Stories from 2 January 2011
Bolivia: Government Revokes Decree Ending Fuel Subsidies
Greg Weeks updates his readers on the “Gasolinazo“: “Evo Morales revoked the decree removing subsidies (and thereby drastically raising prices on fuel) after facing large scale protests. The essential problem therefore remains–the government has popular subsidies that unfortunately also encourage smuggling and bleed money, both of which he mentioned in...
Hungary: Ice-T and the New Hungarian Media Law
Marietta Le reports on an ongoing investigation of a radio station that played a song by rapper Ice-T by Hungary's National Media and Infocommunication Authority.
India: Class Divide In Rail Transport
Metros for rich and trains for poor? Shidhu Saaheb informs that there already appears to be a distinct class divide between those who travel on the Metro and those who travel on the other EMUs in Delhi, India.
Pakistan: Solidarity Day Rally for Peace
Teeth Maestro posts pictures of the Solidarity Day Rally for Peace. The rally was held on 1st January 2011 as an expression of solidarity with those suffering violence in any form, including suicide attacks, bomb blasts, target killings, kidnappings, disappearances, and torture killings in Pakistan.
Maldives: Wither Happiness?
Haumaldives explains how the Gross national Happiness of Maldivians remained stagnant for the past two years since Maldives under went the transition to democracy.
Sri Lanka: Lack Of Morality In Abundance
Leela Isaac at GroundViews opines that the LTTE terrorism may be no more but other forms of terrorism seem to have erupted in Sri Lanka because the “moral universe is shrinking”.
Nepal: Fighting The Power Shortages
Dr. Hari Bansha Dulal suggests how to tackle the power shortages in Nepal and decrease the frequent power outages.
Bhutan: Tobacco Ban And A New Years Wish
Tshering Tobgay, the leader of the Opposition Party in the National Assembly of Bhutan, has a new year's wish: “that the first person to be caught and jailed under the Tobacco Control Act is a member of parliament.”
Puerto Rico: Poetry is Busy
Poet and blogger Yarisa Colón comments on the event “Poetry is Busy” [es] at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Juan: “It was a wonderful night. I read in front of people (40+) as if I was reading to my sister in the room, comfortably. I read with happiness....
Puerto Rico: In 102 words
Students of the University of Puerto Rico have launched the blog 102 Palabras [es] (102 Words) where they narrate the everyday difficulties they will confront to be able to afford the $800 fee imposed by the administration.
Lebanon: Banning land sale between religions
“This law is an insult to each and every one of us. It lays bare the state of bankruptcy that our sectarian democracy has reached,” states Mustapha in describing the draft law, authored by the Lebanese labor minister, that would prevent Christians and Muslims from selling property to each other...
Lebanon: Iraqi refugees and Lebanese sectarianism
“If I do not wear my cross, and I speak in the Iraqi dialect, automatically people think I am Shiite, and I get the very lousy treatment…”, said Joseph, an Iraqi refugee living in Lebanon, in an interview with Seif. The contact and interview for this post took place through Facebook.
Lebanon: Missing the Rain
Nadine Feghaly posts her latest beautiful, simple and expressive painting titled “I miss the rain”.
USA: Son of Couple Executed in 1953 Defends Wikileaks’ Assange
“We must fight to protect Assange,” writes Robert Meeropol, the son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, executed in 1953 for “Conspiracy to Commit Espionage” in the United States (via Democracy Now).
