Stories from 5 November 2012
Bangladesh's ‘Journalist Couple’ Murder Investigation Turns to Farce
More than eight months have passed since the much talked about murder of a journalist couple in Bangladesh. According to the promise of the new Home Minsiter seven suspects were arrested. But many journalists and their family members claim that the arrests are a setup.
Haiti: Hurricanes Hardest on the Poor
Haiti Chery laments the fact that the poor always seem to suffer the most when it comes to natural disasters.
Review of the North Korean Airline's New Online Booking
North Korea's Air Koryo, infamous for being the world's only one star airline, launched an online booking service late-October. North Korean Tech blogger posted a review of its new service, enlisting problems he bumped into when booking a flight.
Protest in Trinidad & Tobago over Section 34 Scandal
On Friday, various sectors of the Trinidad and Tobago public participated in a protest march calling for the resignations of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and Minister of National Security Jack Warner - part of the continuing fallout over the Section 34 debacle.
Jamaica: Talking about the Gay Issue
Take a look at another perspective on the beating of a gay university student in Jamaica.
A Mauritanian Blogging Week Against Foreign Mining
For a week, Mauritanian bloggers took part in a campaign entitled "Against foreign mining companies." Ahmed Ben Jedou shares with us blog posts and tweets from the campaign, which aimed at exposing the financial, environment, humanitarian and health toll of those companies.
Bahrain: Who Heard the Bomb Blasts and Who are the Victims?
Bahrain officials announced today that two foreign workers have been killed and a third was seriously injured in five separate bomb blasts in the areas Gudaibiya and Adliya, in the capital Manama. On Twitter, the news was received with doubt, skepticism and a call for a political solution to end the unrest in the country, following widespread anti-government protests which started on February 14, 2011.
Portugal: An Open Letter to Germany
Portuguese economist and researcher José Maria Castro Caldas published an open letter to the citizens of Germany on the website of the Initiative for a Citizen Audit of the public debt. The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel will be on an official visit to Portugal on November 12, 2012.
Tennis Superstars Venus and Serena Williams Visit Nigeria
The Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, were in Nigeria from October 30 to November 2, 2012. Their visit was at the behest of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club’s "Breaking The Mould Initiative" (BTM). Naturally, their arrival stirred debate in the Nigerian blogosphere.
Unemployed Young Italians: Too “Choosy” to Stay in Italy?
Recent statements by the Italian Minister of Labour's have created a controversy and online "craze" centred on chronic youth unemployment, while citizen initiatives are launched to keep young Italians from leaving the country in search of better opportunities.
Refugees on Hunger Strike in Germany against Politics of Deterrence
On October 24, twenty-five asylum-seekers went on hunger strike in front of Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The protest in the highly symbolic location, which stands for the once violent division of a people by politics, is the latest in a chain reaction that began in February with the suicide of the Iranian Mohammad Rahsepar in a refugee camp in Würzburg.
Turkish Police Use Tear-Gas Against Protesting Mothers
Kurdish political prisoners have reached their 55th day of hunger strike. There are hundreds of political prisoners on hunger strike in Turkey, and this has led to solidarity protests throughout Europe, and in particular within Turkey. Earlier yesterday, the mothers of some of the political prisoners staged a sit-in, and were met with tear-gas, as well as water canisters was sprayed directly on them. Kurds around the world speak up against the silent treatment to their plight.
Bahamas: Banking or Learning?
If a school in no way challenges its students to synthesize, analyze, interrogate, I fail to see how that school can produce critical thinkers, educated citizens or nation builders. Blogworld sees the value of displacing the banking concept in education.
Nasty China Style Hits One Million
The most popular satire of Korean K-pop “Gangnam Style” in Hong Kong goes to “Nasty China Style”, which has reached more than 1 million views in about two weeks. The remix does not have fancy dancing steps, but the Chinese red army performance and its highly satirical lyrics (some may...
Chinese Political Joke on Beijing Weather
As the 18th Chinese Party Congress is approaching, censorship measure has been tightened. Below is a translation of a funny short story circulated [zh] in Chinese social media: Recently the imperial capital's weather suddenly changed. In the evening, a security old man said: “look! suddenly the sky has changed!” A...
Curacao: Feeling the Tension
The recent parliamentary elections in Curacao have brought a lot of racial and cultural tension to the surface. Karen Attiah thinks it is a real problem.
