Stories from 28 June 2010
Russia: New Initiatives Indicate Government's Fear of the New Media
Alexey Sidorenko writes about the Russian government's attempts to control cyberspace - and its apparent fear of the new media.
Russia, US: “Burger Diplomacy”
Vadim Nikitin wonders if the Medvedev-Obama meeting is a sign that “[…] the Russian President, for so long considered a mere window dressing to Prime Ministerial rule, might stick around longer than Putin might like?” Robert Amsterdam writes that “burger diplomacy” is “[…] an apt epithet for a relationship that...
Hungary: Museum Night in Budapest
The Uncataloged Museum writes about this year's Museum Night in Budapest.
Serbia: Mufti Zukorlic vs Blic
Belgraded writes about the conflict between the mufti of the Serbian Islamic community and the Blic newspaper.
Ukraine: Gorbachev and Chernobyl
Window on Eurasia writes about Mikhail Gorbachev's order to hold the May Day demonstration in Kyiv shorly after the Chernobyl catastrophe.
Peru: A Bill on Obscene Content
A few days ago the news broke of a bill that had been approved by the Justice Comission in Congress, proposing an amendment to section 183-B of the Penal Code, which sanctions the media publication of obscene and pornographic displays. As a result, opponents of the bill raised the banners of "Freedom of the Press" and "Freedom of Speech." Bloggers and internet media users are debating whether this bill really gets rid of these freedoms, or if it serves as a protection for minors and others who don't want to see that content.
Ukraine: Kyiv Farmers’ Markets
Photos of berries, fruit and vegetables sold at Kyiv farmers’ markets this summer – at The Pickle Project, here and here.
Maldives: Much Ado About Airport Privatization
Hassan Ziyau questions Maldivian media's role on the recent controversy about airport privatization in Maldives.
Pakistan: What Is Blasphemy?
“What is Blasphemy?” This question has been drawn in numerous discussions after the the recent banning of certain websites in Pakistan. Shaista Kazmi & Azhar Aslam at Teeth Maestro has details.
Sri Lanka: Constitutional Reform
Sumanasiri Liyanage at Groundviews discusses the expectations and the realities regarding constitutional reform in Sri Lanka.
Chile: Flash Mob Remembering Michael Jackson
María Pastora writes [es] about her first time participating in a flash mob. She also includes a video of the flash mob, which was choreographed as a tribute to Michael Jackson. The flash mob was organized by flashmob.cl [es]
Uruguay: Celebrating Advancement to Quarter Finals
Agarrate Montevideo [es] posted pictures and videos of Uruguayans celebrating their team's advancement to quarter finals in the 2010 FIFA World Cup after beating South Korea 2-1; it is the first time in 40 years that the Uruguayan team reaches quarter finals in a World Cup.
Peru: Scientist is Charged for Criticizing Investigation
In the blog Blawyer.org [es] Miguel Morachimo says [es] that a judge in Lima has declared biologist Ernesto Bustamante guilty of defamation for questioning a colleagues conclusions of a study on two media outlets.
Russia: Blogger Finds a Vulnerability in E-Gov Portal
Habrahabr-user Romachev blogs [RUS] about a crucial security hole in the process of the identification of E-government portal gosuslugi.ru [RUS]. According to the blogger, the vulnerability offers a large potential for identity fraud.
Azerbaijan: Zhiguli
Sheki, Azerbaijan honors the Zhiguli, a Soviet era car, with a post remembering it as part of history.
Mauritius: 30 Prisoners escape from jail
“Around 30 prisoners have escaped from the GRNW jail in Mauritius this evening. The prisoners attacked the jail officers at around 18.30 hrs today and fled as members of the public watched the scene with an utmost astonishment,” Island Crisis reports.
South Africa: Rethinking customary law
Pierre de Vos discusses South African customary law: “When I studied law at Stellenbosch University, we did not study a single aspect of customary law. It was as if customary law (and the millions of people who lived in terms of it) did not exist.”
Seychelles: Visiting Vallée de Mai
I Love Seychelles writes about Vallée de Mai in Seychelles. Vallée de Mai is a nature reserve, which is on the UNESCO world heritage list.
Cape Verde: My life in Cachaço
Steven blogs about his life as a volunteer in Cape Verde: “Cape Verdeans bathe regularly, sometimes twice a day, and fully half of each bath is devoted to cleaning the feet. Baths are generally taken outside, while wearing underwear.”
Zimbabwe: Celebrating World Cup in Harare
Bev Clark on celebrating the World Cup in Harare, Zimbabwe: “Some of the Kubatana team have been moving around various pubs in Harare to watch world cup games. Our favourite haunt so far is Boleros in Chisipite.”
Japan and the World Cup: Silencing the critics
Ranked near the bottom of the 32 teams on the field in South Africa, facing odds estimated at 400-to-1 and four straight pre-tournament losses to boot, Japan was not even expected to win a game in this year's World Cup. But with their convincing 3-1 win over Denmark, perceptions have completely changed, propelling coach Takashi Okada from the butt of all jokes to a national hero.
