17 October 2012

Stories from 17 October 2012

Russia: Candidates Drop Out of Opposition Elections

RuNet Echo  17 October 2012

On October 16 two high profile candidates in the opposition's Coordinating Council elections announced they are withdrawing from the campaign. Economist Irina Yasina and writer Liudmila Ulitskaya published a statement [ru] on Yasina's blog, explaining that there are other “younger” and more “active” “young people” involved in the process, and that...

Slovakia: Music Copyright Agency Vs. School Drama Club

  17 October 2012

The Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights Society imposes a €975 fine on a high school drama club for a fundraiser ball, which included a raffle and featured songs authored and performed by the club members - but had not been properly registered with the music copyright agency. Tibor Blazko reports.

Central Asia's Water Stories

  17 October 2012

How is it possible that in Central Asia, a region with abundant water resources, safe drinking water is still a luxury for many people? On his blog, Bakhrom Mananov features several documentaries about water problems in the region and explains why this important resource has become a contentious issue in...

Yemen: Total's Unfair Gas Prices

  17 October 2012

Yemen's economy has been struggling for years, resulting in high levels of poverty and alarming rates of malnutrition. Yet, the corruption cases exposing the former regime's mismanagement and embezzlement of Yemen's wealth have been emerging as the main reason for the state the country is in. The latest corruption case...

Turkey: Hundreds of Kurdish Political Prisoners go on Hunger Strike

  17 October 2012

Hundreds of Kurdish political prisoners have entered an indefinite hunger strike, challenging Turkey's treatment of Kurdish political prisoners. Through their protest, some are demanding re-trials and language rights while others want to raise international attention about Turkey's treatment of Kurdish political prisoners. Despite their hunger strike, which is nearing six weeks, international media outlets have largely remained silent.

Macedonia: Fashion and Style Blogs

  17 October 2012

Skopje Casual blog, run by “3 girls, showing off their daily inspirations and casual fashion from the streets of Skopje,” followed up on their previous work and posted [mk] a new list of Macedonian fashion/style blogs. Some of them, like Diario creativo and Sanja's Burgundy Blog, post original content in...