Stories from 24 November 2011
Portugal: A Peek into a Day of General Strike
Throughout the day of general strike in Portugal, November 24, Twitter user @Shyznogud has curated online media content for the page “a peek into the strike” on Scoop.it. Journalist Paulo Querido (@PauloQuerido) noted that “there are more tweets against the #grevegeral (general strike, hashtag in use) than in favour. Makes...
Iran: Rojin Mohammadi, a female blogger arrested
Rojin Mohammadi,a feamle blogger and a medical student at Manila Medical School of Philippines got arrested [fa] upon her return to Iran and was transferred to Evin prison.
Caribbean: Giving Thanks
Regional bloggers are wishing all Americans a happy Thanksgiving Day.
Cuba: Photos of Violent Arrests
Uncommon Sense weighs in on photos showing the violent arrest of “two Cuban female activists, Yris Pérez Aguilera and Donaida Pérez Paseiro, as they tried to leave Yris’ home in Placetas so she could see a specialist for treatment of head injuries she suffered during a beating by a police...
Trinidad & Tobago: Plot Against the Prime Minister
ttgapers.com reports on an alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other members of her Cabinet. Limited Twitter commentary about it is here.
Barbados: CL Financial Back in 2007
Barbados Free Press republishes an article and photos from the Monaco Revue that highlight the presence of Lawrence Duprey and other CL Financial executives at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix: “What was once an article about the elites having a good time in Monaco is now certain to be of...
St. Lucia, Guyana: The Right to Vote
Amala's View has been “watch[ing] from afar, the campaigning that went on for months [and] now comes to a heated close in two Caribbean nations”, saying: “As the voting day draws nigh, know with certainty that you are involved, know that your vote makes a difference and know beyond anything...
Zambia: Should “Tujilijili” be Banned?
Zambian Economist asks his readers, “Should Tujilijili be banned?”: “Tujilijili is a strong alcohol sold in a sachet for about K1, 000 [Zambian Kwacha] per sachet. The alcoholic content is over 40 per cent, equivalent to whiskey and other known spirit brands like vodka and brandy.”
Nigeria: Investigating Perceptions of Blackness, Gender and Place
Sokari blogs about the Nigerian artist Toyin Odutola: “The Nigerian-born, American-raised artist employs a painstakingly thorough creative process that uses rudimentary tools – ballpoint pens, ink and paper – to investigate perceptions of ‘blackness’, gender and place.”
Chile: Report Examines Media Coverage of Indigenous Peoples and their Struggle
The Instituto de la Communicación e Imagen (ICEI) has released a report analyzing how Chilean media covers indigenous peoples and the “indigenous conflict.” Ryan Seelau in Indigenous News explains “the data revealed, among other things, that Indigenous issues tend to be underreported and that Indigenous voices are underrepresented in the...
Costa Rica: Environmental Activists Denounce Repression
Diego Molina in Dame un campo [es] summarizes the experiences shared by environmental activists and lawyers during a conference on “Criminalization of the social-environmental protest” held in the University of Costa Rica. Participants denounced the repression they face as a consequence of their activism.
Egypt: Popular Justice Tackles Police Brutality
Social media users in Egypt have revealed the identity of a police officer accused of shooting to target protester's eyes. Tarek Amr reports of the emergence of several popular justice initiatives in the country.
Tunisia: Elected Constituent Assembly Holds Inaugural Session
November 22 marked another turning point for Tunisia. The constituent assembly, responsible for taking charge of the draft of the new constitution, held its first session. Afef Abrougui reports.
Qatar: Opinions Divided Over Sale of Pork
News has been spreading in Qatar that pork products are now available for purchase in the country, albeit only from the single Qatar Distribution Company store, and only to those with alcohol permits. Omar Chatriwala reports.
Thailand: Survival and Creativity During Floods
The situation in Thailand is improving as floodwaters are receding but the death toll is now more than 600. The flood disaster is the worst in the past five decades but it also showed the creative and inventive ways of the people as they coped with the floods.
China: Inflation Comic
A comic picture by Sick Chili using the concept of Tank man to mock the inflation in China.
Cambodia: Reading Campaign
Students of Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia have launched a campaign to promote reading in Cambodian schools. The country's literacy rate is one of the lowest in the region
Spain: Controversies in the General Elections
The PP (Popular Party) of Spain won the recent general elections with an ample majority. Chris Moya tell us about some of the controversies at the voting centers.
Patrolling Cambodia's Forest
Some 300 activists visited the Prey Lang Forest to to prevent further illegal logging of the area. A slideshow of the journey which took several days on foot is now available online
Map of Cambodian Flooding
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has uploaded a map showing the extent of flooding in Cambodia this year. 18 of the country's 24 provinces are affected by the worst flooding in a decade.
Thailand: Twenty-Year Imprisonment for Insulting Queen
A 61-year-old man in Thailand was given a sentence of 20 years imprisonment after a criminal court has found him guilty of violating the country's Lese Majeste and Computer Crimes law. The man was accused of sending SMS which insulted the Queen
