Stories about Governance from January, 2011
Iran: “Our friend Mr. ElBaradei” in Egypt
Iranian bloggers from across the political spectrum continue to share their opinions on uprisings in the Arab world. One conservative Islamist blogger sees an opportunity for the Iranian regime if Mohamed ElBaradei were to come to power in Egypt.
Russia: Blogger Released After 14 Months of Penal Colony
Irek Murtazin [RUS], blogger and former spokesperson of the Tatarstan's president, has been released today after spending more than 14 months in penal colony, “Novaya Gazeta” reported [RUS]. After published a gossip about the death of Mintimir Shaimiev, president of Tatarstan Republic, Murtazin had been accused of defamation and sentenced to 2 years...
Iraq: A Salute to the People of Egypt
Salam Adil rounds up the Iraqi bloggers' take on the demonstrations in Egypt. Read it now before the world changes.
Saudi Arabia: Netizens Support Egyptians in their Uprising
Saudi Arabia's netizens are lending their support to Egyptians in their uprising against president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Many are watching, reporting on and reacting to the developments on the ground, as massive protests demanding a change in the regime enter their seventh day.
Sudan: “Facebook Revolution” with the help of Twitter as a side kick
Today we are witnessing a new trend in Sudan. Young Sudanese are growing up digital and are well aware of how the world is changing around them. Young people in Sudan are using social media tools to voice their opinions and challenge the regime. In this post, we are looking at how social media tools were used to help organise, document and report January 30 demonstrations.
Sudan: Tweeting #SudanJan30
Using the social networking site Facebook, Sudanese students called for a street demonstration on January 30 to protest against the government of Omar al-Bashir. The protests have claimed the life of Mohammed Abdulrahman, a student at the Ahaliya University. This is our latest roundup of #SudanJan30 tweets.
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: Looking at Egypt
Cuban bloggers speculate that the Egypt protests may set an example for Cubans, issue advice to the Egyptian people and blog about similarities and differences between the two countries, while from Trinidad and Tobago, Globewriter calls social networking “the new human rights weapon”.
Ukraine: “Three Nations”?
Paul Goble of Window in Eurasia cites an interview [ENG] with a member of the Lviv City Council, who explains [UKR] that the real conflict in contemporary Ukraine is not between ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians – instead, three different national projects are competing for dominance within the country.
China: Law student almost got arrested for attempt to capture cadre’s privilege moment
A Beijing University student ran into trouble when trying to take some snapshots of a cadre who enjoyed privilege in the train station. Full story see Olivia from China Hush.
Palestine: Netizens React to First Batch of Palestine Papers
On the 23rd of January, 2011, Al Jazeera released the Palestine Papers. Shaden Abdulrahman rounds up reactions from Palestinian and pro-Palestine blogs to the first batch of 1600 documents.
Saudi Arabia: Jeddah's Youth Come to the Rescue in Floods
Following Jeddah's flood at the end of January, the young generation of Saudis used social media websites to help with relief operations by providing aid, shelter, food or transportation to those who got affected by the rain.
Sudan: People's Revolution in the Making?
Following mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt, a group Sudanese activists have chosen January 30, 2011 to be the beginning of peaceful demonstrations to bring down Omar al-Bashir and his government. Here is a roundup of latest tweets using the hashtag #SudanJan30.
Brazil: Ministry of Culture abandons Creative Commons
Brazilian Minister of Culture's decision to remove a Creative Commons license from its website provoked all sorts of reactions on social networks and among bloggers. It is the first instance of undoing of the previous government inclusive public policies regarding Internet, digital culture and authorial rights.
China: 88% of Chinese trust government?
Edelman, one of the top five global public relations firms, released its 2011 Trust Barometer on January 26 2011. The report indicates that China ranked first, with 88% trust, in the world in terms of trust government. On the other hand, the United States fell from 46% to 40%.
Romania: Accession to the Schengen Zone
Kosmopolito writes about Romania's “clumsy way” to the Schengen zone.
Hungary: New Media Law To Be Modified?
Hungarian Watch reports that “Hungary seems poised to make changes to media law” – but “freedom of the press is still on shaky ground.”
Hungary: Filtering Foreign Media Content?
Hungarian Spectrum reports that the official Hungarian news agency seems to be supplying other media outlets with “wrong translations” of foreign media content, perhaps trying “to conceal some of the bad news–bad that is from the point of view of the government–from the Hungarian public.” Galamus Csoport, however, offers “accurate...
Albania: Anti-Government Protest in Tirana
Home of the Albanian Blogger and A Nevada Yankee in King Zog's Court share their thoughts on the Jan. 21 anti-government protests and violence in Tirana.
Czech Republic: Lawyers Uncertain About Ukrainian Politician's Right to Asylum
Czech Position reports that “uncertainty prevailed among [Czech] lawyers on whether [former Ukrainian Economy Minister] Bohdan Danylyshyn merits asylum in the Czech Republic.”
Bulgaria: Sofia's Sugar Factory Tragedy
Maya's Corner writes about Sofia's Sugar Factory, where two people died in 2009 when the neglected building collapsed, and the fate of other landmarks owned by “predator ‘investors’.”
Ukraine: The Newest Euro 2012 Scandal
Foreign Notes writes about the latest Euro 2012 controversy in Ukraine: “In other words, the Ukrainian national team could find itself banned from the Euro 2012 football tournament that the country is itself hosting…”
