Stories from 8 November 2011
Spain: Canary Islands Volcanic Activity at El Hierro
Although the community has been evacuated from the La Restinga in El Hierro Island of the Canary Islands due to increased earthquakes due to volcanic activity, scientists and journalists are staying posted to record the underwater volcano eruptions as can be seen on this video by local Guilletheplayer.
11-11-11: Grab Your Cameras and Capture Life
Only a couple of days until 11/11/11, a date that will have people all over the world recording their lives through film and music. Participate in the 11Eleven project and One Day on Earth to leave your mark on the world.
India: Why The Infant Mortality Is High In West Bengal?
Anirban at Its A Miracle writes about the increasing rate of infant mortality in West Bengal and points to the inadequate healthcare system in the state.
Thailand Flooding Disaster
The death toll in Thailand’s worst flooding disaster in 50 years has reached more than 500. Government authorities said 25 provinces are still suffering from the flooding. More than one million families have been affected and the flooding has damaged 4.4 million acres of agricultural land in the country.
Sri Lanka: Registration For News Websites
Indi.ca reports that the Sri Lankan government has recently banned some websites and also asked any news websites to register.
Côte d'Ivoire: When Will the Universities Reopen?
During the post-electoral crisis in Ivory Coast, at the beginning of 2011, the country's three universities were closed and those living in the university halls of residence made to leave. Today many are now questioning the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of the universities.
Equatorial Guinea: Teodoro Obiang Nguema and Son Face French Justice System
The French justice system has dismissed a complaint by the Equatorial Guinean president against a report accusing him of having stolen from his people. Abdoulaye Bah investigates.
Malaysia: Sexuality Rights Festival Banned
The Malaysian police has banned the annual Seksualiti Merdeka (sexuality independence) Festival which angered many people, including bloggers who support gender and LGBT rights.
Iran: Bloggers React to Rumors of Military Strikes
The rumor of an impending Israeli or American millitary attack on Iranian nuclear facilities has become a top news story for both mainstream media and Iranian netizens.
China: Japan's Imaginary Enemy
Recent Japanese media reports portraying China as the enemy in a Japan-US naval exercise reportedly scheduled for this week have brought even more tension to territorial claims between the two Asian nations. John Kennedy reports.
Liberia Elections 2011: Polling Stations Nearly Empty
Liberians queued up at various polling stations to exercise their constitutional right to vote in today's presidential run-off. Counselor Track reports on election-related clashes and the call to boycott
Honduras: The Relationship Between Poverty & Crime
A guest blogger in La Gringa's Blogicito writes about poverty and crime in Honduras: “This rampant poverty, lack of education and lack opportunities drives some young people to become delinquents and gang members. They grow up to become thieves and killers. They grow up to believe the only way to...
El Salvador: Impunity for Civil War Crimes Continues
“A leading voice for human rights in El Salvador, the Human Rights Institute at the University of Central America (IDHUCA), is publicly denouncing the failure of the government of El Salvador to provide justice in many of the highest profile cases from El Salvador's civil war.” Tim's El Salvador Blog...
Haiti: Where's the Running Water?
A multi-million dollar project to supply water to several marginal neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince was approved in 2006; 5 years later, there is still no running water. Haiti Grassroots Watch looked into it and this is what they found.
Cuba: Catholic Solidarity with Dissidents
Pedazos de La Isla is heartened by this weekend's “display of solidarity [by] loyal churchgoers [who] showed solidarity with the Ladies in White, joining the religious figures in their successful attempt to deter a savage beat down of the non-violent women who simply demand freedom.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Court Says “No” to Extradition
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog and Globewriter report on an “important ruling” that was handed down yesterday, resulting in “Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson [winning] their judicial review hearing against the decision of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to sign extradition warrants against them” for their alleged roles in the corruption...
Cuba: Too Costly to Eat
“You’d think that agricultural production would have increased under the reform momentum of our General-President”: Without Evasion blogs about the supposed growth of the Cuban economy, which she calls “the ultimate Cuban surrealism.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Controversial Show Suspended
Plain Talk “congratulate[s]…the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad & Tobago for their intervention in the issue surrounding the continuous breaches of the law, the Broadcast Code and common decency that has become the hallmark of the Crime Watch show and its subsequent suspension from broadcast”, while Facebook comments left by the...
Jamaica: On the Kartel Murder Charges
Jamaica Salt is not surprised by the murder charges that have been slapped on dancehall sensation Vybz Kartel, saying: “In a small place like JA, making more enemies than friends is a dangerous position to find yourself. The real question which of course must be asked is, ‘is he guilty?’...
Liberia: To Vote or Not to Vote?
As the clock was ticking toward Liberia's scheduled November 8 presidential run-off, a cloud of doubt and uncertainty seemed to be engulfing the process. To vote or not to vote, that is the question that Liberian voters had to deal with before today's vote.
Russia: Drug Control Service Goes After a Blogger Who Commented on Steve Jobs Taking Drugs
Russian Drug Control Service had approached Habrahabr.ru, a popular IT-portal, and demanded [ru] personal data of the Belarus-based staff-writer Alizar [ru]. He is accused of drug propaganda in his post [ru] which speculates on Steve Jobs’ innovativity, marijuana and LSD, and the governments’ policies towards light drugs, citing Time magazine, the New...
