Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from September, 2012
Croatia: Promoting Solar Energy at Terraneo Music Festival
UNDP's Voices from Eurasia blog reports on the ecological education program of this year's Terraneo music festival in Šibenik, where guests, among other things, could “test-drive Croatia’s only solar-powered car...
Russia: Top Opposition Blogger Investigated for Ethnic Extremism
According to documents published online, police in Volgograd are investigating one of blogger Aleksei Navalny's newest crowdsourcing projects, the "Good Machine of Truth," for possible ethnic extremism in its propaganda efforts against United Russia and Vladimir Putin.
Russia: Dreaming About Better Roads
Prime Minister Medvedev ordered the government to auction a construction contract to build another section of a still-incomplete toll road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. By signing the decree, Medvedev awakened a debate about the highway's negative environmental impact that only recently seemed to be subsiding.
Russia: U.S. Republican Convention in Context
Most delegates of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, United States, last week probably did not imagine that Russian netizens were commenting on the proceedings in real time. Indeed, Russian bloggers have developed strong opinions about the U.S. presidential contest.
Bulgaria: Independent Journalists Demand EU Intervention
A group of Bulgarian NGOs and individual journalists issued an open letter [bg, en] to Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission, asking for a public meeting because “the situation...
Mexico: Learning from Macedonian Experiences
Mexican blogger Pepe Flores considers [es] the Macedonian platform for disclosing violence against women in public spaces React! “a fantastic idea,” applicable to Latin America.
Russia: Patriarch's Press Secretary Wants LiveJournal to Ban Photoshops of Priests
In an interview [ru] with the Orthodox website Pravmir.Ru, Patriarch Kirill's press secretary, Aleksandr Volkov, complained that LiveJournal users are too often permitted to engage in “school bathroom” humor that derides...
Russia: Online Platform for Auditing Court Decisions
With the appearance of "RosPravosudie," Russians have gained a comprehensive database of information about lawyers, attorneys, judges, and judicial decisions. Its founder, Gleb Suvorov, recently spoke to Greenhouses of Social Technologies about what can be achieved in just 100 days of online existence and about ways to improve Russia's judicial system.
Russia: 40th Anniversary of Canada-USSR Hockey Series
RuNet blogger Vladimir Kharitonov honored the 40th anniversary of the “Summit Series” – eight hockey games played on two continents between the USSR and Team Canada in September 1972. Although...
Azerbaijan: Nationalism, Extradition, and an Axe Murderer
Scary Azeri comments on the extradition to Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani soldier who murdered an Armenian counterpart on a NATO training course in Budapest, Hungary, with an axe....
Russia: Activist Jailed on Trumped Up Drug Charges
Earlier this week, the list of what many are calling Russia's 'political prisoners' grew yet again. On August 28, activist Taisiya Osipova was sentenced to eight years in prison for drug possession: four years more than the prosecution had requested.
Hungary: Government Criticized for Its Handling of Ramil Safarov's Case
The extradition of Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan was based on the belief that he would continue to serve his life sentence there. After Azerbaijan gave amnesty to the convicted murderer, however, Armenia suspended its diplomatic relations with Hungary.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
