Stories from 30 October 2009
Maldives: Shariah Law In The Penal Code
Random Reflexions blog discusses the recent call for shariah law to be included in the penal code of Maldives by a political party and several MPs.
Paraguay: Addressing the Growing Security Concerns
The recent kidnapping of a cattle rancher has stirred up debate about who is ultimately responsible for the security concerns and whether the blame placed on President Fernando Lugo is justified or merely a political maneuver.
Bangladesh: Daylight Savings Time Confusion
Last June Bangladesh implemented Daylight Savings Time for the first time in the country. Expat blogger Meandering Memos writes about the confusion created among the citizens as the government has decided not to revert to the old timing.
India: Domestic Violence Against Men
A day in the life of India argues that “domestic violence is not a women specific issue, violence against men is taken very lightly and a few would out-rightly deny the existence of it.”
Nicaragua: Protests in Managua Show Divisions Within Student Movements
In Nicaragua, divisions within student groups have been evident during recent protests in Managua about the university budget and recent comments by the US Ambassador about a Supreme Court decision.
Haiti: National Anthem Singing Contest
Sammuel from Thanks for loving Haiti has launched [En/Fr/Fr Cr] a video contest for the best Haitian National Anthem singer. The best video will be chosen by the readers and the winner will probably be announced on January 1st 2010, National Independance day in Haiti.
Martinique: Free your mind, free your hair
Blogger Imaniyé from Martinique reports the creation of a Facebook group [Fr] by people who are eager to defend the rights of Martinicans to comb their hair as they want and above all to twist it into dreadlocks, without being discriminated against.
Trinidad & Tobago: Death Penalty
“The term ‘death penalty’ is a literary iceberg – two words that hide a huge amount of detail beneath the surface”: Know TnT.com examines the issue.
Antigua & Barbuda: Ending Gender Violence
“I want to beat power and gender inequalities to a pulp, starting with enforcement of good legislation designed to protect women”: Antigua's playing with ink invites us to join in “16 days of activism to end violence against women, starting November 24th.”
Trinidad & Tobago: National Pride?
Trinidad and Tobago bloggers react to news that a massive flag erected at the National Stadium may have cost TT $2 million.
Trinidad & Tobago: India Tour
Trinidad and Tobago's rapso ambassadors, 3 Canal, are preparing for an upcoming tour of India. Caribbean Free Radio posts a podcast with all the details.
Barbados: Key Professions
“In the Barbados context teachers, policemen and nurses represent core professions which are key to building and sustaining a productive society”: Barbados Underground is afraid these callings are in crisis.
Guyana: Restorative Justice
“Recent years have found the Caribbean embroiled in the challenges of drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, rape, robbery and crimes of all sorts”: Guyana's caribbeanlawbytes wonders whether the region is ready for restorative justice.
China: Bridging the gap? Interviewing bridge bloggers
The Chinese blogosphere, as we all know, is booming. As one of the largest on the planet, it is constantly evolving and simultaneously being set back by the all-too-famous governmental censorship. According to Li Datong, the country’s civil society is being reborn online through the intense cyber-dissent and the breaching...
Egypt: Damsels in Distress
Wandering Scarab does not believe that Egyptian women know what they really want; their actions demonstrate that they don't really want equality or freedom; they do not even know what freedom is; they want to be free within cages of their own creation. They love being Damsels in Distress.
South Korea: Foreign gangs
Robert Koehler from the Marmot's Hole picked up a news story about police's cracking down of foreign gangs and gave an introduction to the character of different foreign gangs.
China: The death of an overseas returnee
China Hush has a translation of a report from Southern Metropolis Daily on the suicide of Tu Xuxin, a civil engineering PhD who returned from the U.S.A to China to develop his career in a local university.
Russia: “Twitter Against Tyrants”
Oleg Kozlovsky links to and quotes from the text of a briefing held by US Helsinki Commission/Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which included “a few recent examples of how we utilized Web 2.0 to spread information about electoral fraud” in Russia.
Russia: Riot Police vs “Senior Citizens”
Oleg Kozlovsky reports on a scandal that broke out after riot police used – during a drill – “water cannons, shock grenades, and tear gas” to disperse “a group of senior citizens that protested social injustice and blocked a federal highway.”
The Balkans: Open Letter to Amnesty International
Samaha posts Ed Vulliamy's open letter to Amnesty International regarding the invitation to Professor Noam Chomsky to lecture in Northern Ireland – as well as background info on the campaign.
Russia: Nokia In and Out of LJ
Profy reports on the demise of Nokia's LiveJournal community: “But unfortunately for everyone (Nokia, the editorial team, and the overall corporate usage of social media) the community only existed for 25 days and was closed last week with the PR representative citing the fact that many bloggers used the community...
