdog group to combat corrupt and illegal SOE...
Anguilla: End of a Blog
Corruption-free Anguilla decides to shut down its blog over threats of a lawsuit; Barbados Free Press comments: “Don Mitchell CBE QC learns why anti-corruption blogs in small countries must be anonymous.”
China: Dairy Wars
ESWN collects and translates reports about the scandal of Mengnui smearing campaign towards its rival Yili and Shengyuan.
Haiti: A Dangerous Balance
The Signifyin’ Woman is “intrigued” by Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat's latest “collection of essays on writing (mostly) from the stance of exile, or immigrant”; The Caribbean Review of Books publishes an essay excerpted from the book.
D.R. of Congo: Food Thursday: Pounded Plantains
Lituma or pounded plantains can justify a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Lituma is a culinary specialty of the Lokele ethnic group–a tribal cluster of clans of fishers and fishwives along the Congo River and its tributaries in the Orientale Province.That could explain why lituma is usually eaten...
Tanzania: Be Part of a National Election Monitoring Exercise
Ben asks Tanzanians to be part of a national election monitoring exercise: “Ushahidi comes to Tanzania! It comes in the form of uchaguzi.or.tz, implemented by TACCEO, a group of 16 Tanzanian civil society organizations that have partnered for election monitoring, with assistance from Hivos.”
Ghana: Ghana's Unique Coffins
Do you know Ghanaian unique coffins?: “On the dusty, honk-echoing, chicken-crossing, exhaust-fumed streets right outside of Accra, the capital of the English-speaking West African country, one tribe called the Ga is renowned for their casket masterpieces.”
Nigeria: Remembering Fela
Remembering Fela is an interview with the author and close friend of Fela’s, Dr Carlos Moore. Born in Cuba in 1942, Dr Moore is an ethnologist and political scientist.
Cameroon: Transforming Piles of Scrap Into Finished Products
Bill Zimmerman writes about men in the outskirts of Maroua, the capital of the Extreme North of Cameroon who gather together to transform piles of scrap iron into finely finished tools, stoves, replacement parts and other useful implements for sale to the local population.
Tanzania: Follow #uchaguzitz on Twitter
Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Tanzania on 31 October 2010. Follow Tanzania election-related tweets here.
Kenya: The Golden Voice of Africa
Kenyan Poet writes about Salif Keita's tour in Kenya: “He came and with him, brought the message ‘Despite his condition as an Albino, he had beaten all odds to become the Golden Voice of Africa receiving international acclaim'That is why, we had all flocked the Carnivore restaurant to experience his...
D.R. of Congo/Guinea: Guinean Presidential Electoral Campaign in Kinshasa flyer for
What are flyers for Guinean presidential candidate doing in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo?: “Yesterday evening, I couldn't believe it when I saw a campaign flyer for Guinean presidential candidate Alpha Condé in a shoe store owned by “Ndingaris”–as all West Africans are called here–at the bustling neighborhood...
