Stories about Governance from January, 2008
Iran:USA does business with Iran and Syria
Ali Mostofi in Iranian.com blog gives a link to an article about USA business with Iran and Syria.The blogger adds If the US looked at home, instead of anywhere else, the situation with the Seyyeds[clerics] would have been sorted out a long time ago.
Bahamas: Freedom of Information
As the Bahamian Prime Minister makes his report to the nation, Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com admits to “feeling like someone was now in charge of The Bahamas”, but adds: “If there was one disappointment for me it is that Mr. Ingraham did not mention when a Freedom of Information Act...
Ukraine: Tymoshenko and Bohatyryova
Dan McMinn returns to Ukraine and resumes blogging at Orange Ukraine; one of his first posts is on two Ukrainian women politicians: Yulia Tymoshenko and Raisa Bohatyryova.
Ukraine: NATO Problems
Foreign Notes writes about the bad timing of the current NATO-related initiatives undertaken by Ukraine's leaders.
Iran:”Dutch University rejects Iranian Applicant”
In Kamangir blog, we read:”my M.Sc. application was rejected, not on the basis of my academic performance, but because of where I am born”, writes Amin, an Iranian reader of this (Kamangir's) blog. Attaching a snapshot of the communication he has received from University of Twente, in the Netherlands.
Iran:Bloggers Solidarity Day with jailed students
Hundreds of bloggers support jailed students.According to Negha bi Hejab[Fa],on 31st January,the bloggers will change their blogs’ names in “January 31 (Bahman 10 in iranian agenda),Bloggers Solidarity Day with jailed students.” Many students are jailed for their ideas in Iran.Most of them were arrested 50 days ago.
Japan: False arrest, new strategy
Shisaku despairs at the arrest of Nakatsuji Masato, allegedly for programming a virus when in fact there are no laws against virus creation in Japan. The arrest is connected to a new campaign by the Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry, who has placed ads in trains and on TV...
Afghanistan: Returned Refugees, Police Fatigue and Freezing Children
There has been a series of articles on the plight of Afghanistan's police. Bipasha Ray notes one of the many problems facing the creation of a police force from scratch: [There are] overworked and grossly underpaid and under-equipped policemen on the verge of mutinying, in charge of enormous swaths of...
Serbia: Support for Vladimir Vukčević
Alan Jakšić of Balkan Anarchist declares his support for Serbia's war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević, who has recently “received a death threat from fellow Serbs in the diaspora.”
Poland, Ukraine: The Border
Our Man in Gdansk writes about Poland's eastern border, the non-Schengen, closely guarded one: “A lorry driver died in the 20-mile queue at the Ukrainian-Polish border crossing at Dorohusk. Warsaw sat up and noticed: Poland has an eastern border.”
Russia: Hajj Quotas
Window on Eurasia writes about hajj quotas and how it relates to Russia's Muslims.
Russia: Decossackization
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the history of Decossackization in Russia and recommends a book on the subject, written by Gregory Tschebotarioff, a former Cossack officer, now a professor at Princeton University.
Ukraine, Russia: Monopoly
MoldovAnn asks readers to vote “for Kyiv to become one of the 22 cities of the world to be included in the new Monopoly World Edition game board.” Robert Amsterdam writes about real-life Monopoly being played in Russia by the Kremlin.
Guatemala: New Year, Reason to Hope
Julio Serrano of Blog de mi Guatemala [es] writes that there are reasons to hope with the beginning of the new year and the start of a new presidential administration.
Ukraine: A Porous Border
Ukrainian news site Korrespondent.net posted a translation of a Sunday Times story on Ukraine's porous borders and illegal migration. The English-language original has received 16 reader comments so far, the Russian translation - 88 comments. While many readers admitted that the problem of illegal migration existed in Ukraine and that corruption among officials contributed to it, most did not seem happy about the Sunday Times' story.
Ukraine: Crimean Tatars Protest
Orange Ukraine writes, among other things, about Crimean Tatars’ protests in Simferopol over the long-delayed construction of a mosque.
Ukraine: Anthrax Housing
Ukrainiana reports that Kyiv authorities have decided to go ahead with the plan to build a house at the site of a 19th-centruy anthrax cemetery.
Poland: More on Healthcare
The beatroot visits a state-run and a private clinic in Warsaw to get a sick note and a medicine – and ends up writing about disadvantages of each option.
Czech Republic: Fake Radiation Leak Alert
The Czech Daily Word reports on a recent fake radiation leak alert in Brno.
Slovenia: EU Presidency Update
Marko Bucik writes about Slovenia's “overshadowed” EU presidency: “Then comes Kosovo. This will be perhaps the only headline news for the Slovenian Presidency – be it good or bad news.”
Poland, Bulgaria: eDeclarations; AntiCorruption.bg
Information Policy reports on the introduction of electronic tax declarations in Poland and the launch of an “anti-corruption portal” in Bulgaria.
