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11 Oct 2011 11:07

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World: Yulia Tymoshenko: Former Ukranian PM sentenced to prison

  • The end of Ukraine’s experiment with democracy? Just a few years ago, Yulia Tymoshenko was one of the most popular politicians in Ukraine. Then she lost power in a narrow 2010 election, and Viktor Yanukovich gained it. Yanukovich pursued Tymoshenko’s role in a set of negotiations with Russia over the price of natural gas — something which, at best, would constitute a political controversy in the U.S., but certainly not something worthy of jail time. But this is Ukraine, and Tymoshenko got sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday. Does this signify a move away from traditional democracy for the country? How does a political icon like Tymoshenko (who’s probably far-more-known in the West than Yanukovich) get jailed for what was, at worst, a political scandal? Seems questionable. (photo via the European People’s Party Flickr page) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Mar 2010 11:19

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World: A color-coded history of national protest movements

  • red The newest movement, in Thailand, is trying to push out prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva; the red team gave him a Monday deadline to resign.
  • orange Ukraine’s Orange
    Revolution     took place
    after a 2004 election
    marred by massive
    corruption – but protests
    eventually won out.
  • green The Green Movement, still strong in Iran, gained strength after president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unexpectedly won reelection last year.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Feb 2010 09:43

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World: Ukraine’s election heads into dramarama with contested result

  • Yulia Tymoshenko lost, but she won’t concede. Despite wishes by the West that she concede (and their acceptance of Viktor Yanukovich’s victory), Tymoshenko, whose hair is made of stone, was quoted as saying she “will never recognize” Yanukovich’s victory, and her supporters will fight the result. Tymoshenko’s loss would be a huge blow to the Orange Revolution which took place after the 2004 election and got her into office. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2009 09:43

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World: More on the recent history of piracy in Somalia

  • 100+ reported pirate attacks off the eastern coast of Africa in 2008
  • 25 crew members on the Sirius Star, the largest ship hijacked; a Ukranian cargo ship remains hijacked source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
 
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