16 November 2010

Stories from 16 November 2010

Japan: In memory of a courageous prosecutor

  16 November 2010

Journalist and yakuza expert Jake Adelstein pays his last respects [en] to Toshiro Igari [ja], a prosecutor who was found dead in Manila (Philippines) in August. Igari-san was the author of many books [ja] on the organized crime and in the last months he was investigating the collusion of the...

Russia: Pro-Kremlin Youth Movement's Programm Resembles Nazi

RuNet Echo  16 November 2010

Bloggers compare the programme of pro-Kremlin youth movement “Stal” (Steel) with Goebbels‘ “Ten National-Socialist Commandments.” The programme of the local branch of the movement includes such slogans as “Russia's enemies are your enemies” and “Have faith in the future” and looks like a carbon copy of the Nazi document. More...

Russia: Vkontakte Social Network Recognized by RIAA as a Pirate Website

RuNet Echo  16 November 2010

Torrentfreak writes about the recent inclusion of Vkontakte, Russia's most popular social network, to RIAA's “Notorious Markets Review.” Site's “functionality is specifically designed to enable members to upload music and video files,” the review says. Recently, Vkontakte won a court case [RUS] against VGTRK, Russian TV-company. The court ruled out the...

Russia: Pictures of Eid al-Adha Holiday in Moscow

RuNet Echo  16 November 2010

Bloggers Drugoi [RUS] and Ottenki_serogo [RUS] share photos from the Qurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha) religious holiday. After Moscow accepted tens of thousands of guest workers from Central Asia, Muslim holidays are gathering more and more people. Aleshru contributes an interesting example [RUS] of “mixture of religions.”

Uganda: Being Gay and HIV Positive

  16 November 2010

Being gay and HIV positive in Uganda: “Double closeted, that is what my gay friends who are positive have to be. They cannot tell members of our community that they are HIV positive. And, they cannot disclose outside the community that they are gay.”

Somalia: The Ethiopian Factor

  16 November 2010

Mogadishu Man's analysis of the Ethiopian factor in Somalis politics: “The Ethiopian regime presents itself as though it had been tirelessly working to restore peace and stability to the troubled Horn. Since the fall of the Siyad Barre regime in the early 90s, Ethiopian involvement in Somali politics had become...

Jamaica: Call to End Discrimination

  16 November 2010

Globewriter takes interest in a Jamaican mainstream media article, which calls for an end to discrimination against blacks and gays: “Even having the column published is astounding. I am not sure if it…is a sign that Jamaican society is becoming less bigoted or…simply…that the writer and the paper are fearlessly...

Cuba: Before & After

  16 November 2010

Translating Cuba blogs about the two most over-used words in the country, adding: “There is a third reality that belies the stubborn reality: both Before and After contain everything.”

Cuba: Prisoners Still in Jail

  16 November 2010

Sin Evasion says of the missed deadline to release the remaining prisoners of conscience: “Once again, the government has proven that it doesn’t know how to honor its commitments.”

China: Shanghai fire claims 53, local coverage criticised

  16 November 2010

53 lives were claimed and 43 others remain missing as a result of the tragic fire that ripped through a high-rise apartment block in Shanghai yesterday afternoon. The 28-storey building was undergoing renovations when welding sparks caused the scaffolding to catch fire, eventually spreading to the building itself. City blog Shanghaiist...

Australia: Same-Sex Marriage a Step Closer?

  16 November 2010

Australia’s parliament is currently debating a private members bill about gay marriage. This one is not to change the law, merely to consult with the public about the issue. Many in the Oz blogosphere have strong views.

Brazil: Eradicating the Indigenous Guarani Kaiowa

  16 November 2010

Guarani still represent one of the most numerous indigenous people in Brazil, though they are profoundly affected by the loss of almost all their land in the last century. In the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Guarani Kaiowa, one of three groups descended from the original, are the target of constant attacks and victims of an alarming rash of suicides.