Stories about Governance from January, 2014
Have Acne? South Korea Will Tax Your Treatment
Taxing your pimple outbreak? It is indeed a creative way to collect more taxes.
GV Face: Social Media and the Meteoric Rise of India's Aam Aadmi Party
"Indians are demanding accountability today." This Friday in our weekly Hangout series, we discuss the role of social media in the Aam Aadmi Party's meteoric rise in India.
Citizen Journalists Expose Police Brutality During Protests in Algeria
Protests, which shook El Guerrara town, exposed violent practices by the police in Algeria. Netizens filmed and denounced these practices. Abou Semmar reports.
Immigration: Issue Still Pending After Obama's State of the Union Address
Obama insisted that the lower house pass an immigration reform in order to legalize the status of more than 11 million undocumented workers living in the United States.
Ukraine Rolls Back Short-Lived Anti-Protest ‘Dictatorship Laws’
The Ukrainian Parliament voted to revoke the controversial so-called "dictatorship laws" at the same time that the Ukrainian Prime Minister resigned, but protests still continue.
Sports as a Vector of Peace in Burkina Faso
The National Department of Sports and Entertainment in Burkina Faso published a report on the role of sports as a vector of peace and development in Burkina Faso [PDF in fr]: Les programmes sportifs bien conçus renforcent les capacités humaines de base, créent des relations interpersonnelles et inculquent des valeurs...
Ecuador's Indigenous People: “We believe in development that respects Mother Earth”
“The Government is appropriating our spiritual values of the Amazon region, it’s seeking to deconceptualize our cultural concepts”, says [Carlos Pérez, President of ECUARUNARI (Confederation of Kichwa Peoples of Ecuador)]. “It doesn’t know what Pachamama is. It doesn’t understand the rights of nature. It doesn’t understand Sumak Kawsay (good living),...
Iran: A Facebook Administrator Arrested
Iran's cyberpolice say they have arrested administrator of a Facebook page called “Sherarat” (meaning villainy”). Iranian police added this Facebook page used to publish stories and photos about thugs and made publicity about their actions.
Russian Conspiracy Theories about Maidan's First Blood
Given the lack of eyewitnesses, the murder of Serhiy Nigoyan, Maidan’s first shooting fatality, has naturally attracted lots of speculation about who was responsible.
Egypt: What's Next for Field Marshal El Sissi?
Egypt's army head General Abdel Fattah El Sissi is now a Field Marshal. It is not clear whether this is a prelude to him running for president.
Jamaicans Deserve Details About Proposed Logistics Hub
You are being manipulated. Jamaicans are effectively begging and paying their government for vital information about their country. How can we accept this? Talk of developing an environmentally protected area of Jamaica as a major logistics hub has Cucumber Juice up in arms, as she says key information is not...
Cries of Discrimination as Israel Detains Undocumented African Immigrants
Many have fled their home countries for Israel and are seeking refugee status. The detentions have unleashed a wave of demonstrations in Tel-Aviv.
‘AFTER 25 Conference': Tokyo and Berlin Discuss Creative Culture
As Berlin and Tokyo mark 20 years of friendship as sister cities, representatives of two creative industries, including Chairman of the Club Commission of Berlin Marc Wohlrabe and Takahiro Saito, a lawyer and member of Let's Dance, a consortium that fights against Japan's dance regulations, will come together for the AFTER 25 conference on...
Four Biggest Misconceptions About #Euromaidan Protests in Ukraine
Ucrainica Marginalis published an overview of the four largest misconceptions about #Euromaidan, written by scholars Sofiya Grachova & Stephen A. Walsh. What this overview points out is the vast gap between how international media and outside spectators view what is happening and the message that Ukrainians involved in Euromaidan protests...
Online Mapping of Spreading Unrest After Killing of Protesters in Ukraine
During violent clashes between Euromaidan protesters in Kyiv and police, two protesters were killed. Mass anti-government protests erupted in several regions of Ukraine and spread quickly through the country.
East Timor's Rising Budget for ‘Public Transfers’
The La’o Hamutuk NGO is concerned that the East Timor government is alloting more funds for so-called ‘public transfers’ which lacks transparent mechanisms: In recent years, Timor-Leste has spent about 20% of its state budget on “Public Transfers” – payments of money to individuals or institutions which are not controlled...
Massive Credit Card Data Theft Hits 20 Million South Koreans
In an effort to quell public anger, authorities have released tougher regulations, but people remain livid.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Fighting?
Yes, the Government is on the crime busting trail again. But, as always, it depends on your definition of ‘crime.’ Wired868 tackles, tongue firmly in cheek, the government's pushing of the Bail Amendment Bill, insinuating that in political speak, there are criminals and ‘criminals’.
March in Mozambique Capital Tries to ‘Rescue’ President Armando Guebuza's Image
The march came at a time when political instability is rocking the central and southern regions of the country,
Chinese Billionaire Activist's Confession and Release
Chinese billionaire activist Wang Gongquan, who was arrested and detained for more than 4 months, was released on bail after making “confessions” that he and another citizen right activist Xu Zhiyong had organized and incited criminal activities to assemble a crowd to disrupt order in public space. Offbeat China has...
3 Keys to Understanding Burkina Faso's Anti-President Compaoré Protests
On Saturday January 18th, widespread protests took place against constitutional reforms proposed by president Blaise Camporé. But what do the protests mean?
