· December, 2008

Stories about Western Europe from December, 2008

World Runner Comes to Jordan

  27 December 2008

Danish Runner Jesper Olsen is running around the world crossing four continents to promote running as something all cultures have in common.The Danish Ambassador to Jordan HE.Thomas Lund-Sørensen writes about this: As I am writing these lines the Ultra Runner Jesper Olsen from World Run II is crossing the Ramtha...

Russia, Serbia: Gazprom, NIS, and Gas Prices

  24 December 2008

Streetwise Professor posts an update on Gazprom's “vaporware” in Serbia, which includes a recent resignation of the “anti-Gazprom” Serbian economics minister, Mladan Dinkic (more on that – at Robert Amsterdam's blog). Meanwhile, gas costs $5.80 per gallon in Serbia, according to Bill's Blog: “To put the $5.80 into perspective, the...

Macedonia: NATO and the Name Issue

  22 December 2008

Macedonia's foreign minister Antonio Milososki said this in Helsinki earlier this month: “Republic of Macedonia fulfilled the criteria for membership in the North-Atlantic Alliance, but it will join in when it will be allowed to do so in a dignified manner.” Say: Macedonia comments: “This statement mirrors the public opinion...

Madagascar: France responds to alleged censorship of “47” play

  20 December 2008

Pierre Maury reports that French authorities have responded to the accusation of censorhip of “47” a historic independence play created by Jean-Luc Raharimanana and Thierry Bedard. Victoire Bidegain Di Rosa, advisor to the French ministry of Culture explains that the subject of the play is not necessarily of interest to...

Greece: Notes on the Riots

  17 December 2008

Notes on the Greek riots – at LimbicNutrition Weblog: “The riots have been descibed as ‘the first credit-crunch riots.’ Countries with high youth unemployment and a tradition of mass protest (e.g. France, Italy, Spain, Serbia) should be concerned about the riots spreading. From Belgrade to Bordeaux solidarity graffiti warns of...

Cyprus: Banning Turkish Placenames in GPS Systems

  15 December 2008

The Cyprus government is currently attempting to ban GPS systems that use Turkish place names in the Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, Homeboy Media News reports: The Ministry of Education and Culture meanwhile has come up with some additional reasoning for the campaign to ban the GPS receivers. In its feedback, the...

The Difference Between Greece and Egypt

  11 December 2008

Egyptian Chronicles compares between the situation in Egypt and in Greece and writes: “I mean the Greeks are mad about one teenage while from two weeks ago in successive four days four citizens were killed in Egypt from the Delta to Cairo to Aswan by the Police for no reason...

Greece: Photos From Athens

  11 December 2008

piran café posts photos sent by a friend in Athens and writes: “This looks more like Beirut than the city that hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.”

China and France: Boycott of French Goods

  10 December 2008

On December 1, an article appeared in China.com urging a nationwide boycott against French product in order to protest against the meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Dalai Lama. The post advised consumers not to buy about 50 French brands, including cars, clothes, alcohol and skin-care products. Commentaries from...

Greece: Riots in Athens Continue

  10 December 2008

For the past three days, the capital of Greece, Athens, has been rocked by demonstrations and rioting as thousands have taken to the streets in protest at the fatal shooting by a police officer of 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in the Athens district of Exarchia on December 6, 2008.