Our weekly digest of articles about emerging Europe published elsewhere this week, all of which caught our eye and all of which are well worth your time. Listing them here, however, does not necessarily mean that we agree with every word, nor do they necessarily reflect Emerging Europe’s editorial policy.
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Constantin Brancuși: Elderly New York art collector sues lawyer over deceit
An elderly New York art collector has taken his Philadelphia attorney to court for cheating him out of millions. Stuart Pivar sold a bronze sculpture by the Romanian artist Constantin Brancuși to him for 100,000 US dollars, when the market value was tens of millions.
Read the full story here.
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Estonia’s Soviet-era housing finds new eco-friendly future
Thousands of apartment blocks across Estonia were built in the 1950s as temporary housing. Now an EU project in Tartu is transforming some into sustainable housing as part of a sustainable cities initiative.
Read the full story here.
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Polish towns advocate ‘LGBT-free’ zones while the ruling party cheers them on
Upbeat 1980s pop music accompanied about 1,000 rainbow-draped activists as they embarked on Kielce’s first LGBT rights march, on July 13. But the music could barely drown out the boos from bystanders.
Read the full story here.
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Economist’s double life on the frontline of Georgia’s street protests
By day, the 33-year-old Georgian economist edits a business magazine, but after work he stands on a stage outside parliament in front of hundreds of grassroots protesters to demand political change.
Read the full story here.
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Is Poland ready to call time on King Coal?
Voters’ increasing awareness of climate change is driving a new consensus that coal’s years are numbered.
Read the full story here.
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‘We are watching you’: the 500-day protest against corruption in Romania
Every day when the Lutheran church bell strikes noon, people fall silent in a leafy street in the Transylvanian city of Sibiu. For more than 500 days, in snow, drizzle and scorching sun, a group of residents has staged a silent protest in the centre of the picturesque city.
Read the full story here.
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Hungary: Viktor Orban and the rewriting of history
Critics of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban accuse him of trying to play up his role in the overthrow of communism.
Read the full story here.
