Stories from 8 August 2011
Bangladesh: Fatwa Violence Still Exists
Cori Fleser at BRAC Blog reports that in spite of a 2001 judgment by the Supreme Court outlawing the practice of fatwa, the practice of such extrajudicial punishments still exists in Bangladesh and the authorities are not able to do much to prevent them.
Should Thailand Raise the Minimum Wage?
One of the campaign promises of newly elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Pheu Thai Party was to double Thailand’s minimum wage. The new pay scale will be implemented next year but the business sector is opposed to it. Here are some reactions from bloggers
Sri Lanka: A Queue of 3,500 Job-Seekers
Anushka Wijesinha at Groundviews posts photos and video of a 1.5km long queue of more than 3500 Sri Lankan job seekers, which indicate that unemployment is posing a serious threat in Sri Lanka's economy.
Haiti: Hurricanes Only Part of the Problem
Throwing Down the Water says that although Hurricane Emily “mostly missed Haiti…the usual rains of this season will not because they are part of the usual cycle of nature. And as it was with the earthquake, it will not be their nature killing people but the lack of appropriate accommodations,...
Cuba: Attacks on Activists
Diaspora bloggers report on attacks against human rights activists in Cuba that allegedly happened this past weekend.
Global: Tracking Teacher Strikes and Protests
In one week, Teachersolidarity.com has written of teacher strikes and struggles in Puerto Rico, Chile, Kashmir, Orissa, Greece, Bahrain and Washington D.C. The blog is an online companion to the book, The Global Assault on Teaching, Teachers and their Unions: Stories for Resistance.
Trinidad & Tobago: Love, Freedom & Humanity
“The real tragedy is people who have no one to love them. I can hardly imagine how long it’s been since anyone has reassured them, you are real. You are important. You are loved. If you don’t have this then food and money and life mean nothing. That is why it...
St. Lucia: Earthquake Hits, No Injuries Reported
Repeating Islands has the details about an earthquake in St. Lucia yesterday, which measured 5.3 on the Richter Scale.
Barbados: Rihanna Helps Barbados’ Profile
Diaspora bloger Jdid defends Rihanna's costume and dancing style at the country's recent Kadooment, while Cheese-on-bread reviews her homecoming concert; Barbados Underground adds: “The world maybe about to totter into another recession which is not good news for the tourism dependent Barbados. Rihanna’s homecoming is anticipated to provide a needed...
Barbados: Social Media to Help Fight Crime?
Two police officers are shot and the Commissioner advises that the police force “‘will soon’ be on Twitter and Facebook”, but Barbados Free Press remains sceptical: “Two cops shot. Double murder. Many violent robberies. = Reassure, Twitter. Facebook. What’s wrong with this equation?”
Côte d'Ivoire: Abidjan in Mourning After Tragic Bus Accident
Friday, August 5, was a tragic day for the West African country of Côte d'Ivoire. A bus transporting passengers in the capital city Abidjan, plunged off a bridge into the Ebrié lagoon, killing 40 and injuring 9. The Ivorian government has decreed three days of national mourning as a mark of respect for the victims.
Mexico's ‘Train of Death’
Thousands of Central American migrants risk their lives to hop on top of moving freight trains going from southern Mexico to northern destinations along the US border. A new documentary tells the story of the 'train of death' known as 'The beast'.
China: Taxi Drivers and Railway Workers on Strike
A new wave of strikes are taking place in China. This time it is not among rural migrant workers working in sweatshops, but among drivers and employees in the urban public transportation sector.
Colombia: The Abortion Debate
Amidst the ongoing debate prompted by a Conservative bill aiming to outlaw abortion in all cases, Javier Moreno debunks [es] one of the arguments (a poorly referenced academic text) by columnist and former Congressman Nicolás Uribe Rueda [es] and voices his opinion about such debate. Meanwhile, Aleyda writes [es] about...
Chile: Families March for Education Reform
On Sunday, August 7, families marched to support students demanding equal, free and higher quality education in Chile. #marchafamiliar became a local Trending Topic on Sunday, and some users are still using it today to tweet videos, photos, and reactions. Sentidos Comunes published a photo gallery, and ‘Colectivo Fauna’ produced...
Guatemala: Campaign Violence
Mike blogs about campaign violence in Guatemala in his blog Central American Politics: “It's worrisome, but there is some evidence that things are getting better. And the violence associated with the campaigns is just one of the many problems surrounding Guatemalan politics unfortunately.”
Zimbabwe: Will a Big Brother Winner Unite a Divided Country?
The Big Brother Africa reality marathon is now over. However, there are mixed views about which of the two Zimbabwean contestants deserved to win. The Zimbabwean chap who took home a cool US$200,000 "happens" to be white, which "inevitably" also became a talking point.
Trinidad & Tobago: Newspaper Prints “Private” Facebook Comments
In a follow-up story in June about threatening emails to journalists allegedly sent from the home of the Prime Minister's advisor, The Trinidad Express quoted from a private Facebook discussion without permission. Since then, there have been two additional stories where Facebook comments were "lifted" without consent.
Cameroon: Alcohol consumption, a cultural phenomenon
On Africavox, Jean-Baptiste Ketchateng interviewed [fr] Paul Abouna, an anthropologist at the University of Yaoundé, about binge drinking in Cameroon. He reminds us that “alcohol consumption [in Cameroon] is a cultural phenomenon. It existed before colonization. Alcohol was made with barks and roots.”
Number of North Korean Defectors Surges In Thailand
ROK drop blog posted a story on a surge of North Korean refugees in northern Thailand. As authorities have failed to give a clear explanation on causes of the sudden increase, net users have raised various speculations on the site.
China: Human rights defender facing food shortage
Frontline Defender reports on the latest situation of human rights defender, Chen Guangcheng, who has been under house arrest since he was released from prison in September 2010. He and his family is now facing severe food shortage.
