Stories from 15 November 2011
Syria: Reports of Slow Internet
On Twitter, Syrian blogger Anas reports [ar]: “The Internet has been unbeliveably slow for a few days in Syria. I think it is something done on purpose and not just a technical issue.”
Brazil: Student Assaulted While Protesting in Brasília
Rosangela Basso, from the blog Maria da Penha Neles, posted a series of pictures and a video of a sociology student from the University of Brasília (UnB) being assaulted by security guards at the Federal Senate while protesting against the new Forestry Code.
Arab World: Is the NYPD “Pulling a Mubarak?”
Arab netizens are watching with awe news of New York police forcefully evicting Occupy Wall Street protesters at Zuccotti Park in New York. Some say they are "pulling a Mubarak" in reference to the brutal manner in which Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak dealt with protesters who ousted him in the Egyptian revolution.
Sahel Region: Slavery still very much a Reality for Some
In an interview carried out by François Mauger with Mme Sophia Lakhdar [fr], Director of the Comité Contre l’Esclavage Moderne (Comittee Against Modern Slavery) published on the mondomix.com blog, she states: “Today human trafficking has taken over as the notion of modern slavery, which is a bit contrived. However it helps...
Bangladesh: A Bold Protest Against Dowry
Farzana Yasmin, a young Bangladeshi bride sent ripples across the country when she divorced her husband right after the wedding, after his family, with his consent, asked for a dowry from her family.
Italy: End of the Road for Berlusconi
Amidst scandals and controversies, the Italian Prime Minister resigned on Saturday, after losing his parliamentary majority during a crucial budget vote. As the technocrat Mario Monti is appointed as head of the new government, many Italians celebrate (on the streets and online) this historic event.
Macedonia: Veles Says “No” to Lead Poisoning, Government Remains Ambiguous
After the massive protest against restarting of the lead smelting factory in the city of Veles, the citizens feel cheated by the declarative support shown by the politicians from the ruling parties, and demand clear answers from PM Nikola Gruevski on whether the poisoning will continue. Filip Stojanovski reports.
Mexico: Netizens React to “Good Weekend” Initiative
Mexico's President Calderón has announced the "Good Weekend" initiative to boost the economy, by applying discounts in stores whilst advancing the year-end bonus for government employees. The concept has generated diverse reactions among Mexican netizens.
Slovenia: Election Campaign Updates
Updates on the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections campaign in Slovenia – at Sleeping With Pengovsky, here and here.
Russia: The Communist Party Today
On Nov. 7, Mark Adomanis at Forbes and Vladimir Gelman at OpenDemocracy.com wrote about the Russian Communist Party.
Russia: Interview With LJ User Politrash-ru
A Good Treaty interviews [ru, en] “the author behind one of LiveJournal’s most popular anonymous blogs” – Politrash_ru.
