Stories from 3 November 2011
Colombia: Lleras Law Sinks in Congress
Congress once again discussed the controversial bill called ‘Lleras Law” [es] on copyright and intellectual property on the Internet, but this time Senator Roy Barreras proposed to sink the bill, arguing the it contained inconsistencies. While the media reported [es] the news, Colombians reacted on Twitter with the hashtag #Ley...
Philippines: Calls for Peace in Mindanao
Renewed fighting between government troops and secessionist Moro rebels in the southern Philippine regions of Mindanao has led to more calls for peace from various quarters. The escalation of war has not only derailed the peace process but has displaced thousands of innocent civilians
Russia: Gazeta.ru, Popular Semi-Independent Portal Launches English Version
Gazeta.ru, a popular news portal that often publishes quite critical news and op-eds, launches its English version.
Trinidad & Tobago: Anya Win!
An amusing video skit of typical Trinidadian reactions to Anya Ayoung-Chee winning Season 9 of Project Runway, by Kay See Talks.
Cuba: Dengue Outbreak?
Blogging from Havana, Bad Handwriting fears that “a new epidemic of dengue fever is upon us.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Towards Civic Journalism
“I think it’s time to move away from the low standards of citizen journalism to a higher standard of civic journalism”: Gerard Best explains.
Puerto Rico: Media Coverage of Women's Basketball Gold Medal
Bloggers celebrate Puerto Rico's Women's Basketball Team gold medal in the Pan American Games and declare this an opportunity to rethink Puerto Rican attitudes toward women athletes.
Cuba: Dissident Detentions
Pedazos de La Isla reports on “beatings, arrests, and vigilance” for the month thus far and publishes another post saying that “the situation of the activists arrested on Monday, October 31st has become increasingly worrisome, as their whereabouts are unknown, as far as Antunez, Yris Perez, Idania Yanez, and Damaris...
Puerto Rico: Money Bags
As police report seizing in excess of $3 million so far this year, Dondequiera says: “All of this money was, without doubt, made from or destined for illegal trafficking. It could have been drugs, but since the black market is so robust in Puerto Rico, it could have been for...
Cuba: Church & State
“At 75, Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega cannot complain about his lack of recognition”: Another perspective on the work and influence of the head of the Catholic Church in Cuba, by Havana Times.
France: Satirical Magazine's Office Burnt Down After Mocking Sharia
During the night of November 2, the Paris head office of satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo was attacked and burnt down. This happened on the same day an issue of the long established French weekly featuring the Prophet Muhammad as guest editor on its cover, was about to hit newsstands.
Kyrgyzstan: First-ever peaceful president transition
neweurasia offers a photo-reportage from the Kyrgyz presidential elections that took place last Sunday, noting that for the first time in the history of independent Kyrgyzstan, the presidency is shifting from one person to another in a peaceful way.
Turkmenistan: Hack heaven
Neweurasia’s Annasoltan explores the rise of hacking in the Turkmen segment of the world wide web and its particularly Turkmen flavor.
Kyrgyzstan: President-elect vows to close U.S. military base by 2014
Joshua Foust ponders on seriousness of the news that Kyrgyz President-elect Almazbek Atambayev, “a friend of Russia”, made a warning that the U.S. air base must close by 2014.
South Korea: Anti-FTA Protesters Hit with Water Cannons
A series of protests against Free Trade Agreement with the United States have continued for near a week in South Korean capital, Seoul. Twitter user @hoongkildong [ko] is among many Twitterers live-tweeting various rallies and he posted this photo of riot police firing water cannons at protesters.
South Korea: One out of Eight Pro-NK Sites Operated by Kids
Police report revealed people caught for publishing pro-North Korean photos and postings were elementary and middle school students eager to increase traffic to their websites, ‘Korea and the World’ wrote a commentary on the issue.
North Korea : Infographic on North Korea's Military Obsession
Infographic List posted an infographic about North Korea, especially focusing the country's obsession with military power.
Nicaragua to Host 2012 Debian Conference
Nicaragua will host the 2012 DebConf. The blog comuNIdad shares the announcement: “The conference will take place from July 8 to July 14 2012, in Managua, Nicaragua. In DebConf’s twelve-year history, this will be the first time it will be held in Central America. […] This conference will boost the...
Peru: Speaking out Against Media Sensationalism
Gabriela García Calderón, who comes from a family of journalists, blogs [es] about sensationalism in the media, arguing that reporters sometimes go too far to get the news that will make the front page: “A little restraint would be nice. Empathy. Respect for the person who is suffering. Tolerance.”
Kazakhstan: Blasts Spark New Fears Over the Rise of Extremism
Early in the morning of October 31, two blasts occurred in the downtown district of Atyrau, the major city in Western Kazakhstan and the unofficial "oil capital" of the Central Asian country, which has long been boasting of itself as a showcase of inter-ethnic and inter-religious tolerance.
Colombia: Universities Continue Strike in Protest of Law 30
Colombian university students are still on strike in protest of a reform to Law 30. They argue the reform will privatize public universities, and emphasize they will not start classes until the bill is withdrawn from Congress.
