· April, 2011

Stories about Governance from April, 2011

Serbia: Bloggers Discuss Plans to Erect Monument to Late Azeri President

One of Belgrade's nicest parks has recently got renovated - thanks, partially, to a donation of 2 million euros by the Azerbaijani government. The news that has been stirring controversy these past few weeks among Serbian bloggers is the condition for this gift: in return for the donation, a monument to Heydar Aliyev, the former president of Azerbaijan, will have to be erected in the park.

29 April 2011

Barbados: Barrow's Beach

Mullins Bay Blog wonders how one of the country's national heroes “would…have graded his heirs and successors, …who sat idly by and did nothing as the sand disappeared and coconut...

29 April 2011

Peru: Second Electoral Round Kicks Off

A few weeks before the second round of elections in Peru, the choice between candidates Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori, the growing polarisation in Peruvian society, and ultimately from the electorate, is as notable in the press as it is on social networks.

28 April 2011

Iran: Islamist bloggers divided over Ahmadinejad-Khamenei rift

It appears from Iranian Islamist blogs that the honeymoon between Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Republic's Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is finally over. Some reject Ahmadinejad is favor of the Supreme Leader while others show unwavering support for Ahmadinejad.

28 April 2011

Cuba: Bloggers Reflect on Reforms at Communist Party Congress

The sixth congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), which was recently held in Havana, may have marked a major turning point for the Cuban economic system, and for Cuban society at large. Bloggers in Cuba, and those who follow Cuba from other parts of the world, offered a diverse range of reactions.

28 April 2011

Poland: Decrease of corruption

Michael Dembinski of W-wa Jeziorki notes that corruption in Poland continues to decrease in contrast to many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a recent article in...

28 April 2011

Ukraine: Memories and Photos of Chernobyl in August 1986

RuNet Echo

Aleksandr Strannik (LJ user av-strannik) arrived at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in mid-August of 1986, some four months after the April 26 blast at Reactor #4, to assist in the clean-up effort. Twenty-five years later, he is sharing some of his memories and photos from that time.

28 April 2011

Hungary: Hungarian-Roma Tensions Result in Clash in Gyöngyöspata

Last night, four people were injured in a clash between ethnic Hungarian members of the far-right group Véderő and members of the Roma community in the village of Gyöngyöspata. Contradictory accounts have been published in the Hungarian media about how exactly the fight started - and neither of the communities has taken responsibility for the clash.

27 April 2011

Russia: Regions Reduce Digital Divide

RuNet Echo

More than 90 percent of new users are not from Moscow or Saint-Petersburg, Yandex regional Internet development report says [ru]. Authors note a significant increase in Internet use nation-wide, 30-60...

26 April 2011

Hungary: For Gyöngyöspata's Roma, Evacuation – or an Easter Excursion?

First, there were the rumors of a right-wing paramilitary group's plans to hold training in the village of Gyöngyöspata. Then came the local mayor's resignation. Then on April 22, some 300 Roma women and children left the village. While media used the word 'evacuation' to describe what happened, government officials claimed the Roma had been taken on an Easter weekend holiday trip.

24 April 2011