21 October 2012

Stories from 21 October 2012

Sri Lanka: Bumper Harvest Of Fish

  21 October 2012

Malaka Rodrigo reports that many fish species have aggregated to the Sri Lankan East coast giving a bumper harvest to the fishermen. Experts say that this might have happened due to changing patterns of Oceanic Currents and climate change.

Bangladesh: Low Dependency on Agricultural Products Prompts Food Security Fears

  21 October 2012

In the last four decades Bangladesh saw a tremendous rise in the industry and service sectors which prompted the decrease of dependency on agricultural Produces. The decrease in employment in agriculture sector and the increase in number of landless people due to use of agricultural land for other purposes have made a large number of population vulnerable to food insecurity.

Bangladesh: The Perils of The YouTube Ban

  21 October 2012

The Bangladesh government banned YouTube and its many IPs were also banned which are also used by other Google Services. Many from Bangladesh are unable to access a number of Google services for more than a month as a consequence. Sajib vents his frustrations.

Caribbean: Blog Action Day 2012

  21 October 2012

Since its founding in 2007, Blog Action Day has united bloggers from all over the world by having them devote space to a specific topic or theme. Caribbean bloggers weigh in on this year's theme "The Power of We".

Burundi: Celebrating The First Democratically Elected President

  21 October 2012

Jean Marie Ngendahayo writes about [fr] the relatively unknown story of Melchior Ndadaye, the first democratically elected president of Burundi after winning the 1993 election. Ngendahayo states that what stood out with Ndadaye was his willingness to reach out to all Burundians; in fact he chose an opponent, Mrs. Sylvie Kinigi as his...

East Timor: Documenting Traditional Music

  21 October 2012

The Timorese have a musical culture which is unique, but at present deeply hidden, the world is interested in it, and it deserves to be noticed and survive. The Unofficial East Timor blog publishes an interview with Ros Dunlop, the author of a book titled “Sounds of the Soul: The...

Guinea-Bissau: Six Killed in Attack to Military Base

  21 October 2012

An attack to a military base [pt] in Guinea-Bissau on the night of October 20, 2012, took the lives of at least six people. BBC journalist Zenaida Machado (@zenaidamz) informs on Twitter that the alleged mastermind of the attack is Captain N’Tchama, a member of the army elite unit who...

Kazakhstan: The Accidental Nationalist

  21 October 2012

To Son Pascal, I say that if you really believe that Kazakhs should stop using Russian language in favor of Kazakh, if you really feel that you, a foreigner, can tell Kazakhs how to feel pride in their background, you’re playing with fire. And it’s not your fire to play with.

Myanmar: Newspapers Now Printed in Color

  21 October 2012

Government-sponsored newspapers in Myanmar are now printed in color, this was announced [my] by the Deputy Minister of Ministry of Information on his Facebook. There are only three major daily papers in Myanmar, all published in monochrome version except on special occasions like Independence Day. Weekly publications by other local media...

Will ‘National Conversation’ Work in Singapore?

  21 October 2012

In an effort to include ordinary Singaporeans in the planning of the nation's future, the government has launched a “national conversation” that will last for about a year to gather people's views. Some residents have welcomed the initiative but others dismissed it as nothing more than a public relations endeavour