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“TrashOut”: RuNet’s Interactive Map of Illegal Dumps · Global Voices
Teplitsa

A new environmental mobile app has launched [ru] in Russia. Named “TrashOut,” it is an interactive map of illegal garbage dumps that allows users to mark spots with garbage on a map.
This free app for iOS and Android devices, previously available in other languages, is now available in Russian thanks to a partnership between TrashOut and the Emerald Planet [ru] environmental initiative. Through this collaboration, Russia joins a global environmental initiative.
Elena Sharoykina, an environmentalist and the creator of Emerald Planet [ru], explains:
Интерфейс приложения TrashOut
TrashOut – более чем актуальное приложение для России, ведь в нашей стране ситуация с твердыми бытовыми отходами (ТБО) катастрофическая: более 90% мусора вывозится на свалки, по оценкам Росприроднадзора, их на сегодняшний день более 35 000, абсолютное большинство из них являются несанкционированными. Все это наносит непоправимый ущерб окружающей среде и здоровью россиян. С помощью приложения TrashOut и активных россиян мы узнаем о реальных местах расположения как крупных, так и небольших несанкционированных свалок. А самое главное — наглядно продемонстрируем властям и всем россиянам масштабы проблемы и потребуем экстренных мер для устранения конкретных свалок. Символично, что это приложение стало доступно россиянам в Год охраны окружающей среды.
TrashOut could not have come at a better time for Russia. Our country is facing a catastrophic situation when it comes to solid household waste: Rosprirodnadzor [a federal environment protection agency] estimates that over 90% of household rubbish goes to landfill sites, of which there are currently over 35,000 nationwide — the vast majority of them are unauthorized. All this is causing irreparable damage to the environment and to the health of Russians. With the help of the TrashOut app and a few active community members, we will discover the actual locations of illegal dumps, both large or small. Most important of all, we will clearly demonstrate the full extent of this problem to the authorities and to the Russian public, and will demand emergency measures to clear specific landfills. It is symbolic that the app has been made available to Russians in the Year of the Environment.
To take part in the drafting of the illegal dump-site world map, you need to:
Download the app:
The data from the interactive map can be used to plan routes for eliminating landfills, within the framework of programs that are undertaken by government agencies and environmental organizations.
The TrashOut app was developed by young eco-activists from Slovakia who decided to create an efficient tool for identifying, capturing and updating the exact location of illegal dump sites on a world map via a mobile phone. In early 2013, the TrashOut app featured among the finalists of the European Cup for best mobile phone application (European AppCup).

author: Teplitsa


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Trinidad & Tobago: Jack Fell Down and Broke His Crown  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Years of accusations against former FIFA Vice-President turned Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of National Security, Jack Warner, came to a head yesterday as the country's Prime Minister accepted his resignation from Cabinet.
The resignation came on the heels of pressure surrounding the release of this report by the CONCACAF Integrity Committee. (Warner had been president of CONCACAF for about two decades.) The report was written by former Chief Justice and Attorney General of Barbados, David Simmons: in it, Warner was accused of various acts of graft and the misappropriation of funds. A few hours after tendering the resignation from his ministerial portfolio, Warner also resigned from his post as chairman of the United National Congress, the largest political party of the ruling coalition People's Partnership government.
Writing on Friday, two days before the resignation, Trini World Views chided the government for initially closing ranks around Warner instead of acting quickly:
The latest in this string of consistent ‘spit in the eye’ politics is the CONCACAF reports on Jack Warner, who is the Minister of National Security and at this point seen as the untouchable Minister of Everything. What is more troubling however is the response from the Government, which is no different than before except perhaps with an extra inflating of their PR work with the Cabinet encircling to defend the wrong.
Interestingly, the blogger also felt that dismissing Warner would not, at this juncture, make a difference to the fortunes of the government:
At this point just as at any, he should be fired as Minister of National Security, there is no doubt about that. What however will that accomplish overall? With his influence and the Government's way of running Ministries for their own gain, who is to say that they won't just put someone there to further his agenda as well. Also where does this leave the others who should in the same manner have been rooted out long ago?
The post continued:
The more we cry out, the quicker we are brushed off. At this point it is too late just to fire a rouge [sic] Minister. The rot that the Government has inflicted upon the state is too severe for a turn around short of a total cleansing of corruption to the extent of [half] of the Ministers ending up in jail, and the other half ending up on the breadline, with not even the PM being left standing when the ethical dust settles. For the Government, opportunities to do the right thing pass daily, and and chance of redemption has passed.
At Wired868, Lasana Liburd noted that the seeds of Warner's destruction were planted long ago:
Three years ago, then Integrity Commission chairman Eric St Cyr recommended that Warner chose between his government portfolio and FIFA position. Had he left football, the Chaguanas West MP might have avoided the fall-out with Blazer and FIFA president Sepp Blatter and lasted the term as a Cabinet member.
If Warner gave up his government post, he might have continued to benefit from the lax scrutiny afforded to most sporting administrators.
But, like Icarus, Warner was intoxicated with his own power and it was a matter of time before he would fly too close to the sun.
Liburd pondered what the Warner controversy revealed about the Trinbagonian psyche:
Trinidad and Tobago, despite over 50 years as an independent nation, still appears too politically immature as a people to see the link between corruption and hardship; unable to grasp that millions pocketed and wasted by politicians and their cohorts might have a direct relation to ill-equipped hospitals, unsafe roads, the loss of our gas subsidy, inadequate basic services like water and, of course, the booming crime scourge.
Warner knew a population inclined more to self-preservation than communal love would turn a blind eye to its neighbour’s suffering once someone felt there was a dollar in it for him. And he preyed on Trinidad and Tobago’s selfish streak for decades.
Philip Edward Alexander noted that many of the public figures now condemning Warner have been accused of improprieties before:
Perhaps it is time to scrutinize every member of Parliament, align earnings with possessions and [apply] the strictest standards of the Integrity in Public Life Act to all across the board.
Meanwhile, Dervedia Thomas compiled a Storify post about reaction to Warner's resignation on Twitter.
The Global Voices Caribbean team will continue to monitor reactions to and further developments of the story.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Matthew Hunte


