Stories about Governance from December, 2012
Shahzeb Khan – Symbol of Hope Against Pakistan's Powerful Feudals
Through social media, the face of 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan has become a symbol of hope against Pakistan's powerful Feudal-elites, who live with impunity, above the law.
A Memorable 2012 for Myanmar
Burma has experienced a lot of political and social turbulence throughout the past year. Like a dilapidated taxi driving in torrential rain, the country is still moving forward but things...
Sri Lanka's Judiciary-Executive clash
Law and Other Things has updates on the proceedings that were initiated in the Sri Lankan Parliament to impeach the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Dr Shirani Bandaranayake.
New GV e-book: African Voices of Hope and Change
"African Voices of Hope and Change," gives you an intimate perspective into the stories and people of Africa's Sub-Saharan region, through our best English-language posts from 2012 - a perfect...
Japan's Independent Film Theaters are Disappearing
One after the other, independent movie theaters are going out of business in Japan. The wave of closing theaters has changed Tokyo's street scenes, people who gathered and spent their...
Looking Back at 2012 in South Asia – Part II
Pakistan's dismal human rights record just gets worse, India's rising rape rates have sent the society into a flux, Bangladesh rejected Myanmar's Rohingya refugees, the regions relatively stable country -...
Egypt: The People Demand Free and Open Source Software
A lot has been said about the liberating role technology has played in the Middle East uprising, yet there is more to be said about the mutual role the uprising...
Chinese Scholars Test the New Leadership's Will to Political Reform
More than 70 Chinese scholars and legal experts co-signed a petition urging the new Chinese Communist Party leaders to reform according to the existing Chinese Constitution. Many believe that the...
Slovak Blogger Promotes Fairness in State Support for Businesses
Blogger Robert Huran reports [sk] on the initial success of his online form [sk] for entrepreneurs, which was created two months ago in response to the news [sk] of the...
Iran's Most Memorable Internet Moments in 2012
Here are some of the most memorable moments from the Iranian cyber world in 2012. The regime continued its repressive and merciless tactics against bloggers and netizens all year, culminating...
The Personal Lives of China’s New Leaders
Xinhua News has published[zh] a series of personal profiles of China's top leaders, including photos of their families, which was rare in Chinese media. The move was seen by many...
Mexico: Federal Court Halts Controversial Wind Park
The largely indigenous opposition to wind farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec of Oaxaca, Mexico won a tremendous victory when a District Seven Federal Court judge granted an injunction temporarily...
Come to China During Christmas to Enjoy Religious Freedom!
In response to the criticism that China does not have religious freedom, the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece, Global Times, published an editorial on Christmas Eve inviting overseas China observers to...
Bhutan: Steering Away From Democracy?
Bhutanomics comments: In form and structure Bhutan can be called a functioning democracy with elections, elected representatives and democratic institutions, but in terms of practice Bhutan is getting farther away...
Balochistan Gets a Military Operation On Christmas Eve
The Pakistan army has launched a military operation in the Awaran district of Balochistan on Christmas Eve which resulted in many casualties. Apparently the operation was targeting the Tehsil Mashkai...
Central African Republic President Isolated as Rebels Close in on Capital City
At this point, there is virtually no one left in president Bozize's cabinet. His religious advisors and his sons are the only left to help him in manage a storming...
Rebel Attacks on Ndélé and Bria, Central African Republic
These last few weeks, with attacks on the the cities of Ndélé and Bria, rebels have been threatening the regime of Central African Republic President François Bozizé. This fresh wave...
Syria: Negotiating Defection on Twitter
Following reports that former Syrian spokesman Jihad Makdissi had fled to the US, on 25 December activist Rami Jarrah, also known as Alexander Page, released private Twitter messages that show...
Animal Welfare Groups Step Up Campaign in Laos
Animal welfare groups in Laos have stepped up their campaign to promote protection of animals and public awareness about animal care. Their campaigns include better veterinary care, providing shelter to...
Rohingya Refugees Rejected by Singapore
Singapore turned away 40 Rohingya shipwreck survivors who were rescued by a Vietnamese ship. Singapore netizens and human rights groups reacted strongly to the decision of authorities to send away...
