February 2012
83 posts
5 tags
@GEsfandiari Explainer: Iran's National Internet
Reports that Iran has stepped up its Internet censorship in recent days — as evidenced by a general slowdown of the web, Internet blackouts, and the blocking of sites such as Google — has raised speculation that the country might be testing its controversial “national Internet.” [READ MORE]
3 tags
'Police Detain Stuffed Animals' In Minsk Toy...
Belarusian youth activists say police have “detained” some stuffed animals used in an antigovernment protest in Minsk, in an echo of similar recent protests in Russia…[READ MORE]
4 tags
RFE/RL's Wildcards
To end the week, here’s a snapshot of the most popular and original stories from some of RFE/RL’s broadcasting regions. IRAN # Severe Internet disruptions are being reported in Iran, raising suspicions it might be testing its controversial “national Internet.” Here’s a primer on the activity leading up to this point and what might happen next. RUSSIA #...
3 tags
2 tags
How To Rig An Election
@PowerVertical’s Brian Whitmore takes a look at a video of a #Russian electoral commission official recounting in detail how the authorities sought to falsify results in December’s parliamentary elections — and plan to do so again in the presidential vote on March 4…[READ MORE]
2 tags
Religious Leaders Back Putin For President
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took a “vacation day” on February 8 to meet as a presidential candidate with religious leaders at the Danilov Monastery in Moscow, where the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, characterized Putin’s time in charge of Russia as a “miracle.” [READ MORE]
1 tag
Keeping Up With The Berdymukhammedovs
Reports say a police unit in Turkmenistan this week was named after the father of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov…[READ MORE]
3 tags
Afghanistan's Cultural Riches Threatened By...
The Chinese-government-backed China Metallurgical Group Corporation made a successful bid of $3 billion for mineral rights to the site in 2008, making the project the largest foreign investment project in the country at the time…[READ MORE]
5 tags
Putin speaking today at a meeting with leaders of Russia’s major religions in Moscow.
“Under present conditions we should be talking about a different kind of secularism. Secularism means that the state and religious organizations must develop a new relationship — one of partnership, mutual help, and support.”
3 tags
3 tags
In Afghanistan, Children Comprise Half Of...
Though both childlabor and so-called bonded work are illegal in Afghanistan, children as young as 5 produce hundreds of bricks a week for a few dollars to pay off family debts, which only swell the longer they work there…[READ MORE]
1 tag
Out In The Cold
@radiosvoboda @DaisySindelar story on the plight of Ukraine’s homeless.
“Like in the Gulag, give us at least a hut,” said one homeless man. “Give us warmth, some comfort, a place to wash, to shave, to clean ourselves up. I don’t have any money, I don’t have anything. You can see the kind of shape I’m in. If we’re needed by this state, then we want...
2 tags
'Simpsons' Dolls Reportedly Banned In Iran
There were no details in the report on why the “Simpsons” dolls were banned, or how Matt Groening’s edgy sitcom about a dysfunctional family might offend Iranians any more than it does Americans…[READ MORE]
3 tags
Russian presidential candidate Prokhorov: “The best thing you could do now is leave. Let us build a new country. My question is: What moral right do you have to offer a new [national] idea to our new country?”
Russian presidential candidates Mikhail Prokhorov speaking Monday (February 6) during a televised debate in Moscow.
Follow Radio Svoboda’s latest news on the upcoming...
4 tags
Did Lenin Speak With An Irish Accent?
The “Come Here To Me” blog got great mileage out of the fact that Lenin, the archetypal hero of the working class, apparently spoke “with the mincing, effeminate speech” used by denizens of the leafy Dublin suburb of Rathmines, home to one of the poshest accents in Ireland…[READ MORE]
3 tags
Watch
RadioAzadliq’s video showing how pedestrians are dealing with Baku’s new marble sidewalks, part of the renovation for the Eurovision song contest.
As severe winter weather wreaks havoc across Europe, Azerbaijan is also dealing with heavy snow and ice. In preparation for the Eurovision song contest in the spring, Baku authorities have ordered widespread renovations, including...
3 tags
Irina Chevtayeva, a correspondent with RFE/RL’s Russian service, was promised 500 rubles ($16) for attending the rally at Poklonnaya Gora in western Moscow…[READ MORE]
4 tags
7 tags
4 tags