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Venezuela: The Start of Reconciliation? · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

[All links lead to Spanish language websites unless otherwise noted]
In the midst of the confusion [en] and clashes [en] that set the standard in the streets and on the Internet after the elections [en] on 14th April, citizen media were also the stage of much reflection.
In this way, while many bloggers have discussed the next steps under the mandate of Nicolás Maduro, others have shared their questions about what the loss [en] of a large number of voters in such a short campaign period could mean. People are commenting on errors and strategies that could be followed and bridges are being held so that dialogue may reach citizens on the other side.
Many of these opinions were shared by the site Aporrea, which has opened a space in support of Chavism, but many others have been shared in addition by bloggers and Facebook users identifying with the opposition.
Photograph widely shared on Facebook
Juan Gómez Muñoz gave a written example of these thoughts, in which he emphasised the need of communication:
Otro tema que está en el tapete es el de la “reconciliación” y ciertamente, es hora de reconciliarnos, primero porque YA NO SOMOS MAYORÍA, pero a lo que me quiero referir es a la reconciliación con buena parte de los más de 7 millones de venezolanos que votaron por Capriles, esos compatriotas, ni son oligarcas (no la inmensa mayoría de ellos), ni son apátridas; no solo hemos sido incapaces de promover y entusiasmarlos a ellos con nuestro proyecto, es que hemos espantado de nuestra propias filas a varios que antes nos acompañaban!
Another topic that is out in the open is that of ‘reconciliation’ and certainly, it's time to reconciliate, firstly because WE ARE NOT THE MAJORITY ANYMORE, but what I want to refer to is to reconciliation with a large part of the seven million Venezuelans who voted for Capriles, our countrymen, they are neither oligarchs (the overwhelming majority aren't) nor stateless; it's not just that we have been incapable of promoting and making them enthusiastic about our project, it's that we have frightened many from our own ranks who used to accompany us!
With converging ideas and based on analysis of some of the figures, Nicmer Evans, also published by Aporrea, says:
Todo ese juego de números se resume de la siguiente manera: hubo sumas que no sumaron. Una campaña cargada de elementos que no contribuyeron a satisfacer las expectativas del capital político heredado el 7 de octubre, con ausencia de contenidos claves que permitieran convencer a nuevos sectores sociales a incorporarse al proceso revolucionario, pero sobre todo, el abandono de los sectores propios del chavismo, en especial a los sectores lealmente críticos y comprometidos…
Entre las elecciones del pasado 7 de octubre de 2012 y 14 de abril fueron 615.626 votos menos para los partidos del proceso revolucionario, mientras que alrededor de 711.337 votos incrementó la opción política antichavista en apenas seis (06) meses
This numbers game can be summed up in the following way: there were sums that did not add up. A campaign burdened with elements that did not serve to satisfy the expectations of the political capital inherited on 7th October, with the absence of key content that could have convinced new social sectors to join the revolutionary process, but above all, the abandonment of the sectors of Chavism themselves, especially to loyally critical and compromised sectors…
Between the elections of 7th October 2012 and 14th April, votes for revolutionary process parties decreased by 615,626, whereas the anti-Chavist political option gained around 711,337 votes in scarcely six months.
On the other hand, in the same self-critical manner, Adriana González (@Adri021) responds to the statements of Henrique Capriles, in which he accused leaders of violent acts committed against Chavism activists during the clashes, as ‘spies’:
@Adri021: Ahora, lo de “infiltrados” en las manifestaciones opositoras es generalizar, sí hay radicales en estas filas… un poco de poravor también
@Adri021: Now, talk of ‘spies’ in opposing protests is generalising, there are indeed radicals in these ranks… a bit of common sense please
Likewise, Héctor Palacio shared an answer on his Facebook account to the numerous calls made by many Venezuelans living abroad to gather signatures for a petition seeking a recount of votes on a website backed by the US White House:
Por cierto, no voy a firmar ninguna petición de reconteo de votos en ningun sitio de la Casa Blanca. Un poco de sentido común con la otra mitad del país.
By the way, I am not going to sign any petition for a vote recount from the White House… a bit of common sense for the other half of the country.
And in that regard, he published a post titled '10 Pieces of Advice on how to Talk’ on his blog, among which the second point stands out:
2. Escuchar. Obvio, ¿no?, pero no tan fácil. No es escuchar para poder atacar más fácilmente. Sino escuchar porque realmente uno puede estar equivocado en ciertas cosas. Lo más difícil es escuchar al otro de verdad, entre líneas, incluso entre gritos. Escuchar incluso para establecer un nexo, para tratar de saber como se siente el otro y porqué. Más importante si somos contrincantes en una de esos campos de batalla que salen día a día. Si uno no escucha de verdad, está condenado a no aprender, a seguir siendo el mismo.
2. Listening. Obvious, no? But it's not so easy. It's not listening to be able to attack more easily. Rather listening because one really can be mistaken about certain things. What's most difficult is listening to one another, between lines, even between shouts. Even listening to establish a link, to try to know how the other feels and why. It's more important if we are opponents in one of those battlefields that arise on a daily basis. If one does not really listen, he is condemned to not learning, to not changing.
Once again from the Chavism side and from the YouTube account Rio Agua de Vida, a video was published in which a female follower of Hugo Chávez asks Nicolás Maduro for a recount of votes, either to tell the truth about the results, or to reaffirm the majority in the elections. The video has been widely spread and backed on social networks and is underpinned by personal data given at the end of the video in order to support the veracity of the testimony.
Finally, from the site ProDavinci, Luis García Mora points out the pressing needs of the socio-economic situation, which he considers as an inheritance from the Chávez years, but which is being imposed as an inescapable common denominator to all Venezuelans:
Todos estamos inmersos en esto. Ésta es la herencia de Chávez. Una bomba de ingobernabilidad. Una bomba económica. Una bomba social. Y no hay tiempo.
We are all in the thick of it. This is the inheritance of Chávez. A bomb of ingovernability. An economic bomb. A social bomb. And there's no time.

