· November, 2013

Stories about Governance from November, 2013

A Durian Village In Sri Lanka

  30 November 2013

In Southern parts of Sri Lanka the cultivation of Durian, regarded by many in southeast Asia as the “king of fruits”, is becoming popular as it has export demands. The Sri Lanka Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to commercially cultivate Durian, reports Ajith Parakum Jayasinghe. A 30-acre Durian village...

Keeping up with the 2013 World Forum for Democracy

  28 November 2013

The second World Forum for Democracy is currently taking place in Strasbourg, France. The motto of this year conference is “Connecting Institutions and Citizens in the Digital Age”.  Follow the four themes and the 21 workshops of the conference with the hashtag #CoE_WFD. 

VIDEO: Authorities Destroy Mosques in Angola

  25 November 2013

The destruction of at least 11 mosques in the last two months in Angola is provoking reactions of outrage online. According to Voz da América [pt], Angolan authorities state that the reason for the destruction is illegal construction. Other reports add that the process of legalization of Islam and other religions in the country...

Iran: Jailed Blogger Needs Urgent Medical Care

  25 November 2013

Jailed blogger,Hossein Ronaghi Maleki needs urgent medical care.He was sentenced to 15 years of prison. Laleh tweeted Jailed activist Hossein Ronaghi in very poor health w/ swollen kidneys-(one non-functioning), bladder & prostate disease #Iran #Iranelection — Lalehلاله (@Lalehsr) November 25, 2013

Interactive Map of #Euromaidan Protests in Support Ukraine's EU Integration

  24 November 2013

A Lviv-based Facebook user, Bogdan Tsap, has set up an interactive map of pro-EU Association Agreement protests in Ukraine. On his Facebook wall, Bogdan described [uk] his creation: Створив інтерактивну карту #Євромайдан з усіма містами які брали участь. Будь ласка поширте та давайте знати що упустив [I] set up an...

Scientists from Around the World Gather in Brazil

  24 November 2013

The World Science Forum (WSF) gathers hundreds of scientists from all around the world this week in Brazil, to discuss their role in the 21st century and to emphasize the importance of scientific advice in political and economical decisions. Brazil has hosted several events to discuss poverty eradication and sustainable...

Brazilian “Wikicity” Travels to the World Forum for Democracy

  23 November 2013

Known as “the capital of participatory democracy”, the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre will become subject for a lab in the World Forum for Democracy. Focus will be given to the case of PortoAlegre.cc, a project created at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos) which is based on...

More Transparency Needed in Uranium Negotiation in Niger

  22 November 2013

Anne-Sophie Simpere reports that the Uranium exploitation contract between Niger and Areva, a french energy company, are set to be re-negotiated as it comes to an end as of December 2013. She writes [fr]: Il est incompréhensible que le Niger, 4ème producteur d’uranium au monde, et fournisseur stratégique d’Areva et...

Japan's Open Data Policy Still Needs Work

  21 November 2013

Even though the Japanese government is working toward advancing its open data policy, the country has a ways to go, ranking 30th out of 70 countries, according to an index compiled by Open Knowledge Foundation. Masahiko Shoji of Open Knowledge Foundation Japan writes: 日本は、政府支出、企業登記情報、交通時刻表、立法の分野で低い評価を受けました。また、どの項目もオープンライセンスの採用については「Yes」の評価を得ませんでした。これらの課題は6月に発表されたG8諸国における速報の時点と同じであり、日本の取り組みが大きくが進んでいないことを表しています。 Japan's open data on government spending, company register,...