Stories about Russian from July, 2007
Kyrgyzstan: Issyk-Kul
morrire posts pictures from her visit to the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, one of the biggest high-altitude lakes in the world – and favourite holiday destination for Kyrgyzstani citizens.
Uzbekistan: Digital boom?
Jamiyat translates an article which gives the impression that the use of internet and mobile telecommunication is growing rapidly in Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan: Domestic violence, a prison for Uzbek Paris Hiltons and “Iran, go home!”
This week on Uzbekstani blogs: The difficult role of women in society and domestic violence stand in stark contrast to the flamboyant life of the president's daughter. Also, a young Uzbek football player displays a "Iran Go Home" poster before a match, Uzbek civil society is under threat, and a special prison is being built for delinquent civil servants.
Turkmenistan: 2021
Abdul Gamid asks his readers to think about Turkmenistan's future: “How will our country be in 2021?”.
Kyrgyzstan: Wedding season
Kyrgyzstani couples choose the summer months to get married. As the ceremonies portrayed by bloggers are mostly Western in style, they convey a different, somewhat "non-exotic" image of the landlocked Central Asian republic. From white doves to violins, the Kyrgyzstani dream wedding seems above all one thing: expensive!
Uzbekistan: HRW shut?
UzNGO says that by refusing to give accreditation to the next country director, the Uzbek authorities have effectively shut down Human Rights Watch.
Eastern Europe: Swedish Blog Update 2007
In his comprehensive review, Vilhelm Konnander writes that, unfortunately, Swedish foreign minister is no longer blogging about Eastern European affairs, but otherwise, "the Swedish blogosphere on Eastern Europe is undergoing expansion and some of the necessary stabilisation to form the dynamic density needed for a blog community. [...] A disadvantage for the international audience is that blogs, with few exceptions, are in Swedish."
Kyrgyzstan: Double-decker
Bektour is amazed by the sight of an old London double-decker in the streets of the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
Russia: The “BAMers”
Russian photographer Oleg Klimov is on a work trip across Russia and has been on the road since June 23. Read his sketch on the Baikal-Amur Mainline: once "the construction project of the century" and now a place populated by the people who, according to Klimov, are either afraid to leave or have nowhere to go.
Russia: 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi
It would be, of course, an exaggeration to say that every single Russian blogger has commented on Russia's victorious bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi last week - but it wouldn't be that huge of an exaggeration. The response to the news has been enormous, and the blogosphere seems to be divided into two camps now: those who think that holding the Olympics in this mountainous Black Sea resort town is a great idea - and those who think it's a disaster in the making. Here are the views of several bloggers involved in the Russian opposition politics in one way or another - as well as some comments from their readers - all translated from Russian.
