Bangkok Underwater - Alan Taylor - In Focus. Heavy monsoon rains have been drenching Southeast Asia since mid-July, causing mudslides and widespread flooding. The deluge has now reached Bangkok, with rising water and associated problems affecting most of the city's 10 million residents. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that parts of the capital could be inundated by up to 1.5 meters of water and remain flooded for up to a month.
Around Bangkok, the second-largest airport has closed, food prices are soaring, clean water is becoming scarce, and the country is declaring a holiday from Thursday until Monday to allow people to evacuate. The Chao Phraya river is predicted to overflow its banks in the city sometime today, and authorities say that if the protective dikes fail to hold the water, all parts of Bangkok will be vulnerable to the floodwater. [42 photos] Use j/k keys or ←/→ to navigate Choose: Residents evacuate from their flooded town, north of Bangkok, on October 25, 2011. Chronicle of Shame: Indian Manhood. It has been more than two years since I first reacted in anguish in this blog over what seemed to me to be nothing less than an epidemic of rape in the Indian subcontinent.
I had asked: What is it with Indian men and rape? Is it about sexual gratification in a country where, inexplicably, sex is still a taboo subject and the Indian male is a lustful, prurient, sex-starved lot eager to carry out rape to fulfill a sexual fantasy whenever opportunity presents? Is it about power and control over certain individuals, or a group of people - an uncontrollable urge to dominate? Or, is it a violent response, a lashing out, of the patriarchal societal establishment to the increasing economic and social emancipation of the Indian women, whom it finds it cannot subjugate any further?
In India, it probably is all of the above. As I have learnt more about the issues surrounding sexual violence against women, it appears that it is more of the latter than former. Is this for real? L'Inde a trouvé son vrai «Slumdog millionaire» Selon Charlie Chaplin, «ce n'est pas la réalité qui compte dans un film, mais ce que l'imagination peut en faire». Dans le cas de Sushil Kumar, un Indien originaire d'une région pauvre de l'Est du pays qui vient de remporter le jackpot du Qui veut gagner des millions? Local, l'imagination de l'écrivain Vikas Swarup, dont le roman Les fabuleuses aventures d'un Indien malchanceux qui devint milliardaire a été adapté par la réalisateur britannique Danny Boyle au cinéma, est devenue réalité, rapporte le Times of India.
L'Inde a son «Slumdog millionaire», du nom du film qui a remporté 8 oscars en 2009. «Vous êtes entré dans l'histoire», lui a confié l'acteur indien et présentateur du jeu Amitabh Bachchan quand Sushil Kumar a répondu correctement à la dernière question, lui permettant d'empocher les 50 millions de roupies (plus de 700.000 euros). «Quand il a gagné, c'était comme si le plateau allait exploser. Publicité Devenez fan sur , suivez-nous sur. West Papuans Cry For Help. Despite facing a well-armed Indonesian Army, many West Papuans are determined to fight for a greater say in their future. William Lloyd George travels to the jungles of West Papua to meet the rebels. By William Lloyd George for The Diplomat October 27, 2011 Facebook19 Twitter3 Google+2 LinkedIn0 Last week, thousands of natives gathered in West Papua to attend a congress to mark 50 years since Papuan people declared their independence.
Half way into the declaration the police stormed the congress in attempt to break up the meeting. In response to accusations of a heavy handed response, the island’s police chief said,‘The reason we broke in was because the Congress violated the permit. Human rights groups around the world were quick to chime in with criticism for the police response. The activist is referring to the inclusion of West Papua under Indonesia sovereignty. In 1969, 1,025 handpicked Papuans – out of a population of over 1 million – were chosen for the vote. Singapore's Failed Occupation. Bloggers, others question why nobody showed up for Occupy Raffles Square. Almost two weeks after Singapore's “Occupy” protest turned out to be an utter failure, nearly alone among Asian cities, the city-state’s political observers are still trying to figure out what happened. Bloggers have looked at Occupy (fill in the blanks) protesters in Wall Street, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London and Greece, many of whom are still in their sleeping bags and tents.
In Singapore, the Raffles Place site where the protest was to take place saw almost nary an occupier despite the fact that Singapore’s international financial community is as developed and presumably culpable as any in the world. The island nation’s bloggers are as vociferous as any on the planet. And, although the event’s Singapore Facebook page scored 3,000 “likes,” and 75 people said they would show up at Raffles Place in the middle of Singapore’s financial district, almost nobody did There is also the resentment over ministerial salaries. Terrorism in Asia | Photo Essay.