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Bulgaria, Macedonia: Blog Wars Over History

Yavor Mihaylov · 15:37, April 10th, 2008

lingua → mk · es

The relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia are no less complex and incomprehensible than those between Greece and Macedonia, although lately the former get less media exposure than the latter. The main problem between Sofia and Skopje is, once again, history. Yavor Mihaylov reviews the opinions of Bulgarian and Macedonian bloggers. 26 comments · »»

Bulgaria: What Can Force a Minister to Resign?

Yavor Mihaylov · 01:07, April 4th, 2008

lingua → mk · bn · sq · es

The deputy director of Bulgaria's special division for combating organized crime has been arrested on charges of corruption and contacts with organized crime groups. The minister of the interior is facing similar accusations - but is unwilling to resign. Yavor Mihaylov writes about a Bulgarian blogger who has launched a short story contest, hoping to get an answer to this question: "What has to happen so that we could see a minister tender his resignation?" 3 comments · »»

Stories

May 7th, 2008

Russia: Putin Out, Medvedev In

Veronica Khokhlova · 23:56

lingua → bn

On Wednesday, Dmitry Medvedev became Russia's third post-Soviet president. Bloggers discuss the outgoing president's legacy, the political situation in Russia, and the traffic situation in Moscow on the day of Medvedev's inauguration. 2 comments · »»

Georgia: War with Russia?

Onnik Krikorian · 07:15

The South Caucasus has always been a volatile and unstable region riven by ethnic conflict and instability. This has especially been the case since the breakup of the Soviet Union and not least because the region is often considered the gateway between Europe and Central Asia, as well as ... 5 comments · »»

May 6th, 2008

Russia: “The March, Sort Of”

Veronica Khokhlova · 22:24

lingua → pt

The Russian opposition was to hold a protest rally on May 6 in Moscow, on the eve of Dmitry Medvedev's inauguration as president Vladimir Putin's replacement, but city officials refused to allow it - and leaders of the oppositional coalition ended up canceling the Dissenters' March at the last minute. Dozens of protesters were detained by police anyway. 1 comment · »»

Macedonia: Sakura - Cherry Blossom Celebration in Skopje

Filip Stojanovski · 10:04

lingua → mk · pt

Even though very few ethnic Japanese live in the Republic of Macedonia, many locals took part in the second annual celebration of Sakura - the festival of cherry blossoms in Macedonia's capital, Skopje. Organizers of the festivals included some prominent bloggers who recently started a collaborative blog, Japan@mk, and initiated spreading the word through the Macedonian blogosphere. 2 comments · »»

Bulgaria: Statehood in Crisis

Yavor Mihaylov · 09:43

Yavor Mihailov tells the saga of the Bulgarian blogosphere's humorous, creative, and relentless campaign against the interior minister of the country, and how it helped lead to his resignation. 0 comments · »»

April 23rd, 2008

Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan: Lenin's Birthday

Veronica Khokhlova · 00:53

lingua → pt · es

On April 22, Vladimir Lenin would have turned 138 - and quite a few Russophone bloggers still remember the date. 1 comment · »»

April 21st, 2008

Uzbekistan, Ukraine: Tashkent Blacksmith and His Children

Veronica Khokhlova · 22:43

lingua → es

A monument to an Uzbek family that adopted 15 children during WWII has recently been dismantled in Tashkent. Below is a Ukrainian blogger's moving story of how her father helped one of these adopted children find his biological family. 0 comments · »»

April 14th, 2008

Russia: “Presumption of Guilt”

Veronica Khokhlova · 01:06

lingua → mk · es

Moscow bloggers share their views on xenophobia, hate speech - and cab drivers from the Caucasus. 4 comments · »»

Links

May 8th, 2008

Photos from Lviv, Ukraine - by LJ user touchy-blaze - here and here (text in Russian).

A Fistful of Euros reports that Slovakia has “won EU approval to adopt the euro on Jan. 1 2009, thus becoming the 16th member of the European single currency zone.”

Window on Eurasia highlights the opinion of a Moscow-based military analyst who likens the recent escalation of tensions between Georgia and Russia to the Winter War with Finland. According to Pavel Fel’gengauer, military affairs analyst for a Russian newspaper, Russia might have miscalculated.

May 7th, 2008

Photos from Crimea, Ukraine - by LJ user miiish (text in Russian).

Photos from the Ukrainian town of Berdychiv - by LJ user mihato (text in Russian).

Photos from a quick trip through North Caucasus - Makhachkala, Grozny and a few other locations - by LJ user maxialla (text in Russian).

May 6th, 2008

Sean's Russia Blog comments on the article about Soviet “agitation trials,” which appeared in the Russian-language weekly Kommersant-Vlast - and was translated into English at Robert Amsterdam's blog.