7 August 2009

Stories from 7 August 2009

Egyptian Blogger Harassed at Cairo Airport (Again!)

Hossam El Hamalawy reports: A month after they detained him at the Cairo International Airport and confiscated his laptop, Blogger Wael Abbas has been stopped again, on his way back from Beirut. Police has confiscated all his CDs, USB and flash memory cards!: “Wael just texted me to say he’s...

Trinidad & Tobago: The Cost of Propaganda

  7 August 2009

“The ultimate stakeholders, the public, must know how much it cost to make propaganda for a project which is ruinous to its health, economy and ecology”: In calling for public access to the accounts of the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter plant, Trinidadian blogger Rhea Mungal republishes a letter advising against...

Guyana, Barbados: Barbadians First

  7 August 2009

Repeating Islands reports that The Council for Hemispheric Affairs has weighed in “on the heated dialogue that has ensued after the compulsory deportation of Guyanese nationals from Barbados…”

Trinidad & Tobago: The Spin Factor

  7 August 2009

B.C. Pires is following the Commission of Enquiry into Trinidad and Tobago's construction sector and notes that: “The legal costs of UdeCott and Calder Hart are being met entirely by taxpayers” and “presumably include full page, self-serving advertisements…that do nothing more than allege the Commission must be biased since it...

Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Economic Outlook

  7 August 2009

In light of Standard & Poor's low financial rating for Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago blog The Liming House predicts: “If economic conditions in Jamaica and the Caribbean get much worse, the country is going to have a hard time meeting its outstanding debts.”

India: Violation Of Human Rights

  7 August 2009

Subir Bhaumik comments on the numerous incidents of human rights violations by security forces in Assam and Northeast India: “this must stop if we have to convince the world we are a democracy — merely holding elections does not make us a democracy.”

Pakistan: The Death Of Baitullah Mehsud

  7 August 2009

Pak Tea House confirms that Baitullah Mehsud, the most feared Taliban warlord was recently killed in a drone strike in the tribal areas of Pakistan along with his wife. Chowrangi points out to several conspiracy theories regarding his allegiance and death.

Japan: Reactions to the Japanese tourist rip-off in Italy

  7 August 2009

Japanese tourists in Rome are said to have diminished in the last period. Not only the economic crisis but also the bad service that Italian restaurants and hotels provide to the tourists as well as the fear to have their wallet or mobile phone ripped off, have made the Japanese...

Bangladesh, India: Protesting The TipaiMukh Dam

  7 August 2009

Along with many Bangladeshis several Indian organizations are also protesting the proposed TipaiMukh Dam in India. BanglaPraxis highlights two of them: Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Assam writes to Indian PM protesting Tipaimukh Dam and a memo from Society of Activists & Volunteers for Environment (SAVE) of Silchar submitted to...

Fake eggs in Myanmar

  7 August 2009

Today in Myanmar reports that fake eggs are being sold in some areas in Myanmar. The fake eggs were allegedly transported from neighboring countries.

China: Prostitutes more trustworthy than government officials

  7 August 2009

A startling result of an online survey of more than 3,376 people published by Insight China magazine reveals that China's prostitutes are considered by some to be more trustworthy than its politicians, teachers and scientists! The survey found that 7.9% of the respondents considered sex workers trustworthy, placing them third...

Myanmar: Buddhists Outraged by Actor's Photo

  7 August 2009

A controversial photo of a Burmese actor and his friends wearing saffron robes was posted on a popular Burmese blog, creating a severe outrage within the Burmese Buddhist community. GV author Tan translates a few Burmese blog posts.