4 January 2013

Stories from 4 January 2013

Vladimir Pozner & Russia's Own Political Correctness

RuNet Echo

Late last month, Vladimir Pozner—one of Russia's best known journalists—spoke out on his television show against the “Dima Yakovlev” law. He criticized the need for such legislation, condemning it as an unnecessary and improper retaliation against the American “Magnitsky Act.” In what caught Russian headlines and sent the RuNet buzzing, Pozner also took an uncharacteristically harsh shot at the federal parliament, quipping that it is a house of fools

4 January 2013

“Some Hope for a Solution in Syria” – Michel Kilo

Michel Kilo is one of Syria’s famous dissidents, a political opponent of President Bashar al Assad. He rose to prominence inthe Damascus Spring, a brief flourishing of political freedom and expression in 2000. Kilo left Syria eight months into the revolution and now lives in Paris with his family. He answered questions from Syria Deeply via Skype.

4 January 2013

An Alawite Outcast: How One Syrian Girl Lost Her Mother

Loubna Mrie paid a steep price for her place in Syria’s revolution. As an Alawite who took a stand against President Bashar Al Assad, she pitted herself against her community; many Alawites have remained staunchly behind Assad, as the leader of their sect and the protector of their privileged position of power.

4 January 2013

A New Year of Syria’s Turmoil

As the world celebrated the dawn of 2013, in Syria, the regime and the rebels were fighting for the suburbs of Damascus. On Twitter, netizens spell out their anxiousness and hopes for the year ahead.

4 January 2013

Chinese Leaders’ Apparent Thriftiness Fails to Resonate

The 'Four Dishes, One Soup' anti-corruption catchphrase originally coined by China’s first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, has re-emerged centuries later. State media recently used the term to describe a simple dinner Communist Party Chief Xi Jinping had in China’s Northern Hebei province. But netizens are not impressed by this apparent thriftiness.

4 January 2013

Secret Money, Hacks, and Politics of Russian Web

RuNet Echo

While suspicions about money and sponsorship plague all Russian politics, the RuNet is a particularly contentious battleground. The rift between the oppositionist and pro-government camps is a hotbed of accusations about illicit funding, with each side desperately professing its own honesty and insisting on the other's deception.

4 January 2013

Myanmar: 2012, the Year of Protests

Aung San Suu Kyi’s election victory, the reported persecution of the Rohingya people and President Barack Obama’s state visit were probably what the international community remembered about Myanmar in 2012. But reviewing the stories which we published in the past year, we can also declare that 2012 was a breakthrough year of protests in Myanmar.

4 January 2013