Stories from Quick Reads from November, 2013
Tiananmen Student Activist Asks Hong Kong Government to Arrest Him
Tiananmen student activist, Wu’er Kaixi, was landed in Hong Kong International airport today (November 25), initially for flight transit. However, he refused to get onto the plane and asked the Hong Kong government to arrest him as he is a most-wanted fugitive since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. He explained in...
Hong Kong Slutwalk 2013
Evan Fowler from the Housenews explained the significance of slutwalk in Hong Kong. The recent comments of Security Chief Lai Tung Kwok, who suggested women should not “drink too much” in order to avoid being raped, and the pro-China Executive Councillor Cheng Yiu Tong who argued that Hong Kong candidates...
Right-Wing Extremist Enters Second Round of Elections for Governor in Slovakia
Extremist leader of the People’s Party – Our Slovakia (ĽSNS), Marian Kotleba, won enough votes on November 10, 2013, to push through to the second round of the race for governor in the Banská Bystrica region in central Slovakia. The result has come as a surprise to many in the...
Brain Drain Or Brain Save
Indrajit Samarajiva refutes the notion that Sri Lankan talents invariably end up migrating in a foreign nation resulting in brain drain. In fact talent is there among: Not only professionals but also many innovative village youth who would be National assets elsewhere, unseen and unrecognized in Sri Lanka. The issue...
Sri Lanka: Debate On Legalizing Sex as a Profession
“Sex work finds its place in the underbelly of most societies, more so in conservative cultures like that of Sri Lanka,” comments Shilpa Samaratunge at Groundviews. The question remains whether the sex workers can demand their rights confronting stigma.
Czech Crime Boss Claims South African Police “Tortured” Him
Radovan Krejcir, an alleged Czech crime boss living in South Africa, was arrested on Friday, November 22, 2013, in Johannesburg on charges of kidnapping and attempted murder, although there are rumors on social media that other charges, such as money laundering and conspiracy, will be added to the list. Krejcir,...
Roma in Norway Evicted from Camp by Police
During the week of November 18, 2013, Oslo police and state property owner Statsbygg dismantled a Roma camp, acting on court orders. The Roma settlement was located on public recreational grounds at Sognsvann, Norway. An Oslo appeals court ordered this eviction, agreeing with Statsbygg that the settlers had surpassed the...
100 Digital Projects That Truly Inspire
The Nominet Trust in the United Kingdom announce their 100 favorite projects using digital technology for social good (#NT100).
Interactive Map of #Euromaidan Protests in Support Ukraine's EU Integration
A Lviv-based Facebook user, Bogdan Tsap, has set up an interactive map of pro-EU Association Agreement protests in Ukraine. On his Facebook wall, Bogdan described [uk] his creation: Створив інтерактивну карту #Євромайдан з усіма містами які брали участь. Будь ласка поширте та давайте знати що упустив [I] set up an...
Scientists from Around the World Gather in Brazil
The World Science Forum (WSF) gathers hundreds of scientists from all around the world this week in Brazil, to discuss their role in the 21st century and to emphasize the importance of scientific advice in political and economical decisions. Brazil has hosted several events to discuss poverty eradication and sustainable...
One UK Suburb's Un-Neighborly Reaction to Slovakian Roma Immigrants
After a wave of discriminatory statements against Roma communities in France made by French Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls, Slovakian and Romanian Roma in England are now getting the same message from authorities and neighbors. According to an article in the Guardian, Sheffield locals in an area with a high...
Thousands March for the Liberation of Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera
Thousands of people are marching today in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in favor of the liberation of Oscar López Rivera, imprisoned in the United States 32 years ago on charges of “seditious conspiracy.” López Rivera, 70, is a fighter for the independence of Puerto Rico, a colony of the United...
Brazilian “Wikicity” Travels to the World Forum for Democracy
Known as “the capital of participatory democracy”, the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre will become subject for a lab in the World Forum for Democracy. Focus will be given to the case of PortoAlegre.cc, a project created at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos) which is based on...
Video: Hong Kong Country Parks’ Naturescapes
To advocacy for the preservation of country parks, Francis So made a time lapse video on the landscapes of various country parks in Hong Kong.
Jamaica: Language & Development
Jamaica needs to be declared the bilingual state it is asap. Annie Paul thinks that “half of Jamaica’s problems stem from its linguistic identity crisis, insisting its mother tongue is English when a huge proportion of the population can only speak Patois.”
Uzbekistan's “Twitter Warrior” Gulnara Karimova Is Back
After disappearing from Twitter yesterday, Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbekistan's “enduring dictator“, has returned to the micro-blogging service. In a flurry of angry tweets, Gulnara is blaming [ru] her mother for using intimidation and arbitrary arrests against her colleagues, allies, and business partners. Gulnara also suggests that her mother is...
RESULTS: Uganda's First Ever Social Media Awards
The first ever Uganda Social Media Awards (SMAs) took place on 15 November 2013 at The Hub, Oasis Mall in Kampala, Uganda. The objectives of the awards, which were organised by BluFlamingo, were: The Uganda SMA’s (Social Media awards) is Uganda’s first event that seeks to bring together individuals and...
More Transparency Needed in Uranium Negotiation in Niger
Anne-Sophie Simpere reports that the Uranium exploitation contract between Niger and Areva, a french energy company, are set to be re-negotiated as it comes to an end as of December 2013. She writes [fr]: Il est incompréhensible que le Niger, 4ème producteur d’uranium au monde, et fournisseur stratégique d’Areva et...
Jamaica: Abuse of Police Power
If the police involved…are allowed to go unpunished aren’t you sending a message to other cops with no respect for human rights, especially the rights of the poor, that they have a license to behave like this? Active Voice issues a plea to Jamaica's police commissioner after two teens were...
General Motors’ Headquarters Move Out of China
China Law Blog's guest writer Greg Anderson commented on the recent announcement on General Motors’ decision to move its international headquarters from Shanghai to Singapore. To answer the question, the writer asked why did GM move its headquarter to China back in 2004. In hindsight, it seems GM became overly...
The Caribbean Review of Books Reinvents Itself Online
Regional litbloggers will be glad to know that The Caribbean Review of Books is back in publication – online – with some help from Bocas Lit Fest.
