Stories from October, 2011
Greece: When the Crisis Hit the Fan
Freelance journalist Kostas Kallergis started a blog in English about the Greek crisis, documenting on a daily basis various “small things that usually go unreported in the international press,” from...
Macedonia: Lead Smelting Factory Problem in Veles
Jovan Petrov provides an overview of the problem with the lead and zync smelting factory in Veles, after the court rejected a suit against the state from the municipality and...
Pakistan: Say No To Plastic Bags
95% people use plastic bags in Pakistan and only 15% of these bags are properly disposed off, informs Rai Muhammad Azlan Shahid, while advocating for banning them.
D. R. of Congo: DRC Elections Watch 2011
DRC Elections Watch 2011: “In the afternoon of Sunday, October 30, with his wife Olive Lembe by his side, Joseph Kabila formally launched his electoral campaign in Kindu, in the...
Tunisia: Let's Invade Social Networks!
A crazy wave of posts hit the world of social networks when Tunisian netizens decided to invade Facebook and Twitter with their comments. First came the official Facebook page of US President Barack Obama. Soon other world leaders got a taste of this spam-attack.
Mexico: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt over Anonymous’ #OpCartel
Over recent days many media outlets have widely publicized news about a video by Anonymous Mexico threatening the Zetas cartel as a response to the kidnapping of one of the former's members. Inconsistencies in reports about the operation are however evident.
Cuba: Off-Colour Remark in Red Light District
babalu is appalled by a remark that Mariela Castro (director of Cuba's National Center for Sexual Education) makes in an interview with Radio Netherlands during a visit to the red...
Saudi Arabia: Poverty Video Vloggers Released
Around two weeks ago, Saudi Arabian authorities arrested three young video bloggers Firas Buqna, Hussam Al-Darwish and Khaled Al-Rasheed for producing an episode of their show Malub Alena about poverty in one of Riyadh's areas. They have just been released.
Cuba: Members of “Las Damas” Detained
Uncommon Sense learns that “ten members of the Laura Pollan Damas De Blanco…were among severa dissidents arrested in Santiago de Cuba as they tried to gather for Mass” yesterday morning.
Trinidad & Tobago: Role of the Telecommunications Authority
Plain Talk suggests that the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago is abdicating its responsibility in light of the recent national broadcast of the rape of a child and the...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: After Anya
“I was struck by her looks of course and her flagrantly innovative personal style but complementing these was her personality, the warm intelligence of someone totally comfortable in her skin”:...
France: Calls for Official Recognition of 1961 Paris Algerian Massacre
Fifty years after the bloody suppression of a peaceful demonstration by Algerians in Paris, French officials are still struggling to admit their responsibility. Calls for the official recognition of the 1961 massacre have been building in this anniversary year.
Venezuela: Discovering New Attractions in El Hatillo
Mirelis Morales Tovar in her blog Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es] writes about the new attractions she discovered at El Hatillo, a “town” in Caracas.
Peruvian Blogger Lists Some Universal Truths and Questions
Cyrano, from the blog Columna 17 [es] discusses some universal truths and questions, like “The fastest horses belong to the bandits” and “Who is the mother of Donald Duck's nephews?”
Honduran Police Suspected of Killing Two University Students
Two university students were killed on October 22; La Gringa's Blogcito reports that four police suspected of killing the students were taken into custody but later “escaped”. “Even in this...
Russia: Alternative Voting Portal Launched
Habrahabr-user uhaby writes [ru] about otdamgolos.ru, a web-portal that offers users to propose alternative parliamentary and presidential candidates as well as to vote for them. The author claims that within...
Russia: Izhevsk City Manager Caught on Camera Talking About Election Bribery
Udmurtia.tv publishes a video [ru] of Denis Agashin, Izhevsk city manager, telling the representatives of veteran organizations that the next year's financial support will depend on the results of “United...
Russia/India: Video of a Paraglider Pilot Attacked by an Eagle in Himalayas
11-minute headcam video [ru] of a story that could end up with a human casualty. Russian paraglider pilot making his first flight in Himalayas was attacked by three eagles, one...
Russia: Pirate Flag Over Novosibirsk City
LJ-user dedmaxopka publishes [ru] pictures of himself placing a pirate flag over Novosibirsk city administration. “We just wanted to make nice pictures of the city,” explained the blogger to the police...
China: Open letter to Relativity Media
C Custer wrote an open letter to Relativity Media, a Hollywood Film Producer, criticizing its plan to cooperate with the Linyi government to shoot a movie there. Linyi government has...
China: Woman activist beaten by local thugs and police officer
Tom Lasseter interviewed Wang Xuezhen, a woman activist beaten by local thugs when she tried to visit Chen Guangcheng. She was slapped by a police officers when she reported on...
