Stories about Governance from March, 2013
China's Smear Campaign Against Apple
A number of celebrities echoed China Central Television program that criticized Apple in the Consumers’ Rights Protection Day. Yet netizens are clever to find out that their accounts are either being hacked of some of them are paid to do so. (From Ministry of Tofu)
The Old Woman and a Potato: Ukraine's Poverty Story Goes Viral
Journalist Olena Danko wrote a short post about her supermarket encounter with an old woman who had just enough money to buy a single potato. A heartbreaking story, typical for Ukraine, with nothing in it that could surprise anyone who has lived in the country. Yet, within hours, it went viral.
Unstable State of Justice in São Tomé and Príncipe
The judicial system of Sao Tome and Principe has been in tumultuous tides. Elsa Pinto's appointment to Attorney General's Office raised objections about her judicial past and lasted no more than fifteen days [pt]. Humbah Aguiar analyzed the situation in a video [pt], Danilo Salvaterra shared on Facebook a reflection...
Japan's Jaded Public Pushes for Nuclear Truth Post-Fukushima
Two years after the powerful earthquake and resulting tsunami off the northeastern coast of Japan triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in what became the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, the Japanese people are becoming increasingly frustrated with the government's reluctance to come clean on the risks associated with nuclear power.
Banned Music and Missing Voices in Angola
The Angolan National Police have confiscated, amongst other works, DVDs by rapper Brigadeiro 10 Pacotes in an act of censorship against voices that are unsettling the Angolan authorities. A protest was called for in response which ended in police violence and at least one arrest. On the web, citizens remember the activists that disappeared after demonstrations in 2012.
South Koreans Rip ‘Chicken Hawk’ Politicians As War Rhetoric Heats Up
"Chicken hawk" has become standard vocabulary as South Koreans take aim at the increasingly pro-war rhetoric coming from draft-dodging politicians in the country's government now that North Korea has nullified the armistice between the two Koreas.
Grievance of a Young Indignant Santomean
Danilo Salvaterra published [pt] a video on Facebook that shows a young boy from São Tomé and Príncipe complaining about the general lack of basic infrastructures not only in Diogo Vaz (where the teenager lives and the video was recorded), but also in the rest of the country. He mentions...
Naming China's Censorship Beast
The Chinese government announced plans to merge two censorship departments, the General Administration of Press and Publication and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) on March 10, 2013. The proposed name of the new agency is extremely long and netizens are putting forward their own innovative names,...
Angry Mob Torches Christian Neighbourhood in Pakistan
Riled by blasphemy charges, a Muslim mob of 3,000, torched 100 houses in Joseph Colony, a largely Christian neighbourhood in Pakistan's second largest city Lahore, on Saturday, March 9, 2013.
“Ten Years Without Zoran Djindjic”: Serbia Honors Slain Politician
Zoran Djindjic, the first democratically elected Serbian Prime Minister, was shot to death on March 12, 2003. On the tenth anniversary of his assassination, thousands of people marched in Belgrade to honor his memory.
Fears of Ticket Hikes As China Scraps Indebted Railways Ministry
China has decided to dismantle its powerful but indebted railways ministry in a bid to boost government efficiency and tackle corruption, a move that some Chinese Web users worry could mean higher ticket prices on the horizon.
Mercedes for President of Dilapidated Slovak University
Blogger Tomáš Homola blogs [sk] about a new Mercedes Benz E car recently acquired for 63,096 Euros for Professor Karol Mičieta [sk], the Rector/President of Comenius University in Bratislava. Homola describes Mičieta's connection to politics, and also recalls that the Ministry of Education just a short time ago was forced...
Iran: Foreign VPNs Blocked
Several blogs and news sites reported that Iranian authorities have blocked many foreign-based virtual private networks, or VPNs, severely restricting access to many websites.
São Tomé and Príncipe's Youth Skeptical of Government Promises
On March 6, 2013, the Minister of Youth and Sports of Sao Tome and Principe, Albertino Fernandes, presented the government's intention to train three thousand athletes, to create one thousand jobs and to build four hundred houses for young people until 2014. People present at the press conference, such as...
Ecuador: One Year Since the Detainment of ‘The 10 from Luluncoto’
It has been a year since "the 10 from Luluncoto" were detained, citizens accused of attempted terrorism. Various demonstrations have taken place outside the Inca women's prison, and they are awaiting the liberation of two of the detainees that have already spent a year in prison: Abigaíl Heras and Cristina Campaña.
British Security Firm Profits from Mali War
Ramzy Baroud writes [fr] about the conflict in Mali on Pambazuka: British security firm G4S will rake in enormous profits due to the crisis taking place in Mali, Libya and Algeria. Recognized as the biggest security firm in the world, the group was downgraded at the time of the Olympic Games in London last...
Moldova Without Government: What's Next – East or West?
On March 5, Moldova’s Parliament passed a no-confidence motion, dismissing the country's pro-European three-party coalition government led by Vlad Filat. Just a few weeks earlier, Moldova seemed to be the greatest hope on the European Union’s Eastern borders. Now, it is headed for a serious political crisis. Diana Lungu reports.
Video: Ukrainian Lawmaker Flouts Law, Berates Airport Employee
Vadym Kolesnichenko, a Ukrainian ruling party MP, set off a small-scale online campaign when he lashed out at an airport employee who was just doing her job.
FIFA Beware! Journalist Teams Up with Brazil's World Cup Victims
British journalist Andrew Jennings joined a group of Brazil's popular movements to discuss the country's preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
A Hackathon at the White House
Catherine D'Ignazio attends the first hackathon ever held at the White House and writes about it on MIT Center for Civic Media.
The State of Torture in the World in 2013
On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]: “A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to...
