Stories about Germany from February, 2009
Germany: “Putins Pressefreiheit”
LJ user drugoi highlights Vladimir Putin's “appearance” at the carnival in Düsseldorf, Germany, and receives nearly 300 comments (RUS).
Japan: Hetalia Axis Powers and the limits of parody
Hetalia, a satirical manga set mainly during the Second World War and featuring national protagonists of that era, has attracted attention among both domestic and international audiences for its caricature of world nations. In this post, read reactions in translation from bloggers in both Japan, where the manga originated, and in Italy, the country most strongly ridiculed.
Egypt: More activists and bloggers arrested
Two more Egyptian bloggers and activists have been detained by authorities, sparking calls and campaigns by bloggers and human rights activists for their release, in the latest series of arrests targeting online activists. Lasto Adri reports from Cairo.
Europe: “Who Needs the Euro?”
Andrei Tuch of AnTyx writes at Th!nk About It: “So, for the eleven member states who still use their own currencies – and especially the more developed ones, whose economies might have some chance of standing on their own without leaning on the European Central Bank – the question is:...