· March, 2007

Stories about Governance from March, 2007

Russia: Photos of Grozny

  30 March 2007

Earlier this week, I linked to LJ user kunstkamera‘s photos from Grozny, Chechnya. (Warning: bandwidth intensive.) Below are some of the comments and kunstkamera‘s own remarks, translated from Russian. gematogen: Was it scary? kunstkamera: It was scary to fly the [YaK-42] plane. […] i_grappa: It's interesting, thank you! In general,...

India: Reservations, Law, Bollywood and Peanuts

  30 March 2007

So far this month the major topic of discussion in virtual India was the world cup cricket match in the West Indies. Now that India was unceremoniously bowled out of the world cup, bloggers have turned their attention to other issues. Yesterday the Indian Supreme Court temporarily stopped the implementation...

Ukraine, Belarus: Chernobyl

  30 March 2007

MoldovAnn attends the opening of a photo exhibition of Belarus-based American photographer Kristina Brendel, held at the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv; she discovers that the Belarusian government's treatment of the Chernobyl catastrophe differs drastically from that of the Ukrainian government: “…there is total denial by the Belarussian government that there...

Anguilla: Constitutional Reform

  30 March 2007

Don Mitchell at Corruption-Free Anguilla was invited by the Members of the House of Assembly to lead them through the Report of the Constitutional and Electoral Reform Commission as Anguilla begins the process of constitutional reform: “It is the consensus view that emerges from the series of public meetings that...

China: Nation's first citizen reporter?

  30 March 2007

Meet Zola Zhou, independent citizen reporter, blogging live from the nailhouse. But is Zola really China's first citizen reporter? Big-name bloggers like Herock, Doubleleaf and Zhan Bin say he is. Out of what Zola says is a ‘sensitivity to news’ and desire for fame, on Monday afternoon he hopped on...

Mexico: Protests Against New Retirement Age

  30 March 2007

“Streets blocked, schools and universities closed, public transportation services suspended and violent demonstrations in front of the National Senate, all in the name of . . . what, exactly, I'm not too sure.” But Mark in Mexico does his best to find out. Ana Maria Salazar has more on the...

Nepal: On Monarchy and Monarchs

  29 March 2007

Khatmandu Speaks responds to a comment made at Global Voices Online on the issue of monarchy in Nepal. “You don't know how he runs his businesses. He manipulates the state mechanism to avoid taxes among other things. Stories of vehicles lost in the country of manufacture- to being sold to...

Pakistan: A harsh look

  29 March 2007

Behind the Chairman's Door takes a harsh look at Pakistan. “In Pakistan, the only goal is to get more money, no matter it be by honest or dishonest means. The traffic police take bribes to not write a citation. The city police take bribes to register cases, real or false....

India, Bangladesh: Lessons from Nandigram

  29 March 2007

Unheard Voices takes a look at the violence in Nandigram in India. “What is remarkable in this tragedy is the arrogant attitudes and brutal actions of a government that is democratically-elected and that is filled with nominal socialists and communists. In true deshi fashion, the police forces’ brutality has been...

Ukraine, FSU: Stalin

  29 March 2007

Over at Siberian Light, readers discuss weird first names, such as Stalin, Ninel, and Vladlen. Carpetblogger writes about the Donetsk Heating Company's Stalinist methods to get this East Ukrainian city's population to pay their utility bills.

Bangladesh: Development Against All Odds

  29 March 2007

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Bideshi Blond provides the relevant statistics proving the claim. Being a developing country with limited resources it is really tough to take the country forward. No wonder many development activities are being carried out by the government and...

Iran: Connecting the Medical World and Norouz Inspires Reflection

Iranian bloggers provide information, share their opinions, and discuss various issues with their photography, illustrations, and text. But that's not all. Occasionally, they launch plans to make the world a better place. Paris Marashi, an Iranian-American video-blogger has revealed a project that aims to bring Iranian medical professionals in contact...

Sri Lanka: Women and Work

  28 March 2007

True Sri Lankan adds his take on the issue of women with children below the age of five years not being allowed to seek employment abroad. “This is a careful line to tread and I believe that the ban while solving some problems will only increase other problems such as,...

Pakistan: Dangerous Construction

  28 March 2007

Metroblogging Islamabad points out how unregulated construction activity is dangerous. “The death of an Indian national in a traffic accident caused by the construction of an underpass at Islamabad's China Chowk is tragic. Regrettably, it has taken a death for the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the local administration to...

Indonesia: Laptop for MPs

  28 March 2007

Indonesia is considering equipping its MPs with laptops. Indonesia Matters asks “Now, what is the real purpose of them having laptop at the first place? I haven’t seen any argument, a real urgent need of laptop voiced from the House of Representatives that justifies that laptop is crucial for their...