Stories about Politics from October, 2011
Slovenia: Projections for Parliamentary Elections
Sleeping with Pengovsky analyses opinion polls for the upcoming December 4 parliamentary elections in Slovenia.
Ukraine: Petroleum Sets Fire to Party of Regions Tactics
LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about a rising scandal in Ukraine, where the governing Party of Regions allegedly used a petroleum trade scam to finance the party during election campaigns.
Ukraine: Turning into a European Pariah?
Jonathan Hibberd of Chicken in Kiev addresses how Ukrainian politicians are increasingly becoming a pariah in the European Union, following the verdict of opposition leader Yulia Timoshenko.
Myanmar: Video of Dissident Comedian Blogger Zarganar
Reporters Without Borders posted a video interview with the dissident comedian and blogger Zarganar from Myanmar who was released from jail early this month. Zarganar discussed media freedom and the situation of Myanmar's political prisoners.
Croatia: Alcatraz of Yugoslavia
Bill Kralovec of Bill's Blog recounts the story of the Adriatic prison island of Goli otok – the Alcatraz of Yugoslavia – where Yugoslavia held its political prisoners during the reign of Tito.
Lithuania: Corruption within the Educational System
Alan Hendrixson of With a Grain of Druska discusses problems arising from corruption within Lithuanian education and health system.
Pakistan: Political Satire Becomes Internet Sensation
A recent song released on YouTube, by a group of young men from Lahore, has become an Internet sensation. The songs lyrics are heavily loaded with political satire, something that is rarely witnessed in Pakistan in recent years.
Argentina: Presidential Elections, a Review of Blogs
Argentina's presidential election had a pretty predictable result: the reelection of the current president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The large victory motivated many bloggers to analyze the political situation.
Bhutan: Justifying Police Brutality
Sonam Ongmo writes about the police brutality against an innocent Bhutanese youth and the subsequent politics on this issue.
Cuba: “Exterior” & “Interior” Blockades
Generation Y and Havana Times blog about today's United Nations vote on the US-Cuba economic embargo.
Bermuda: The Challenges of Buying Local
When it comes to buying local, BeachLime says: “Customer service in many of the places here is a pure joke. Local businesses need to adapt – better customer service across the board…”
Jamaica: Conflict of Interest with Housing & Environment
Jamaica Woman Tongue questions whether the National Environment and Planning Agency of Jamaica (NEPA) “[has] the teeth to do [its] job properly”.
Kenya: Online Reactions to Suspected Al Shabaab Grenade Attacks
Following the Kenyan military offensive against the Somali militant group Al Shabaab, the group responded by attacking Kenya's capital with two deadly grenade attacks: one at a popular entertainment club and the other at a crowded bus stop in downtown Nairobi. The two incidents have provoked a conversation online.
Brazil: Journalists Collaborate with US State Department
Luis Cezar, from the blog Brasil Que Vai, publishes a paper by Helena de Souza which reports on documents released by Wikileaks that link journalists from the main Brazilian TV network and one of the largest in the world, Rede Globo, with the US State Department.
Russia: Ministry of Justice Plans to Monitor Online Content
Russian Ministry of Justice had published a public procurement proposal [ru] to purchase a content monitoring system worth of ~115,000 US dollars. The system is aimed to monitor the information published about the ministry and its representatives as well as about the president and prime-minister. The scale of the system...
Russia: Government Official Tries to Force Websites to Remove Discrediting Video
On October 23, 2011 Kseniya Sobchak, celebrity journalist, had shot a video of Vasiliy Yakemenko, the head of the Federal Agency for Youth, in the most expensive restaurant of Moscow. Criticism followed the video [ru] upload: according to his tax declaration [ru], Yakemenko could hardly afford attending such place. Later Anna Biryukova,...
Chile: State Security Law, Violence Deterrent or Repression?
On October 18, Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter invoked the State Security Law to punish the persons responsible for the burning of a bus during the protests supporting the student movement. The country's citizens comment on this controversial measure.
Macedonia: Advocating Media Freedom Through Music
On the occasion of the Daniel Pearl World Music Days, the rock band Reporters, composed of prominent journalists, including veterans of critical investigative reporting who are now out of work due to closing of A1 TV, will hold a concert in Skopje (FB event) and present their new song “Freedom”...
Hungary: Live-Blogging Oct. 23 Opposition Protest in Budapest
The Contrarian Hungarian live-blogged Sunday's opposition rally in Budapest, which had been organized through Facebook (hu; en) and drew “many tens of thousands” of protesters.
Egypt: Catch the Former Regime Remnants
Last April, an Egyptian court ordered the dissolution of the political organization that ruled the nation for decades. Its members are however reinventing themselves, joining the lists of candidates vying for November's parliamentary elections. See how netizens have joined hands to expose them.
Tunisia: Provisional Results Suggest Islamists Advance
Provisional results of the October 23 election in Tunisia suggest that the Islamist party Ennahdha took the biggest share of the votes. Counting of the votes is still underway, and the final results are expected to be announced on Tuesday afternoon.
