Stories about Governance from April, 2013
Who Owns St. Lucia's Beaches…Citizens or Celebrities?
St. Lucians can usually visit any beach they choose, but thanks to a recent celebrity wedding, the beach surrounding a local resort was deemed off limits, raising longstanding questions about beach access and the cost benefits of large resorts.
Guinea-Bissau President Caught up in ‘Arms for Drugs’ Conspiracy
A drug and arms trafficking scheme in Guinea Bissau appears to go straight to the top. On the eve of the first anniversary of a military coup in Guinea Bissau that thwarted last year's presidential elections, US court documents seemed to implicate the country's interim president in a failed plan to smuggle weapons to Colombian rebels and cocaine into Guinea Bissau.
Christian Colony Attacked In Pakistan
Raza Habib Raja at Pak Tea House describes how another Christian colony had been attacked in Gujranwala, Punjab in Pakistan using the same rhetoric – revenge for alleged “Insult to Islam”.
India's ‘Paradoxical’ Right To Property
In a podcast at mylaw.net legal practitioner Namita Wahi talked about the paradox of the fundamental right to property in the Indian Constitution and how to deal with it.
Helping Laos Recover from Cluster Bombs
Bryan Thao Worra, a Laotian American writer, reflects on his last trip in Laos where he witnessed the impact of cluster bombs in rural villages. Laos was one of the most heavily bombed countries during the Vietnam War and thousands of unexploded bombs continue to be a threat today.
Violence Can Disrupt Pakistan Elections 2013
Raza Rumi at jahane Rumi discusses about the strong possibility of violence during the impending Pakistan 2013 elections.
Madagascar's Presidential Candidates
The presidential elections are set for July 24, 2013 in Madagascar. According to Ben from mada-tribune.com, the first candidates to have submitted their dossiers [fr] to the special electoral court are: Hajo Andrianainarivelo, Jean Lahiniriko et Roland Ratsiraka are the first to have filed their candidacies. Dr. Jean-Louis Robinson, Pierrot...
Fancy Cars and Booze Fuel Russian Online Petitions
A Russian government online petition platform went live on April 2. RuNet Echo takes a look at how it works in practice.
Ukraine's Language Issue: Voices From the Ground
Ukrainian politicians' views on the language issue are well-known. But what do ordinary Ukrainians think of it? And how does it affect the people who reside in the predominantly Russian-speaking areas of Ukraine - those who are the target audience of the politicians who, in 2012, voted in favor of the language law?
Sri Lanka's Buddhists Question Extremist Sinhala-Buddhists
A number of Sinhala Buddhists are standing up against the recent violence against Muslim and hateful speech initiated by the Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force), an extremist Sinhala-Buddhist organisation based in Colombo.
São Tomé and Príncipe: Petition Against Deforestation
Raul Jorge, a Santomean citizen, launched a petition [fr] against deforestation in São Tomé and Príncipe, addressed to the current Prime Minister Gabriel Costa. The petition has already gathered more than 700 signatures. In October 2012, Global Voices reported about the situation; in response netizens published videos and a Facebook...
Caution as Yemen Hands Diplomatic Immunity to Top Military
Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has removed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's son Ahmed, the head of the Republican Guard, and appointed him as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Saleh's nephew Ammar, the deputy intelligence chief, was appointed military attache in Ethiopia, Ammar's brother, Tareq Yahia, head of the Presidential Guard, was appointed as military attache in Germany. Removing the Saleh's relatives from power has been an major challenge in restructuring Yemen's military, and an obstacle to the transitional government. Netizens react.
Can Cyprus Turn Back from the Abyss? Three Options to Escape the Financial Crisis
The small island of Cyprus continues its race against bankruptcy. Following the European decision to tax all depositors, the Mediterranean republic faces a critical situation. Three options are emerging for the island: to carry out an agreement with Europe, to turn to Russia, or to declare bankruptcy and leave the Eurozone.
Croatia's Sports Lesson for Ukraine
Ukraine, with its population of 45 million people, has much to learn from Croatia, population just over 4 million, in terms of organizing affordable and accessible sports activities for children.
Russian Censors Partially Acquiesce to Wikipedia
Russian Internet censors at Roskomnadzor have reversed a decision to ban Wikipedia's entry for “cannabis smoking,” following a reexamination of the article after a new round of edits by Wikipedian volunteers. In a statement [ru] on its website today, April 10, 2013, Roskomnadzor announced the unbanning, though at least nine [ru] other...
Turning Point for Sri Lanka's Muslims?
Sunanda Deshapriya at Groundviews opines that “the judicial case related to the violent attack on Muslim owned Fashion Bug head office and warehouse in Pepiliyana, 10 km away from Colombo, is destined to be a turning point in Muslim Rights in Sri Lanka.”
Djibouti: Arrests follow ‘Democratic’ Elections
Several opposition leaders were arrested in Djibouti after demonstrations which followed the February 22, 2013 general elections. The elections saw yet another victory for the party in power, the People's Rally for Progress. President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has ruled since 1999, received 80% of votes cast, leading to allegations of fraud on a massive scale. Arrests were still continuing at the time of writing, April 2013.
Haiti: Too Fragile to Shoulder the Blame
Can I get an A-MEN? When it comes to an analysis of the country's aid management failures, kiskeácity admits she couldn't have said it better than Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck.
Macedonia's Media Law Lacks Media's Input
The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) explains [en] why Macedonian journalists are demanding an open debate “on the scope and the contents” of the draft Law on the Media (via @Macedonia_en): […] It was prepared, in its entirety, by the Government and is offered today to the public to...
Wikipedia's Suicide Mission Against Russian Censors
Smoking cannabis is dangerous business for people the world over. In Russia, just writing about it online can get you in trouble. State officials informed Wikimedia Russia that the government has placed its “Cannabis Smoking” article on its blacklist of illegal websites.
China Sings the Iron Lady's Praises
Chinese state media and social media are brimming with admiration for former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She died on April 8, 2013 at the age of 87 after a stroke.
