Stories from 23 May 2011
Myanmar: Farmers receive lengthy prison sentence
Aye Nai reports that farmers involved in a land dispute in Myanmar were given 8 to 12 years of prison convictions by a court. The land is owned by the...
Philippines: K+12 education reform
Sarah Maramag discusses the new education program of the Philippine government. Two more years of schooling will be added to the basic education cycle.
Greece: Is it time for the #GreekRevolution?
The peaceful mass popular protests in cities across Spain, calling for democracy and protesting bipartisanship on the eve of elections, caught Greeks by surprise after a year of fruitless protests in Greece against IMF/ECB imposed austerity measures. Many Greek netizens reacted in solidarity to the sight and sounds of the “Spanish Revolution” and considered their own predicament.
Greece: A Lukewarm Reaction to Attacks on Immigrants
Greek blogger To Vytio (The Jerrycan) writes an elegiac post [el] on his return to Athens from a weekend trip, finding the city gripped in violence, fear, apathy and scary...
Ukraine: No Bail For Ex-Interior Minister Lutsenko
Foreign Notes writes that Ukraine's ex-minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko has lost an appeal to be released on bail and is “back behind bars.”
Poland: Taxation
Politics, Economy, Society explains the Polish taxation system.
Hungary: Orbán Government and Romania's Hungarian Minority
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the relationship between the Orbán government and the Hungarian minority in Romania.
Russia: Medvedev and Press Freedom
Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog writes that while the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev “had no problems embracing iPad and Twitter,” he “seems to be a late adopter...
Slovenia: Law on Mayor/MP Conflict of Interest; New Family Code
Sleeping With Pengovsky reports that “a law establishing a conflict of interests between holding an office of mayor and MP at the same time” has been passed in Slovenia, and...
Russia: Daghestani Media Online
Window on Eurasia reports that “virtually all Daghestani media outlets now have online versions.”
Russia: EU’s Roma to Move to Russia?
Window on Eurasia wrote in early May that “rising tensions between the Roma and the titular nationalities of the European Union have sparked reports in Moscow that some of this...
Russia: History of Russian Pop
A translation of History of Russian Pop (the Russian-language original appeared in Russkii Reporter) – at RussiaWatchers, here and here.
Russia: Parking and Driving in Moscow
English Dad in Moscow writes about and posts photos of parking and driving in Moscow.
India: The Death Of a Terrorist
“I find it difficult to conceive of a time in the future when terrorism will cease to exist,” comments Sourav Sengupta while sharing his reflections on the death of Osama...
Pakistan: Imran Khan's Sit In Protest
XYZ at Cafe Pyala has some thoughts on the two-day sit in (dharna ) protest by Pakistani politician Imran Khan to block NATO supply routes from the Karachi port. The...
Pakistan: Is It America’s War Really?
D. Asghar reacts on the recent terrorist attack in a Pakistan naval air base by asking these questions: “Is it ‘America’s War’ really? If so then why is Pakistan facing...
Greece: A Proposal to Reform the Police
Greek blogger Leonidas Irakliotis proposes several measures [el] to reform the police and restore public trust, in light of recent police violence and failure to deal with a wave of...
Greece: No Peace without Justice
“I cannot remember, in living memory, any instance where I felt a distinct similarity between the events happening in Greece to the Nazi Germany pogroms against Jews and communists of...
Caribbean: Reflections on the Rapture
So the world was supposed to end this past Saturday - at least according to some religious sects. Caribbean bloggers write about how one man's delusion had an impact on the region and put a humourous spin on surviving the end of the world.
South Africa: What's next for Judge Aikona Motata?
Pierre comments on the news that the Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC) in South Africa has found that race remarks made by judge Nkola Motata constituted a prima facie case of...
Africa: The role of music in African cinema
Beatriz Leal Riesco explores the role of music in African cinema: “Since the early days of African cinema, music has formed part of a (self) conscious discourse concerning the problematic...
