Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from June, 2011
Belarus: Report from Another Non-Violent Protest Event
Belarus Partizan publishes [ru] a detailed report (with photos and videos) on another non-violent protest action (#2906v1900 [ru/by]) in Belarus that took place on June 29, 2011. Police assisted by 3 buses...
Macedonia: Spin of the Day
The blog Spin of the Day [mk] documents various attempts to taint the protests against police brutality by the Macedonian government officials and their media handlers.
Macedonia: Taboo on Protesting Against Police Brutality
Ribaro wrote [mk] that public figures and music “stars” of Macedonia act as if the protests against police brutality are taboo, evidenced by their lack of participation offline and online....
Russia: Propagandist Videos Against Alexey Navalny Flood RuNet
Anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny publishes [ru] examples of propagandist videos against him. One video claims [ru] (150,000 views) Navalny is mentally ill and needs help from a Dr Kurpatov, famous...
Russia / Afghanistan: Photos From A School in Kabul
Photoblogger zyalt publishes [ru] pictures from a school in Kabul, Afghanistan. Schools have neither electricity nor water. Students are forced to get into classrooms after breaks by class monitors. Despite...
Russia: New Research Shows Almost No Gender Difference in Web Search Patterns
‘Search activity of men and women is almost the same,’ says [ru] the new research of web search behavior by Yandex. Women search online a little more, add to search...
Russia: ‘Nerds On Yachts’ Photo Session
Talented photoblogger Tanya Zommer publishes [ru] another photo session with ‘nerds,’ this time with Mediterranean scenery.
Russia/Moldova: Eduard Bagirov, Internet Hooligan, Arrested in Moldova
Bloggers discuss [ru] the 30-day arrest [ru] of Eduard Bagirov [ru], writer and a blogger close to pro-Kremlin propagandists, in Moldova. Oleg Kozyrev says [ru], Bagirov's arrest is connected with his...
Video: Celebrating the Solstice
The celebrations for Summer and Winter Solstices were full of lanterns, dances, flowers and bonfires. Lets tour around the world to check out the different celebrations: Solstice at Stonehenge, Feast of Saint John's bonfires in Spain, Inti Raymi in Peru, we tripantu in Chile and Kupala Day in Russia or Midsummer's night in Poland.
Macedonia: New Parliament Assembles, Cements Election Victory for “Big Fish”
The newly-elected Macedonian Parliament held its initial session on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Its composition promises “more of the same” kind of politicking from the last few years.
Russia: Deciphering Covert “Bath Salt” Drug Advertisements
LJ-user re3 writes [ru] about covert drug graffiti (e.g. “Aromatic salt – call center 24 hours”). Graffiti look like regular guerrilla ads air sprayed on the building walls. They, however, advertise fast delivery of the so...
Russia: Actors Accuse Yuri Lyubimov, Taganka's Lead Director, of Greed and Lack of Respect
LJ-user tanjakaverzina brings up [ru] the dialogue of Yuri Lyubimov, Russian theater director who had recently declared he quits Taganka theater, with the actors. The actors claim [ru] the reason of the conflict...
Macedonia: .mk Twitter Republic
Protests continue in Macedonia, as the authorities keep silent about the people's demands of accountability, political responsibility and an end to police brutality. On Sunday, a new symbol was displayed by some protesters: the Macedonian flag with a Twitter logo on it, homage to the role of the Twitter community.
Belarus: Police Crack Down on Minsk Protest
A non-violent rally in Minsk, organized via a social network, ended up with more than 450 people detained. Arrests, trials and numerous detentions, however, do not appear to have stopped the protesters.
Europe: “Greek Drama Doesn't Transcend Hellenic Borders”
Luboš Motl of The Reference Frame writes about the current economic situation in Greece and how it affects (or doesn't affect) other countries: “All the hysteria is man-made and unjustifiable...
Russia: Rodric Braithwaite's “Afgantsy”
In Moscow's Shadows writes about Rodric Braithwaite's Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-89, a “new study of the Soviet war on Afghanistan.” OpenDemocracy.net published exclusive excerpts from the book in...
Balkans: Ratko Mladic and Justice
Posts on the capture of Ratko Mladic and justice being done (or not) – by Katharine Engelhart and Ozren Jungic at OpenDemocracy.net, by Blogging Balkanistan/The Daily Seyahatname, and by Marko...
Croatia: EU Membership Approval
On June 10, 2011, Croatia was cleared to become the newest member state of the European Union. There is still a long road before Croatians are officially a part of the EU, and the timing at the moment is, at best, precarious, creating many skeptics. Miquel Hudin reports.
Ukraine: Hanna Sinkova's Case; Yanukovych's Prejudicial Comments
Foreign Notes posts an update on Hanna Sinkova's case and concludes: “In matters of law Ukraine frequently seems closer to Tehran than Europe.” He also highlights some “jarring prejudicial comments”...
Russia: Yelena Bonner, Andrei Sakharov's Widow, Dies
Vladimir Kara-Murza of World Affairs‘ Spotlight on Russia and Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Association‘s Russia blog write about Andrei Sakharov's widow Yelena Bonner, who died in the United States...
Russia: Fire at Toxic Waste Disposal Site Near St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg-based LJ user timoha-spb and Twitter users @Zak_r2 and @theproof are among those who are posting photos [ru] of smoke from the fire at the Krasnyi Bor toxic waste...
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