Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from March, 2008
Slovakia: Newspapers Protest Imposition of Interactivity
Information Policy links to a story in the International Herald Tribune on the protest of Slovak newspapers against the new requirement “to print responses by people or institutions to any news article even if the published information were true.”
Czech Republic: Micro-Fee vs “Micro-Bribe”
The Economist‘s blog, Certain Ideas of Europe, reports from the Czech Republic on how “charging patients a small sum for visits to publicly funded doctors” has more or less eliminated “micro-bribing.”
Romania, Hungary, Austria: Marshal Antonescu; “Political Irrelevance”
At A Fistful of Euros, Douglas Muir writes about Marshal Antonescu of Romania, and Alex Harrowell writes about an “outbreak of arseholes in Central Europe.”
Bulgaria: Against Internet “Bugging”
This year, the Bulgarian government has issued a decree, which, among other things, allows the security services to gather from each internet user the data about who they have written to, who is on their contact lists, what instant communication agents they are equipped with, when they used them and the precise manner of using them. The majority of internet users in Bulgaria interpreted it as an encroachment on their civil liberties. Yavor Mihaylov reports on Bulgarian bloggers' attempts to resist the government's initiative.
Belarus: Freedom Day Protest
On Tuesday, March 25, police broke up an opposition rally in the capital of Belarus, beating protesters with truncheons and detaining dozens of people. Veronica Khokhlova translates two bloggers' first-hand accounts and a foreign political analyst's view on the Belarusian opposition's strategy.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: New UNESCO Heritage Site; New Cross Memorial
Elia Varela Serra reviews bloggers' reactions to one of the main news in the Bosnian blogosphere this week: the addition of the Višegrad stone bridge to UNESCO's World Heritage List. Also, she reports on the controversy caused by plans to build a memorial to the Serbian war victims in Sarajevo.
Ukraine, Poland: Tusk Visits Kyiv
Leopolis reports on Donald Tusk's visit to Ukraine: “The biggest development of the trip was the signing of a cross-border visa agreement for small-time Ukrainian traders living 50 kilometres from the border.”
Russia: A Scam
20 East writes about one of the popular scams that he became victim of during a visit to Russia three years ago.
Romania: Corruption
Public Policy Watch – Politici Publice in Moldova writes on the issue of “high-profile corruption” in Romania.
Belarus: Emanuel Zeltser's Detention
Eternal Remont links to a new blog whose aim is to draw attention to Emanuel Zeltser's case: FREE Emanuel Zeltser and Vladlena Funk – Illegally Imprisoned in Belarus Since March 12, 2008.
Russia, U.S.: A Foreign Policy View
Valery Dzutsev offers a view on why “there is so much tension between the US and Russia.”
Macedonia, Greece: More on the Name Dispute
More on the Macedonia-Greece name dispute – at Halfway Down the Danube and Foreign Policy Blog.
Latvia: Referendums
Baltic writes in depth on “a strong possibility for holding two referendums in Latvia this year.”
Russia: Dmitry Medvedev
Streetwise Professor writes about “the contrast between [Dmitry] Medvedev’s words and the ongoing acts of the government that he will soon head.”
Czech Republic: Football Hooligans
The Czech Daily Word writes about football hooligans in Prague.
Poland: Stance on Tibet
Kinuk writes about Poland's stance on Tibet and China.
Russia: Xenophobia in Moscow
Moscow Through Brown Eyes posts a short update on hate crime in Moscow; Window on Eurasia writes about a graffiti campaign launched by the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI) in Moscow “in order to call attention to the strength of the group and to intimidate its opponents, migrant workers and...
Russia: Russian Reading Challenge 2008
Megan Case reviews novels by Andrei Makine and Olga Grushin for the Russian Reading Challenge 2008 at Ex Libris.
Russia: Russians/Americans “are NOT stupid”
Finally, a Russian answer (RUS) to the famous/infamous “Americans are NOT stupid” video (via LJ user maliar, RUS).
Russia: Myths
Da Russophile presents “the Top 10 Russophobe Myths, in opposition to La Russophobe‘s Top 10 Russophile Myths.”
Russia: Entry Visa Ordeal
20 East describes an ongoing ordeal of getting Russian entry visa.
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