Stories from 30 July 2011
Ukraine: Timoshenko Facing the Law
LEvko of Foreign Notes follows up on the trial against former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Timoshenko, and finds that – despite a weak case – the process is likely to end with a guilty verdict for a number of political reasons.
Russia: News as Rap
Edmund Downie at Foreign Policy Passport reports that Russian president Dmitri Medvedev is much impressed by news agency's RIA-Novosti introduction of news in the form of musical rap info [ru].
Russia-USA: Pest and Cholera of Russia Policies
Vadim Nikitin at Foreign Policy Association blog finds US Russia-policies of both the Democrats and the Republicans negative, after Russian ambassador Sergei Rogozin recently met with two US senators.
Russia: Science Fiction Vocabulary
Yelena of Russian Blog addresses a few of the new Russian words adopted with the increasing popularity of science fiction in the 1990s.
Ukraine: Survival of the Stolovaya
The Pickle Project discusses a visit at one of the few remaining public stolovayas – soviet style lunch canteens – in Crimean city of Yalta.
Hungary: Situation of Roma
Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum writes about the situation of Roma in Hungary against the beckground of US-talks with representatives of the Roma group in the country.
Poland-Russia: Passing Out Blame for Kaczynski Plane Crash
Streetwise Professor comments on the Polish report about last year's plane crash that killed the country's president, and goes on to argue that, whereas Polish pilots where mostly to blame, Russian air-traffic control was probably also to blame.
Slovenia: New Twists in Arms Bribery Affaire
Sleeping With Pengovsky posts an update about new developments in Slovenia's scandal over bribery in the Patria affaire concerning purchase of Armoured Personnel Carriers from a Finnish company.
Russia-USA: 20 Years Since START I
Hans Kristensen at FAS Strategic Security Blog commemorates the 20th anniversary of START 1, the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty beween the Soviet Union and the USA curtailing the number of nuclear missiles.
Cote d'Ivoire: Unequal pay for equal work
Siriki Moustapha explains on africavox.com [fr] why equal pay for women still is a subject of debate in Ivory Coast: “These are men of varying socio-economic and intellectual levels; they do not think of themselves as old-fashioned, enemies of women, or even anti-feminist. Their logic is that the Ivorian woman...
South Sudan/Sudan: Football Torn By Citizenship
What is the future of Sudanese football following the decision not to grant citizenship to Southern Sudanese living in the north?: “A large number of southern players have a significant presence on Sudanese football teams, including al-Hilal and al-Merreikh. They have also formed the mainstay of Sudan’s national team, as...
Blog Carnival: Mexico – Citizenry, Violence and Blogs
Global Voices in Spanish has the pleasure of announcing a new edition of its Blog Carnival, which will be focused on bloggers and Internet users from Mexico, along the topic "Mexico: Citizenry, violence and blogs." Find out how, when and where you can participate or get involved by reading this post.
Guinea: Weekly Newspaper Le Defi Vandalized
Lamine Camara writes on infoguinee.com [fr]: “The central office of the independent weekly newspaper Le Défi was vandalized and completely ransacked by anonymous looters on the night of July 20- 21, 2011. Those non-identified individuals, after wrecking havoc on equipments, computer and hardwares, left a scribbled message on a sheet of...
Malawi: Ports Turns Into Fishing Ground
Nsanje Port in Malawi has turned into a fishing ground, Face of Malawi reports: ”We’re happy that Mutharika built us a fishing pond.We used to go very far away crossing shire river but now we are doing it at the port.”These are words of fishermen based in Nsanje district where...
Zambia: Current Events Through Political Satire
Kalaki's corner is a political satire on current events in Zambia in the form of a weekly story: “Spectator Kalaki, aka Roy Clarke, came to international attention in January 2004 when he wrote a story about a foolish elephant. This story was read by the then president of Zambia, Levi...
Nigeria: Nigerian Girl Victim of Oslo “Coward” Terror Acts
A Nigerian girl, Modupe Ellen Awoyemi, was one of the people killed by the bomb blast in Oslo, Norway: “If you want to leave a condolence message, then search for (Norway Victim – Modupe Ellen Awoyemi – Rip – 22.07.11) on facebook to express your sympathy with friends and families...
Kenya: Follow 10 International Bloggers Visiting Kenya
Follow 10 international bloggers visiting Kenya: “This week, ONE is joining 10 bloggers who are making their way through Kenya to see what life is really like for moms in the developing world.”
Zambia/Ethiopia: Only Elephants Should Wear Ivory
A Zambian woman has been arrested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for wearing ivory bracelets, Gershom Ndhlovu reacts: “Only elephants, and no one else, should wear ivory. As such, not only the Ethiopian authorities should arrest Zambians wearing ivory bangles on their territory, Zambians should also play their part for as...
Colombia: FIFA's U-20 World Cup
Colombia is hosting the U-20 FIFA World Cup. The opening ceremony [es] took place in Barranquilla on July 29. The country is in a happy mood and on Twitter netizens talk about the tournament with the hashtag #Colombiaesmundial.
Nepal: It is Code of Ethics, Not Censorship!
Bhumika Ghimire comments on the code of ethics signed by 10 Nepali bloggers which turned controversial: “this code of ethics is part of that effort to help the community, it is not censorship and it is not an attack on a blogger’s individual rights.”
South Korea: Controversies on the Return of Korean Royal Books
Koreans celebrated in May 2011 the return of a collection of Korean Royal books, looted by French troops in 1866. As it was later found out that the return was a de facto 'rent' of the treasure, many people have expressed resentment toward the French and Korean governments for failing to fulfill their long awaited wish.
