28 July 2012

Stories from 28 July 2012

London: Triumph Beyond Medals for Bangladeshis

Five Bangladeshi athletes are in London to participate in the 2012 Olympics. Bangladeshis are not optimistic that their athletes will come back with medals. However, this is not the end of the Olympic dream for Bangladesh. Their main triumph is not on the field, but off the field.

28 July 2012

Africa: Contemporary African Artistry Online

Usanii Afrika is a blog that showcases contemporary African artistry: “Usanii Afrika (meaning Artistry Africa in Swahili) is a blog born out of passion. Innately creative herself, blogger, Kirsty Macdonald...

28 July 2012

Africa: Speaking My Language

Read Ngugi wa Thiong’o's address at the 2012 Sunday Times Literary Awards in South Africa: “One of the basic, most fundamental means of individual and communal self realization is language....

28 July 2012

Reasons to Boycott the Olympics?

With any major event, there are both celebrating and dissenting voices. The Olympics is no exception, and there are bloggers from across the world making their voices heard on why they will be boycotting London 2012.

28 July 2012

Tajikistan: Telecoms Blackout Amidst Provincial Clashes

Amidst deadly clashes in the eastern Tajik province of Gorno-Badakhshan, the authorities have cut Internet, mobile, and landline connection to the region. Online people are sharing information via social media and trying to draw international attention to the situation on the ground.

28 July 2012

East Asia: Flourishing Illegal Trade in ‘Captive Bred’ Exotic Birds

According to a July 2012 report from the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC), many endangered birds that are sold as captive bred have actually been caught in the wild and smuggled out of their original habitats under cruel conditions. An ID registration scheme for captive bred parrots introduced in Taiwan enables clear identification of legally saleable birds to try and combat this problem.

28 July 2012

Russia: Paving Political Potholes

RuNet Echo

Say the word "roads" to most Russians, and you are likely to end up with a half-hour discussion. Throughout history, Russia has been infamous for its bad road quality. However, now the city of Yekaterinburg seems to have come up with a solution to the problem, by making bureaucrats get down to work.

28 July 2012