Stories about Governance from August, 2009
Brazil: Students arrested for demonstrating in the Senate
Students were held for demonstrating against the Senate's President José Sarney and suffered many threats. We hear the blogosphere's thoughts on Brazilian democracy being slowly done away with.
Sri Lanka: Citizen Media Contest
Sri Lankan citizen journalism initiative Groundviews announced a new competition “aimed at encouraging more citizen journalism on two vital issues confronting polity and society in post-war Sri Lanka – the...
India: A wave of suicides among farmers
Increasingly, Indian farmers are resorting to extreme measures, including suicide, to escape complex problems of poverty, crop failure and growing debt. Indian bloggers analyze the situation.
Kenyan cartoonists find a home in the blogosphere
The older Kenyan generations vividly remember cartoon characters like Bogi Benda, Juha Kalulu and many others who premiered in newspapers. But times are changing and the internet is changing almost everything including the medium that cartoonists are using to share their thoughts.
China: Free speech under control 2.0
David Bandurski translated an article from CCP mouthpiece publication, Qiushi, on “Freedom of Speech and the Media’s Responsibility”. The article showed the Chinese government's desire for a fair share in...
Kazakhstan: On the Efficacy of Government
How professional is the government? Is it rigorous enough in performing its functions? How often does it interfere in matters beyond its competence? These are among the most popular questions...
Indonesia: Soeharto's son aims to be president?
Hutomo Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former Indonesian President Soeharto, returns to the political arena with a bang. He seeks chairmanship of his father's political party Golkar. Indonesian bloggers speak about this political twist in the archipelagic country.
Slovakia, Hungary: More on the Tensions
Michal Hudec of Blogactiv.eu writes about the Slovak-Hungarian tensions.
Hungary: Update on Hungarian Guard
Hungarian Spectrum posts an update on the Hungarian Guard (more on it, in an earlier GV post by Marietta Le).
Pakistan: The Sugar Crisis
Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan discusses about the recent sugar crisis in Pakistan.
Afghanistan: Elections with better security, worse violations
Joshua Foust reviews the reports about presidential elections in Afghanistan, noting that security was much better than expected, though there are widespread indications of fraud.
Serbia: Threats to LGBT Population
Serbia's gays are facing plenty of problems - and on Sept. 20, they are planning to hold a gay pride parade in Belgrade. Sinisa Boljanovic reviews some pro and contra reactions published on Serbian blogs and in other online venues.
Brazil: On the meaning of “Minorities with a majority complex”
A catchphrase uttered by Senator Renan Calheiros in an argument with another senator reinforces the presumption of a long-standing rivalry between São Paulo and the rest of Brazil.
Iran: Tohidloo, a reformist blogger was released
Somayeh Tohidloo, an Iranian female reformist blogger, walked free [fa] from jail today. She had been arrested 71 days ago.
Russia: Flag Day Rally
LJ users daria_mas and alter-gregor post photos (RUS) from the opposition rally that took place in Moscow on Russia's Flag Day and ended with riot police detaining some of the...
Iran: Testimonies of torture and rape
The Iranian authorities have been accused by UN experts and the opposition of torturing protesters of the June 12 presidential election results. Iranian civil society activists have been using citizen media to highlight testimonies about the Iranian tragedy.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision scandal continues
Despite attempts by the authorities to downplay the incident, news that the names and addresses of 43 citizens who voted for the Armenian entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest had been obtained by police in Azerbaijan continues to send out shock waves through the Internet.
Zambia: The ills of Mwanawasa's legacy
A guest blogger at Zambian Economist discusses the ills of Levy Mwanawasa's legacy. The late Mwanawasa was the third President of Zambia.
Hungary, Slovakia: Newest Tensions
Hungarian Spectrum (here and here) and The Reference Frame report and comment on the Slovak-Hungarian tensions.
Iran: “Green Movement and Football”
Jomhoriyat writes [fa] that hundreds of young people carried green flags and wore green t-shirts in football stadiums in Isfahan and Shiraz. The green colour is the symbol of Iranian...
Zambia: Reactions to Chiluba's acquittal
A magistrate in Lusaka acquitted former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba of corruption charges this week in a ruling that has received mixed reactions in Zambia.
