Stories about Governance from November, 2011
Singapore: Proposed Youth Parliament
Bloggers Majulah and angmohlian share their thoughts on the proposal to create a youth parliament in Singapore
Bulgaria: New Protest Against Shale Gas Planned
A new protest is being planned for Nov. 26 in Sofia, part of a series of protests against Chevron's shale gas extraction in northeast Bulgaria. On Nov. 20, nearly 500...
Puerto Rico: Who's Running the Medical School?
Gil the Jenius is calling for the firing of those who were allegedly responsible for the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine's recent loss of accreditation (which has since been...
Trinidad & Tobago: The Colman Commission
“The Colman Commission was established about a year ago as a Public Enquiry into the failure of the CL Financial group”, explains Afra Raymond, adding: “The sole Commissioner, Sir Anthony...
Iran: Ahmadinejad's top adviser under pressure
Iranian judiciary officials raided, government's official newspapers’ building and tired to arrest Ali Akbar Javanfekr,top aide to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Monday.Here is a film showing this attack in You Tube.
Egypt: Revolutionaries Shrug at Cabinet Resignation
The Cabinet of Dr Essam Sharaf has just asked if it could resign and the Supreme Council for Armed Forces (SCAF) is yet to decide whether it would accept their resignation or not. For activists and protesters battling police and the army for the third day in and around Tahrir Square, the news does not bring anything new to the table. Their main demand is for SCAF to leave power and hand over authority to a civil government.
Tanzania: How Not to Launch a Data.gov
Mbwana Ally explains how not to lauch a Data.gov: “Checking my twitter stream I saw that the Tanzania Government had launched a Open Data website initiative (Kiswahili)…The complaints on twitter...
Georgia: Photoblogger Reports on Presidential Elections in South Ossetia
Russian photoblogger Mitya Aleshkovskiy publishes [ru] pictures taken during the South Ossetia presidential election that took place on 13 November 2011. He writes on his impressions after visiting the region and...
Trinidad & Tobago: The Blame Game
Plain Talk is “flabbergasted” by a statement made by the Minister of Works calling for “an end to what he calls the ‘blame’ game because there is…critical work to be...
Russia and Tajikistan: Pilots Sentenced and Migrants Deported
Two Russian pilots have been sentenced in Tajikistan, meanwhile in Russia 300 illegal Tajiks have been arrested for deportation. Is there any connection? Ekaterina reports.
Singapore GovCamp 2011
Themed “Connecting People, Data and Ideas”, the second GovCamp of the year in Singapore was held on November 18. Using the hashtag #govcampsg, here are reactions of the conference participants.
Ukraine: Netizens Appeal to Lithuanian President to Postpone Her Visit
Ukrainian netizens drafted an open letter to the Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, asking her to postpone her visit to Ukraine, currently scheduled for Nov. 22, the seventh anniversary of the...
Liberia: Giving Free Press a Second Chance
The judgment in the controversial media closure case in Liberia gave justice a rare opportunity to prevail. On November 7 the Liberian government shut down three media houses for allegedly spreading hate messages likely to incite violence.
Egypt: The Question of Election Symbols
A car, a gun, a toothbrush, a spaceship and an eye! Those are just some of the symbols you can see on the election banners on Egyptian streets as the countdown for election day in Egypt nears. Tarek Amr looks up what netizens have to say about those symbols.
Philippines: Former President Arrested
Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has been placed under 'hospital arrest' after she was charged with electoral sabotage. Online reactions made the hashtag #ArroyoArrest one of the trending topics worldwide.
Singapore: Government Social Media Directory
Government Social Media Directory allows the public to search for social media initiatives by Singapore government agencies.
Petition for ‘Support a Debt-Free Timor-Leste’
An online petition opposes the plan of the East Timor government to obtain foreign loans next year. East Timor is urged to learn from the mistakes of other developing countries...
Cuba: Censorship in Film Festival
Generation Y says that the International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema, which takes place in Cuba next month, “has been losing ground in the cultural life of Havana”,...
Brazil: Real State Speculation Threatens Sacred Ground
Sagrada Terra Especulada (Sacred Speculated Ground), a Brazilian collective that advocates for indigenous land rights, is promoting a documentary [pt] and a petition [pt] in defense of the Pajé Sanctuary,...
Gabon's UNESCO Bailout: International Solidarity at What Price?
Ali Bongo, President of Gabon, has agreed to offer $2 million USD to UNESCO, following the launch of an emergency fund to compensate for the loss of funding from the United States and Israel. Activists in this oil-rich Central African nation urge the public to look beyond the announcement.
Kuwait: Protesters Storm the National Assembly
Thousands of angry Kuwaitis stormed the National Assembly building on Wednesday 16 November, after police and security forces clashed with protestors. Kuwait's political sphere has been extremely tense in the past few years, and with the Arab Spring earlier this year, the situation took a new turn.