Stories about Politics from November, 2011
Peru: Conga Mining Project Suspended in Wake of Public Pressure
Protesting residents have managed to temporarily suspend operations of the Conga gold mining project, but protests continue all the same in support of the project's definitive cancellation. At the heart of the conflict is the defense of some 20 lagoons and their ecosystems, which would be seriously degraded by the execution of this mining project.
Iran: UK embassy under attack
A film in YouTube shows how a group of Iranian protesters attacked UK embassy in Tehran on Monday.
Malaysia: Netizens React to ‘Peaceful Assembly Bill’
The Malaysian Parliament has approved the Peaceful Assembly Bill which gives police broad powers to control and even ban street assemblies and protests. Activists described the measure as an attack on civil liberties and freedom of speech. Using the hashtags #walk4freedom and #PA2011, netizens reacted to the quick passage of the bill
Myanmar: Meeting Aung San Suu Kyi
dawn_1o9 from Myanmar narrates her memorable meeting with global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
Clinton's Visit to Myanmar
US Campaign 4 Burma gathers news stories and other online reports on the historic visit US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Myanmar.
Russia: Creators of Election Violation Map Come Under Attack
With a week to go until Russia's parliamentary elections, the Golos election monitoring association has been experiencing unprecedented pressure, including a break-in by a television team, accusatory articles in major newspapers, and a call for the organization's closure signed by three parliament deputies.
Egypt: Tear Gas Shipment Raises Questions About the US
A new tear gas shipment to Egypt from the United States leaves netizens confused. Is the United States a friend of Arab revolutions or a supporter of Arab tyrants?
Cuba: Under “Survey-lance”
“As far as many Cubans here are concerned, it is not necessary to have survey results to verify the high levels of discontent and uncertainty we live under”: Without Evasion explains why she's sceptical of surveys.
Trinidad & Tobago: Impressed with Miss Miles
Dingolay reviews the new play about Gene Miles (a whistleblower for a political corruption scandal in the 1960s, who subsequently became a social outcast), admitting she was “a bit chilled by the fact that what happened to Gene Miles could happen again today, woman PM or no.”
Bermuda: Public Debate about Crime Reduction Methods?
Respice Finem examines the sensitive issue of the Bermuda police's “stop and search” policy as part of their crime reduction arsenal, saying that the concern of “those advocating caution…is that in our quest to significantly reduce crime…we do not sacrifice the liberties so many fought for for so long.”
Ukraine: Update on Jailed Ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko; Donetsk Protests
Foreign Notes cites journalist Viktoria Syumar's blog post [ru], which compares prison conditions of the jailed ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko to those of Anders Breivik, and writes – here and here – about Tymoshenko's health problems. Also on Foreign Notes, a post on the dispersal of a protest by Chernobyl clean-up...
Iran: The Storming of the British Embassy
Somayeh Tohidlou, talks about the storming of British Embassy compounds by Iranian protesters. She writes [fa] in Friendfeed: “Are they wrong about the date? This is 2011, not 1979 [when protesters took the US embassy in Tehran] and the regime is 32 years old now, not new-born one.”
Nepal: Constituent Assembly Extended For Six Months
United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal reports that a bill seeking to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly by six more months was passed today.
Côte d’Ivoire: Bloggers React to the ICC Warrant Issued for Gbagbo's Arrest
Kouamouo writes that the ICC has issued a warrant today to arrest former Ivorian president Gbagbo [fr]. In the comment section, Akpe wonders why Gbagbo has to be sent to Europe and not tried in Côte d’Ivoire.
DR of Congo: Citizens Organize Unofficial Polling as They Await Election Results
Colette Braeckman writes in her blog [fr]: “Congolese citizens have become experts in election monitoring; they are grabbing pens and notepads, going from one voting polls to the other and sharing the results they observe to friends via SMS.”
Cuba: Mariela's Red Light Comment
Ernesto Morales Licea takes issue with Mariela Castro's now infamous statement to Radio Netherlands during her visit to Amsterdam's Red Light District.
St. Lucia: Looking Good for St. Lucia Labour Party
Caribbean-American Forum says that incoming results point to the likelihood that opposition leader Dr. Kenny Anthony has led the St. Lucia Labour Party to a sweeping victory in the country's recent general election.
Barbados: Response to Crime Affecting Tourism?
Barbados Free Press questions the role of the local police “in what has become an all-too-familiar story of covering up crime against tourists.”
Zambia: Netizens Weigh in on Fight Against Corruption
Since the Patriotic Front won this year's election, Zambia has been heading in a new direction. What seems to be of great interest is the single-minded focus of the new government in dealing with corruption.
Iran: Raid on UK embassy
Amin Sabeti, blogger, linked to a picture which shows a man taking a poster of Pulp Fiction movie out of the UK embassy, wrote [Fa] in his Friendfeed page: “Look at this police! How strong he was reacting toward protestors!”
Mexico: Government Considers Legal Actions Against Citizens Demanding ICC Probe
The Mexican government has rejected war crime allegations and threatened to use legal actions against citizens that filed a complaint at the ICC against the President, top government officials, and drug gang leaders involved in Mexico's Drug War.
