Stories from 19 April 2011
Sri Lanka: UN Panel Report Causes An Uproar
An United Nations (UN) advisory panel, led by former Indonesian Atty. Gen. Marzuki Darusman, has submitted a report to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in which they find credible evidence that the Sri Lankan military shelled civilians in no-fire zones and sought to silence critics in a brutal fashion, during the war against guerilla group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.
Nicaragua: Holy Week in the Countryside
While most Nicaraguans and foreign tourists like to spend their holidays in the beach, Ronald Hill Alvarez in Sueños del Caribe [es] recommends spending the ‘Semana Santa’ (Holy Week) holidays in the countryside. He also describes how people from this region celebrate the religious holiday.
Bolivia: Sharing a Meal with Aymara Women
Pablo Andrés Rivero [es] blogs about a “collective, ritual meal of the Andean region” he shared with Aymara women in the Palca municipality, close to La Paz. When he was almost done eating, one of the women asked him “What do they eat in your country?” prompting Andrés to reflect...
Pakistan: Deaf And Dumb Policy On Balochistan
Hamid Abbasi at Chowrangi criticizes the deaf and dumb policy of the Pakistan government regarding Balochistan.
India: Higher Education, An Opportunity Lost
“Higher Education in India, in particular, is a game of political privileges and cronyism; consequently, Indian institutions fail to make it to global top table and also fail to equip its 2.9 million graduates a year with basic employment skills,” comments Supriyo Chaudhuri at Sunday Posts.
Bermuda: Doing Less With More
“One of the many impacts of the PLP’s spend-a-thon over the past 10 years is that Government now cannot afford to continue many of its basic services”: Vexed Bermoothes explains how public transportation is taking a hit.
Trinidad & Tobago: Autism Awareness
“It wasn't until 1994 that Asperger's syndrome was officially recognized by the American Psychological Association. Fifty years. T&T's already behind the curve”: Blogging at Outlish, Nicole Greene “hope[s] it doesn't take us another 50 years before we're finally ready to properly support the autistic community among us.”
Haiti: The Democratic Process
Toussaint on Haiti suggests that the recent election “is a sign we still believe in democracy and that these elections might have breathed new life into to Haiti’s nascent and fragile democracy.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Problem or Solution?
When it comes to the country's social ills, aka_lol says: “An uncaring person is uncaring 24-7 and no amount of phony foreign accents, flowing local dialect, paper degrees, high or low society standing and police friends can make them anything but some of the scum that is helping to run...
Cuba: Reaching the Limit
Cuban bloggers weigh in on Raul Castro's recent announcement of term limits for leadership of the country.
Pakistan: In Support Of The Burqa Ban
Kalsoom at CHUP! Changing Up Pakistan highlights Nabiha Meher Sheikh, a freelance writer based in Lahore, who explains why she supports the burqa (full face veil) ban in France.
St. Lucia: Cricket – Symbol of Wider Malaise?
The poor state of West Indies cricket gets Sun Rain Or… wondering “where is it that we are supposed to find enough motivation day after day for us to achieve the greatness that lies stifled within?”
Barbados: Hot Cross Buns
As Holy Week begins, Tastes Like Home offers up “a Cross Bun recipe that totally satisfies…”
Jamaica: Patwa
Jamaica Woman Tongue says that although “the Jamaican Constitution covertly acknowledges the fact that ‘patwa’ is, indeed, a national language…there are no ‘fair trial’ and ‘due process’ provisions in civil cases for citizens who speak only Jamaican.”
Brazil: Satire of Middle Class Problems
The satirical blog Classe Média Sofre (Middle Class Suffers) [pt], takes advantage of humour to expose the complaints of Brazilian middle class cybernauts about minor problems via social media. It was inspired by the blog White Whine which features daily updates on “first world problems”.
Brazil/Japan: Bridge Blogging Post-Earthquake News
“I read a post from a japanese blogger, I found it truly interesting and I decided to translate part of it”, said [pt] Satou Mihoko, who has decided to bridge japanese news to the portuguese speaking community, following the earthquake. Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of...
Bhutan: What's Good With The Facebook Ban At Office?
“Wasting time on Facebook is Not the problem, it is a symptom of a greater problem,” opines Dipika while discussing about the efficacy of the Facebook ban at some offices.
India: Dr. Binayak Sen Is Free
Dheera Sujan at South Asia Wired reports that Indian Right to Information activist Dr. Binayak Sen has been freed and she requests Indians to keep protesting at the summary arrests of people like Dr Binayak Sen.
Kenyans Continue to Dominate International Marathons
Kenyans continue to dominate major international marathons. Kenyan runners won both London and Boston marathons. Blogger Dave Solomon criticizes IAAF's decision to deny Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai the distinction of running the world's fastest marathon at the Boston Marathon claiming that he was helped by tailwind.
Syria: Emergency Law Lifted as Protests Continue
There were mixed feelings in Syria today as President Bashar Al-Assad announced an end to the emergency law that has been in place in the country since 1963. The country has seen weeks of protests, many of which have been met with deadly force from security officials.
Philippines: Using social networks to promote local music
A photographer uses various social networks to promote original Filipino music.
