23 August 2011

Stories from 23 August 2011

Vietnam: “Police are investigating”

  23 August 2011

Saigonist observes that many English-written news reports in Vietnam often end up with this conclusion: “Police are investigating”. A Tumblr page was created to gather these stories.

Sri Lanka: Grease Devils Targetting Women In The North And The East

  23 August 2011

D.B.S Jeyaraj shares a report of the The Womens Action Network (WAN) on the attacks on women by assailants posing as the mythical character “Grease Devil”. The attacks have occurred mostly in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and the victims are generally Tamil speaking Tamil and Muslim...

Singapore: GDP and economic realities

  23 August 2011

Despite its high GDP, many Singaporeans are experiencing economic difficulties. The Logic of Faith believes that there is a “fundamental disconnect between abstract categories and concrete realities.”

Spain: Pope's Visit Leaves a Violent Trace in Madrid

  23 August 2011

On August 17, Europe Laica (Secular Europe) brought together over 150 organizations to protest in Madrid against the public financing of Pope Benedict XVI's visit. Police repression and acts of violence took over the capital's streets. The Pope's visit also brought to bear the debate between state secularism and religion.

Haiti: Grim Housing Situation

  23 August 2011

Haiti Grassroots Watch investigates whether “the 634,000 people still living in Haiti’s 1,001 camps, and the undoubtedly tens of thousands of others living in unsafe and even condemned structures [will] soon move to safe housing” and discovers an upsetting answer.

Caribbean: Irene's Path

  23 August 2011

More updates about Hurricane Irene: Havana Times is relieved that its “projected path is taking it further away from Cuba”; Weblog Bahamas acknowledges that she is “a serious threat”; Pwoje Espwa is praying “that Haiti be spared more tragedy” and U.S.V.I. bloggers report on the aftermath of the storm.

Trinidad & Tobago: Honouring Pat Bishop

  23 August 2011

“Bishop would have wanted the government and corporate Trinidad and Tobago to act on their words, making real investments in sustainable, sensible projects that would educate our intellectual potential, promote our best cultural works and engage so many lost minds in their creative legacy”: Mark Lyndersay thinks that the most...

Jamaica: Obama Rejects Plea for Garvey Pardon

  23 August 2011

Geoffrey Philp is surprised by the Obama administration's rejection of the request for a presidential pardon for Marcus Garvey on the grounds that “it would be ‘a waste of time and resources’ since Garvey had been ‘dead for ages‘”, saying: “Marcus Garvey has joined the ancestors. So this plea for…exoneration...

Guyana: Supporting T&T's State of Emergency

  23 August 2011

Demerara Waves reports that Guyana has officially declared its “support of Trinidad and Tobago’s limited state of emergency that has been imposed to quell a spike in drug-related murders and other forms of violence.”

Cameroon: Strength in Diversity

  23 August 2011

Africavox published [fr] a dossier on the differences between  the 250 ethnic groups in Cameroon. It states that  “mixed marriages, cultural adaptation to their neighbors’ practices and a relative appeasement of the political climate have led to greater tolerance and understanding among Cameroonians.  While ethnic diversity is now widely seen...

Azerbaijan: Tourism – from potential to realization

  23 August 2011

Having returned from an enjoyable vacation in Indonesia, Aaron in Azerbaijan compares the experience with what Azerbaijan has to offer and notes such problems as the quality of customer service as well as the infrastructure in place. While the blog notes that the country has much potential for tourism, it...

Lessons Gaddafi Should Have Learnt from North Korea

  23 August 2011

Joshua from One Free Korea, in comparing the North Korean situation with the fall of Gaddafi, explains about the importance of the nuclear deterrent in sustaining the North Korean regime and its dictator, Kim Jong-il.