Stories about Western Europe from April, 2012
Armenia: Straight to the village
With a GDP per capita estimated at just $5,400 in 2011, Armenia is one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union. The situation is particularly noticeable in the villages of the landlocked country, but one foreign diplomat hopes to change all that.
France: Pirate Party Fields Candidates in Legislative Election
The Pirate Party, which was started in Sweden in 2006, has since spread to other countries in Europe. In Germany, the local elections of Sunday, March 25, 2012, allowed the party to enter the parliament of Saarland after an earlier victory admitted it to the Berlin Parliament. This result has...
Greece: Public Suicide of 77 Year Old Man in Athens Square
All Greece was shocked this morning by the news that Dimitris Christoulas, aged 77, shot himself in the head around 9 am, in full view of passersby in Syntagma Square, Athens, across from the Parliament building. Before the shot, he reportedly shouted that he "didn't want to leave any debts to his children".
Portugal: Prayers on Twitter for April Fools’ Day “Coup d'Etat”
A false rumour of a coup d'etat became a trending topic – and a worlwide joke – on Twitter with the hashtag #PrayforPortugal. The Spanish newspaper El País and The Associated Press released the news that “the Portuguese President dissolved Parliament and called for calm”; netizens replied with funny messages...
France: Lyon Hosts the World Wide Web 2012 Conference
The World Wide Web 2012 conference is hosted this year in Lyon, France, from April 16 to 20, and will feature many prominent figures of the Web, historic and current ones. Global Voices Online author Danica Radovanovic is presenting on the first day a paper about “one of the very popular social and communication...
