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dorbsra
Saturday, November 14, 2009
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By VOA News 14 November 2009
Damaged vehicles at site of a suicide car bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan, 14 Nov 2009
Pakistani police say a suicide car bombing has killed at least seven people and wounded more than 20 others, in the latest attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Officials say the bomber set off explosives Saturday at a police checkpoint. They say two police officers are among the dead.
The bombing came a day after a suicide bomber struck the Peshawar office of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, killing 10 people. That blast caused a large portion of the three-story ISI building to collapse.
Authorities say recent militant attacks in Peshawar are in retaliation for the government's offensive against the Taliban in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
Elsewhere Saturday, the Pakistani military says troops killed eight militants in the latest fighting in the northwest Swat Valley.
President Barack Obama waves after stepping off Air Force One upon arrival at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore, 14 Nov 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama arrived late Saturday in Singapore, where he joins leaders of Pacific Rim economies in meetings to discuss recovery from the global financial crisis and promotion of free trade.
Air Force One landed at Singapore's Paya Lebar military airbase on a flight from Japan for the latest stop of a nine-day Asian tour that will also take Mr. Obama to China and South Korea.
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum leaders have stressed that the global recovery is still fragile, and more coordinated efforts are needed to overcome protectionism and maintain stable growth.
Mr. Obama was accused by some APEC leaders Saturday of backtracking on free trade.
Mexican President Filipe Calderon singled out Washington for "going in the opposite sense of free trade." Russian President Dmitri Medvedev made the same point.
Mr. Calderon mentioned increasing "buy American" clauses in U.S. legislation.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spoke Saturday to propose a European Union-style model for cooperation, which he called the Asia-Pacific Community.
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said a high standard regional trade agreement under the Trans-Pacific partnership would be good for America.
President Obama said Saturday the United States will engage members of the TPP, which consists of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore.
Posted by
dorbsra
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
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The Kingdom of Cambodia, formerly known as Kampuchea , tranliterated as Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South east asia with a population of over 14 million people.The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh.
A citizen of Cambodia is usually identified as "Cambodian" or "Khmer. They speak Cambodian. Most Cambodians are Theravada Buddists , but the country also has a substantial number of predominantly religions as well as animisms.Cambodia has an area of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi), sharing an 800 kilometre (500 mi) border with Thailand in the north and west, a 541 kilometre (336 mi) border with LaosVietnam in the east and southeast. It has 443 kilometres (275 mi) of coastline along the Gulf of Thailand. in the northeast, and a 1,228 kilometre (763 mi) border with
Cambodia's main industriesre garments, tourism, and construction. In 2007, foreign visitors to Angkor Wat alone aalmost hit the 4 million mark. In 2005, oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial water, and once commercial extraction begins in 2011, the oil revenues could profoundly affect Cambodia's
angkor wat the ancient city
Custom In Khmer culture a person's head is believed to contain the persons soul--therefore making it taboo to touch or point your feet at it. It is also considered to be extremely disrespectful to point or sleep with your feet pointing at a person, as the feet are the lowest part of the body and are considered to be impure.When greeting people or to show respect in Cambodia people do the "sampeah" gesture, identical to the Thai wai and similar to the Indian namaste.
Clothing Cambodians traditionally wear a checkered scarf called a "Krama". The "krama" is what distinctly separates the Khmer (Cambodians) from their neighbors the Thai, the Vietnamese, and the Laotians. The scarf is used for many purposes including for style, protection from the sun, an aid (for your feet) when climbing trees, a hammocksarong". A "krama" can also be easily shaped into a small child's doll for play. Under the Khmer Rouge, all Khmer were forced to wear a red checkered "krama". for infants, a towel.
Cuisine Khmer cuisine is noted for the use of prahok (ប្រហុក), a type of fermentedfish paste, in many dishes as a distinctive flavoring. When prahok is not used, it is likely to be kapǐ (កាពិ) instead, a kind of fermented shrimp paste. Coconut milk is the main ingredient of many Khmer curries and desserts. In Cambodia there is regular aromatic rice and glutinous or sticky rice. The latter is used more in dessert dishes with fruits such as durian. Almost every meal is eaten with a bowl of rice.Typically, Cambodians eat their meals with at least three or four separate dishes. Each individual dish will usually be one of either sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Chili is usually left up to the individual to add themselves. In this way Cambodians ensure that they get a bit of every flavor to satisfy their palates.
Arts The history of visual arts in Cambodia stretches back centuries to ancient crafts; Khmer art reached its peak during the Angkor period. Traditional Cambodian arts and crafts include textiles, non-textile weaving, silversmithing, stone carving, lacquerware, ceramics, watmurals, and kite-making. Beginning in the mid-20th century, a tradition of modern art began in Cambodia, though in the later 20th century both traditional and modern arts declined for several reasons, including the killing of artists by the Khmer Rouge. The country has experienced a recent artistic revival due to increased support from governments, NGOs, and foreign tourists.
