· October, 2013

Stories about Governance from October, 2013

Egypt: Urban Constitution Document

  30 October 2013

As the “50 member-committee” meets to amend Egypt's constitution, some civil society organizations and urban activists participated in producing what they called the “urban constitution document” [Ar]: We present this document to “50 member-committee” as a comprehensive suggestion for articles we see important in being added to the constitution. What's...

International Organizations Call for a Swift Adoption of Marco Civil in Brazil

  28 October 2013

‘Internet Needs an Uncompromising “Marco Civil” in Brazil!‘, state international organizations that advocate for free speech and freedoms online in an open letter released on October 28, 2013 (on the eve of the vote on Brazil's ‘bill of rights’ for Internet users). Its opening paragraph reads:  The “Marco Civil da Internet” is...

Opposition MPs Suspect Foul Play as Croatia Airlines Prepares for Privatization

  28 October 2013

Some members of the Croatian parliament, all of different opposition parties, have voiced their concern in past days regarding safety issues that Croatia Airlines has had in recent weeks and, in particular, the unusual media attention these incidents have received. Croatia Airlines is currently being prepared for a long-awaited privatization...

On the Kingdoms of Spain

The Bridge  28 October 2013

Overnight, Catalan politics changed. Hundreds of towns in the Catalan countryside preemptively declared independence. Catalonia's Parliament passed a declaration of sovereignty. But nothing changed in Spain.

Everyone Suffers in Manila Traffic

  28 October 2013

Filipino journalist Iris Cecilia Gonzales writes about how people suffer from Manila's notorious street traffic: When one is stuck in traffic in Manila's streets, there's no escape. Everyone suffers — whether you're driving a sleek Rolls Royce or a moving piece of junk; whether it's with a red plate or...

Hungarian Student Bloggers Win Lawsuit Against University

  27 October 2013

Bloggers of Átlátszó Oktatás (Transparent Education) sued the largest Hungarian university ELTE's Law Faculty in winter 2012, in order to obtain documents on how state scholarships and bonus payments were distributed by the members of the faculty's student union. Because the university is entirely state-funded, the students demanded through a...

Journalists Fear Japan's Proposed Secret Information Protection Act

  26 October 2013

The cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a bill [ja] on October 25, 2013 to impose tougher penalties on civil servants, lawmakers and others who leak national secrets and harm national security. The so-called Secret Information Protection Act has been unpopular among Japanese press, human rights advocates, and citizens...

VIDEO: “No Woman, No Drive” Stuns Saudi Arabia

  26 October 2013

Today, October 26, was the day Saudi activists chose to protest against the driving ban on women in the Kingdom. As social networks were buzzing under increasing number of reports of women driving across the country, a brilliant a capella remake of Bob Marley's “No Woman, No Cry” spread at...

Grenada: Remembering the Revolution

  26 October 2013

Thirty years ago this month, former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was executed by a firing squad. It was the beginning of the end of the People's Revolutionary Government in Grenada.

Portugal Says “Thank You Troika”, Really?

  25 October 2013

Subverting the discourse of austerity, a protest was held in Lisbon earlier this week to “thank” the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission for the ongoing measures to tackle the economic crisis in Portugal. The protest took place on October 21, 2013, and gained the attention of mainstream...

Overwhelmed by Syrian Refugees, Bulgaria Seeks EU Aid

  23 October 2013

Bulgaria, as the closest EU country to Syria, is seeing more than its fair share of the average 5,000 refugees that are fleeing Syria every day. Unprepared and inexperienced in dealing with this influx of refugees seeking shelter, food and protection, Bulgaria has requested assistance and financial aid from the...

Nicolás Maduro's First Six Months as President of Venezuela

  22 October 2013

Venezuela is sitting on top of the largest oil reserves in the world and has a continual flow of dollars coming in. So they are not on the brink of a collapse. But they are progressively sliding into the swamp of serious economic dysfunction that will make sustained growth difficult...