· January, 2008

Stories about Western Europe from January, 2008

Russia, EU: Asylum Seekers

IVAN vs JAAN writes about the EU stance towards Chechen asylum seekers – and about the ongoing row between the U.K. and Russia over the British Council.

16 January 2008

Serbia: “Elegy For a Swine”

Many Serbs traditionally celebrate Orthodox Christmas by firing rifles and pistols, and consuming lots of homemade plum brandy and pork. Serbian bloggers have been writing about their Jan. 7 feasts for days now, but one of them, instead of composing her own sentences about it, posted an 1887 satirical poem by Serbian poet Vojislav Ilić. The poem is dedicated to the chief victim of Serbian Christmas celebration - a pig.

12 January 2008

Portugal: Shut Guantanamo Bay down

Viriato Porto [pt] reminds us about the 6th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay and joins an Amnesty campaign calling for the camp to be shut. “A sad anniversary which is important...

11 January 2008

The Balkans: Book Review

Greater Surbiton reviews ‘Peace and Punishment’ by Florence Hartmann, “former spokeswoman for Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), […] the first...

10 January 2008

Lusosphere: Happy birthday Pimenta Negra

Blog Pimenta Negra [pt] celebrates its 4th anniversary. “It came up due to several circumstances related to the need to find an independent communication channel and an alternative to spread...

9 January 2008

Portugal: We have been betrayed

Susana Charrua [pt] is alarmed that Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has decided to seek ratification of the EU's new reform treaty by parliament rather than in a referendum as...

9 January 2008

Portugal: For a decent health care

gotaelbr [pt] reports on a trip to a hospital in Vila Real, Portugal, and the tales of neglect that he has come across. “The principle of “whoever wants health care...

8 January 2008

Global Voices: A review of 2007, and big plans for 2008

No one could have predicted that a post on Chinese ant farmers would become the most read story on Global Voices in 2007. The top stories on this website were either those where local bloggers became important sources for the international media, or those that mainstream media didn't cover at all. See what next year holds in store for Global Voices...

4 January 2008

The Musee Guimet affair: Part Deux

Last week we reported about the bloggers reactions on the controversies surrounding the exhibition of the masterpieces of Ganges in Musée Guimet of France from the collections of the Bangladesh...

3 January 2008

Last Café com Blogs in 2007

Kontratempos [pt] lets us know that the last edition of podcast Café com Blogs is now available. In this issue, a balance of the year, with facts, controversies and people...

2 January 2008