Stories about Governance from March, 2013
PHOTOS: Skis and Military Vehicles Battle Ukraine's Snowpocalypse
On March 22, Kyiv broke its monthly average of snow in just one day. While the authorities were combatting the weather, many Ukrainians united online to offer help and to share photos, stories and humor devoted to the snowfall. Tetyana Bohdanova reports.
Is President Carmona Trinidad and Tobago's Hope?
Last week, Trinidad and Tobago swore in its fifth President, retired high court judge Anthony Carmona. The new president's inaugural address, in which he vowed to “[hold] fast to the fundamentals [of] integrity, Transparency, Inclusiveness and Reverence to God Almighty” captured the public's imagination – and that of a few bloggers – who have been talking about what effect, if any, the new presidency could have on the country's political landscape.
Central African Republic's Self-Declared President
Following the taking of the presidential palace in Bangui by the Sékéla rebellion, their leader Michel Djotodia has declared that he is now the new president [fr] of the Central African Republic: I do not wish for a witch hunt [..] For now, a curfew is declared in Bangui.
Remembering the Tenth Anniversary of the War Against Iraq
Last week marked a decade since the then George W. Bush administration declared the war against Iraq, as part as his fight against terrorism. In the United States, netizens react.
Myanmar: Who is Plotting the Meikhtila Riot?
For three days, riots raged in the town of Meikhtila in the Mandalay division of Myanmar. A curfew was imposed by the police after a group of people reportedly set buildings and motor bikes on fire in the area. Netizens condemned those who are speading hate messages online and those who are provoking religious and ethnic clashes
Nepal’s Politics in Crisis Once Again
Nepal’s political parties have again failed to respect the people's mandate to elect a prime minister and instead have installed Chief Justice (CJ) Khila Raj Regmi as the head executive (chairman of the interim electoral council of ministers). Shiromani Dhungana at United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal writes about...
The Criminal Economics of Kremlin Propaganda
Anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny is causing more waves at Aeroflot Airlines, where he has called for an internal investigation into a contract worth 64 million rubles awarded without competition to Apostol Media Group.
Bolivia: Book Bill Excludes Copyleft
Bolivian activists are on alert [es] and writing a collaborative proposal [es] on the new Book and Reading Act [es] in the Plurinational Legislative Asemply (Parliament). The bill seeks to encourage the production and reading of texts of various kinds in the country; however, the bill passed by the Lower...
RIP Nora Šitum, “Brave Little Lion” Who United Croatia
In early February, thousands of Croatian citizens managed to raise enough money in just over a week to make it possible for Nora Šitum, a 5-year-old Croatian girl, to travel to the United States to receive treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nora passed away a month and a half later, on March 20, 2013.
African Presidents Active on Social Media
Dapa Arnaud gives a list of the 10 most active african presidents [fr] on social media. At the top of the list is president Paul Kagame in Rwanda: In place since 2003, the president of Rwanda is the most active on the internet. According to the Ecofin agency, Paul Kagame interacts...
Guinea-Bissau is Second Worst Democracy
The Democracy Index 2012 from The Economist Intelligence Unit, published on March 19, 2013, places Guinea-Bissau second to last in the ranking, just before North Korea. The same day a coalition of civil society organizations released a roadmap with concrete proposals for the restoration of constitutional order following the military...
How Russian Villagers Can Terrify the Kremlin
The ploy was simple: Andrei Turinov, a town councilman from Novouspenskii, posted to the Internet an open letter addressing Dmitri Medvedev, declaring the exit of 60 United Russia members from the party. The timing was perfect, and for a brief moment one small village in Krasnoyarsk had the attention of the nation's political elite.
“Suitcase Mood”: Why Ukrainians Are Moving Abroad
Some 6.5 million of Ukrainians, or 14.4 percent of the population, are emigrants. The theme of leaving Ukraine temporarily or for good comes up regularly in conversations that Ukrainians are having online.
Italy: Grillo's Party Takes the Lead in Political Stalemate
Social media played an influential role in the success of M5S, leading to one of the youngest Parliaments in Europe -- but Italy's political stagnation is far from over.
Jailed For Exposing Moral Policing, Indian TV Reporter Gets Bail
Television journalist Naveen Soorinje, who was arrested on November 7, 2012 after exposing a shocking incident of moral policing and assault on a group of young men and women by members of a far right-wing fringe group in Mangalore, India, was finally granted bail yesterday by the Karnataka High Court.
Bolivia Establishes the World's Largest Protected Wetland
Bolivia's government has designated three new wetlands in the 'Llanos of Moxos', an area that represents the combined size of the Netherlands and Belgium, under the Ramsar Convention. Activists and environmental organisations celebrate the decision but also urge to work harder for the conservation of the Amazon.
Yemen: March 18th, A Dignified National Dialogue?
March 18th is engraved in Yemen's history as the Day of Dignity. On March 18th, 2011, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's thugs and security dressed in civilian clothes shot dead 56 people and injured over 100 after Friday prayers, in what has become known as Friday of Dignity. On the second anniversary of the deadly day, Yemen's National Dialogue kicked off. Many Yemenis are torn between supporting and boycotting the National Dialogue. Noon Arabia charts netizen reactions, as blood continues to be spilled across the country.
Zambia Readies Corruption Case Against Former President Rupiah Banda
The political and legal stage has been set for the prosecution of Zambia’s former president Rupiah Banda on corruption charges after his presidential immunity was lifted by parliament in a raucous sitting in which the Speaker was heckled and opposition members walked out.
Today's Tibet, Tomorrow's Hong Kong?
An activist network in Hong Kong organized an assembly to express their solidarity with Tibetans on the 54th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day last Sunday March 10, 2013. Some participants who joined the meeting believed that Hong Kong people should learn from Tibet and avoid the history from recurring in Hong Kong.
East Timor a “Failed State-in-Waiting”?
The La'o Hamutuk NGO links to an editorial of the influential Petroleum Economist which discusses the problems faced by East Timor's economy: Timor-Leste was once seen as the poster child for developing nations. It had natural resources, a comprehensive legal framework covering their extraction and an oil fund. Now, almost...
China: Where Doctors Are the Bad Guys
Mary Ann O'Donnell explains why doctors occupy the same hated position in China that lawyers occupy in the United States. The explanation interestingly is related to the role of the governments of the two countries.
