Stories about Western Europe from January, 2011
Netherlands: Dutch-Iranian woman executed in Iran
Dutch-Iranian Zahra Bahrami has been executed in Iran after having been found guilty of drug-related crimes and sentenced to death on 2 January. Zahra Bahrami was arrested on 27 December 2009 when she reportedly attended an anti-government demonstration.
Morocco: The King's Very Private Visit to France
According to a Moroccan opposition journalist interviewed by French news website Rue89 [fr] King Mohamed VI of Morocco arrived Thursday in France for a private visit, and is staying in the castle the royal family owns near Paris. A holiday abroad at this time of general unrest in North Africa...
Czech Republic: The Czech Roma During the Holocaust
Czech Position writes in detail about “the wartime fate of the Roma” – whose “tremendous suffering and loss [are] often reduced to little more than a historical footnote.”
Puerto Rico: Violence Continues as Students Engage in Civil Disobedience
On January 20th, students from the University of Puerto Rico started staging acts of civil disobedience as part of their strike against the $800 dollar annual fee imposed by the administration. The Police has arrested almost 100 protesters and assaulted journalists who have been covering the incidents. Social media and blogs have been an important tool of dissemination and a space for analysis.
Video: Shoemakers of the World
Today's videos focus on the artisans around the world still making shoes by hand. From Mexico to Japan: we'll take a look at how different shoes, slippers and sandals are made.
Lusophone Culture: Buala “Giving Voice” to Contemporary African Cultures
They propose “to create new views, free from prejudice and colonial judgment,” of contemporary African cultures, and in an interview with Global Voices, Marta Lança and Francisca Bagulho talk about the creation of Buala: “an interdisciplinary web portal for reflection, critique and documenting Portuguese-speaking Africa.”
Macedonia: Recognition by Bolivia and Zimbabwe
Within the context of the Macedonia name dispute with Greece, I, Macedonian thanks * Bolivia and Zimbabwe for recognizing Macedonia under its constitutional name.
France: Our Embarrassing Ex Friend, Monsieur Ben Ali
It has finally dawned. After decade of state amitié (friendship) with the Ben Ali regime, and total indifference from French politicians and mainstream media, French bloggers and twitterers are now aware that France has been living in a prolonged state of denial - thanks to history in the making in one of France ex-colonies, Tunisia, and a week of historical diplomatic blunders and shameful silence in France.
France: A Show of Tunisian Pride in Paris
Today, January 15, marks the "day after" and the first day of a Ben Ali free Tunisia. Despite their concern for the continuous violence in Tunisia, their relatives and the future, the 600 000 Tunisians in France granted themselves one day to rejoice, celebrate and share an overwhelming collective emotion. Here are a few pictures from a Tunisian show of pride in Paris.
Arab World: Where is Ben Ali Headed to?
Now that ousted Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has fled the country, the question on everyone's mind is: Where is he headed to?
Greece: Leftist journalist “mistakenly” detained and beaten by anti-terrorist police
Radical left journalist Dimosthenis Papadatos-Anagnostopoulos was assaulted and detained during a counter-terrorism sweep in Athens. Blogger tsakthan writes [el]: “According to his testimony, he was beaten by the anti-terrorist squad near his home, shoved in a car, transferred to Police HQ, strip-searched and questioned for hours in a dark room...
France, Tunisia: Has the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lost Her Mind?
The French and North African blogosphere and twittosphere reacted violently to the statement by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Michelle Alliot-Marie who proposed at the French national assembly that France offers “technical support” and “the know-how of the French police” to the Tunisian police regarding the current uprising in...
Mozambique: Drugs and open secrets “wikileaked”
Documents made available by Wikileaks reignited scrutiny of a Mozambican businessman earlier accused by the US Treasury of large-scale narcotics smuggling. However the leaked documents also suggest complicity by high-level cabinet officials. Bloggers, activists and parliamentarians reacted strongly.
Nigeria: RIP Harold Smith
Jeremy remembers Harold Smith: “Harold was a courageous man who took on the corrupt dying embers of colonial rule in Nigeria and paid a heavy price for it.”
Greece: Uproar over plan to build border fence and expel migrants
Greek Citizen Protection minister Christos Papoutsis provoked fierce reactions on new year's eve, by announcing his government's new zero-tolerance immigration policy.
Lusophone collective conscience and cyberspace
“Lusophony, identity and diversity in the network” [pt] is the title of an article written by the Portuguese researcher Lourdes Macedo (republished in the blog Buala), with reflections on the contribution that “cyberspace may offer to consolidate the collective conscience of a Lusophone community. “
Tunisia: Activists Arrested at #SidiBouzid Protests on January 6
In Tunisia, a popular lawyers-led strike took place today, January 6. The list of the protesters arrested in the town of Thala as a result was published on facebook (ar) and three arrests were posted on twitter and confirmed later. Azyz Amamyma, Slim Amamou and rapper El General, who famously...
COP 16: Agreement on Form But Without the Funds
The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended in Cancun last December 11 with the adoption of a host of decisions. Bloggers in Bolivia, Mexico, and Togo give a lukewarm reception to the decisions, which don't seem to have a clearly defined roadmap for their financing.
Lusophone Traditions in Malacca
Baragül, a Brazilian blogger, investigates the lusophone influence in Malacca (Malaysia). In this post he argues about some gastronomy traditions shared between Brazil, Portugal and East Timor that are also present in the former Portuguese Colony.
Gabon-France: Wikileaks reveals The Financing of French Political Parties by Omar Bongo
On December 30, 2010 Antoine Ganne writes in an article on afrik.com citing Wikileaks : ” nearly 30 millions euros were diverted from the Bank of the Central African States (BEAC) by former Gabonese president Omar Bongo, some of which were sent to French political parties, specifically Jacques Chirac's but...
