Stories from 13 December 2007
Dubai: Newspaper Changes Tone
McMenon, who lives in Dubai, is annoyed at how a newspaper changed its tone in reference to the gang-rape case in which a 15-year-old boy was attacked in Dubai.
Palestine: Will the Real Muslim Americans Please Stand Up
Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah uncovers the story behind a video featuring Christian Americans of Arab origins and portraying them as Muslims.
Russia: Oka, the Car
The Turkish Invasion writes about Oka car: “In Moscow, Oka cars are widely used by pizza delivery (since it is basically warmer than driving a bike in winter) and only a handful of enthusiasts remain who continue driving this car (Many Russians prefer taking easy bank loans and drive luxury...
Russia: Labels and Comparisons
A discussion of labels, comparisons and various development models that could be applied to Russia and its leaders – at Sean's Russia Blog.
Russia: “Lessons From Recent History”
Rumination on Russia writes about Yeltsin, Putin, Medvedev – and the “lessons from recent history.”
China: Bullog's top stories of 2007
Is it top ten year-end list time yet? Bullog International blogger Song Shinan gives us eight choices [zh] in a vote for blog story of the year at Bullog, the small but growing blog service provider (BSP) which hosts some of China's most progressive blogger voices, centered around hope to...
Russia: Health Care
Grigory Pasko cuts a finger and ends up writing a horror story about health care in Russia – posted at Robert Amsterdam's blog.
Russia: Andrei Nekrasov's Film & Article
At Robert Amsterdam's blog – a 2004 film by Andrei Nekrasov, which “presents a theory of the 1999 apartment bombings,” and Nekrasov's piece on “Vladislav Surkov and the Ideology of Russia's New One-Party State.”
Ukraine: Parliamentary Immunity/Impunity
Orange Ukraine reposts a newspaper piece on parliamentary immunity – and impunity.
Kenya: The 3 opiums of Kenyan voters
Kumekucha highlights three main problems of Kenyan voters: “Tribalism. Corruption. Short-term memory. These are the three opium’s we must exhale out of our body system before you go vote on the 27th.”
Malawi: William Kamkwamba in the Wall Street Journal
Erik writes about the Malawian young scientist, William Kamkwamba, on Afrigadget: We’ve written about young Malawian William Kamkwamba a couple of times here on AfriGadget, so it’s great to see him getting recognition in the WSJ! The article is titled “A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, Electrifying a Nation“.
Ukraine: Yushchenko's “Unfulfilled Election Promise”
Taras Kuzio writes that “Ukraine’s elites continue – as they have since Ukraine became an independent state in 1992 – to regard themselves as above the rule of law.”
Armenia: Banditocracy
Nazarian comments on the bombing of a minor opposition newspaper in Yerevan with the 2008 presidential election just two months away. Although the damage was slight, the blogger says that the attack in itself is representative of the continual harassment of the radical opposition press.
Soviet History: A Syllabus
J. Otto Pohl's Political History of the USSR syllabus is here.
Georgia: Populist Politics
TOL Georgia is less than impressed with the populist politics of opposition politician Shalva Natelashvili. The blog says that promises from the candidate for the January 2008 presidential election usually sound crazy and often sound “crazy.”
Azerbaijan: Media Freedom
Leigh's new adventures in Azerbaijan says that the authorities in Baku reacted quickly in releasing an imprisoned Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist after comments from the U.S. Ambassador on media freedom in the country.
Slovenia: “When Misinformation Becomes Institutionalised”
Marko Bucik explains at length what kind of damage could be done by an article on Slovenian EU presidency, written by Slovenia's foreign minister for an English-language promo leaflet.
Europe: Anti-EU “Strategies”
Kosmopolit writes about three “different anti-EU strategies of leading politicians”: “the quiet, the loud and the hyperactive.”
Russia: Kasparov Withdraws From Presidential Race
Garry Kasparov has withdrawn from presidency race because of the failure to find a venue for an initiative group meeting. Siberian Light is “a little disappointed that Kasparov used this as an excuse to withdraw”: “The real reason behind Kasparov’s decision to pull out of the race, I suspect, is...
Belarus: Lawsuit Against Newspaper
TOL's Belarus writes about a lawsuit filed against a Minsk newspaper.
Russia, Belarus: Putin's Visit
TOL's Belarus covers an attack on protesters against Putin's visit to Belarus and explain what could be the reasons for the visit: “That means that it is the Russian side that will ask for something.” Being Had writes about Russian-Belarusian relationship over the years.
