Stories from 10 August 2009
The Balkans: “Greek Journalist Sued for Writings on Bosnia”
A Fistful of Euros and Greater Surbiton report on the case of Greek journalist Takis Michas: “A few years back, Michas wrote a book about the links between Greece and the Bosnian war — Greek support for Milosevic and Karadzic, Greek volunteers going to fight for the Serb side in...
Moldova: Post-Election Politics
At OpenDemocracy.net, Louis O'Neill writes about the post-election politics in Moldova: “All Moldovans should be proud of what they have done with these elections. Let us hope they can be equally proud of their leaders in the next months and beyond.”
Russia: Life in Nizhny Novgorod
At OpenDemocracy.net, Lira Valeyeva writes about life and politics in Nizhny Novgorod.
Bulgaria: Georgi Yanev's Fight Against Corruption
Maya Markova reports on the case of architect Georgi Yanev, who “is well known in Bulgaria as practically the only ordinary citizen who tried to fight the massive corruption in the country”: “To sum up, what is the result of being a good citizen, speaking out about corruption and helping...
Serbia, Russia: NIS and Gazprom
An update on Gazprom in Serbia – at A Fistful of Euros.
Russia: Moscow High-Rise on Fire
Photos of a fire at one of Moscow's newly-built high-rise apartment buildings last week – by LJ user drugoi (RUS).
Ukraine: Anti-Domestic Violence Ad Campaign
At GlobalComment, Natalia Antonova writes about a new anti-domestic violence ad campaign in Ukraine; some of the ads “feature famous Ukrainian boxer Alina Shaternikova with one black eye and a tagline that reads: ‘I put up with it because I want to win. Why do you?‘”
Bangladesh: Uncultured Project and Clean Water
The Uncultured Project helps out in Bangladesh with clean water and disaster relief, and has an advantageous position to compare two different portable water filtering methods.
Brazil: Bolivia expels Brazilian citizens
Evo Morales' government claims that recent expulsions of Brazilians from its territory is focused on matters of sovereignty, but some Brazilian bloggers suggest it is to settle government supporters in their place.
Bhutan: Cows As Garbage Collectors
Penstar posts pictures of the new volunteers, who are helping to dispose off the garbage from some overflowing dustbins of the Bhutanese capital.
Sri Lanka: Another Case Of Plagiarism
Nisadas comments on another recent case of publishing content of a blogger by a Sri Lankan newspaper without giving credit: “what I cannot understand is, why are the newspapers paying people to plagiarize?”
India, Pakistan: A Karachi Family In An Indian Mall
Mayank Austen Soofi at Paksitan Paindabad portrays the reactions and excitements of a visiting three member Karachi family, whom he met at the Metropolitan Mall in Gurgaon, near Delhi.
Egypt: Gamal Mubarak Intices Youth Involvement
In an attempt to win their support, Egyptian president's son Gamal Mubarak launched an open online forum, Sharek, where he promises to address all the questions posed by young internet savvy Egyptians himself.
Egypt: Five People I Wish to Meet
If you were given the choice of selecting five people you would like to meet in your lifetime, who would they be? Egyptian blogger Ahmed Shokeir blogs at Late Night Stories about five people whom he wishes to meet and be photographed with.
Israel: Critical Means Self-Hating?
In Israel, Kristin says: “I’m so sick and tired of hearing this phrase “self-hating Jew”. I think that to be critical of one’s homeland is to be a true citizen: this can be done in many ways but if you are willing to strive to better it, how is this...
India: Premier Padmini
Anil P at Windy Skies features the Premier Padmini automobile which ruled the Indian roads for three decades and survived the demands Indian consumers placed on it.
China: The Dongying Mass Incident
ESWN translated a story from Chinapic about a massive criminal assault incident in Dongying County of Shandong province, which was caused by local government's intervention in the relocation of a market place.
Taiwan: Southern Taiwan devastated by typhoon Morakot
On Aug. 7, 2009, typhoon Morakot landed on Taiwan. The Central Weather Bureau urged residents in Northern Taiwan to be prepared for the heavy rain and strong wind brought by Morakot. However, it turned out that southern Taiwan has suffered from more devastating landslides and floods when compared with northern...
Mauritania Experiences First-Ever Suicide Bombing
Mauritania suffered its first-ever suicide bombing attack on Saturday, wounding one Mauritanian and two French citizens. Bloggers and Twitter users react to the incident.
Argentina: Proposal to Increase Taxes on Some Technology Products
The Argentine Congress gave their preliminary approval to raise taxes on some imported technological products. Many bloggers feel that this will make it harder for all segments of society to access these tools.
Haiti, DR: Border Tension
Repeating Islands reports on growing tensions at the Haiti/Dominican Republic border, following the alleged murder of a Dominican citizen by a Haitian, who is “accused of committing the crime to steal a motorcycle.”