Stories from 28 March 2009
Digital Civil Society Campaigns in the 2009 Indian General Elections
In my first post for the Global Voices special coverage on the 2009 Indian general elections, I had analyzed how Indian politicians and political parties are using internet and mobile tools for election campaigning. In this post, I'll detail how civil society groups in India are using digital tools to run voter registration and transparency campaigns in the run up to the elections.
Thailand: New look and agenda for government-run TV channel
Everytime the government changes in Thailand, the new government comes and changes the programs and format of a public TV station. Now that a different party is ruling the country, is it time to ‘change' the shows of the TV station again?
Vietnam: Motorbike stunts
Young “street artists” are performing their dangerous motorbike stunts in the streets of Vietnam.
Vietnam: Impact of economic crisis
Lawrence summarizes news reports about the impact of the economic crisis on Vietnam.
Iran: “Ahmadinejad, the most active President”
Mosalmane Irani, an Iran based blogger, calls [fa] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,the most active President in the world. The blogger says Ahmadinejad has visited 32 countires and delivered 950 speeches.
Iran: Iranian nature in photos
In Ariapars,Iranian blog, we can discover several photos from villages and nature in the southern province Khuzestan in Iran.
Armenia: Questions linger after post-election unrest
tzitzernak2 comments on the deaths of three opposition supporters during the 1 March post-election clashes last year. The blog says that although their deaths were caused by improperly fired gas grenades used by only four policemen, those responsible have not been identified let alone suspended from duty or prosecuted.
China: Chinese Al Jazeera?
Mutant Palm is pretty sure that China can't create a Chinese Al Jazeera. Why? read this.
Russia: The Oligarchs’ “Debt-Go-Round”
Copydude writes that Russia's “debt-go-round has become so huge and interwoven that it seems to be taking all the oligarchs down together”: “For the most part though, it’s looking like the end of era – and a very short list of Russians on Forbes next year.”
Hungary: Avoiding an Early Election?
Hungary Economy Watch writes that “Gyurcsány plans to use the constructive vote of no-confidence to install another Socialist-led cabinet, and his government […] appears to have resorted to this unusual maneuver for one simple reason: to avoid an early election.”
Albania: Snow
A Nevada Yankee in King Zog's Court writes about Albania's high mountain villages isolated by snow.
Germany: Berlin Wall Murals Destroyed
IZO writes about “an act of extraordinary cultural vandalism”: “a section of the Berlin Wall that had been preserved with its post-fall graffiti, including the iconic painting by Dmitri Vrubel depicting a kiss between communist leaders Leonid Brezhnev and Eric Honecker, has been “restored”, meaning the complete destruction of the...
Ukraine: History of Carpatho-Ukraine
History of the short-lived Carpatho-Ukraine – at Ukrainian Policy Daily.
Russia, Italy: Putin's Namesake Arrested For Shoplifting
Vilhelm Konnander writes about a namesake of Vladimir Putin who was arrested for shoplifting in Italy.
U.S., Russia: “Peregruzka Meets Perestroika”
In a post titled “Peregruzka Meets Perestroika,” Eternal Remont writes about Barack Obama's unscheduled meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev.
Ukraine: Chernobyl Photos
Photos from a 2008 trip to Chernobyl – at GRcade.
UAE: Russian Photoblogs From Burj al-Arab
LJ user sergeydolya posts pictures and shares impressions (RUS) of his stay at Dubai's Burj al-Arab, one of the world's most expensive hotels.
Russia: “Cut-and-Paste” Journalism
Eagle and the Bear writes about “cut-and-paste” TV journalism in Russia: “Over the course of dinner tonight, no less than two stories on the Vesti television news came directly from a separate print source. Meaning they literally filmed the two print articles — one a Rossiiskaya Gazeta article about handling...
Poland: Justice System
Eternal Remont writes that, according to a study, “only 37 percent of Poles rate their justice system positively.”
The Baltics: Deportations of 1941 and 1949
Eric Dickens guest-blogs at A Step At A Time about the Baltic deportations of 1941 and 1949.
Latvia: Data Inspectorate vs Penguin Movement
Free Speech Emergency in Latvia reports that “the Latvian Data State Inspectorate has summoned the administrator of the website of the so-called Penguin Movement to explain what it claims were violations of laws and regulations with regard to handling and protecting personal data.”
