Stories about Politics from July, 2006
Russia: Kremlin's Big Fish Fishing
Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog writes about the current regime's idea of fishing: the “big fish” are Mikhail Khodrkovsky's former business partner Leonid Nevzlin, currently based in Israel, and two London residents – the “oligarch” Boris Berezovsky and “the so-called ‘Foreign Minister of Ichkeria’ Akhmed Zakaev.”
Zimbabwe: The Royal Mugabes
The Bearded Man stands amazed as Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe gives the office of president something of a face-lift, endowing it with what looks a lot like the trappings of monarchy.
South Korea: no-fta
Media cultural action (a Seoul based independent media activist group) has put up the “no-fta” demonstration video in July 12, 2006 with english subtitle on their website.
DRC: Catholic Church Favoring Boycott of Election
English-language DRC blogger Le Salon counts down to the July 30th election by reporting on a lukewarm response to Joseph Kabila's visit to the UDPS opposition party stronghold of East Kasai province and by estimating that the Congolese catholic church is by and large encouraging a boycott of the election.
DRC: “The Burning has begun”
Light in the Heart of Darkness, an english-speaking expat blogger based in the DRC, says Kabila's popularity in Kinshasa is waning and fears that if he is elected, “the country is going to burn.” She points to yesterday's UDPS-led poster-snatching protests as evidence that the burning may have begun.
DRC: Poster Snatching Protests
Le Renouveau Congolais posts a (Fr) photo-essay showing protesters tearing down presidential candidate posters in the DRC days to the July 30th election. From Azarias Ruberwa to Interim President Joseph Kabila to Professor N'Goma, the photos show a broad cross-section of political candidates are being targeted while slogans seem to...
Ukraine: Relying on Contradictory Reports
LEvko of Foreign Notes points out a serious problem one encounters when attempting to follow Ukrainian politics: “Tracking events in Ukrainian politics is often confusing because of conflicting and contradictory reports and comments given by the media, and by leaders and spokesmen from differing political parties.”
Belarus: Blogosphere Digest
TOL's Belarus Blog posts a “Belarusian blogosphere digest” for July 18-26.
Belarus: Milinkevich Detained
Andrei Khrapavitski reports that opposition leader Aleksandr Milinkevich got detained by the traffic police in the town of Polatsk. [UPDATE: Milinkevich has been released.]
Belarus: A Youth Movement and Other Enemies
TOL's Belarus Blog writes about a new oppositional youth movement, Bunt, and the current regime's actions against its activists. Also, there's an entry about an attack on a Latvian diplomat in Minsk.
Bulgaria: Travelling From Romania
Andy H of Csikszereda Musings writes about his travel to and in Bulgaria.
Poland: “Rightwards Shift”
Europhobia suspects something wrong may be taking place in Poland's politics.
Liberia: Lights on in Monrovia
Yebo Gogo takes note of the restoration of street lighting in the Liberian capital of Monrovia for the first time in more than a decade, under the watchful eye of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. “Rebuilding the nation's shattered infrastructure is the first step to rebuilding Liberia. So far, Johnson Sirleaf's...
Ethiopia: Eritrean weapons
Ethioblog posts news reports quoting the Somali government as saying that Eritrea has sent a plane full of weapons to the Islamists who now control the southern part of the country, attracting a wide range of opinion from commentators.
South Africa: Racial categories
Farrel Lifson writes at politics.za about recent allegations that the African National Congress (ANC) is bringing back the language of racial categorisation.
Latin America: MSN Takes Down Website
Western Hemisphere Policy Watch claims that MSN has taken down the website of a group claiming to represent Hezbollah in Latin America for “administrative purposes”.
Ecuador, Venezuela: Chavez Visits Quito
Journalist C.J. Schexnayder gives some context to his recently published article on Hugo Chavez's visit to Ecuador.
Guyana: US interference?
Guyana 360 asks why the US government has revoked the travel visa of Guyana's acting police commissioner Henry Green. “Instead of openly stating their position, the US resorts to public pressure and embarrasement.”
DRC: As Elections Approach, the Congo's Bloggers Discuss Recent Violence, Media Repression and the Limits of Foreign Aid
With the July 30th elections just days away, many pro-opposition Congolese bloggers remain deeply cynical about the prospects of a free, fair and peaceful electoral process. Violent repression of opposition demonstrations and the killing of several journalists in the last few months have left many wondering whether, even if successful,...
Taiwan: student in hunger strike
A student Li Wen-zhen has been sitting at CKS memorial Hall for more than a month to protest against Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian's suspected corruption. Six days ago, he started hunger strike: “Either ah Bian step down or I fell down”. The incident remind FDL in China times of the...
China: national security
ESWN translates a post written by Zeng Jinyan (zh) about civic rights activist ‘Knight Errant’ Peng's experience in dealing with national security people.
