Stories from 23 August 2011
Vietnam: “Police are investigating”
Saigonist observes that many English-written news reports in Vietnam often end up with this conclusion: “Police are investigating”. A Tumblr page was created to gather these stories.
Sri Lanka: Grease Devils Targetting Women In The North And The East
D.B.S Jeyaraj shares a report of the The Womens Action Network (WAN) on the attacks on women by assailants posing as the mythical character “Grease Devil”. The attacks have occurred mostly in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and the victims are generally Tamil speaking Tamil and Muslim...
Singapore: Rising number of families seeking financial help
Leong Sze Hian of The Online Citizen writes about the rising number of Singapore families seeking financial help from the government.
Singapore: GDP and economic realities
Despite its high GDP, many Singaporeans are experiencing economic difficulties. The Logic of Faith believes that there is a “fundamental disconnect between abstract categories and concrete realities.”
North Korea Kicked out South Korean Workers in Joint Resort Facilities
North Korea kicked out South Korean workers from joint mountain resort in North on August 23, 2011. Robert Neff from the Marmot's Hole blog commented on the existing worries on such outcomes and an analysis on what prompted North to take a drastic action.
Chile: Expats Unfazed as U.S. Embassy in Santiago Issues “Emergency Message”
The United States Embassy in Santiago has emailed an “emergency message for U.S. citizens” registered in Chile to keep out of the frequent and increasingly violent protests, but foreigners in Santiago don’t seem to be losing sleep over the roaring demonstrations.
Chile: Artists Protest at UNESCO Headquarters in Support of Students on Huger Strike
Artists protested peacefully outside the UNESCO headquarters in Santiago in support of students on hunger strike. El Mostrador reports [es] that 4 musicians entered the building to deliver a letter in favor of the students. Jose Miranda (@JPMirandaM) live streamed the protest via Twitcam. The ‘toma’ ended at 2:00pm local...
Honduras: A Call to Protect the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve
Oscar Alberto at MelWars condemns [es] the deforestation and illegal logging taking place in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a rainforest recently added to the UNESCO's World Heritage ‘danger list‘.
Spain: Pope's Visit Leaves a Violent Trace in Madrid
On August 17, Europe Laica (Secular Europe) brought together over 150 organizations to protest in Madrid against the public financing of Pope Benedict XVI's visit. Police repression and acts of violence took over the capital's streets. The Pope's visit also brought to bear the debate between state secularism and religion.
Haiti: Grim Housing Situation
Haiti Grassroots Watch investigates whether “the 634,000 people still living in Haiti’s 1,001 camps, and the undoubtedly tens of thousands of others living in unsafe and even condemned structures [will] soon move to safe housing” and discovers an upsetting answer.
Caribbean: Irene's Path
More updates about Hurricane Irene: Havana Times is relieved that its “projected path is taking it further away from Cuba”; Weblog Bahamas acknowledges that she is “a serious threat”; Pwoje Espwa is praying “that Haiti be spared more tragedy” and U.S.V.I. bloggers report on the aftermath of the storm.
Video: Women Transforming Communities
Voices of Women Worldwide brings together people from all over the world interested in promoting the voices of voiceless women, young girls and children using all the different media they have available: blog posts, audio, video and visual journalism.
Trinidad & Tobago: Honouring Pat Bishop
“Bishop would have wanted the government and corporate Trinidad and Tobago to act on their words, making real investments in sustainable, sensible projects that would educate our intellectual potential, promote our best cultural works and engage so many lost minds in their creative legacy”: Mark Lyndersay thinks that the most...
Cuba: Amnesty Reports on “Las Damas”
The Ladies in White are on Amnesty International's radar. Read more, here and here.
Jamaica: Obama Rejects Plea for Garvey Pardon
Geoffrey Philp is surprised by the Obama administration's rejection of the request for a presidential pardon for Marcus Garvey on the grounds that “it would be ‘a waste of time and resources’ since Garvey had been ‘dead for ages‘”, saying: “Marcus Garvey has joined the ancestors. So this plea for…exoneration...
Guyana: Supporting T&T's State of Emergency
Demerara Waves reports that Guyana has officially declared its “support of Trinidad and Tobago’s limited state of emergency that has been imposed to quell a spike in drug-related murders and other forms of violence.”
Iran: Online Petition for jailed Green Leaders
Green Movement has launched an online petition on 11th of August to demand freedom for two opposition (Green) leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi.
Iran: Young men sing in Isfahan
Here is a video film in YouTube showing young Iranians gathering under a bridge in Isfahan every afternoon to sing.
Cameroon: Strength in Diversity
Africavox published [fr] a dossier on the differences between the 250 ethnic groups in Cameroon. It states that “mixed marriages, cultural adaptation to their neighbors’ practices and a relative appeasement of the political climate have led to greater tolerance and understanding among Cameroonians. While ethnic diversity is now widely seen...
Azerbaijan: Tourism – from potential to realization
Having returned from an enjoyable vacation in Indonesia, Aaron in Azerbaijan compares the experience with what Azerbaijan has to offer and notes such problems as the quality of customer service as well as the infrastructure in place. While the blog notes that the country has much potential for tourism, it...
Lessons Gaddafi Should Have Learnt from North Korea
Joshua from One Free Korea, in comparing the North Korean situation with the fall of Gaddafi, explains about the importance of the nuclear deterrent in sustaining the North Korean regime and its dictator, Kim Jong-il.
