Stories about Governance from April, 2013
EU Seal Ban Maims Indigenous Way of Life in the Arctic
A European Union court in Luxembourg has upheld its ban on the commercial trade of seal products despite a challenge from Canada's Inuit and several Canadian lawmakers that it cripples the indigenous people's ability to make a living.
Brazil: Police Condemned for the Carandiru Massacre
Over 20 years after the rebellion in São Paulo’s Carandiru Penitentiary, ending with the deaths of 111 inmates, 23 military police have been condemned to 156 years in jail for a total of 13 fatalities.
Pavel Durov, Russia's Zuckerberg, Fights for Control of His Creation
Something strange is happening with Vkontakte, Russia’s homegrown version of Facebook. In the last couple of months, the company’s founder and current head, Pavel Durov, has suffered three very public “kicks in the teeth,” one of which might even lead to criminal charges.
Iran: Investors Swarm Ahmadinejad over Losses
According to Payvand site and several bloggers, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was swarmed by a group of Iranians protesting the loss of their money in the Tabriz Nasr Secured Loans Fund.
Marijuana in China
Chengdu Living has an interesting post on the potential disappearance of relatively free weed smoking atmosphere in China as the police has recently started to crack down on Marijuana trade.
Ukrainian Lawmakers Propose to Ban Abortions
In early April, three MPs from the opposition political force “Svoboda” registered a bill that would ban abortions in Ukraine. Tetyana Bohdanova reports on the online reactions to this legislative initiative.
Surprise Candidates for Madagascar Elections
Update: Here is the full list of the 49 candidates [fr] for the presidential elections. It does not include the current president of the transition. As the deadline to submit candidacies for the Malagasy presidential elections ends today (28/04), a few surprising candidates have allegedly come forth. While the earlier candidates...
Malaysia: Which Party Has the Best Election Manifesto?
Malaysia’s 13th General Elections will take place on May 5 and fortunately, the major parties have unveiled their election manifestos which can guide voters in choosing the right candidates. Which party has the best manifesto?
Red Cross’ China Scandal – This Time About Sex
While Chinese people still remember Red Cross China's corruption scandal during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a new scandal has exposed, this time it also involves Guo Meimei, a then “manager at China Red Cross”, showed off her fancy sports cars and luxury handbags on Sina Weibo in 2011. This time...
Chinese Corruption Spreading to Hong Kong “Like SARS & Avian Flu”
A misconduct scandal implicating Timothy Tong, the former chief of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), has Hong Kong and mainland Chinese people worried that ubiquitous corruption in China has spread to Hong Kong.
Public Trust Wiped Away; Jamaicans at Risk from Tainted Toilet Paper
The poop has been hitting the proverbial fan in Jamaica recently over the sale of substandard toilet paper that has allegedly caused a slew of rashes and vaginal infections.
Indigenous People Occupy Brazil's Congress Over Land Rights Bill
The occupation of a plenary session of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies by around 300 indigenous people, on April 16, have caught congressmen by surprise and have put the spotlight on proposed amendment to the Constitution number 215, which transfers the power to demarcate indigenous land from the Executive to the Legislative power.
Female Homicides on the Rise in Mexico
The mothers of female homicide victims have taken to the streets to demand justice as femicides continue unpunished in Mexico.
‘Farmers Know Better’ in Turkmenistan
When will [the Turkmen leader] finally understand that the planned economy is not working? In order for the cotton sector to develop, cotton should be grown by private farms. Wouldn't farmers be able to decide better how much cotton they should sow? Does the [president] sitting on a golden toilet in [the Turkmen capital] Ashgabat really know better how much cotton can be grown in the country than a person working on a field?
Iran: Facebook is ‘the most disgusting US spyware’
A high commander in Iran cyber police says Facebook is ‘the most disgusting spyware and the most dangerous warfare of the U.S.’ which is also ‘responsible for one third of divorces in Iran’. Facebook and other famous social networking websites are blocked by Iranian authorities. They blame this services as...
Ahmadis Boycott Upcoming Elections in Pakistan
The Ahmadi community in Pakistan, comprising of 200,000 members, has decided to boycott the upcoming elections. The decision has been taken to protest the state's discrimination towards the community.
What Do Mozambique's Artists Need?
April 2013's “Open Terrace” will focus on Artists and ‘Houses of Culture’ [pt] from the Northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The initiative takes place every month, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to debate public issues. On December 2012, Global Voices reported on an Open Terrace dedicated to transparency...
India Suffers from Bad Governance
Big government leads to corruption. Corruption leads to bad governance. Bad governance gives rise to mass poverty. Atanu Dey argues that India is not doomed to be poor due to factors outside its control. It needs good governance.
Malawi: Presidents, Pop Stars and the ‘White Savior’ Complex
It started out as a disagreement over definitions, and soon it escalated into a war of words between President Joyce Banda of Malawi and Madonna.
Japan's Next Election Campaign will be Tweeted, Emailed and Blogged
Japan has approved a bill that will allow political candidates to tweet and blog during their election campaigns. Up until recently Japanese electoral candidates had to cautiously navigate their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and blogs to avoid breaking the country's strict election laws which banned all online political activity.
Thailand Police Shame Drunk Drivers on Facebook
Bangkok's Metropolitan Police has posted photos of drunk drivers on the public Facebook page of its deputy chief. The move is an apparent effort to show the seriousness of the police in apprehending drunk drivers but some are skeptical about its effectiveness and even its legality.
