Stories from 12 June 2009
Russia: “The Vyatlag Archipelago”
Ekaterina Lushnikova writes about prison camps in the Vyatka region at OpenDemocracy.net: “The Kirov Oblast is located about 1,000 km to the northeast of Moscow. It is the largest province in the Volga Federal District – 120,000 sq.km. Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and a few Monaco principalities would easily fit in...
Central & Eastern Europe: Another Update on EP Election
One more view on the European Parliament election in Central and Eastern Europe – from the Economist's Edward Lucas.
Denmark: #TV2Wikigate
Last month, two Danish television hosts aiming to show that the participatory online encyclopedia Wikipedia is unreliable, instead ended up defending their own credibility when it was uncovered that the errors they showed off on television had been created by someone working for the program.
Zimbabwe: Faces of the crisis and a cry for help
The CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation organization has published Time 2 Act, an online video in which people in Zimbabwe present the various ways in which the crisis the country is going through is decimating the population and the quality of life of the survivors. In the following 3 part video, citizens discuss how the mega devaluation the currency is going through affects their ability to eat and clothe themselves, speak about violence and plead for help from mediators such as the South African Development Community.
Indonesia: Wayang Kulit
The traditional wayang kulit is a famous shadow puppet play in Indonesia. lekhikaa blogs about a project to make the wayang accessible to foreigners.
Thailand: Combating Iodine deficiency
Jotman notes that “Although Thailand was the first country in the region to make progress against iodine deficiency, of all countries in ASEAN, Thailand has made the least progress in recent years.”
Inaccurate travel advisory on East Timor
The Lost Boy notes that the travel advisory of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on East Timor needs to be updated. The blogger insists that the security situation in the country is calm.
East Timor: UN tells staff to dress properly
The United Nations has instructed its personnel in East Timor to dress properly. The UN reminded its staff to “Avoid revealing or provocative clothing in public, be clean and presentable at all times and dress conservatively when attending religious and official functions.”
East Timor: Church and homosexuality
The Roman Catholic Church has contributed to the further marginalization of gay citizens in East Timor, according to the East Timor Law and Justice Bulletin blog.
Japan: Why highly educated women want to be housewives?
Mari Kanazawa wondered why highly educated women in their 20s want to quit their jobs and become housewives.
South Korea: Media bias against English teacher
Metropolitician wrote in Korean Media Watch on the media bias against foreign English teacher in South Korea.
