Stories from 11 July 2011
Russia: Reintroducing Fabergé
John Helmer of Dancing With Bears tells the story of how a South African entrepreneur is reintroducing production of Russia's famous Fabergé eggs.
Russia: Worries of wildfires
Two-Zero of Moscow Blog writes about the worries in Russia that last year's catastrophic wildfires will repeat themselves this year.
Ukraine joins EU-Battlegroups
British Ambassador to Ukraine, Leigh Turner, writes about Ukraine joining the EU-Battlegroups and deepening European-Ukrainian military cooperation.
Ukraine: History of Little Tatary
Leoš Tomíček of Austere Insomniac makes an historical argument about the origins of South-East Ukraine – Little Tatary – as part of Ukrainian statehood.
Russia: Drug enforcement agency at work
Ernst Krenkel of Backyard Safari describes [GER] the Russian Federal Drug Control Service and how it works.
Central and Eastern Europe: Economies more exposed than expected
Edward Hugh of Baltic Economy Watch argues that Central and East European economies are more exposed to risk in case of a Eurozone crisis than what financial ratings say.
Ukraine: Tymoshenko's Courtroom Drama
Since late June 2011, former Prime Minister of Ukraine and one of the Orange Revolution's leaders, Yulia Tymoshenko, has been on trial in capital Kyiv for abuse of power regarding a natural gas contract with Russia. If found guilty she faces up to ten years in prison.
China: Copycat of Kung Fu Panda
Fan Huang from Shanghaiist introduces a Chinese copycat of Kung Fu Panda — the Legend of a Rabbit, jointly produced by Tianjin North Film Group and Beijing Film Academy.
China: The danger of a quick visit
C. Custer from China Geeks reminds foreign businessmen and media that the impression one can get in a quick visit in China is usually impartial and misleading.
Philippines: Human Rights Report 2011
Karapatan uploads its findings on the human rights situation in the Philippines. The report covers the first year of the new government.
Watching football in Myanmar
dawn_1o9 blogs about the recent victory of Myanmar's football team against Mongolia. She posts pictures of the game which give a glimpse of the popularity of football in the country.
China: Lawyers Back Candidates Barred From Recent Election
Amid the growing number of people announcing their candidacy in district-level People's Congress elections this year, one story which continues to generate interest is that of Liu Ping in Jiangxi who, along with two other candidates, was prevented from standing in her local election.
Indonesia: Tourism slogans
Rima Fauzi suggests some slogans for Indonesia's tourism promotion campaign which also underlies some of the problems besetting the country.
China: High speed rail malfunction
David Bandurski from China Media Project on Chinese netizens’ responses to the malfunction of the brand-new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway on July 10, 2011.
Sino-Foreign Film Co-Productions in China
China Law Blog has a guest post written by Mathew Alderson which outlines some basic rules for foreign companies doing film co-productions in China.
Indonesia: Rail-based mass transit project
Herlina blogs about the rail-based Mass Rapid Transit in Indonesia which is cited as a solution to the traffic woes in Jakarta.
Singapore City circa 1957
A youtube video uploaded by travelfilmarchive documents life in Singapore in 1957
Indonesia: Electronic ID for citizens
Indonesians will be issued electronic identification cards this year. Blogger Multibrand hopes this would simplify transactions in the country
Australia Unveils Carbon Pricing Package
Australians remain divided after Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s announcement of a Clean Energy package with a carbon price of $A 23 per tonne and an emissions trading scheme from 2015. Bloggers note that Australia is the only country in the world with an economy-wide carbon tax.