· November, 2009

Stories about Western Europe from November, 2009

Video: End Violence Against Women Around the World

  25 November 2009

Today, November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and through videos, many people and organizations around the world are expressing their need to end the violence as well as the efforts they are undertaking to ensure that women have a safer world to live in.

Japan: British teenager becomes a YouTube star

  19 November 2009

She is British, blond, slim and cute. Her name is Beckii Cruel [ja] and, at age 14, has become an idol on the Japanese web. Beckii Cruel started to gain popularity at the end of this year thanks to some videos posted on YouTube where she appears dancing in her...

Denmark: The Climate Debt Agents are Coming

  17 November 2009

The Climate Debt Agents are group of men and women from Denmark and Africa who are taking on the challenge of getting developed countries to pay their climate debt to the developing world.

Italy: Online activism fires up “No Berlusconi Day”

  17 November 2009

A group of bloggers-citizens has launched an International protest movement to demand the resignation of Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi due to scandals and corruption trials. More than 280,000 people have pledged to participate in the December 5 rallies.

CEE: The Berlin Wall

  16 November 2009

The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall: How To Marry a Bulgarian hosts a series of readers’ personal reflections: Biliana Velkova, Alexandra Grashkina-Hristova, Maria Vassileva; Hungarian Spectrum writes that “for Hungary and the Hungarians the whole thing started much earlier”; Belgraded writes about the upcoming and much-awaited...

France: Does Prestigious Literary Award Entail a “Duty of Restraint” ?

  15 November 2009

The start of this year's French literary season saw French-Senegalese novelist and playwright Marie N'Diaye awarded a much-awaited Prix Goncourt. However, N'Diaye and her family moved to Berlin two years ago, in large part because of French president Nicolas Sarkozy's politics. Will this be another opportunity to celebrate diversity in a changing French society? Or will the moment be spoiled by controversy?

Egypt: German Justice for Marwa El Sherbini

  15 November 2009

The killer of Marwa El-Sherbini, the Egyptian woman who was stabbed to death inside a German courthouse by a Russian-German immigrant, Alex Wiens, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, without a possibility for early release. Justice is finally served and the killer is being punished, say Egyptian bloggers.

Japan: Hitler's “Mein Kampf”, the manga version

  13 November 2009

After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic. The 190 page volume, which sold some 45,000 copies in the first printing, tells in a very simple way the story of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his rise as the leader...

Denmark: Immigrants offered money to leave the country

  11 November 2009

Denmark is offering immigrants from “non-Western” countries 100,000 Danish kroners (US$20,000) if they volunteer to move “home”. A Facebook group protesting the law has been set up to collect 100,000 kroners to pay the leader of the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party to leave the country instead.

Video: The world commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall

  9 November 2009

Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a complex security structure that once divided East and West Berlin in Germany. Today we are showcasing some of the videos from throughout the globe that are being uploaded to commemorate this date and what it meant to barriers not only in Germany, but throughout the world.

Caribbean: French Literary Prizes

  6 November 2009

This week, two of the most prestigious French literary prizes were awarded to two French-speaking authors of African descent: The French-speaking Caribbean blogosphere has been buzzing over this double satisfaction, in this post from Haiti, this one from Guadeloupe and this one from Martinique [Fr].