Stories about Politics from December, 2009
Barbados: Drunk Driving
“To Owen Arthur, Mia Mottley, David Thompson and a series of Attorneys General: the victims and the families of the dead and injured say ‘Thanks for nothing.'”: Barbados Free Press wants breathalyzer laws instituted on the island.
Palestine: Twitter accused of silencing Gaza tribute
Twitter has been accused of attempting to silence tributes to Gaza one-year after an Israeli onslaught devastated the Palestinian enclave. Pro-Palestinian and human rights activists used the influential Twitter to express support for the besieged territory. Tweets using the hashtag #Gaza flooded in on December 27th, peaking at number 3 on Twitter's top ten Trending Topics list.
El Salvador: President Funes Enjoys Very High Approval Rate
El Salvador's President, Mauricio Funes has remained very popular with an approval rating of 88.2% six months after taking office writes Tim Muth.
Barbados: Facilitating Crime
“Like any social secret the criminal persists because of the facilitators. So, our challenge should be to deal with the facilitators”: Living in Barbados examines “the crime of crime” in the Caribbean.
Haiti: Carnival
Wadner Pierre blogs about Carnival celebrations in Haiti.
Barbados: Non-Partisan
Barbadian bloggers note with interest the launch of a new non-partisan political blog.
China and Iran: #CN4Iran
Yesterday, thousands of Iranians took to the street to protest against dictatorship. The protest reminded Chinese people of the Tiananmen democracy movement back in 1989 and Chinese twitterers are using hashtag #cn4iran to show solidarity with Iranian fellows.
Russia: Role of Stalin Debated on RuNet
Heated discussions on RuNet in the wake of the 130th anniversary of Joseph Stalin showed how divided people are regarding his role in Russian history.
Iran: When Rage Overcomes Fear
Iranian protesters poured into Tehran and several major cities in defiance of the Iranian government on Sunday, as large crowds gathered for Ashura, a major religious observance.
Philippines: A bishop's accomplishment report
A bishop blogger from the Philippines reviews and summarizes the pastoral statements issued by the Philippine Catholic Church in the past three years.
China and Hong Kong: Bodyguards and Assassins
Bodyguards and Assassins is an action movie released during Christmas in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As a patriotic film, it was originally set to release in October for celebrating the 60th year anniversary of PRC but deferred until the end of 2009. In contrast with the Founding of a...
Iran: Demonstration in Tehran
Here is a video showing protesters in Manzarieh and Nyavaran in Tehran chanting slogans against Islamic Regime on Saturday.
China: ‘How did Copenhagen end up our fault?’
Did China do badly at Copenhagen? Writes one Chinese blogger: "I think Chinese officials acted splendidly at the Copenhagen summit; this was the first time for me to see China be bold like Americans in standing up tough for its own interests."
Pakistan Was Meant To Be A Secular State
Haji Adeel of ANP party has stated that Pakistan was meant to be a secular state and it should now become a republic. This message has sent ripples in the Pakistan politics arena, informs Yasser Latif Hamdani at Pak Tea House.
China: Liu Xiaobo sentenced to 11 years
C.A. Yeung pointed out that the harsh sentence of Liu Xiaobo to 11 years on subversion charges implied a open rejection of public demands for democratic reforms by the Chinese Communist Party. The blogger also translated Chinese dissident Wang Dan's brief comment on Liu's sentence.
Malaysia: Press Freedom Advocate Sues Blogger
A veteran journalist-blogger is being sued for libel by a politician who is known for espousing press freedom in Malaysia. Check out the reactions of Malaysian bloggers.
Iran: Demonstration in Tehran
Here is a video film showing Iranian protesters demonstrated agianst Islamic regime in “Toopkhane” square in Tehran on 24th December.
Serbia: EU Membership Application
Eternal Remont draws attention to some dubious math in Serbia's president's EU membership application speech.
Belarus: Santa & Snow Maidens Protest in Minsk
Belarus Digest reports on a protest rally against “restrictions on the public activities of unregistered organizations” that was held in Minsk on Dec. 22 by “one Santa, 14 Snow Maidens, and 5 New Year’s Bunnies.” Andrei Khrapavitski posts a few pictures from a Belarusian village on the eve of the...
Israel: National Policy Needed for Foreign Workers
Amir Mizroch advocates for a national policy to protect foreign workers in Israel. “You could see the migrant worker story as an inevitable cultural and economic phenomenon with huge potential benefits to Israel. Fields get tilled and houses get built. We enjoy their culture and they enjoy ours. Call it...
Bahamas: Culture Change
Bahamian Nicolette Bethel delves into the history of Stilton cheese to make a point about culture: “I’m going to argue…that culture does not just happen. Culture changes — like what is happening I write to the indigenous Junkanoo beat (which is being swallowed up by a hip-hop rhythm that is...