Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from July, 2008
Russia: Sexual Harassment
FP's Passport reports on one Russian judge's view of sexual harassment.
Russia: Street Name Changes
Eternal Remont writes about street name changes in Moscow.
Russia: Bashkiria
Dmitri Minaev of De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis describes a recent trip to Bashkiria and posts pictures.
The Baltics: Baltic Sea Environmental Campaign
Copydude writes about Moving Baltic Sea – a campaign to promote creative strategies for cultural and environmental co-operation among Baltic Sea states.
Estonia: Russian Media Outlet Urges Boycott
Babel Tallinn reports that Russian news portal, Regnum, urges its readers to boycott Estonia, and also publishes a list of Estonian products and services to be avoided.
Russia: City Name Changes
The Turkish Invasion posts a list of Russian cities, which through history have undergone name changes, and comments on the phenomenon.
Russia: Medvedev to Fight Corruption
LJ user yangel reports (RUS) that president Medvedev has confirmed his plan to fight corruption, which signifies the start of a campaign to rid Russia of this malaise.
Russia: USAID Russian Style
LJ user epopov ru comments on (RUS) an article in today's Kommersant, claiming that Russia is to set up its own foreign aid agency, modelled on American USAID.
Russia: Change in Migration Policies
LJ user Kontury comments on (RUS) a government initiative to liberalise labour immigration by increasing quotas from CIS countries.
Hungary: Bomb Scare
Hungarian Spectrum writes about bomb scares in Budapest and the response and reactions to the latest one, caused by the discovery of a 2-ton “monster of a bomb.”
U.S., Bulgaria: Julian Tzolov
A Fistful of Euros writes on the case of Julian Tzolov, wanted in the U.S. for “selling auction rate securities (asset-backed bonds with frequent yield resets) to now aggrieved clients. The clients apparently thought they were buying bonds backed by student loans but were in fact buying dodgy mortgages, an...
Czech Republic: Expensive Water
The Czech Daily Word reports on how Czech restaurants are making money on drinking water: “Generally speaking the purchase prices for a .3L bottle of water in wholesale is CZK 4 (yes, FOUR), but if you go to a restaurant, a coffee house or a similar place, you pay CZK...
Serbia: Karadžić's Updates
Updates on Radovan Karadžić's case – at Srebrenica Genocide Blog.
Serbia: Karadzic's Case
An update on Radovan Karadzic's case – at East Ethnia.
Serbia: Frontline Club's Live Discussion on Karadžić
From the Frontline announces: “Live discussion about Karadžić tonight Thu 31st July, 7.30pm UK time from the Frontline Club chaired by Ben Brown (BBC). Joining us will be Ed Vulliamy (Guardian and Observer), Kemal Pervanić (survivor of the Omarska concentration camp), Sir Geoffrey Nice (QC) and Gordana Igrić by skype...
Ukraine: “No Place in the EU”?
A Fistful of Euros critiques a “wince-inducingly stupid article” on Ukraine written by “Richard Wagner, a Transylvanian German writer. (Well, former Transylvanian. Like most T-Germans, he emigrated from Romania as soon as he could get out.)”
Armenia: NATO Cooperation
Window on Eurasia argues that Armenia's continued involvement in exercises staged under the auspices of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program marks an increasingly evident move towards Western rather than Russia military structures.
Italy: A National Registry for Roma People?
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's new right wing Cabinet recently launched plans to carry out a national registration of all Roma people in Italy, including fingerprints of all children. Italy is home to an estimated 150,000 Roma and Sinti people (often referred to as Gypsies). The ensuing, heated public debate over whether this measure amounts to racial discrimination is overflowing in the online space of Italy and beyond.
Serbia: More on Belgrade Rally
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about yesterday's pro-Karadzic rally in Belgrade: “Meanwhile the only element of the meeting that made news was the violent confrontation between skinheads and police, who this time around did not have orders to let the hooligans destroy anything they wanted.”
Ukraine: EU and NATO
Vitaliy of The 8th Circle writes about a debate on one of the blogs about the role Ukraine should play in the EU and NATO.
Moldova, Ukraine: Floods
A Fistful of Euros writes about “huge floods across southeastern Europe” and the lack of reliable information in English from this region.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
Daria Dergacheva is the Eastern Europe editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
