Stories from 3 March 2013
Thailand: Surprise Opposition Victory in Bangkok Governor Race
Sukhumbhand Paribatra of the opposition Democrat Party was re-elected as Bangkok governor despite exit polls predicting his defeat in the elections.
Singapore: Forget Immigration, Focus on Fertility
Improving total fertility rate and labor force participation rate to increase the resident workforce over time rather than immigration-driven growth is the more appropriate way forward for Singapore Titled ‘A Dynamic Population for a Sustainable Singapore’, the opposition Workers’ Party drafts its own policy paper in response to Singapore government's...
Pope Benedict XVI Steps Down
Globalizado [es], the blog by Global Voices in Spanish editor Juan Arellano, compiles tweets with the hashtag #elúltimotuitdePontifex [last tweet by Pontifex], started on Twitter on Thursday, February 28, 2013. The hashtag contains netizens’ comments and reactions to the farewell speech by Benedict XVI.
Violence Holding Youth Hostage in Guinea
Diallo Thierno Sadou [fr] analyzes the political situation in Guinea where violence erupted between police forces and the opposition since February, 27. The fightings has led to multiple casualties and lootings in the capital city Conakry. The current governor of the city, officer Sékou Resco Camara [fr], was charged in...
Saudi Prince: “A Rational Man Would Not Tolerate Women Going to The Streets”
A Saudi Prince said today that a rational man would not tolerate women going to the streets [in protest]. The comments, by the deputy governor of Qassim province Faisal bin Mishal, follow the crackdown on a sit-in by women, who called for the fall of the Saudi Interior Minster last Monday. The women, some with their children, as well as citizens who helped them during their protest, are now under arrest.
Doubt & Clan Politics in Russian Cyberspace
The turbulence of the 1990s seems to have returned to Russia, despite a political culture built on the expectation that Vladimir Putin keeps such chaos at bay. What role can netizens play in a Russia with an increasingly fragmented ruling elite?