Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus 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.
Azerbaijan: Animal rights
Thoughts. Dreams. Visions. Nightmares. Me. reports on an action staged in support of animal rights in Azerbaijan. The blog says that the event held close to Baku's Zoo was a welcome event and centered on the need to create a special center to cater for stray animals. However, it also...
Georgia: Election reporting in ethnic Azeri region
Writing on Eyes on Georgia, and also tweeting at @AliResh, Azerbaijani journalism student Resh Ali posts a brief account of voting in a largely ethnic Azeri-populated region of Georgia in today's local elections. While noting some improvements, the blog says that there are problems with the vote and shortcomings in...
Georgia: Online local election mapping
Transparency International Georgia, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association, the National Democratic Institute and the Caucasus Resource Research Center have set up an online mapping system for monitoring today's local election in the former Soviet republic. The vote is considered particularly important as...
Caucasus: Eurovision Semi-final roundup
Unzipped: Gay Armenia offers its opinion on last night's semi-final in this year's Eurovision Song Festival, and especially the entries from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The blog, which has become a mainstay for covering the competition in the Caucasus region, also regularly tweets on it at @unzippedblog.
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.
Azerbaijan: Live tweeting Eurovision from Oslo, Norway
Complimenting the already relatively impressive of social media by Safura Alizadeh, Azerbaijan's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest, jazz singer Ulviyya Rahimova will be live-tweeting updates as part of the national delegation. Also blogging at the girl in jazz, she can be followed on Twitter at @UlviyyaRahimova.
Armenia: LGBT rights abroad, homophobia at home
Posting news of a Armenian LGBT conference in the U.S., Unzipped: Gay Armenia also posts a photograph and comments on homophobic leaflets and posters from an ultra-nationalist group appearing in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
Caucasus: Eurovision girl power
Ianyan comments on this week's Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Oslo, Norway. Noting the often cheesy nature of the international music competition, the blog takes a look at the two female acts from Armenia and Azerbaijan, currently among the main entrants considered to have a chance to win.
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.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Conflict transformation
For the past two years Global Voices has covered the use of new and social media to overcome differences between Armenians and Azerbaijanis still locked in conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Most recently, it presented on the use of new online tools in conflict resolution and transformation at conferences in Romania, Macedonia, Georgia and Chile.
Georgia: The Tehran-Tbilisi Connection
Matthew Collin in Georgia comments on news that the government of the former Soviet republic has entered into an agreement with Iran on cooperation in the media sphere. The Frontline Club blogger says that given the situation with freedom of the press in Iran, the move hardly fits in with...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Eurovision impressions
Unzipped: Gay Armenia compares the entries from Armenia and Azerbaijan in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The blog says that both female singers are beautiful, but their performances need some work before the semi-finals next week.
Azerbaijan: Democracy is…
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on the U.S. State Department “Democracy is…” online video challenge and shares some of the entries with its readers. The blog is especially pleased to see that among the finalists is an entry from Azerbaijan.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Mafia & Society
Fatalin's Blog informs its readers about Mafia, a group game where some participants take on the role of the mafiosa and kill those who represent citizens while both sides deceive each other. Invented in Russia, and alluding to societies in both countries, the blog notes that the game is especially...
Kazakhstan: Bloggers condemn the “Leader of the Nation” project
The parliament in Kazakhstan came out with the initiative to give a “Leader of the Nation” status to incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The former Kazakh Communist party’s secretary, a strongman that rules his country for more than 20 years, is to celebrate his 70th birthday July 6. This day is...
Caucasus: Eurovision Twitter
As this year's Eurovision Song Contest approaches, one way to keep up with the entries from the three countries making up the South Caucasus will be via Twitter. Armenia's entry, Eva Rivas, is at @EvaRivas2010 and currently has 110 followers, Azerbaijan's Safura Alizadeh is at @SafuraMusic with 338 followers at...
Azerbaijan: Eurovision favorite
The Manchester Evening News blog comments on the buzz around Safura Alizadeh, Azerbaijan's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest and currently the favorite to win the international music competition. The blog features a short interview with the 17-year-old singer.
Diaspora: Youth and violence
Ianyan comments on yet another killing in Los Angeles and says that it's about time that Armenians stopped focusing on the past in order to resolve their problems in the here and now.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Eurovision pondering
No stranger to controversy when it comes to Eurovision in light of the still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, popbitch wonders if Armenia and Azerbaijan can settle their differences in the international music competition. Meanwhile, writing on HayFanat, Armanski says that the professionalism behind Azerbaijan's entry...
Afghanistan: Beckham in Helmand?
Nasim Fekrat comments on the rumored visit of David Beckham to Afghanistan to cheer up British troops in Helmand.
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