Stories about Governance from February, 2012
Senegal: Week Before Elections Police and Protesters Clash in Dakar
A week before the presidential elections, Senegal is marred in pre-electoral violence over the candidacy of incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade seeking for a third term. Lova Rakotomalala reports.
Colombia Issues Arrest Warrant for Former Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo
Colombia's Office of the Attorney General asked a judge to issue and arrest warrant and include an international Interpol red card for former peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo. Restrepo, who held said office for 7 years during the government of former president Álvaro Uribe, is now a fugitive and is...
Chile: Aysen Region Social Movement Gains Strength
Last year, the Aysen Region was on the national spotlight due to the controversial dam project Hydroaysén. Today people are once again paying attention to this region in the Chilean Patagonia after locals held a series of protests calling for better quality of life and lower living costs.
Armenia: Homophobia as PR for the Yerevan Municipality
Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on homophobic comments left on the Facebook page of the new Mayor of Yerevan, Taron Margaryan, in response to recent environmental protests in the city. Noting that the discriminatory remarks were made by municipal employees, including the person responsible for public relations, the blog says that...
Brazil: LGBT AIDS Prevention Campaign Excluded From TV
Marcelo Gerald, from the blog Eleições Hoje, comments [pt] on the alleged censorship by the Brazilian Ministry of Health of a recently launched campaign on AIDS prevention, focused on the LGBT public. He posts some of the videos that were excluded from the TV a few days after the campaign...
France, Equitorial Guinea: The Search for “Ill-Gotten Gains” of an African Head of State
The blogger Menilmuche reports [fr] that a massive search began on February 14th at the home of Teoforo Obiang, the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea, in his Parisian mansion on Avenue Foch. The search is in response to complaints against some heads of African states in France for...
Bangladesh: Government Observation of Facebook Ignites Debate
For a while now, the Bangladeshi authorities have been keeping an eye on the social media space and the country's Facebook users are increasingly finding themselves in the eye of the storm. Recently the country's High Court sentenced an university teacher to a 6 month jail term after he failed to appear in court to face trial regarding his Facebook status update.
Argentina: Government Accepts UN Mediation in Falklands Conflict
Amidst a climate of rising tensions with the United Kingdom, the Argentinian government decided to take the conflict over the sovereignty of the Falklands to the UN. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said that the UN would be prepared to act as a mediator in the conflict, if both parties wished for it to do so.
Guinea: The Indifference Towards Women with Disabilities
Boubacar Sanso Barry wrote for the site Yanous [fr]: “Example of the indifference and the negligence in Guinea towards disability issues: It is almost impossible to find an organization that is capable or likely to concern itself with the lives of disabled people, or that would think to tackle those...
Martinique, Guadeloupe, France: MP Letchimy Against Minister Guéant
Bloggers and mainstream journalists around the French-speaking blogosphere have been buzzing once more about French Minister of Home Affairs, Claude Guéant, who is notorious for suggesting extreme right-wing policies about national identity, religion and immigration.
Martinique: All together around Creole
The Creole language in the Caribbean and the cooperation between islands were recently discussed during the Creole-speaking Regions Days, as explained in this post on Tous Créoles [Fr Cr/Fr]. One of the most debated issues was a visa waiving program between the French Caribbean islands and the rest of the...
Bahrain: Tweeting the Revolution's First Anniversary
February 14 marked the one year anniversary of the Bahrain revolution, which has been severely repressed by the regime backed by the troops of the Gulf Cooperation Council's Peninsula Shield Force. Mona Kareem presents a social media round-up of events of the day.
Poland: Gossip Portal Accuses Mainstream Media of ACTA Ignorance
A Polish gossip portal's take on the massive anti-ACTA protests has highlighted issues that are truly relevant for today's young people. Katarzyna Odrozek reports on the avalanche of reactions from netizens and the mainstream media that this unlikely source of serious reporting has created.
Senegal: Reasons Behind the Pre-Election Turbulence
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade was elected head of state in 2000 and has decided to stand for a third term even though that should not be allowed under the constitution. Many Senegalese are protesting the decision to allow him to stand.
Antigua, Guadeloupe: From the Common Past
For the past decade, the tight historical and geographical bonds between the West Indian islands of Antigua and Guadeloupe have been analyzed by historians. A recent conference entitled “Antigua: From the Amerindians to an Independant Nation” [Fr] was organized in Guadeloupe by the group Yo Té Pou Nou Sé. Bloggers...
Iran: ‘Internet is an unwanted guest’
A member of Iranian council of internet filtering says [fa]: Internet is an unwanted guest in our country. Mohammad Reza Aghamiri adds: Due to the problems of this guest, we should apply severe monitoring. He believes Google is supporting ‘disruptions’ in Iran, helping opposition supporters. Several Iranian users have reported in...
Slovakia, Hungary: Shrouded in Smog
Blogger Ulrika Lejnarová, highlighting air pollution data from the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute [sk], wonders [sk] why Slovakia, while often paying attention to the critical conditions in Hungary [en], is doing little to inform its own citizens of the domestic situation adequately, in order to avoid health complications.
Greece: Parliament Votes in New Austerity Deal Amidst Riots
As 200 out of 300 Greek deputies voted in favor of the new austerity deal “Memorandum 2″, these were some of the different scenes. Jimhellas provides his perspective [el] on yesterday's #12febgr huge citizen protest and massive police teargas repression in a post entitled “Mass murder attempt at #Syntagma, as I lived...
Singapore: Citizens Discuss Politician's Extramarital Scandal
An opposition politician has resigned from his party's Central Executive Committee amidst rumours of extramarital affairs. Netizens discussed the issue in various social networks and many expressed their disappointment over how the issue was handled by the Opposition Party
Iran: MP blames internet filtering as ‘annoying’
Iranian lawmaker, Ahmad Tavakoli blames [fa] increased Internet censorship in Iran as ‘annoying for people’. He adds it ‘would cost heavy for the establishment’. He believes severe filtering would encourage citizens to use anti-filter and circumvention tools. Several Iranian users have reported in last few days they have had no...
Thailand: “Reform the World’s Harshest Lèse Majesté Law”
Several groups, scholars, and activists in Thailand are demanding the amendment of Article 112 of the country’s Criminal Code or the lese majeste law, which forbids anyone from insulting the King and members of the Royal Family. The issue has sparked debates on whether it's time to reform this controversial law.
