Stories from 30 May 2008
Colombia: FARC Leader “Sureshot” is Confirmed Dead
After countless false claims of the death of the FARC's top leader Manuel Marulanda Vélez aka "Sureshot," the Colombian government confirmed that he passed away in March of natural causes. Colombian bloggers were quick to react and provide their thoughts on what this means for the future of the guerrilla group, the future presidential elections, and Sureshot's legacy.
Mozambique: The rice and our independende
Elísio Macamo [pt] reacts to the Japanese pledge to help Africa double rice production within 10 years, during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held in Yokohama. “After 10 years the rice production in Africa is twice as much. Will the population remain the same? Will our tastes...
Georgia: Opposition Protests
Following the recent parliamentary election in the country, Resistance Georgia has posted photographs of the protest demonstrations which followed the landslide win for the ruling government party. The pro-opposition blog also posts some updates on the situation.
Brazil: Struggling to deliver the deeper messages
“It's incredibly interesting to see how differently the same event can be reported. That was certainly the case last week when the Indians gathered to protest the building of dams along the Xingu River in the Amazon basin”. Lou Gold takes a look at the Brazilian mainstream media and compares...
Armenia: Last Bell
Kyle's Journey in Armenia, a Peace Corps Blog, reports on the end of the school year in Armenia. The Last Bell is quite an occasion for graduates of 11th form students and the blog posts photographs and an account from the north-east of the country.
Armenia: Diaspora Fatigue
Life in Armenia, a blog run by ethnic Armenians from the Diaspora resident in the country, says that the number of tourists and volunteers visiting Armenia might be dropping following the recent post-election unrest as well as for other reasons. However, the blog says that Armenia is still worth visiting...
Bangladesh: Agriculture and Technology
End Poverty In South Asia asks if investments in agricultural technology by themselves be sufficient to ensure rural poverty reduction.
Nepal: Improving the economy
Nepal Monitor on the possible strategies to revive Nepal's economy.
Bangladesh: Coping with price rise
Unheard Voices has a series of posts on how communities in poverty-struck areas are coping with increasing prices and government apathy.
Peru: Café Tacuba in Lima
Laslo Rojas of Sintonizando [es] posts videos and photos of the recent concert by the Mexican band Café Tacuba in Lima, Peru.
Myanmar: Inadequate aid
Penguin Blog uploads an article by American journalist Emma Larkin who has a first-hand account of the cyclone disaster in Myanmar. Larkin notes the small aid reaching the Burmese: ” It is like throwing sesame seeds into the mouth of an elephant.”
Thailand: Websites closed for “talking” about monarchy
Absolutely Thailand writes that the Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that two websites were illegally blocked while 29 sites face closure in Thailand for allowing an open-forum discussion about the Thai monarchy.
Singapore blogger dares Lee Kuan Yew to sue him
Blogger Gopalan Nair dares Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew to sue him. IZ Reloaded thinks it could be “the most daring or foolish act ever in the history of the blogosphere.”
Bomb blast in southern Philippines
Aspiring citizen journalist All about the filth went immediately to the scene of a bomb blast outside a military base in southern Philippines
Urbanisation in Southeast Asia
Scholar and blogger Alvin Lim tackles the phenomenon of “urbanisation without industrialisation” in Southeast Asia.
Connecting Cambodian bloggers
Clogger Corner attracts Cambodia bloggers, or preferably known as Cloggers.
Bahrain: Car Respect
From Bahrain, Flymenian writes about superficial people judge people based on the value of cars they drive.
Egypt: On the Hijab
Egyptian Arima shares her ideas on a controversial post on the Islamic headscarf worn by women.
Egypt: Styill Building Pyramids
Tom Gara says the Egyptians are continuing to build pyramids – in this sarcastic post.
Kazakhstan: Politics and Tractors
These weeks the bloggers have been chewing upon traditionally prominent topics on the Kazakhstani blogosphere — politics and economy. Megakhuimyak says [ru] – “without aspiration to make a global-scale conclusion” – that 80 percent of the political public officials at the age older than 50 have obtained their current position...
Egypt: Strike Number Three
Egypt is gearing up for its third strike in a row on June 5, writes Zeinobia. “People in Egypt are extremely angry from the Government's latest economic decisions to escalate prices in oil and taxes,” she adds.
