Stories about Governance from September, 2013
East Timor: “Literacy Often Falls by the Way Side”
Marking the International Literacy Day, September 8, The Asia Foundation's blog, In Asia presents striking numbers on the quality of educational outcomes in Timor-Leste, a country where “education, and literacy in particular, too often falls by the wayside”: World Bank research found that 70 percent of first grade students in Timor-Leste were...
Iran: Foreign Minister Tweets with Pelosi's Daughter
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted a new year message to Jews around the world:Happy Rosh Hashanah and exchanged message with Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy Pelosi,the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives. @sfpelosi Iran never denied it. The man who was perceived to be denying it is...
Why Malaysia's Fuel Price Hike is Wrong
Anil Netto uploaded the analysis of Institut Rakyat which described Malaysia's recent decision to slash fuel subsidies as a ‘wrong approach” to address the country's fiscal deficit. Wastage and corruption should be cut first and income-boosting policies should take effect before subsidies on essential goods should be open to reconsideration.
China: A Question Becomes a Rumor
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a report about a rumour crackdown case in Hebei. A woman asking if a murder took place in Louzhuang was arrested and detained for 5 days for spreading rumour and disturbing public order.
Catalans Get Ready for Another Massive Pro-independence Event
Catalan National Day, September 11, is just around the corner. The civic Association Col·lectiu Emma (@CollectiuEmma) has published a statement in English and 9 other languages on its blog. The text explains the current political situation in Catalonia (Spain's far north-east corner) and calls worldwide media to keep an eye...
China: Show Swords in Ideology Battle
The Chinese President Xi Jinping recently launched the party's ideology battle to take over opinion leadership in a meeting of propaganda officials. In the past few days, state-controlled media outlets echoed with Xi's call by using the phrase “showing one’s sword” in their editorials. David Bandurski from China Media project...
China: New Visa Policies for Foreigners
Last year, the number of foreigners entering or leaving China reached 54 million. To cope with the situation, the Chinese government has introduced three new types of visas for foreigners. Cam MacMurchy from Nanfang.com put together a complete list of visa categories.
Colombia Prepares for Nationwide Pot-Banging Protests
The Twitter hashtag #CacerolazoPor allows Colombian web users to share their reasons to take to the streets and protest.
Croatia's EU Membership Off to Rocky Start Over Extradition Law
Croatia agrees to fully apply EU extradition law after Brussels raises possibility of sanctions against the new EU member state.
Belgrade Philharmonic's Quirky Director is Serbia's New Minister of Culture
Pianist and conductor Ivan Tasovac's vibrant personality and sharp wit have made him popular in Serbia and on Twitter.
Meet Aminata Touré, the New Iron Lady of Senegal
Aminata Touré was introduced as the new prime minister of Senegal after Abdoul Mbaye was dismissed by president Macky Sall [fr]. Assirou News states that [fr] Touré is a human rights activist and a former coordinator for the UNFPA. Boubacar Kante reports that she is also known as Senegal's “Iron...
Colombia Starts New Week Amid Agrarian Strike
Uncertainty reigns in Colombia after almost two weeks since the start of the agrarian strike. Although negotiations between the government and the protesters have moved forward, citizens across the country held massive protests on August 29, most of which ended with riots. Roads are still blocked in some parts of...
Iran:“Massacre” of 52 unarmed Iranian dissidents in Iraq
Iraqi security forces carried out a “massacre” of 52 unarmed Iranian dissidents early Sunday at their camp north of Baghdad,Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, the Iranian exiles said. Netizens in Balatarin, a popular link sharing site, shared several photos, films and posts regarding this attack.
Iran: RouhaniMeter Site Filtered
RouhaniMeter was launched by Canada based Asl 19 group to monitor the performance of the recently elected president Rouhani by documenting what has been achieved as opposed to his promises. Iranian authorities filtered RouhaniMeter last week.
