Stories from 3 June 2011
Russia: Towards a gas spot market?
Streetwise Professor discusses a Bloomberg article claiming that Russia and its state gas company Gazprom are feeling an increased pressure to admit a spot market on gas instead of pegging the price to that of oil.
Bangladesh: Derivation of the Name ‘Dhaka’
Ershad Ahmed tries to find the origin of the name “Dhaka”, the capital of Bangladesh.
Caribbean: Artistic Images
ARC posts some “inspiring” images and videos from Caribbean artists.
Bahamas: Beyond Naipaul
In response to Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul's comment to a British journalist that he considers no female writer his equal, Womanish Words writes: “We do not wish to be equal to you. We are far more ambitious than that.”
Bermuda: Why the Homophobia?
“While I understand that some people…find the thought of gay relationships and physical sex abhorrent, I don’t understand the level of hatred that they express”: Breezeblog thinks that Bermuda's current attitude to gay rights “is a sad and unacceptable state of affairs.”
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Garvey's Crime
In his effort to have Marcus Garvey's name cleared through an online petition to US President Barack Obama, diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp explains Garvey's crime: “[His] arrest and eventual conviction on charges of mail fraud had less to do with a criminal enterprise and more to do with J. Edgar...
Jamaica, Bahamas: Wikileaks Revelations
Jamaican and Bahamian bloggers weigh in on Wikileaks cables about their respective countries.
India: Six More Official Languages For West Bengal
Raja Basu at Potpourri comments on the revolutionary decision of Mamata Banerjee-led TMC-Congress government of West Bengal to add six more official languages: “There are some loopholes in the government’s logic, which I cannot ignore.”
Bhutan: A Photo Story
Bridge To Bhutan posts a photo story introducing Bhutan to the world readers which has some breathtaking pictures from Bhutan.
Pakistan: The Baloch Noam Chomsky Silenced
Beena Sarwar at Journeys To Democracy reports that Dr. Saba Dashtiyari, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Balochistan and an activist for freedom of expression, was assassinated in Quetta.
Egypt: V for Verifiying Virginity
Following the appalling confirmation that virginity tests were conducted on female protesters who were detained during the Egyptian revolution, rage has been expressed by both women and men. Many cannot believe that those who fought for dignity and freedom were attacked in such a humiliating way.
Bolivia: Tweeting with Senator Centa Rek
The reaction from Bolivian Senator Centa Rek to a request from a blogger asking her to provide evidence for the claim she made on Twitter about money laundering and drug trafficking led to an outpouring of criticism towards the elected official because of her claims of being persecuted by infiltrated government agents.
Côte d'Ivoire: The New Cabinet Line-up
Suy on la Côte d'Ivoire au jour le jour – Ivory Coast day by day posted an audio recording [fr] of the Secretary General of the Ivorian presidency announcing the line-up of the new government, noting also that some already consider as ”overmanning” a line-up of 36 ministers.
Lebanon: Story of a Migrant House Keeper, Georgette
To mark Labor Day, the non-governmental organisation Migrant Workers Task Force has published a video, in which Georgette, a house keeper from Benin working in Lebanon, relates her experiences and speaks of the changes she would like to see in migrants’ working conditions.
Japan: Original photos of Fukushima Daiichi
Flickr user hige-darumaひげだるまattractive woman published photos of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant taken during a tour of the facilities in June 1999. Tepco employees’ faces have been blurred but it is possible to see what's inside the plant.
Yemen: Reasons Saleh is Late!
Tweeps are having fun with the hashtag #ReasonsSalehIsLate while waiting for a speech by Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, following reports that he may have been injured when the Presidential Palace in Sanaa was attacked earlier today.
Burkina Faso: Bobo Dioulasso Under Curfew
Jonas, on Fasopresse, gives his account of the lootings and unrest [fr] in Bobo Dioulasso, the economic capital of Burkina Faso. The city is now also affected by the ongoing conflict between the government and mutinous militaries that begun back in February.
Syria: Protesting for the Future of Children
Syria's youngest victims are speaking out in a series of heart wrenching videos which are surfacing on YouTube, detailing the horrors they and their family members have faced in days and nights of their country's revolution against Bashar Al Assad's regime. Today's Friday protests are dedicated to Syrian children and their future.
Yemen: Confusion in Sanaa Amid Conflicting News on Saleh
The Yemeni capital Sanaa plunged into chaos this afternoon, with conflicting reports circulating about Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. While some reports say he had fled the presidential palace in Sanaa, others are reporting that he was injured in clashes. Some even went to announce his death.
Chile: Ideas to Fight Air Pollution in Santiago
Blogger Daniel Arellano suggests [es] several measures that could be implemented in Santiago to fight severe air pollution: reforestation, relocating companies to other parts of the country and educating people to build awareness are some of Daniel’s ideas to improve air quality in the Chilean capital.
Latin America: An Overview of E-Government in the Region
Global Voices author and Spanish Translation Manager Juan Arellano looks [es] at e-government in Latin America, giving a short overview of specific initiatives that are currently being implemented in several countries in the region.
