Stories about Governance from March, 2010
China: Characters in leaders’ names made sensitive search terms on Google
Beginning Wednesday and continuing today, Chinese Internet users have discovered that Google searches containing the Chinese characters for the surnames of China's top leaders (ie. the ‘hu’ [jintao] in carrot, ‘huluobo’) are resulting in a reset connection to the website. Isaac Mao has made a screencast showing how this works.
Rabies epidemic in Bali, Indonesia
Jotman writes about a rabies epidemic in Bali, Indonesia
Russia: “Drugs and Hookers Scandal”
At The Daily Beast, author Michael Idov chronicles “Russia's amazing drugs and hookers scandal,” which involves opposition activist Ilya Yashin, political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin, and the Russian Newsweek‘s editor-in-chief Mikhail Fishman: “‘Let me get this straight,’ wrote Ilya Krasilschik, the editor of Afisha magazine, commenting on a Facebook status update...
Côte d'Ivoire: War of Words between Political Figures
Théophile Kouamouo has published a tense back and forth exchange between Venance Konan, editorialist and former ally of ex-President Bedié and members of the FPI, the party currently in charge (fr). The Ivorian government states that the peace process is in jeopardy a month before the scheduled presidential elections.
China: Official Nudity
A township government in Sichuan Province is being called “China’s first completely nude government” after township officials issued salary and expenditure information online. The reference to nudity recently found in many Chinese publications denotes an unprecedented level of transparency in local government. The government of Baimiao Township in northeastern Sichuan disclosed...
China and the U.S: Testimony on Internet control
Rebecca MacKinnon posts her testimony for the U.S Congressional Executive China Commission on Google and Internet Control in China: A Nexus Between Human Rights and Trade.
Ukraine: Tons of Fish Die; Fishing Enthusiasts Start Grassroots Campaign
Hundreds of tons of fish were trapped and crushed to death by the ice, after Ukrainian authorities abruptly lowered the level of water in the Kyiv Reservoir. A group of Ukrainian fishing enthusiasts reacted by launching a grassroots campaign to ensure that further damage is avoided and the government takes steps to restore the ecosystem of the reservoir.
Nepal: Twitter And Facebook Reactions On Girija Prasad Koirala's Death
Dinesh Wagle at United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal compiles Twitter and Facebook reactions on the death of former Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala.
Pakistan: Intervention Of The Judiciary
Faisal Naqvi Monsoon Frog writes about the economics of judicial interventionism in Pakistan.
Bangladesh: ‘CrossFire’ Photo Exhibition Barred By Police
Shamim Ashraf at Straight From Bangladesh reports that a photo exhibition on the extra judicial killing of the police force and the elite force RAB was shut down by the police.
Is Russia an Enemy of Internet?
The degree of freedom on the Russian Internet is an issue for debates. Some put Russia on the same list of "Internet enemies" with China and Iran. Others strongly oppose this kind of generalization and claim that Russian Internet is the most liberal and unrestricted public sphere in the country.
USA: In Census, Only Some Races Count
Census forms are being delivered to all U.S. households this month, but some citizens complain that the question on race does not offer enough answers to give an accurate picture of their ethnicity.
China: Google.cn migrated to Hong Kong
Finally Google has decided to leave China. Soon after the announcement, Google stopped censoring the search result of google.cn by redirecting the site to google.com.hk. In Google's official blog, David Drummond, the corporate's chief legal officer explains that its decision is due to the Chinese government's “non-negotiable legal requirement” in...
Venezuela: Concerns About Controls on the Internet
Debate is heating up in Venezuela after decrees and statements from President Hugo Chávez, who questioned how the Internet is being used in the country. Many are interpreting these statements and policy proposals that the government wants control the Internet in Venezuela.
Haiti: The Real “Slavery”
“Exploitation of child domestics is a global problem, not a Haitian ‘slavery’ issue”: The Haitian Blogger republishes a piece by Ezilidanto that exposes the real “slavery” in Haiti.
Chile: Changes in Government Websites with Arrival of New Administration
Many Chileans noticed that some government websites no longer contain photos or information from the previous administration, and they are wondering whether it was a deliberate message sent from the administration of new President Sebastián Piñera
Bangladesh: Government Websites Hacked
Ahamed Bauani informs that twenty district websites of Bangladesh out of sixty four were hacked recently. The blogger suggests that the Bangladesh Government should take the incident seriously and install proper security measures.
Iran: Iranians marked holiday under surveillance
Iranians marked, Charshanbeh Soori, a holiday that leads up to the Persian new year under the watchful eyes of riot police Tuesday night, after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the Islamic Republic's leader discouraged celebrations.
Chinese netizens’ open letter to the Chinese Government and Google
Rebecca MacKinnon has summarized the viewpoints of some Chinese netizens who have issued an open letter to express their stand in censorship.
China: Oxfam's ill-intentions
CDT translated a notification issued the the CCP's education bureau back in February which defines Oxfam Hong Kong an overseas organization that infiltrates into China.
Haiti: Reconstruction for Haitians or with Haitians
Haitian Alterpresse republishes a letter [Creole] from Haitian social organisations which openly criticise the Donor's Conference which took place in the Dominican Republic on March 17th. According to them, it will not lead to a long-term development project nor include the population in the reconstruction scheme. Here is the French...
