Stories about Governance from October, 2016
Timbuktu, Where There's ‘Justice for Monuments, but Not for Victims of Rape’
"In Mali, rape is a taboo subject. The victims’ lips are sealed by society’s gaze."
Hello Vodafone: What Does It Mean When a Global Telco Giant Enters Iran?
Vodafone's partnership with an Iranian telco is a welcome improvement to the local telecommunications market. But the potential for complicity between Vodafone and Iran's surveillance infrastructure is hard to ignore.
Report Shows How Ghana's Politicians Are Using Social Media Ahead of Elections
The second edition of the Governance Social Media Index assesses and ranks the presence of political parties, political party leaders and key election management bodies in Ghana on social media.
Venezuela's Government Blocks the Recall Referendum Process, and the Opposition Cries ‘Dictatorship!’
"A democratic government consults the people. A dictatorship flees the electoral vote."
Hackers Publish Kremlin Aide's E-Mails, Allege Plan to Destabilize Ukraine
Ukrainian hackers say Putin advisor Vladislav Surkov's leaked e-mails reveal a plan to destabilize Ukraine in the coming months.
Sri Lankan Tourism: Booming Again, But Mostly for the Military
The Sri Lankan military is investing heavily in the tourism business. The armed forces have several hotels and resorts, many restaurants and cafes, and other tourist facilities.
Sri Lanka Pays the Price for Past Government's Extravagance
The huge sum of money spent canceling an order for new Airbuses could have funded a whole lot more.
A Lack of Open Space Forces Kids in One Mumbai Suburb to Play in a Dirty Field
“We don’t tell our parents that we play here. They think we go to a proper ground to play. If they know...they will not let us out to play."
Chinese Netizens See Human Rights Violations in Child Protection Bill
The new regulations attempt to protect children by requiring hardware companies to install surveillance software on their devices, and by promoting treatments for "Internet addiction."
Threatened With Suspension Over Its Rights Record, Maldives Up and Quits the Commonwealth
"Don't we as...citizens get a say in whether or not we want to be a part of the commonwealth? Or is Maldives just a one man country now".
Iceland Is Trying to Elect Politicians Who “Know Who They Work For”
Icelanders' campaign to get their citizen-drafted constitution enacted "could be a rare victory for democracy reform this election cycle—and one that could inspire many elsewhere."
Only ‘Foreign Agents’ Share Stories About Happy Times in the U.S., Says Russian Court
The American Alumni Club joins a list of 146 organizations that have been designated as "foreign agents" by the Russian Ministry of Justice. The club's crime? Reposts on social media.
Blinded, Married, and Turned Loose in the Ring: Three Stories of Girls in Modern-Day India
Global Voices reviews a few stories covered by the Video Volunteers community's citizen journalists, showing how girls in India face and cope with various gender-related challenges.
Google Warns More Than a Dozen Russian Journalists and Activists About ‘Government-Backed Attackers’
More than a dozen Russian journalists and activists received a strange warning from Google earlier today, notifying them that “government-backed attackers” may be “trying to steal” their passwords.
Social Media Keep Up Pressure on Trinidad and Tobago's President
Rhoda Bharath's Facebook Live videos continue to garner an eager audience as the Trinidad and Tobago political commentator takes the country's president to task.
Indonesia Drafts New Ban on Cyberbullying, But Activists Say They're the Target
"The cyber law is used as an effective tool to spread fear against voices who want to unmask injustices in this country."
Russia Remembers Slain Journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Ten Years On
Today Russians remember Anna Politkovskaya, one of the country's leading investigative journalists who was shot and killed in the elevator of her apartment building ten years ago.
Bangladesh Introduces ‘Smart’ National Identity Cards
Collecting massive amounts of personal and biometric data opens up thorny issues around security and surveillance. As the database is built up, who will gain access to it?
The Singaporean Prime Minister's ‘Simple’ Bus Breaks With India's VIP Culture
"We should learn from him and do away with this VIP culture in India."
