Stories from 7 September 2011
North Korea’s Character Set has Unique Characters Reserved for Kim Jong Il
Martyn Williams from North Korea Tech blog posted an interesting article on North Korea's official character set. According to the author, the set includes unique characters reserved for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and special symbols for their ruling Worker's Party.
North Korea's GPS Jamming Device
Edwin Kee from Ubergizmo site wrote about North Korea's GPS jamming device that can disrupt signals which occur across a wide area, even places 100 kilometers away.
Russia: Plane Crashes with Lokomotive Ice Hockey Team
Eastern & Central Europe7 September 2011On the afternoon of September 7, 2011 an airplane carrying nearly all the players of the Lokomotive professional ice hockey team crashed only 500 meters after take-off near Yaroslavl in Russia.
Mexico: What are Mexicans Saying About Their President's Annual State of the Union?
Mexicans have reacted to the message given by Felipe Calderon as part of his "Fifth State of the Union", delivered while the "war" against drug cartels and the election process of 2012 continue. The majority strongly criticized him, but the president also received some congratulations.
Peru Enacts Law Requiring Prior Consultation with Indigenous Peoples
The President of Peru, Ollanta Humala, enacted the long-awaited law requiring prior consultation with Indigenous Peoples [es], which is expected to contribute to investment and business development with the participation of the local population. Humala stated that this law does not imply immediate solutions, but that it will mark a...
U.S. Virgin Islands: Possible Storm
As the National Hurricane Center predicts that another tropical storm could pass over the Virgin Islands this weekend, News of St. John says: “It's that time of year.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Wikileaks & 2005 Election
The Wikileaks controversy involving journalist Peter Wickham and Prime Minister Gonsalves has Vincentian blogger Abeni commenting: “I suspect the fall out will be great.”
Cuba: Preparing for Elections
“In 2012 the electoral process must be executed”: Laritza Diversent explains how The Communist Party of Cuba, “the only political organization that is recognized as legal within the Cuban system”, is preparing for upcoming elections.
Jamaica: Love & Language
Does it seem impossible for there to be a connection between “a group of rather ‘unchristian’ Christian pastors [coming] out against an advertisement that was promoting love” in Jamaica, racism and riots in the UK and a baby learning to use language in the US? Under the Saltire Flag finds...
Mexico: Twitter Hashtags as Source of Citizen-Driven News due to ‘Narco Censorship’
Andrés Monroy-Hernandez at ReadWriteWeb explains that in Mexico “some newspapers have officially announced a policy of self-censorship when it comes to reporting drug war-related news”, and that, “Twitter in particular, with its unidirectional follower model and its hashtags, has become one of the main sources of citizen-driven news in Mexico.”
Chile: Mining Deaths Below Trend Through July 2011
Setty asks: “Did Chile learn anything from the trapped miners?”, and argues that Chile apparently did learn something: “This year, only 14 died through July, well below trend. In fact, even if the same number again die by the end of the year, that would still make 2011 the least...
Africa, Latin America: A Portfolio on Black Minorities in South America
Afrique In Visu interviews French photographer Philippe Guionie about his latest photo essay “Les Afros oubliés de la Cordillière” [fr] (The forgotten Africans of the Andes). Guionie traveled to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile to portray black minorities in South America.
Guinea: Nadine Bari's Fight to Reduce Poverty in Guinea
Nadine Bari is a French citizen who has created one of the oldest humanitarian organizations in Guinea, Guinée-Solidarité. With donations from Europe they have helped supply schools, hospitals, and helped homeless, orphaned and disabled children to receive an education.
China: Sex, Censorship and the Rise of ‘People's Porn’
Katrien Jacobs, author of new book 'People's Pornography: Sex and Surveillance on the Chinese Internet', discusses the emergence of an online erotic culture in China that openly describes individuals' personal sexual activities - in other words, amateur Internet pornography.
Egypt: Mubarak Trial Updates
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia, who blogs at Egyptian Chronicles, is liveblogging the trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak here. Today's hearing is the fourth and Mubarak is accused of ordering the killing of more than 850 protesters during the Egyptian revolution which started on January 25.
India: Bomb Blast Outside Delhi High Court Kills Nine
At least 9 people have been reported killed and over 45 injured in a blast outside the Delhi High Court earlier this morning. Indian netizens have reacted with shock and anger on Twitter. Aparna Ray reports.
China: Scenes from the tobacco harvest
Mike Frick from DANWEI visited the tobacco field in Yunnan and presented a very detailed picture of the tobacco industries in China.
China: Who Are the Real “Orientalists”?
High Peaks Pure Earth translates Tibetan writer Woser's debate with other Chinese scholars about the West’s “Shangri-La complex”. The writer points out that the very representation of Tibet by the Chinese scholars and the “Tibet liberation story” told by the Chinese Communist Party are the “real orientalists”.
Libya: Blogger Jad is Missing
Libyan blogger and programmer Abderrazak al Dokaly Assary (better known as Jad) has been missing since mid-August. According to the blog Made in Libya [Ar], Jad may have been executed or kidnapped by forces loyal to Gaddafi in the city of Zlitan before the fall of the city in the...
Morocco: SlutWalk Gets a Toehold
"Stand out for yourselves and demand respect. Shame has to switch sides!" This is the cri de guerre of Majdoline Lyazidi, the 20-year-old founder of SlutWalk Morocco, a Facebook page which aims at raising awareness against sexual harassment in the Moroccan society.
