· July, 2012

Stories about Governance from July, 2012

Costa Rica: Video Love Note Gets Vice-Minister Dismissed

  31 July 2012

The Costa Rican Vice-Minister of Youth Karina Bolaños was removed from her post by the Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla after a video showing an underwear clad vice minister sending a love note to a lover was made public and spread through the web.  Reactions to this news are quite varied: from censure to the Vice-Minister for making a video and not taking care to erase it, to rejection of all those who continued to spread the video and finally, repudiation to the President for removing the vice-minister from her post as  if she were not the victim of this whole affair.

Iran: Pro-Ahmadinejad Blogger Jailed

"What a world and judiciary we have, Ahmad was arrested just for writing and supporting his country's president" - Ahmad Shariat is behind bars. Other pro-Ahmadinejad bloggers have also been hounded by Tehran prosecutor’s office for criticizing associates of the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Tanzania: Newspaper Shut Down by Government

  31 July 2012

On 30 July, the government of Tanzania banned indefinitely a popular weekly investigative newspaper called Mwanahalisi. Tanzanians received the news with great astonishment, although the same newspaper was previously banned for three months in 2008.

Iran: Police is censoring ‘in affiliation with Facebook’

  30 July 2012

Commander in chief of Iran cyber police insists that the authorities would prosecute those who ‘promote immorality and prostitution’ in social network websites. Kamal Hadianfar claims [fa] that Iranian police would ‘purify’ this social network ‘with collaboration of Facebook managers’. Major social networking services including Facebook and Twitter are blocked in Iran.

Brazil: Concerns Over Public Health in Januária

Rising Voices  30 July 2012

Participants of the citizen journalism project Amigos de Januária, Rising Voices grantee of 2011, are carrying on the mission to monitor the local government of Januária, in Brazil. The latest posts on their blog refer to concerns over health and public safety.

China: ‘Violent’ Pipeline Protest in Qidong

  29 July 2012

Violence that broke out during a protest against a pipeline construction project in China's Qidong province has split opinion online. The project would channel wastewater from a Japanese owned paper mill into the sea and has raised environmental concerns.

Brazil: Board of Social Communication Under Criticism

  29 July 2012

The Observatório do Direito à Comunicação, website of communication rights in Brazil, reports that [pt] the Board of Social Communication, elected by National Congress on July 17, is under criticism as the list of candidates was concealed and voting session was unannounced. Board members analyze, report and make recommendations on...

Russia: Senator Wants Criminal Case Against Satirical Blogger

Novgorod Senator Dmitri Krivitskii has accused [ru] local blogger Vadim Beriashvili of violating the Russian criminal code's infamous Article 282 [en], alleging that he incited hatred against “a social group” when he wrote [ru] facetiously in April 2012 about Senator Krivitskii's suspiciously low income declaration. After local investigators questioned Beriashvili, he responded by filing...

Russia: Paving Political Potholes

Say the word "roads" to most Russians, and you are likely to end up with a half-hour discussion. Throughout history, Russia has been infamous for its bad road quality. However, now the city of Yekaterinburg seems to have come up with a solution to the problem, by making bureaucrats get down to work.

Russia: The Killing of Krutov

The June 29 murder of Svetloyarsk Raion administration head Nikolay Krutov was a blip on that day’s news. It was not unprecedented, but unraveling why the crime was committed (and what it means) is anything but straightforward.

Madagascar: Three Soldiers Killed During Uprising in Military Barracks

  25 July 2012

Three soldiers were killed and four injured during a confrontation at Ivato barracks, Madagascar on Sunday July 22, 2012. This revolt took place shortly before a meeting between the interim leader Andry Rajoelina and ex-president Marc Ravalomananana, scheduled for July 24 in the Seychelles. This latest incident follows a pattern all too familiar to Malgasians as they ask themselves who benefits from the unrest that occurs before each attempt at mediation.

Malaysia: Selangor State Faces Water Shortage

  25 July 2012

Selangor, Malaysia's richest state, could be facing a water shortage crisis soon after its water concessionaire announced that water rationing might be necessary because of lack of clean water reserves. The state government, however, is accusing the company of using the issue to gain more profit.

India: Ethnic Clashes in Assam

  25 July 2012

Fighting between indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers in the Indian State of Assam killed at least 32 people and wounded many more. Approx. 70,000 villagers have fled their homes since the violence started and taken shelter in relief camps. More than 60 villages belonging to both Bodos and Muslims in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts were ransacked or burned.

Peru: President Humala ‘Reshuffles’ Cabinet

  24 July 2012

Bloggings by Boz comments on President Ollanta Humala's “cabinet shuffle”: “Oscar Valdes is out; Juan Jimenez is in as Peru's new prime minister. Humala also named new ministers for Interior, Defense, Health, Agriculture and Justice.” He adds that this cabinet shuffle comes in response to anti-mining protests.