Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2010
Russia: Kashin on Spartak Fans and Nov. 6 Beating, in English
Russian journalist Oleg Kashin writes for OpenDemocracy.net about the authorities’ inadequate response to a rally by Spartak football fans, and, for the New York Times, about the Nov. 6 attack on him in Moscow (both texts are in English).
Ukraine: Chernobyl Tourism
Chernobyl and Eastern Europe posts a list of errors in the AP story on Chernobyl tourism, supplied by Michael Forster Rothbart, and quotes “a friend in Kyiv who operates one of the companies that offer Chernobyl tours”: “He stated that it looks like the new government has decided to ‘monopolize...
Slovenia: Referendum Results
Sleeping With Pengovsky writes about the “disastrous” results and the implications of the referendum on Slovenia's public TV law: “The law was nixed with 72.64 percent votes against and only 27.36 percent in favour, with a criminally low voter turnout.”
@MedvedevRussia, Are You Listening? A Story of 6 Months on Twitter
Since first appearing on Twitter in June 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has become one of the most prominent tweeters on Russian Tweet-o-sphere. Yelena Osipova looks back at some of the highlights and key moments of the past six months.
Russia: Google Launches Search of Russian Blogs
Google launches blogsearch.google.ru, Russian-language blog search service. One of it's functions – to display the most discussed news of the Russian blogosphere. Almost a year ago, Yandex.ru, Russia's most popular search engine, closed a similar blog rating. Yandex claimed that the blog search and rating of blog entries wasn't efficient. Political...
Russia: A New Initiative to Release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Few days before the court will announce its verdict on the second trial of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a new online initiative suggests to promise president Medvedev electoral support in exchange of Khodorkovsky's release. Led by Mikhail Gurevich, executive director of Russian media corporation RBC Group, the project launched a Facebook group [RUS]...
Russia: President Medvedev Argues with a Fake Lawmaker's Twitter
President Medvedev had a Twitter clash with a fake Twitter account of Alexander Khinshtein, Russian lawmaker. The clash was about Medvedev's relations with the Belorussian president Alexander Lukashenko. Surprisingly, real Khinshtein apologized for the fake accounts’ critique. According to RT, “fake top official's accounts flood RuNet.”
Ukraine: Donbass Coal-Miners’ Miserable Working Conditions
@Matteush comments (UKR) on the Ukrainian segment of an Al Jazeera documentary (YouTube video, in Russian, with English subtitles) about inhumane working conditions all over the world, including the coal-mining region of Ukraine, Donbass.
Russia: More Photos of Nationalist Riot Near Kremlin
LiveJournal-user Zyalt [RUS] and DervishRV [RUS] published more photo reports of riots of soccer fans and nationalists that took place next to the Kremlin's wall in Moscow. After the protest has been dispersed the crowd started to attack everyone with non-Slavic look on the streets and in the metro.
Serbia: The Controversy of the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony
Sinisa Boljanovic writes about Serbia's initial decision not to attend the Nobel peace prize ceremony and the controversy it caused.
Macedonia: Introducing the Hunza Affair
On the Nationalities Blog, Anastas Vangeli, aka Vuna, analyzes from the perspective of Orientalism an ongoing Macedonian political affair: fraternization with the “Hunza people” from the remote mountainous region of Pakistan, who claim ancestry from the soldiers of Alexander the Great.
Russia: Photos and Videos of Soccer Fans Protesting in Moscow
Blog of Novaya Gazeta [RUS], Radio Liberty [RUS], aleshru [RUS], and vadimb [RUS] share pictures and videos from the mass protest action of soccer fans in the center of Moscow. It is the second public event since the murder of one of the fans this week. Snob.ru hosts [RUS] discussion on the political consequences of...
Serbia: Novelists Participate in “Blog Day” Project
On Dec. 8, one of the Serbian publishing houses launched an interesting project: called Blog Day, it represents a unique example of web activism in Serbia that will be taking place four times a year. The topic of the first Blog Day was Ecology, and over 20 Serbian novelists have posted their contributions.
Belarus: Search for National Identity
At OpenDemocracy.net, Natalia Leshchenko writes that “Belarusians have come to the point where they need a shared, universally accepted, veritable and satisfying understanding of themselves as a nation, and a common vision of their goals and priorities of development.”
Poland: President Meets With Medvedev and Obama
Leopolis reports on the Polish President's recent meetings with his Russian and U.S. counterparts.
Slovenia: More on Public TV Referendum
Sleeping With Pengovsky posts the last installment on the upcoming public TV referendum: “If the law is confirmed, common sense and quality media have a fighting chance. Nothing more, nothing less. If the law is defeated, then… well…”
Russia: Assange for Nobel Peace Prize?
Siberian Light writes that “Russia seems to be having great fun with the whole wikileaks affair”: “And the latest – Russia has gleefully seized the opportunity to suggest that Assange has done such a service to the world that he should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. […] Next...
Russia: Political Implications of Kushchevskaya Massacre
A Good Treaty and The Power Vertical write about last month's Kushchevskaya massacre and its political implications.
Russia: Soccer Fans Block Moscow Streets in Protest Against Murder
Corrupcia.net, bb-mos, podkradyha, and harfang83 share pictures of the soccer fans blocking Leningradskiy prospekt, one of the major Moscow streets, to protest against the murder of their colleague Yegor Sviridov. Killers of Sviridov were released soon after the murder. Most of those who participated in the street action are afraid the...
Serbia: Boycott of Nobel Prize Ceremony “Counterproductive”
Viktor Markovic (@Belgrade) tweets that “Serbian boycott of Nobel prize ceremony [is] counterproductive, seems the whole country now knows lot more about Chinese human right violations.”
Ukraine: Fundraising to Help Street Children
Scenes from the Sidewalk announces ChildRescue/CrossRoads Foundation's fundraising initiative “to purchase gifts that will be used for “Whatever Is Needed Most” by the street and at-risk children that the organization is supporting in Ukraine: “Clothing, school supplies, food, furniture for the Centers, necessities for the children, supplies.”
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