Stories about Governance from January, 2011
Taiwan: Product placement and the petrochemical industry
If a petrochemical company treats bloggers to a cushy on-site tour, do posts that follow count as corporate astroturfing? What, as some have alleged, if the excursion was funded by the government? And, what if the bloggers weren't shown the whole story?
Haiti: Aid From Slovakia Blocked by Customs for Ten Months
A container with the second shipment of humanitarian aid from Slovakia has been blocked by the customs in Haiti for nearly ten months. Tibor Blazko translates some of the Slovak netizens' views on the problem.
Jamaica: “Dudus” Enquiry Starts
Caribbean Camera reports on the opening of the Commission of Enquiry into events surrounding the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers remember Hrant Dink four years on
Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the murder in Istanbul of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor, and human rights activist who advocated for reconciliation and friendship between nations, and especially estranged neighbors Armenia and Turkey. This year, however, the anniversary was also unexpectedly marked by many bloggers from Azerbaijan.
Uganda: Does Uganda need the world's third largest cabinet?
Why does Uganda need such a large cabinet?: “The global average of Cabinet Ministers is 30. Uganda has 71. The only two countries in the world with a larger cabinet...
Zimababwe: How to get money for public sector wages
Tips on how to generate money for public sector wages in Zimbabwe: “Maybe sell some of Chombo’s houses or farms acquired by Zanu PF chefs? Or swing a bit of...
Singapore: National Authentication Framework project
techgoondu previews the National Authentication Framework project of Singapore which will go live later this year. Through a single log in, it allows netizens to carry out online transactions with...
Brazil: Thousands on the street against price increase of the bus tickets
Panópticosp posts a series of photos [pt] in the Brazilian Independent Media Center from the manifestation against the price increase of the bus tickets. On January 20, more than 3...
Tunisia: Serbian Tourists Refuse to Return Home
Eleven Serbian tourists spending their holidays in Tunisian resort towns of Sousse and Hammamet have categorically refused to leave this North African country before the end of their tour arrangement. Sasa Milosevic reviews some of the online reactions of these Serbian tourists' compatriots.
Russia: Putin's Palace Exposed on Ruleaks
The Russian Wikileaks website published photos [RUS] of what is allegedly known as Vladimir Putin's $1 billion-worth palace on the shore of Black Sea . The story of the secret...
Haiti: Time for a Change
“I thought that after Duvalier left, things in Haiti were going to improve. What I never imagined was that the leaders who came after Duvalier were going to take Duvalier's...
Haiti: What About Aristide?
Wadner Pierre wonders how come exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has been granted a diplomatic passport to return to Haiti while the country's former democratically elected President has not been extended...
China: CNNIC releases new Internet statistics
Tech blogger William Long has parsed some key stats from a new CNNIC report: With 457 million Internet users, China now comprises 23% of the global online population and 55%...
East Timor: Start of budget deliberations
La'o Hamutuk blogs about the start of the 2011 budget deliberations in East Timor.
Russia: Analyzing Websites of Regional Administrations
A group of volunteers analyzes [RUS] websites of regional administrative offices for openness and availability of information according to 16 criteria developed by the volunteers themselves.
Poland: More Reactions to IAC Report – on Microblogs and via Cartoons
The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on last April's Smolensk plane crash has provoked many insightful posts from bloggers, but microblogging platforms - Twitter and Blip.pl - have also become good spaces for Poles to express their opinions, and quite a few of visuals criticising the report have appeared online as well.
Haiti: About “Baby Doc”
“Préval, who will complete his mandate which runs from 2006 to 2011, has betrayed the aspirations of the Haitian people. Now he organizes the return of a dictator who should...
Bahamas: Fixing the Nation
“Something is wrong with us”: Weblog Bahamas‘ Edward Hutcheson says that Bahamians must make hard choices if things are to improve.
Sudan: Southern Sudan Referendum: Africa (Dis)United?
In our latest roundup of Southern Sudan Referendum 2011, Dr. James Okuk offers his “advance billion congratulation” to the people of Southern Sudan for choosing to form a new nation while Leon Nyerere, a Sudanese based in Canada, believes that there is no rational justification for the separation of Southern Sudan. The quest for separation, Leon argues, was informed by emotions than rational thinking.
Guinea-Bissau: Construction Works meet Public Health
Guineense, from the blog Made in Bissau [pt], shares two videos from construction works taking place in the main avenue of Guinea Bissau's capital, while describing the poor respiratory conditions...
Poland: Initial Reactions to Russian Report on Polish Air Force One Plane Crash
The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on the crash of TU-154M airplane near Smolensk on April 10, 2010, has generated an outburst of strong opinions about the validity and objectivity of the document, as well as the effect it might have on the Polish politics in 2011. Most discussions in various social media are highly negative of the document's content, but gradually bloggers are beginning to elaborate on the topic.
