Stories from 5 February 2009
India: Sakshat, The $10 Laptop
Gaurav Mishra at Gaurovonomics discusses about the recently unveiled Sakshat, the $10 laptop in India.
Russia: Spamming Champions
Window on Eurasia writes: “Last year, the Russian Federation led the countries of the world as the source of spam messages that are filling up email boxes everywhere […].”
Russia: Maria Segeeva
Scraps of Moscow writes about Maria Sergeeva, a United Russia's youth wing activist: “She sort of has elements of a Russian Sarah Palin – spunky and down-to-earth, but also self-contradictory and determinedly dim-witted, and not really ready for prime time.”
Ukraine: MV Faina is Free
Eternal Remont reports on the release of the MV Faina crew by the pirates, “a deep discount” on the ransom paid – and the future of the ship's cargo: “T-72s and assorted weapons” to be delivered to “Sudan, er, ‘Kenya.’ Shipping weapons to Sudan would violate the U.N. arms embargo....
Hungary: Viktor Orbán in the Financial Times
Hungarian Spectrum writes about a piece on Viktor Orbán in the Financial Times.
Philippines: Chess to be taught in schools
Jhay supports the inclusion of chess in the school curriculum of the Philippines.
Malaysia: War on Dengue and Chikungunya
The Malaysian government has launched a dengue awareness campaign in response to the rising number of dengue cases. Aside from dengue, there is another virus which is spreading in several Malaysian states: Chikungunya.
Latvia: Hard Times
BBC's Mark Mardell writes about the political and economic situation in Latvia: “These are hard times for many Lativans, but they will probably get much harder.”
Armenia: Environmental Destruction
Vladimir Azriyan, an Armenian participant in DOTCOM, comments on visiting a photo exhibition in Yerevan on environmental destruction. The teenage blogger particularly decries the destruction of Armenia's forests while another DOTCOM blogger, 15-year-old Nare, says that all of the Armenian participants attended.
Global Health: Obama Lifts “Global Gag Rule”
In his first week in office, U.S. President Barack Obama lifted a policy popularly known as the “Global Gag Rule.” The move is being applauded by women's rights and public health groups, as it will reinstate funding to international family planning programs globally. The policy, also known as the Mexico...
Top Ranked Blogs in Africa
If you are following African blogs, you might be interested to know the top ranked blogs in the African blogosphere. Through Afrigator’s ranking system we are able to know the top ranked blogs in Africa as well as the most read blogs. Afrigator, which is an African blog aggregator, also has a list of top 45 African female bloggers.
Haiti: Baie d'Orange
“Living in Haiti brings me face to face with the most urgent and painful result of our environmental crisis: the death of children and the elderly in a village where environmental degradation has led to poverty and starvation”: Konbit Pou Ayiti takes a trip to Baie d’Orange.
Barbados: Stimulating the Economy?
“The impact of the global crisis is beginning to take root in Barbados as pre-bookings promising tourist dollars for the treasury dwindle”: Barbados Underground wonders when the government will announce an economic stimulus package.
Bermuda: Good Governance?
Vexed Bermoothes thinks that “as the heat is poured onto ‘offshore tax havens’, Bermuda can differentiate itself by improving our ‘good governance’ in the public sector.”
Martinique: The last masters of the islands?
As the two-week-long-protest in Guadeloupe continues, the other French Overseas Departments of America - French Guiana and Martinique - are thinking about their own contribution to this deep thinking and massive mobilization. In the midst of this brainstorming, the French-encrypted and sometimes trouble-making channel, Canal+ is seasoning up the debate with a sizzling hot documentary about the tight relationships between certain ethnic groups and economic domination on the French island of Martinique. The Martinican blogosphere, naturally, has been buzzing...
Morocco: Fez, a romantic getaway
Moroccan Fez has been named a top romantic getaway, reports The View from Fez, in this post.
Syria: A Photojournalist
Syrian Yaser Sadeq explains why he deserves the title photojournalist.
Algeria: CIA Chief A “Serial Rapist”
“That the CIA Station Chief in Algiers is a serial rapist will do serious damage to American prestige in that country. When this story hits the Algerian press, one can expect fire and anger,” writes American-Algerian blogger The Moor Next Door.
Kuwait: UAE Snow is “Real”
From Kuwait, Loft965 posts a video featuring the recent snowfall near Ras Al Khaymah, UAE and remarks: “And it's not fake!”
Jordan: Arguing with Fools
Jordanian Qwaider urges his readers to never argue with fools for the following reasons.
Lebanon: Cedar Island – A Controversial Construction
From disbelief to bewilderment to outweighing its environment disaster against its economic impact, the proposed Cedar Island project is taking the Lebanese blogosphere by storm. Moussa Bashir reports on the debate.
