Stories about Governance from April, 2007
Iran:Hidden thoughts of Ahmadinejad
Ahmad Shirzad,former reformist deputy in Iranian parliament, writes [Fa]that we can find out about Ahmadinejad's real thoughts if we listen to his speeches during his trips to country's provinces.According to the blogger, he rejects all achievements of human being.Shirzad says in a speech he said educated people from USA and...
Trinidad & Tobago: Constitutional Reform
Trinidad and Tobago is talking about constitutional reform – Jeremy Taylor puts in his two cents’ worth.
Bahamas: Elections Thoughts
On the virtual eve of the Bahamian elections, Nicolette Bethel shares her thoughts about politics and governance: “No matter who we think we support, or what party we will elect on May 2, we should be ashamed for allowing our so-called leaders to engage in such a widespread denigration of...
Serbia: Blogosphere Reacts to Protect Press Freedom
Two hand grenades were placed on a window sill of Serbian journalist Dejan Anastasijevic's apartment on Saturday, April 15. The explosions caused material damage but no injuries. There were numerous comments about who might have stood behind the attack. Bloggers started a petition requesting prompt reaction of the police for the sake of press freedom.
Iran: Crackdown on Women Again
Iranian police have begun to crackdown on women’s dress. After the Islamic revolution of 1979, women have been obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures and protect their modesty. Thousands of Iranian women were warned about their poor Islamic dress this week and several hundred were arrested in the capital Tehran in the fiercest crackdown in more than a decade for what’s known as “bad hijab”.
China: Slogans with Chinese characteristics
Banyue from DANWEI blogged some outrageous Chinese slogans, such as: Popularize the first child, control the second child, exterminate the third child, Whoever does not follow family planning will have his household ruined and his family perish, and many others.
Iran:247 journalists asked government to release Farahbakhsh
According to[Fa] Hanif Mazroi, 247 journlaists wrote an open letter to authorities and asked them to release Ali Farahbaksh,a journalist who was sentenced to 3 years jail.They added in the letter that his rights as a prisoner have not been respected during his detention.
Iran:Disrespect to the Society
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, reformist politician, reminds us that these days ladies are inspected in many streets of Tehran. The ladies who are not wearing proper veil (hejab) are arrested… the ladies who are traced in the streets these days are mostly born after revolution and they have all been grown...
Kuwait: When Our Only Tourist Attraction is a Shopping Mall
With the summer temperatures soaring, life in Kuwait revolves around air-conditioned shopping malls, reports Abdullatif Al Omar. Follow the arrows to read bloggers' reactions to why else a foreign head of state is treated to a visit to a mall; friends meet in malls and a boat show is held there.
Mali Presidential Elections & ATT-cratie
As Malians prepare to go to the polls on Sunday, Le Sphinx blogs critiques of the incumbent, President Amadou Toumani Toure, at ATT-cratie (Fr) and has just published the second volume of an ebook on the subject.
Israel: Controversarial Articles
Israeli blogger Desert Peace discusses the controversy which surrounded articles he had posted on a peace solution for the Israeli-Palestinian stand-off.
Hong Kong: Hollywood Star Chow Yun Fat Supports Queen's Pier Preservation
Citizen reporters at inmediahk.net put up an exclusive report, with youtube clip (zh), on how Chow Yun Fat visited the Queen's Pier at 5:30am this morning (April 28), to show his support for preserving the historical landmark, Queen's Pier, in Situ. An English version of the report can be found...
Bulgaria: Escalators Fixed
In the early 1990s, the escalators of Sofia's Main Train Station did not work, writes Sofia's Hidden Beauty: “The escalators’ colour became darker and darker, dust and rubbish irreversably damaged the mechanisms and they turned just into dangerous alternative of the stairs.” Now some of them do, again.
Ukraine: Politics Roundup
Dan McMinn's roundup of recent Ukrainian political developments gets a life of its own, as usual, as the comments start coming in (31, so far).
Moldova: Coverage of Transdniestria
A comprehensive overview of coverage of the situation in Transdniestria, over at Scraps of Moscow.
Albania: Ruminations on Elections
Our Man in Tirana attempts to place the French and British elections into Albanian context.
Estonia: “A Russian Rebellion”
As Tallinn seems to have entered the second night of rioting over the removal of a Soviet war memorial, here's a blogger's recap (with photos, RUS, by LJ user mrprophet) of what happened the previous night: A Russian rebellion Today I've been to a true Russian rebellion, senseless and relentless....
Puerto Rico: Health Care System
Gil the Jenius shares his thoughts on capitation payments in the Puerto Rican health care system: “If you think money isn't the issue just make the rounds (pun intended) of several medical offices in any part of Puerto Rico. It won't take you long to see signs stating that ‘Cash...
Pray for Malawi's former president, 21st century Pan-Africanism, Google sponsors African students , and Donor aid raises questions
Malawi is reviewing its Republican constitution and hot issues on the table relate to the executive and term limits. As reported here before, Malawians are busy discussing the possible return of former president Dr. Bakili Muluzi. Based on how one understand the constitution, the debate is whether the Malawian constitution...
China: culture certification system
Joel Martinsen from DANWEI has translated an interview with Liu Changquan of the Ministry of Culture's Cultural and Artistic Talent Center from Southern Weekly about the newly proposed certification system for entry to cultural sectors.
Japan: Reactions to Tokyo Governor Ishihara's re-election
On April 8 and April 22 nationwide local elections were held throughout Japan, gubernatorial elections on the 8th and local assembly and municipal elections on the 22nd. Among 13 gubernatorial elections, the Tokyo elections attracted the most attention, with incumbent Ishihara Shintarou running for a third term. Over the previous...
