25 December 2007

Stories from 25 December 2007

Latvia, Estonia: Valka and Valga

  25 December 2007

Valka is in Latvia, Valga – in Estonia. Until 1920, they used to be one town, Walk. “The Latvian side faces a back door of an Estonian supermarket.” But, as All About Latvia reports, “town officials from both sides plan to take [the metal fence] down altogether to allow pedestrians...

Russia: “(Chimerical) Stability”

  25 December 2007

Streetwise Professor criticizes Time Magazine's coverage of Putin's Russia: “The touting of the (chimerical) stability of Russia under Putin is another example of the superficiality that passes for incisive journalism.”

Central & Eastern Europe: Populism?

  25 December 2007

Dr. Sean's Blog reviews texts on populism in Central and Eastern Europe that have appeared in the special issue of Journal of Democracy: “The irony is that this comes just as the ‘populist backlash’ seems to be waning.”

Brazil: The first Christmas of a mother who has lost a son

  25 December 2007

Carlos Eduardo Santos [pt] publishes a moving letter from a mother who has lost her son telling us about the first Christmas without him. Her 26 years old son was killed on a robbery in Recife, Brazil. She says: “Is it worth it to love this city? This state? This...

Angola: Jailed journalists still in prison

  25 December 2007

Orlando Castro [pt] reports that Angolan journalists Armando Chikoca and José Lelo, both arrested in the past months while working in different news pieces in two different parts of the country, are still in prison. “This all happen because there still are journalists who insist on being journalists”.

Georgia: Shakira in Tbilisi

  25 December 2007

After finding myself without the Internet at home for three days, I feel gutted that I missed out on Shakira's free concert two days ago in Tbilisi, Georgia. Writing on my Oneworld Multimedia blog, had I known I would have considered visiting Armenia's neighbor to the north for the concert.

Georgia: Opinion Polls

  25 December 2007

With the presidential election in Georgia two weeks away, Social Science in the Caucasus, looks at the reliability of opinion polls in the country. The blog says that opinion polls from every side are confusing the electorate and there is an urgent need for transparency.

Georgia: Sycophantic Poetry

  25 December 2007

Writing on his blog, This is Tbilisi Calling, the BBC's Matthew Collin recounts following Georgian president's motorcade around the country as part of his campaign for re-election in January's vote. The journalist and blogger reproduces a poem written especially for Mikhail Saakashvili by one elderly voter discovered en route.

Armenia: Aeroflot

  25 December 2007

Now that airline ticket prices have increased in Armenia, one ethnic Armenian from the Diaspora finally journeyed back home for Christmas via Moscow on Aeroflot. Raffi K at Life in Armenia says that avoiding the terrible service on Aeroflot is best advised.