The opposition parties in Bangladesh have started a 36-hour strike (hartal) that began at dawn Sunday in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photoblogger Monirul Alam captures some actions during the strike in a photo essay.

Gil the Jenius deconstructs the argument by political conservatives that “Poverty is a choice”.

El Salvador from the Inside explains the controversy over a change in the propane gas subsidy which was meant to help the poor. The subsidy is now “tied to your electric bill [and] given only to those who use less than a specific number of Kilowatts […] In theory, it sounds like the perfect plan. In practice, it turned into a disaster for many people.”

Shital Shah at Think Change India writes that an innovative start up in Delhi, which is training women to drive taxi cabs to provide abuse free transport for women.

Three films which give a rare glimpse inside the North Korea have been introduced during the North Korea Freedom Week, an annual event jointly held in Seoul and Washington hosting lectures and film screenings focusing human rights abuses in the North. Mike Paarlberg posted a detailed introduction to the films in the City Paper blog.