Stories from 18 December 2011
Puerto Rico: Teatro Breve's Holiday Special
Mariángel Gonzales writes about the improv theatrical group Teatro Breve's holiday special.
Puerto Rico: #EnProfundo 51
The team behind the podcast #EnProfundo came back unexpectedly for a 51st edition [es], where they discuss, among other things, the bizarre official holiday card of the Mayor of San Juan, Jorge Santini.
India, Pakistan: Harmony In Matrimony
The rivalry between India and Pakistan is one of the much talked about conflicts. Quite the contrast The Life And Times Of Two Indians in Pakistan blog highlights cases of cross-border marriages between Indians and Pakistanis and the challenges the bride and groom face.
Bahrain: #OccupyBudaiyaSt Continues
Bahraini protesters have been continuing with their daily protests despite a government crackdown. This none forceful confrontation with protesters has resulted in two deaths and countless injuries since Thursday. Netizens react to the new developments in the country.
Sri Lanka: The Undesirables In The National Parks
Uditha Wijesena discusses about the increased number of visitors in Sri Lankan National Parks and the threats they create to the animals.
Egypt: Women Against SCAF – Who Wins?
The world woke up today to see that Egypt had made the headlines again with a photograph of military officers ferociously beating a veiled girl and stripping her off her clothes. Nermeen Edrees charts netizen reactions to the way the Supreme Council for Armed Forces is treating women in Egypt.
Iran: Jailed blogger stopped his hunger strike
Several sites reported [fa] that Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, Iranian jailed blogger stopped his hunger strike after about one week.Hossein is serving a 15 year prison sentence in the security ward of Evin Prison.
Syria: Blogger Razan Ghazzawi is FREE!
Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi was released tonight, after spending 15 days in a Syrian prison. Ghazzawi, who blogs under her real name from Syria, was arrested at the Syrian-Jordanian border, while on her way to attend a press freedom workshop in Amman. Her arrest was criticised by netizens around the world.
China: English-only European town in Beijing Suburb
Ministry of Tofu translated a news story about a billion-yuan construction plan of an English-speaking town as large as 60 hectares (165 acres) in Miyun county, a suburban region in the northeast of Beijing city. According to the plan, people can't talk in Chinese inside the walled-city.
China: Comments on South Korean Protest Against Coast Guard Incident
Anne Lee from China Hush blogs about local media outlet Netease's feature story on South Korean protest against the coast guard incident.
China: Han Chinese student uprising against their Tibetan peers
Fiona Smith from China Digital Times translated a witness account of a Han Chinese student about a Han Chinese student attack against their Tibetan peer in the dormitory of Chengdu Railroad Engineering school.
Kobe, Japan: Running Through a City Once Devastated
Kobe City was hit with a 7.3-magnitude earthquake on January 17, 1995. On November 20, 2011, the city held their first ever official marathon event, where more than 20,000 runners completed the 42.195km distance. Among them were 641 runners who came from the Tohoku region, which had been devastated by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake this March.
Russia: Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the 2012 Presidential Election
Incarcerated since 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky is once again in Russia's political spotlight as presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov vows to pardon him if he's elected next spring. Donna Welles reports.