Stories from 29 July 2008
Serbia: Liveblogging the Riot
LimbicNutrition Weblog was liveblogging the rioting in Belgrade.
Ukraine: Flooding
Ukrainiana reviews media reports on the flooding in Western Ukraine, which has killed at least 22 people, including six children.
Serbia: Pro-Karadzic Rioting in Belgrade
Balkan File writes about the pro-Karadzic rally in Belgrade and reports that the city's center “now looks a complete mess.”
Hungary: Gas Pipeline and Relations With Russia and the U.S.
Hungarian Spectrum writes about Hungary's negotiations with Russia on the Southern Stream gas pipeline and the effect it is having on the U.S.-Hungarian relations.
Serbia, Russia: Karadzic's and “Russian Energy Imperialism”
James of Robert Amsterdam's Blog is wondering whether “Karadzic arrest [could be] a response to Russian energy imperialism.”
Russia: The Mechel Affair
Updates on PM Vladimir Putin's attack on the steel and coal giant Mechel – at Robert Amsterdam's Blog (here, here, and here).
Ukraine: Battles for Dniproenergo
Kremlin, Inc. writes about the battles for Dniproenergo: “Of course, while they may make for interesting reading, such events are not very helpful for Ukraine’s business world…”
Ukraine: Lenin and Church Bells
Copydude writes about the decision of Lutsk authorities to “remelt [the town's] Lenin monument into church bells.”
Angola: Important books to understand the country
Diário da África [Africa Diary, pt] posts a list of important books for those who want to learn more about Angola. Some of them, such as ‘Angola: Anatomy of an Oil State’ by Tony Hodges, are in English.
Latvia: Teasing the Guards
Arnis Balcus posts photos from the early 1990s, when it was still possible to “tease the guards at the Freedom Monument in Riga.”
Hungary: Higher Education
Hungarian Spectrum writes about Hungary's system of higher education.
Czech Republic: Fear of the Olympic China
The Czech Daily Word explains why “Czech athletes are a little afraid to go to China.”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: 7 Serbs Convicted
Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports on the sentencing of “Milenko Trifunović, Brano Džinić, and Aleksandar Radovanović to forty-two (42) years long-term imprisonment, the Accused Miloš Stupar, Slobodan Jakovljević, and Branislav Medan to forty (40) years long-term imprisonment, and the Accused Petar Mitrović to thirty-eight (38) years long-term imprisonment”: “All 7 Accused...
Serbia: Karadžić Update
An update on Radovan Karadžić – at East Ethnia.
Arabeyes: Head Over Heels for Muhannad
A strange phenomenon has gripped the Arab world and Arabs seem to agree on something. It is an infatuation with a Turkish soap opera, dubbed in Arabic, and its stunning star Muhanned (played by Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ), whose romantic trysts are beamed on television screens across the region. The obsession of some people with the soap has also prompted the Grand Mufti of the Islamic world, Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh, from Saudi Arabia, to issue a fatwa (religious edict) banning the drama, saying watching it is Haram (a sin).
Russia: Level of Patriotism Among Pro-Putin Youth
LJ user makov_mak recounts (RUS) an improvised survey on the level of patriotism among pro-Putin youth, with some peculiar twists to it.
Belarus: Relations with Russia and the Union State
Glavred user ringo analyses (RUS) relations between Belarus and Russia and the situation with the issue of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.
Russia: Reaction to Captive Nations Speech
Former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar comments on the negative Russian reactions to US president's George Bush parallel between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in a recent speech celebrating the Captive Nations’ week. Idel-Ural Kray presents an alternative view (RUS) of the matter.
Russia: Projecting Demographic Development
Da Russophile presents and evaluates various models for projecting the demographic development of Russia.
Russia: Exaggerated Rumours of a New Cuban Crisis
FP Passport – Russia follows up on the commotion and official denials following rumours of Russian plans to station strategic bombers to Cuba.
Soviet History: Russian-Korean Migration in Central Asia
Otto's Random Thoughts addresses the migration of Russian-Koreans from Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan 1937-1959.
