Stories about Governance from September, 2009
Serbia: The Death of a French Football Fan
Brice Taton, a 28-year-old French citizen and a fan of the Toulouse football team, was brutally beaten by fans of the Partizan football team in downtown Belgrade on Sept. 17, before the Partizan vs Toulouse game. He died in a Belgrade hospital on Sept. 29.
USA: Immigrant Students in National Day of Action
The National Dream Act Day of Action was initiated by the United We DREAM Coalition and was supported by dozens of organizations across university campuses in the USA last week.
Trinidad & Tobago: Digging a Hole
“It’s like a jamette woman in a rumshop shouting she does go to chuch!”: B.C. Pires blogs about issues of governance in the Trinidad & Tobago government.
Pakistan: Who Is Running The Country?
The US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson’s recent statement on Quetta shura raised a controversy in Pakistan. Teeth Maestro poses the question in reaction: “Who’s actually running Pakistan? The Americans or Pakistanis?”
China: When will the sunshine come?
Chinese officials will soon be required to report all their assets as part of an anti-corruption "Sunshine Act" of the Communist Party. But resistance so far has been significant, leading to much online public debate among Chinese citizens.
Poland: Sexual Crimes and Roman Polanski
Polandian writes about Poland's plans to legalize chemical castration for those who commit sexual crimes against minors – and about the arrest of Roman Polanski in Switzerland and the Polish foreign minister's intention to ask the U.S. president to pardon the film director: “Now, if the 1977 charge had been...
Czech Republic: Temelín Nuclear Power Plant
The Journeys of Captain Oddsocks writes about the Temelín nuclear power plant, which has been in the news recently “because of a controversial and overpriced contract awarded to a shady company whose former director was recently jailed for planning the violent abduction of his replacement.”
Madagascar Delegation Barred from UN General Assembly Stage
In an attempt to legitimize the military-backed government, Madagascar's acting leader was scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, only to be barred. Malagasy bloggers and twitterers react.
Bangladesh: Law And Order Situation
Mukti discusses the current state of the law and order situation in Bangladesh.
China: Censorship arms race escalates
Rebecca MacKinnon sums up the recent censorship measures in China, including the launching of new surveillant software and the recent attack of major censorship circumvention techniques and technologies.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Price of Progress is High
“As if the stink of the uselessness of the building weren’t enough…here comes talk that toxic fumes from the Performing Arts Academy are making people in the neighbouring buildings fall sick. Yes, this is progress at its best”: Trinidadian Attillah Springer says the whole thing “is a tragic kind of...
India: The State Of Democracy
Arundhati Roy at Huffington Post comments on the state of democracy in India: “The hoary institutions of Indian democracy — the judiciary, the police, the ‘free’ press, and, of course, elections — far from working as a system of checks and balances, quite often do the opposite. They provide each...
Maldives: Renewing Ties With Israel
Mohamed Nasheed reacts to the news that Maldives would renew ties with Israel posing this question: “how does renewing relations with Israel serve our national interest?”
Russia: “Promoting State Interests” Online
Evgeny Morozov writes that “Kremlin no longer hides its [internet] spinning strategy”
Lithuania, Latvia: Capitals of Culture
Viola in Vilnius writes that Riga has been nominated as one of the 2014 European capitals of culture, and comments on how this year’s title holder, Vilnius, has done so far.
Hungary: Pro-Nightlife Rally; Art Station
Marietta Le of Remainder of Budapest posts photos and video from a rally in support of Budapest's nightlife and from a graffiti and extreme sports competition held inside a metro station whose construction had been halted due to financial difficulties.
Hungary: Political Talk Show Taken Off Air
GV Author Marietta Le of Remainder of Budapest and Eva S. Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum write about Nap-kelte, a morning political TV talk show that was taken off air last week, some 20 years after its launch in 1989.
Tunisia: Severe Flooding Kills 15
Flash floods hit Tunisia this week, killing at least 15 people and damaging property in the town of Redeyef in southern Tunisia. Bloggers declare two day of mourning and speak out against a media apparatus which trades on people's miseries to trump up the government.
Sri Lanka: Suppression Of Media Freedom
Concerned Citizen comments on the media freedom in Sri Lanka at Groundviews: “despite vehement denials, it is obvious that the government is guilty of suppression of media freedom and dissent through intimidation, threats, violence and extrajudicial acts which have seriously affected their credibility both nationally and internationally.”
Iran: Artists and Green Movement
Artists from different corners of the world have created posters to support Iranian opposition movement (Green Movement) and Iranian people struggle for democracy.
USA: Clashes with Police at Pittsburgh G-20 Summit
Citizens published photos and videos of clashes between protesters and police during the G-20 meeting of world leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this week.
