Stories about Governance from May, 2010
Pakistan: The Lesson In The Facebook Ban
Following the lifting of the ban on Facebook by Lahore High-court, Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan questions: “So, what is the lesson in all of this? Who gained what in this entire episode? And who lost what?”
Why Invest In Bangladesh?
Why invest in Bangladesh? Because “Bangladesh is a winning combination with its competitive market, business-friendly environment and cost structure that can give you the best returns,” comments GuruMia.com.
Russia: Blogger Describes His Experience With E-Gov Portal
Alexey Grigoriev blogs [RUS] about his experience of starting a small business at e-government portal gosuslugi.ru. The portal is still full of technical bugs and even after online application one has to present all the papers in the regional tax service office.
Maldives: A Non Muslim In the 100% Muslim Nation
Hasan Ziayu reports about a Maldivian who openly announced his disbelief in Islam on state television and was detained by police. Now the dilemma is: one cannot become a Maldivian unless he is a Muslim, but since the person is already a citizen, what will happen to his citizenship?
Pakistan: Netizens Demand End To Internet Censorship
Sana Saleem at Mystified Justice posts a plea by the netizens to the Pakistani government to end the ongoing Internet censorship and intimidation in the country.
Japan: National police to share information on organized crime members
Sarah Noorbakhsh, at Japan Subculture Research Center's blog, reports [en] on the forthcoming cooperation between the National Police Agency (NPA) and the Japan Security Dealers Association (JSDA). The police will provide information for a database on yakuza (Japanese mafia) members “to combat organized crime members opening securities accounts”.
The Balkans: Violent Treatment of Animals
Almost every day, dogs or cats are exposed to torture by cruel people who record their cruelties and publish the videos on the internet. Since the war, crime and various forms of violence have become a regular occurrence in the Balkans region.
Pakistan: Culture Of Intolerance
Raza Rumee at Pak Tea House discusses about the recent attacks on Ahmadi community in Pakistan and what signs it gives.
Bangladesh: The Reason For The Facebook Ban
Shada Kalo discusses about the recent ban on Facebook in Bangladesh – and how it gave a kid a ton of publicity.
Slovakia: The Fight for Nationalistic Voters
Tibor Blazko writes about the growing nationalistic sentiments driven by some Slovak and Hungarian politicians and translates a related satirical video.
Bangladesh: Facebook Temporarily Blocked
Bangladesh has become the second country in Asia after Pakistan to block the entire Facebook domain. Bangladeshi bloggers are expressing their astonishment, anger and protest against this ban.
Oil spill disaster in Singapore
A ship collision in Singapore Strait caused the spilling of 2,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea. Singapore netizens are using the web to monitor and document the marine disaster and to call for volunteers in the cleanup drive.
Pakistan: Minorities At Peril
“The thirty years of state sponsored “true” Islam is showing its colors. In Pakistan all the minorities are constantly harassed and state’s protection has often proved completely ineffective when a serious attack occurs,” comments Raza Habib Raja at Pak Tea House while discussing the attacks on the religious sites of...
Pakistan: Attacks in Lahore at Ahmadi Mosques
Amardeep at Sepia Mutiny writes about the “terrible pair of attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, by gunman armed with grenades and automatic weapons”.
Bangladesh: FIFA World Cup, Memories From The Past
The 2010 FIFA World cup is knocking at the doors. While People around the world are talking about this Word Cup, a few Bangladeshi bloggers are reminiscing about the previous ones.
Iran: Two Bloggers and Student Leader on Hunger Strike in Prison
Two bloggers and one leading student activist - deprived of their pen and blogs in an Iranian prison - are now using a hunger strike to protest prison conditions and defend their rights.
Hungary: Bloggers’ Photo and Video Reports on the Flood
The floods of the past weeks affecting Central and Eastern Europe are not over yet, and below are some of the photo and video reports by Hungarian bloggers from areas affected by the natural disaster.
[Report] Technology for Transparency
This report is the culmination of four months of research examining the objectives, challenges, successes, and effects of online technology projects that aim to promote transparency, political accountability, and civic engagement. It presents case studies, conclusions, and recommendations toward making the grassroots use of technology more effective in improving governance worldwide.
Sri Lanka: Unique Perspectives On The End Of War
Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) informs that GroundViews, the Sri Lankan citizen media platform, has published a special edition on the end of the war against LTTE.
Brazil: Bloggers React to Iran-Brazil-Turkey Nuclear Deal
Brazilian bloggers react to the deal reached between Brazil, Turkey and Iran concerning the uranium enrichment of the latter: from optimism to skepticism, here are some thoughts on the role of Brazil in such an international turnaround.
India: Controlling Export Of Cotton
Offstumped blog criticizes the recent decisions of the incumbent Indian government to control export of Cotton using steps like ban on export to a license based red tape system.
