Stories from 14 November 2011
Australia: Historic New Carbon Price Law Divides Nation
The Australian Federal Parliament finally passed the contentious Clean Energy Bill on 8 November 2011. The legislation introduces a carbon price of $A 23 per tonne from July 2012, leading to an emissions trading scheme (cap and trade) after 3 years. Online reactions are mixed
Russia: Badminton and the Army
Siberian Light writes about the usefulness of badminton for the Russian “shooters and snipers,” which President Dmitry Medvedev seems to have recently helped to discover.
Pakistan: The Perils Of Being A Vegetarian
The life and times of two Indians in Pakistan explains the perils of being a vegetarian in Pakistan.
India: Jim Corbett Museum
As a part of the Club Mahindra Bloggers Trip, Anu Shankaran went to the Corbett National Park and the Jim Corbett Museum and posts a photo essay. Jim Corbett was a British-Indian hunter of man-eating tigers and leopards, conservationist, naturalist, photographer and author.
Iran: Uncertainty After Deadly Blast at Arms Depot
A huge explosion at a military base near Iran's capital Tehran, killed at least 17 soldiers including one high-ranking Revolutionary Guard official on November 12. Officials say it was an accident, while bloggers speculate on other possibilities.
Venezuela: Opposition Candidates Debate on November 14
Juan Cristóbal Nagel in Caracas Chronicles says it is “hard to overstate the significance of tomorrow's [November 14] planned televised debate between the opposition’s five candidates for President.” He also posts videos of the debaters’ recent campaign ads.
El Salvador: Lower Lempa Citizens Protest Dam Management During Tropical Storm
“Three weeks after floods devastated the [Lower Lempa] region, communities have organized the first demonstration against the CEL (the corporation that manages the hydroelectric dam upstream from the communities). While the demonstration is going on, the CEL and Salvadoran Military have set up a health brigade in the community of...
Mexico: Twitter User Questioned Over Controversial Tweet
A Mexican Twitter user know by his nickmane @mareoflores was summoned to clarify, apparently without an arrest warrant, a tweet published before the Interior Secretary's helicopter accident that had "foreseen" his death. Miguel Angel Guevara reports on the first Twitter reactions.
Brazil: Suspicious Fires in Slums of São Paulo
Brazilian teacher and urban planner Raquel Rolnik writes [pt] about a wave of suspicious fires in slums of the city of São Paulo. Allegedly, a few days after the last fire, a construction company had already turned the aftermath into a building site for new developments.
Liberia: Who Did Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Win Against?
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won re-election on Thursday in a presidential run-off boycotted by the opposition in Liberia. The main opposition figure, Winston Tubman, is seeking legal options to have President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's re-election annulled.
Brazil: Journalist Shot Dead During Police Action
Journalist Cristina Rodrigues asks [pt] “who's to blame?” after the tragic death of a Brazilian journalist from the TV Bandeirantes, who was shot by drug dealers during a police action in a slum in Rio de Janeiro on November 7. Journalist Antônio Mello blames [pt] the bullying of the TV...
Brazil: Federal Senate Approves New Forestry Code
Blogger Conceição Oliveira, on her blog Maria Frô, informs [pt] that the new Brazilian Forestry Code was approved by the Federal Senate on November 8, and is now up for President Dilma to either approve it or veto it.
Tajikistan: Bloggers compare the two U.S. State Secretaries’ visits
Tajik civil society and journalists debate the two Secretaries of State’s visits to Tajikistan in 2005 and 2011, neweurasia’s Alpharabius reports.
Uzbekistan: Independent newspaper is shutting down
Tomyris reports that the decade-plus-old independent newspaper “Zerkalo XXI” has been barred from publication in Uzbekistan.
Tajikistan: The Russian pilot scandal is getting spinned
As two Russian pilots have been sentenced in Tajikistan, prompting a huge backlash from Russia’s political class, Alpharabius reviews the situation with little research about the pilots’ mysterious employers.
Afghanistan: US civilian aid begins to fall
Nick Fielding reports that US civilian aid to Afghanistan will begin to decline as troop levels are reduced over the next three years, and it has already fallen from $4.1 billion in 2010 to $2.5 billion this year.
Uzbekistan: How to Be Outraged Effectively
Joshua Foust shares his view on the popular debate over whether the U.S. government should work with the abusive government in Uzbekistan or not.
Colombia: President Asks Congress to Remove Education Reform Law 30
A tweet by the Presidency of the Republic [es] (@infopresidencia) reported that President Santos already sent a request to Congress asking for the removal of the project to reform higher education Law 30 [es]. Consequently, the MANE [es] (the National Student Board) said they would [es] lift the national university...
Azerbaijan: Aaron's Last Post
Having completed his Peace Corps Volunteer service in Lankaran, Aaron in Azerbaijan reflects on his stay in the country and says a fond farewell to his readers.
Cuba: Reports from Diaspora Bloggers
Pedazos de La Isla reports that “Antunez” has been released, babalu has what he laments is a “regular” report on “on Ladies in White being arrested by the Castro dictatorship for attempting to attend Sunday church services” and Uncommon Sense suggests that an independent journalist may have been arrested “because...
Cuba: Papal Visit Challenges
Crossing the Barbed Wire suggests that the proposed Papal visit to Cuba next year “presents challenges for three essential actors of the current Cuba”; El Cafe Cubano, meanwhile, says: “I don't believe the Pope's visit will do anything to ‘CHANGE’ things in Cuba.”
