Stories from 13 October 2008
Russia: Economic Crisis and Migrant Workers
Moscow Through Brown Eyes writes about the impact of the economic crisis on Russia's Central Asian migrant workers.
Southeast Asia: Views on U.S. elections and politics
U.S. elections matter to many people in Southeast Asia. Both U.S. presidential candidates are popular in the region. McCain was a former Navy pilot during the Vietnam War while a very young Obama lived in Jakarta for five years.
Russia: Financial Crisis Coverage
FP's Passport writes about the inadequate domestic coverage of the financial crisis in Russia: “When TV channels have mentioned the crisis, it has been in the context of American and European financial woes […].” Oleg Kozlovsky has more on the Russian media reaction to the crisis.
Belarus, EU: Lukashenko – Persona Non Grata No More
Eternal Remont reports that the EU has temporarily suspended a travel ban on Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Russia: Travel Photos
Photos from St. Petersburg, Vyborg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan and Ulyanovsk – at Eagle and the Bear.
Ukraine, Nigeria: Klitschko vs Peter
Petro's Jotter – on Vitaly Klitschko's victory over Samuel Peter.
Ukraine: Chernobyl Sarcophagus 2006 Video
Chernobyl and Eastern Europe posts a Stern.de's 2006 video from inside the Chernobyl Sarcophagus.
Lithuania: Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant
Chernobyl and Eastern Europe writes about plans to keep Lithuania's nuclear reactor open, despite an agreement with the EU to shut it down in 2009: “The reactor currently supplies 70% of Lithuania’s electricity, as well as power to Latvia and Estonia. Many Lithuanian leaders and citizens want to renege on...
Ukraine: BikeLand in the Carpathians
Pictures from bike rides in the Carpathians, at Velokrayina (“BikeLand”) project blog (UKR) – here, here and here.
Lithuania: Populism, parliament and power plant
Dr. Sean's Diary comments on Lithuania's parliamentary elections and the tendency towards populism in Baltic politics, whereas The 8th Cricle adds a discussion on the concurrent referendum, approving a prolongation of the Ignalina nuclear power plant. Lituanica posts the full results of both the parliamentary elections and the referendum.
Poland: Pope production peak
Polandian writes about the tendency to put up an increasing number of statues to deceased Pope John Paul II in Poland.
Russia: Oligarchs losing billions
Krusenstern draws attention to [GER] the loss of some 130 billion USD among the ten richest Russians during the last five months’ economic decline and crisis.
Bolivia: Fidel Surco and Social Movements
Miguel Buitrago of MABB introduces us to Fidel Surco, who “might turn out to be one of the most powerful people in Bolivia.” Surco is the head of a collective of social movements that has inside access to President Evo Morales and can mobilize large number of supporters.
Lithuania: Orchestrating disharmony?
Viola in Vilnius posts a snapshot of the organizational disharmonies of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra wholly compensated by musical excellence.
USA: Homeland Guantanamo
A new interactive online game by human rights organization Breakthrough uses video to illustrate the injustices many documented and undocumented immigrants face in detention centers across the United States. In "Homeland Guantanamo", players assume the role of a journalist trying to get more information on real life detainee who has died in custody.
Caribbean: Remembering Alton Ellis
Jamaican musician Alton Ellis, the "godfather of rocksteady", died on Friday 10 October, 2008. Jamaican bloggers look back at his career and pay tribute to a musical legend.
Iran: An Iranian artist in Canada
Pars Arts writes about ,Iranian artist, Khosro Berahmandi's new exhibition in Canada.
Bangladesh: Tea plantation workers
Raisa Rasheeka has been studying the lives of the tea plantation workers in Bangladesh for a while and shares the findings in her blog.
India: Hindu is not a God
Pastor Arnold Conrad termed “Hindu” as a God at a rally for John McCain in Davenport, USA. Varnam reacts: “Our God, Hindu, is not interested in a sophomoric ‘mine is bigger than yours’ competition. Mostly it is because our God, Hindu, is not a God.”
Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko and the Kremlin
Ukrainiana posts a video and translates the transcript of Yulia Tymoshenko refusing to answer a reporter's questions about her suspected cooperation with the Kremlin.
Angola: Little reaction so far to the “Angolagate” scandal trial
The elite French politicians accused of violating a ban on selling arms to Angola at the height of the country's 1990s civil war are in the dock with the opening of the Angolagate trial in Paris a week ago today. Despite the scandal's size, media and bloggers remain silent about it.
