Global Voices Online

Russian Spy reports on why Russian women aren't too eager to have kids: “Delivering a baby in a hospital that provides services on commercial principles usually costs a minimum of 25,000 rubles (about $1,000). The amount of a monthly child benefit paid for 18 months has now increased more than twice, up to 1,500 rubles (about $40) – a sum big enough for buying two packages of good-quality throwaway diapers for a baby. The state would cough up a bit more for you to buy 4 packages a month in case you are willing to have a second child.”

Recent Links also in Eastern & Central Europe

IZO reports on the resurrection of Dmitri Vrubel's renowned Berlin wall painting of the kiss between Brezhnev and Honecker.

LJ user Russian-Cyberspace.org comments on Russians becoming increasingly skilled at social networking on the Internet at the same time as the country is experiencing an increasing divide between citizens' level of access to the Internet.

Robert Amsterdam posts the first episode in a series of interviews with Russia's former economics presidential adviser and opposition politician, Andrei Illarionov.