Stories from 20 July 2011
Cuba: Killed for Stealing Fruit
“On the afternoon of July 15, 2011, the town of Mantilla…was shocked by the death of Angel Izquierdo Medina, a 14-year-old black teenager, who died from a gunshot to the...
Barbados: Escargot, Anyone?
Barbados Free Press suggests that when it comes to the invasive Giant African Snail, if you can't beat ‘em, eat ‘em.
North Korean Defectors Living in South Korea
Robert Neff of Marmot's Hole blog wrote about the International Crisis Group's report about North Korean defectors living in South Korea (PDF). The report covers practical problems defectors face in...
Hong Kong and China: Free Ai Weiwei
A remix music video for the Free Ai Weiwei campaign.
Tajikistan: The BBC reporter released
The Tajikistan authorities have released BBC journalist Urunboy Usmonov from custody. “The international community’s appeal have been heard”, writes Tomyris.
China: Elections with Chinese Characteristics
Andy Yee translates New-York based democracy advocate Hu Ping's article on the realities of elections with Chinese characteristics at China Geeks.
Kyrgyzstan: Library receives grant for catalogues and digitization
Emerson reports that a Western donor organization awarded the Kyrgyzstan's largest library a generous grant to re-catalogue and digitize its rare book holdings.
China: Investigative reporter team dismantled
Zhan Jiang from China Media Project comments on the dismantling of an investigative reporter team at China Economic Times led by prominent journalist Wang Keqin from the. Zhan believes that...
Afghanistan: Taliban killing civilians with IEDs
Nick Fielding reports that civilian deaths in Afghanistan increased by 15 per cent in 2011, pointing out that the dramatic growth was mainly due to the use of landmine-like improvised...
Google+ for China
Dan from China Law Blog comments on various social networking tools in China. The blogger is convinced about all “China people” will eventually migrate over there and make it THE...
Afghanistan: Book offers diplomatic insights
Nick Fielding briefly reviews a book by Britain's former ambassador in Afghanistan, Sherard Cowper-Coles, and says that it is stuffed with fascinating material.
Chile: Students Take Over Schools Demanding Education Reform
Students have taken over hundreds of schools throughout Chile, turning their classrooms into temporary homes while they demand free and higher quality education. They are sharing their movement online through video and blogs, giving us a glimpse of what it is like to be on the inside of a student-controlled school.
Twitter and Latin American Presidents: Does It Make Them Closer to Us?
Twitter use among the presidents of Latin America is gaining momentum. Whether used as a form of press release, to communicate with citizens or to cheer for a soccer team, Twitter has established itself as a new tool for heads of state to interact in both their public and private lives.
Peru: Amazonian Indigenous Life Threatened By Petroleum
An hour long documentary shows the traditional lives of indigenous people in the Amazon, and how their subsistence lifestyle is threatened by petroleum exploitation and monoculture of renewable energy sources like palm oil.
Armenia: Impressions of Georgia
Ianyan posts photographs and its impressions of a recent visit to Georgia, Armenia's northern neighbor. Global Chaos, another Armenian blog, also does the same.
