Stories from 21 December 2011
Bhutan: First All-girls High School
Penstar introduces us to Bhutan's first all-girls high school.
Pakistan: Politics 2.0
Over the last couple of days, people in Karachi were overwhelmed to receive a 30-second phone call from the famous politician Imran Khan inviting them to a political event. Teeth Maestro weighs on this innovative move.
Nepal: Social Media Diplomacy
The US Ambassador to Nepal, Scott H DeLisi, is very active in Facebook and he comments: “Social media have changed the way the Embassy does business.” Read Ujjwal Acharya's post for more.
Pakistan: Extra Judicial Killings in Balochistan
Mureed Bijenzo writes about extra judicial killings in Balochistan.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Garlic Wars
With tensions high between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of a still unresolved territorial dispute, the appearance of Azerbaijani garlic in Armenian supermarkets has made some local media hysterical.
Brazil: Protest and Sit-in Against Belo Monte in Sao Paulo
Journalist Leonardo Sakamoto posts [pt] a picture and video of a protest in São Paulo, Brazil, against the construction of the Belo Monte Dam [pt], on December 17, 2011.
Egypt: Free Maikel Nabil Sanad – A Prisoner of Conscience
When Egyptians took to the streets at the start of their revolution last January, their chant “The People and the Army are One Hand!” was heard around the world. Today, after the army turned its guns on citizens, netizens are remembering the words of one blogger who had warned that the army and the people were never one hand. This is the story of Maikel Nabil Sanad.
Brazil: Blogger Murdered in the State of Rio Grande do Norte
Tiago Aguiar denounces the assassination of the blogger Edinaldo Filgueira, from the small town of Serra do Mel, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Edinaldo, who believed in “information as a form liberation of humanity”, was allegedly murdered due to a survey on public education he posted...
Jamaica: debating Caribbean art publishing
The ARC magazine blog reports on a recent panel on art publishing in the Caribbean, hosted by the National Gallery of Jamaica, with video clips of the discussion.
Cuba: thinking about the film festival
Havana Times asks whether the Havana Film Festival has strayed from its original ideals — “Much has happened since its inception in 1978, since which time its revolutionary and emancipatory ideals have faded considerably” — and wonders if the festival could once more “encourage revolutionary and popular cinema (in the...
Syria: A Christmas Massacre
More than 250 Syrians have been killed over the past two days, sending shock waves around the world. Reports of “horrific massacres” come from the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), which has urged the Arab League to condemn the killings and the United Nations to take measures to protect civilians. Netizens react to the crimes being committed against Syrian civilians under the Twitter hash tag #ChristmasMassacre
Kuwait: Stateless Protesters Attacked for Demanding Rights
Arrests, beatings and harassment face protesters championing for the rights of 100,000 stateless in Kuwait, struggling to have the rights to documents, education, health care, employment, and most importantly naturalization. Mona Kareem takes a look at protests over the past few days in Kuwait and the police crackdown that followed.
Mauritania: Bloggers Call for the Boycott of Government-Sponsored Conference
Mauritania announced plans it would host Arab bloggers and activists involved in Arab revolutions in its capital Nouakchott. Its bloggers have joined forces to call on their Arab counterparts to boycott the event which is being organised by a military regime, which bans protests in the country, to embellish its image. They also remind activists that their country's regime has stood against Arab revolutions, in support of Gaddafi in Libya and Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
China: Censorship and Kim Jong-il's death
Southeast conversation looks into the discussion about the death of Kim Jong-il and makes some observation on how portal websites censor the news and netizens’ comments.
China: Qingdao's Real Estate Bubble
Steven Dickinson argues that China's real estate market has bursted by sharing his observations in Qingdao, where new residential real estate projects in have fallen an average of 30% within 6 months.
Peru: Racism Debated on Social Networks
A recent incident at a Lima movie theater has turned a spotlight on the issue of racism. Netizens are commenting on this and other similar incidents and on the bigger issue of racism in a multicultural society like Peru.
