Stories from 4 February 2009
Ukraine: IMF “Problems”
Abdymok comments on the statement by the director of the IMF’s European Department: “you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that it’s a big risk to dole out billions of dollars to ukraine’s inept leaders. um, so . . . what, exactly, is the problem?”
Romania, Ukraine: Serpent Island Ruling
Antal Dániel of Central Europe Activ writes about the ruling in the Romanian-Ukrainian dispute over the Serpent Island.
Latvia: The Penguins’ “Stroll-In”
Another update on the political situation in Latvia – at Baltic and Free Speech Emergency in Latvia (the latter post includes a video from today's peaceful protest).
Slovenia: Lawsuit Against Writer Goran Vojnović
Sleeping With Pengovsky writes about the lawsuit filed by the Slovenian police against writer Goran Vojnović for a novel he has written: “But the problem arises when the only organisation which can legally use force against a citizen starts using these powers to curb freedom of speech, thought and artistic...
Serbia: Tadic and Obama; Situation With “Pescanik”
Belgraded writes about president Boris Tadic's failure to congratulate Barack Obama on becoming president, and explains the situation with Pescanik (“Hourglass”) radio show.
Brazil: The Cybercrimes Bill meets the “Cybercriminal” Camp
It's no surprise then that the controversy should grow further when this bill is brought into debate at a huge cyberculture meeting. Daniel Duende joined the crowds of bit-torrent-using p2p-addicted geeks who attended the debate at Campus Party.
Paraguay: Loofah and Plastic makes a home
Loofah gourd (luffa cylindrica) by Laura512 Paraguayan innovator Elsa Zaldívar has won the 2008 Rolex Award for Enterprise thanks to her project which consists of not only training women heads of households about processing the luffa cylindrica gourd to make bath scrubbies and sandals, but also in mixing the leftovers...
Hungary, Slovakia: Joint Session of Parliamentary Committees on Human Rights
Hungarian Spectrum writes: “It is hard to call the joint meeting of the Slovak-Hungarian parliamentary committees on human rights anything other than a fiasco. Or a scandal.”
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:...
Czech Republic: HIV/AIDS
Czechmatediary writes about HIV/AIDS in the Czech Republic.
Sri Lanka: Not Proud
Sri Lanka celebrates 61 years of Independence today but A Janusis is not flying the Sri Lankan flag. Read the reasons why.
Pakistan: Human Cost Of Conflict in NWFP
“The conflict in Pakistan’s northern areas has translated to an increasing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs)”, reports CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan.
Bangladesh: Heritage Month
Bangladesh, Canada and Beyond proposes that the people of Bangladesh should officially observe February as the Bangladesh Heritage Month.
Iran: Balatarin, a popular community website was hacked
Several Iranian bloggers reported that Balatarin, a popular community website was hacked.Farsnews, a conservative site recently accused Balatarin to be a “Zionist” site. Read Global Voices interview with Balatarin's founder. Amin Sabeti writes[fa] Balatarin was used by many news agencies and played a key role in persian web 2.0
Egypt: Erdoğan, Leader of the World
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip has new fans across the Arab world, notably in Egypt where one blogger went on to describe him as the “leader of the world.” Another sees fault in Arab leaders who are not standing up for the Palestinian cause.
Brazil: A post crisis wave of unemployment
“I have just been sacked. It is the crisis” says @eduardoburger on Twitter. The designer and illustrator was the latest Brazilian to be dismissed because of the global crises. The latest data shows that December saw a reduction of 654,946 job vacancies in the country, the biggest fall since 1999.
Cuba: Political Prisoners & Human Rights
Uncommon Sense learns that the number of Cuban political prisoners dropped last year, but “there also were more than 1,500 arrests and detentions, albeit temporary, of opponents to the Castro dictatorship”, while Havana Times reports that the island “has ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from...
Dominica: Carnival Parade
Dominica Weekly posts photos of the island's Carnival 2009 opening parade.
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Credit Rating
The Liming House and Bajan Global Report learn that the Trinidad and Tobago government's bailout of failed conglomerate CL Financial may threaten the country's credit rating.
Trinidad & Tobago: Integrity Issues
Following a Trinidad and Tobago High Court ruling that the Integrity Commission “had acted in bad faith and was guilty of misfeasance in public office”, This Beach Called Life says: “Imagine that, the Integrity Commission has no integrity.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Opportunities in the Recession
“Then there are those who are strangely calm as the storm approaches. Who are these weirdos smiling in the face of [economic] adversity?”: Alien in the Caribbean tells us.
