Stories about Governance from January, 2013
Pakistan’s Forgotten Hindu Heritage
Shiraz Hassan recently visited dilapidated temples and gurdwaras of Rawalpindi and appeals that these old heritage sites, which depict the secular past of the country, need to be preserved. There...
Japan Gears Up for the Open Data Revolution
Following the death of Aaron Swartz, an open data activist, the issues around open access and data ownership have been reignited around the world. But for Japan, the seeds of...
Slovak PM's Support for 2022 Winter Olympics Bid Draws Criticism
Whereas Norway and Switzerland are planning to hold referenda before submitting their 2022 Winter Olympics bids, the fate of the Slovak-Polish joint bid already seems decided: the Slovak Prime Minister...
Nepal: Wither Democracy?
Siromani Dhungana at United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal opines that recent political events strongly suggest that Nepal is on its way to being ruled by an autocratic political...
Bhutan: Security Taken For Granted
According to tourists Bhutan is a safe place. But ShyGuard at Writers Association Of Bhutan warns not to take it for granted. The blogger opines that Bhutanese should be more...
Colombia: A Long Way to Peace?
Despite ongoing peace talks, Colombia refused to recognize the most recent ceasefire declared by the FARC and launched an airstrike on New Year's day. Meanwhile, the deadline for brokering a...
Tens of Thousands Affected by Heavy Rains in Mozambique
In Mozambique, the rains that have been falling since early January devastated populations in the country's center and south. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, and 45 deaths...
Survey of China's 24 most corrupt officials in 2012
Barry van Wyk from DANWEI highlighted a survey conducted by the Crisis Management Research Center at Renmin University which looked into 24 cases of corruption that became public knowledge on...
Iran's Newspapers Silent on Mass Arrest of Journalists
The world's leading jailer of journalists has struck again. At least 12 Iranian journalists were arrested by agents of the regime's over the weekend.
Critical Mass: Cycling Through Brazil's Salvador City
In our attempt to discover the route of Brazilian Critical Masses, we spoke with two organizers of the Salvador Critical Mass (also known as “Bicicletada”), Roque Júnior and Rosa Ribeiro....
An ‘Evolution in Thinking’ in Afghanistan
Afghans and some foreign observers claim that Afghanistan is a vastly different country now than it was under the Taliban. Few of these observers can tangibly explain exactly what they...
Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho”, One Year Later
January 22, 2013 marked one year since the violent eviction of the Pinheirinho settlement in the city of São José dos Campos, Brazil. A demonstration to commemorate the date took...
Thai Activist Editor Gets 11-Year Jail Term for ‘Insulting’ King
Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a veteran activist and former editor of Voice of Taksin magazine (banned in 2010), received an 11 year jail sentence from a Thai court for publishing articles deemed...
Latinos Were Key Figures at Obama's Inauguration
The inauguration of the president of the United States Barack Obama last January 21st, was filled with a passionate speech that foreshadows what could be the next years of his...
Slovak President Butt of Jokes Online Due to Prosecutor General Saga
The post of the Prosecutor General has been vacant for more than a year in Slovakia, largely due to President Ivan Gašparovič's failure to approve the previous Parliament's candidate. Slovak...
Blogging for UAE Detainees
“UAE Detainees” [ar] sheds light on the plight of more 68 Emirati political detainees who demanded reforms in their country. By doing so, the blog tries to attract solidarity with...
India: Penalizing ISPs For Poor Broadband Service
Nikhil Pahwa reports that India’s telecom regulator TRAI has updated its regulations to penalize Indian internet service providers that fail to meet the quality standards.
Brazil: Families Evicted from Pinheirinho Still Without a Proper Home
One year after the violent eviction which became known as “Massacre of Pinherinho“, in the city of São José dos Campos, state of São Paulo, Amnesty International Brazil demands [pt] an...
“Stop Erasing Hong Kong's History”
To prevent Hong Kong's government from destroying public records, citizens call for legislation to protect public archives and the citizens' right to access government information. As one of the supporter...
