Stories about Western Europe from May, 2007
Macedonia, Greece: Name Dispute
The Macedonian Tendency posts a note on the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece.
Russia, Austria: Raiffeisen, Murder and Money Laundering
Robert Amsterdam writes about the alleged ties of Raiffeisen Zentralbank (RZB) of Austria to murder and money laundering in Russia.
Libya: Blair in Tripoli
“British prime minister is touring Africa before leaving his office and we got a glimpse of his visit to Tripoli. His visit brought a very tight security to the city. Our backyard parking area is cleared by the police and there were checkpoints all around our street,” writes Iranian Mr...
How the South is financing the North's internet connection
Reseau International de correspondants writes about pricing inequalities in the international telecom system (Fr) that place a disproportionate burden of payment on developing countries to the extent that “the South is financing the North” and it is in effect “three times more expensive to connect to the internet” in developing...
Russia: Investments in Austria
Robert Amsterdam writes about Russian investments in Austria.
Human Sacrifice & the Politics of Death
At Babilown, French-Beninian author Blaise Aplognan describes the religious and political function of human sacrifice (Fr) in ancient societies: “…its goal was to channel violence toward a (sacrificed) individual, toward the sacred realm, institutionalizing violence by supervising it and practicing it according to very precise rules and rituals.”
Europe: Third Annual Satin Pajama Awards
Voting has just begun in the Third Annual Satin Pajama Awards over at A Fistful of Euros.
Russia, UK: More on the Litvinenko Affair
“The British Crown Prosecution Service has charged Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Alexandr Litvinenko. The question if anything will come of it,” writes Sean Guillory.
France's Overseas Territories Now Under the Administration of the Ministry of the Interior
Martiniquian Le Blog de [Moi] writes that under the new French cabinet, the Ministry of Overseas Territories has been abolished, or rather, folded in with the Ministry of the Interior to create the Ministry of the Interior, Overseas Territories and Collectivities. This is a good thing, writes Le Blog de...
Morocco: The Week of Firsts
It was a week of firsts in Morocco - with the first French Minister of Moroccan descent, the first newspaper and the first wine store. Jillian York has more in this report.
Alain Mabanckou on the new French government
Congolese poet-novelist Alain Mabanckou writes about several politicians from the left who were given positions in France's new conservative government, as well as the appointment of France's first African Minister of Justice, Rachida Dati, the daughter of Moroccan and Algerian immigrants. On the basis of these appointments, he calls France's...
France's New “Ministry of Nationalism and Expulsion”
Francophone blogger Et Si Nous Parlions has no love for French president Nicolas Sarkozy's new Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity, and Co-Development. He prefers to call it the “Ministry of Nationalism and Expulsion” (Fr). The ministry's title suggests its broad-reaching ambitions. French human rights groups have criticized the ministry's...
Ukraine: Yushchenko's UK Visit Cancelled
Foreing Notes writes about the cancellation of president Yushchenko's meeting with Tony Blair.
Russia: Dissent and Samara Summit
Samara-based blogger Dmitri Minaev and Sean Guillory write about the EU-Russia Summit in Samara and the regime's ways of dealing with dissent.
Morocco: Fighting ignorance, injustice, and irrationality
Giving one's child a special first name should be an inalienable right, not a lengthy bureaucratic process. Hamza Daoui covers a debate stirring up over this very issue, as well as the upcoming Moroccan elections and the timeless subject of ignorance.
Israel: Brits Banning Israeli Universities, Professors and Students
“The Brits are at it again. (Like they’ve ever stopped). So British academics are again putting together a boycott of Israeli universities, Israeli professors, and Israeli students. Four Israeli academics went to meet with the boycott put-togetherers in the U.K. this week,” notes blogger Yael from Israel.
The EU: “The ‘Balkans’ They Love to Hate”
TOL's The nEUrosis critiques a Times’ story on the EU's newest members: “But rather than explaining the situation, the article goes on to provide no explanation or example why Bulgaria and Romania are in such a sordid state. In the same vein, anyone could say the same about any country...
Madagascar: Malagasy bloggers in France criticize Sarkozy's proposed immigration policy
The platform on which France's new president Nicolas Sarkozy was elected proposes the creation of a ministry of immigration and national identity. Immigrants who have been living in France for a substantial amount of time would have to go through a strict application process providing evidence of their attachment to...
Burundi: French Man Mistaken for a Cannibal
Bien Au Bout… shares the strange story of children who fled their schools en masse fearing they might be eaten [Fr] by a white man seen wandering in the forests outside their villages. Local rumor had it that Patrice Faye, a French naturalist and collector of endangered snakes with 30...
Europe: Still Some More on Eurovision
Another mini-roundup of entries on last Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest: Anegdote encourages readers to rejoice – because they “accomplished something too by watching” Serbia's winning entry on TV; Belgrade 2.0 thinks Western Europeans should set up a bloc of their own next year, to counter the votes of the existing...
French Annexation of Tunisia: How to Remember History?
Tunisien Doctor explains why it is important [Fr] that Tunisians remember May 12, 1881, the day France annexed Tunisia, and asks why so many have forgotten. At least one reader thinks it's time to “turn the page on that brief chapter of our long history and move on to other...
