Stories from 7 November 2007
Russia: Insulin Shortage
Window on Eurasia writes about shortage of insulin in Russia.
Russia: Putin Jokes Not Allowed, Sort Of
Window on Eurasia writes about the FSB's attempt to ban jokes about Putin in Novosibirsk.
Russia: Stalin and the Kurds
Window on Eurasia writes about “the tangled history of Moscow’s involvement with the Kurds during World War II and in the last years of Stalin’s reign.”
Ukraine: Trouble in Crimea
Window on Eurasia writes about the growing anti-Crimean Tatar sentiment in Crimea: “…the two incidents this last week suggest that tension in the Crimea are almost certainly going to increase. And to the extent that happens, neither the Ukrainian authorities nor the Crimean Tatars who are trying to make a...
Russia: Moscow Monorail and Ostankino
The Turkish Invasion takes pictures of the bums sleeping in Moscow subway trains, of the Monorail and the Ostankino TV Tower.
Ukraine, Georgia: Presidents vs the Opposition
Mark MacKinnon compares Mikhail Saakashvili's policies to those of Victor Yushchenko: “The people still own the streets in Ukraine, for better and for worse. That's no longer so in Georgia.”
Russia: Revolution and National Unity
This year, Nov. 7 marks the 90th anniversary of the 1917 revolution in Russia. Sean's Russia Blog writes about the events leading up to the Bolshevik's ascent and suggests that, by some definitions, they “came to power democratically”; he also writes about the Russian opposition's wrong reading of history. MoscowThroughBrownEyes...
Russia, Japan: Putin's Sexiness Ranking
Siberian Light writes that the Japanese have voted Vladimir Putin the world’s fifth most attractive politician.
Soviet History: Richard Sorge
ExecutedToday.com writes about Richard Sorge, a spy whose “signal achievement was establishing, as a foreigner in a highly xenophobic Japan, a spy ring that for years penetrated the highest levels of the Japanese government and the German embassy, giving Moscow an inside look at Axis planning” – and who was...
Moldova: Prison Conditions
Last year, Father Bill Haymaker of Moldova Prisons documented the heartbreak and humiliation of prisoners’ lives: 20 boys living in a cell designed for 12; 18 girls packed into a similar cell; two women, each mother of a 4-month-old, sharing a room “so small I could not extend my arms...
Georgia: Bad News for Freedom
The Washington Realist draws comparisons between events in Tbilisi with Pakistan and Russia. The blog concludes that it will be interesting to discover U.S. reaction to what is happening in Georgia as opposed to other countries.
Iran:War and Public Opinion
Mohammad Ali Abtahi,former vice president, says that it is months when American officials are trying to convince public opinion of the world to launch a war against Iran.
Saudi Arabia: Kinky Clothing on Sale
Under the heavy veil and behind closely guarded doors, some Saudi women are being a tad bit naughty when it comes to dressing down for the bedroom. Blogger Nzingha reminds us, with photographs, that even women can be naughty in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Iran:”Supporting Mehrnoush Solouki”
FreeSolouki blog[Fr] covers all news about Iranian-French film maker,Mehrnoush Solouki.Solouki is due to go before an Iranian court on November 17. She faces charges of intending to make antiestablishment propaganda.
Iran:No to war
CASMII is an independent campaign organisation with the purpose of opposing sanctions, foreign state interference and military intervention in Iran.
Iran:Venezuela becomes another Iran
Jomhour says [Fa]that there is a growing pressure against media,journalists and civil society in Venezuela.The blogger writes that this country looks like Iran more and more.
Georgia: End of a Fairy Tale?
It couldn't have come at a worse time with all three republics in the South Caucasus gearing up for elections to be held next year. Georgia, considered a beacon of [relative] democracy in the region until today, has set an unfortunate precedent given that the opposition in all three countries...
India: Poor Boy, Rich Girl
GreatBong comments on the case of Rizwanur Rehman, a young man killed because he married a girl from a family much richer than his. “if the families were woefully maladjusted economically, then the union was doomed to ultimate failure”
Sri Lanka: Democracy, Institutions and Crisis
Groundviews discusses the intricacies of democracy, given “‘Democracy’ and ‘Crisis’ are words we have come to associate them in the same sentence.”
Sri Lanka: A Child Soldier
Open Maze points to a photograph of Thamilselvan's coffin being carried, featuring a ten year old child soldier.
India: Henna and Weddings
Kamat's Potpourri on how “Mehendi” or “Henna” – which is traditionally associated with North Indian weddings has become an integral part of the wedding rituals in the South.
