· May, 2010

Stories about Migration & Immigration from May, 2010

Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia make Eurovision Top Ten

This year's Eurovision Song Contest drew to a close on a Saturday in a televised final which attracted around 125 million viewers worldwide. But while some media reported lagging interest in the 54-year-old competition and concerns about spiraling costs, countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to take it very seriously indeed.

Caucasus: Social media, cleavage, and rare unity in Eurovision

Although last night's second semi-final for this year's Eurovision Song Contest has been and gone, Twitter was alive with commentary and updates throughout. The annual international competition, noted more for its kitsch entries than for its music, is viewed by well over 100 million people worldwide. Its presence online is nowhere near as large, but is increasingly becoming an important consideration.

Jamaica: Resetting the Clock

  27 May 2010

“Jamaica's bizarre socio-economic clock cannot turn back but it can be reset”: Living in Barbados suggest the current situation “may be the spur to find ways to start dealing with that process.”

Brazil: Exchange Student Victim of Racism at the University

  27 May 2010

Kadija Tu, an exchange student from Guinea-Bissau, was severely beaten inside the campus of UFPB [Federal University of the State of Paraíba] on May 24th, reports Eugenio Cruz from the blog Quase nada sobre quase tudo [Almost nothing about almost everything, pt]. Witnesses say she was called ‘dog-nigger‘ (Negra-Cão) by...

Jamaica: Situation Improving?

  27 May 2010

Four days into the state of emergency imposed on the Jamaican capital, the situation is becoming clearer - not simply in terms of statistics - but in understanding the chain of events that led to the current impasse. There are also reports that life in the capital city may slowly be returning to normal.

Latvia: May 9 in Riga

Arnis Balcus posts photos from the May 9 celebrations in Riga and writes: “In Latvia 9 May is more than just a victory celebration, it is also an expression of collective identity for local Russians.”

Caucasus: Eurovision Social Media

With the first semi-final in this year's Eurovision Song Contest due to take place tomorrow, activity on blogs, social media networks and micro-blogging sites in support of entrants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the three countries making up the South Caucasus, is naturally increasing. However, their use also sometimes reflects the geopolitical and technical realities of the region.

Cuba: Monitoring Arrests

  21 May 2010

Ever since the February, 2010 death of Orlando Zapato Tamayo, the first Cuban hunger striker to perish in 40 years, the situation in the island appears to have become even more tense.

Jamaica: Logan Act?

  21 May 2010

My View of JamDown from Up So thinks that “it should be clear in the aftermath of the Prime Minister's revelations about the Jamaica Labour Party's retention of a lawyer in the Dudus case that Jamaica needs a Logan Act.”

Bulgaria: Update on Arevik Shmavonyan's Case

Maya's Corner posts a detailed update on the case of Arevik Shmavonyan, a pregnant Armenian citizen who is still being kept at the Special Centre for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners in Busmantsi, and on the legal status of David Arutyunyan, Arevik's boyfriend.

Caucasus: Armenian-Azerbaijani coexistence

Georgian “Maybe” Time, a new blog from the Caucasus, comments on the experience of a friend from Azerbaijan who was recently chastised for her cooperation and communication with Armenians. Meanwhile, despite the still unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, Scary Azeri recounts meeting...

Cuba: Remembering Zapata

  14 May 2010

Uncommon Sense pays tribute to the late political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who would have turned 43 tomorrow, while El Cafe Cubano reports that his tomb has been desecrated.