author: Laura Vidal


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Video: Meet the New Greek Diaspora · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

The New Diaspora documentary project invites Greeks forced by the austerity crisis to emigrate, as well as the returned progeny of Greek immigrants from previous diasporas, to share their stories online. The project is crowdfunded on Indiegogo, and 5% of funds raised will be donated to the Greek chapter of Medecins Du Monde. Crisis-themed documentary projects are taking off in Greece, often web-based and crowdfunded, as the crisis has also impacted traditional production and distribution avenues.

author: Asteris Masouras


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What if Watertown was Droned? · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

At 7:15pm, the low buzz of a drone was heard overheard. Seconds later, an enormous explosion engulfed the area, destroying the boat and several nearby homes. Sources say 46 Watertown residents were killed in the missile strike, including 12 children.
……
Of course, that's not what happened. But if it did, wouldn't we find it unconscionable? If so, then why are Americans okay with our government doing this to people in other countries?
A hypothetical narration of a drone targeting the Boston Marathon bombing suspect in Watertown by an American Facebook user based in San Francisco, has gone viral amongst Pakistani Facebook users. Within 24 hours the post was shared more than 5000 times and generated hundreds of comments.
Facebook user Micah Daigle continues:
In Pakistan alone, the U.S. government has killed more than 3,000 people with drone strikes… and only 1 out of 50 were suspected terrorists. The rest were bystanders, rescue workers, and children.
Let's stop this madness now.
One people. One planet. ♥
He posted a follow-up post explaining the seven great things he has learnt about Pakistanis within a day of sharing his story on Facebook:
“It's been an amazing 24 hours.
To my new Pakistani friends:
For years, I've only been able to imagine how it must feel to live under skies pregnant with hellfire missiles. But in the last day, I've had the honor of talking with hundreds of you and hearing your stories. Though I feel a bit undeserving of all the attention and praise, that hasn't stopped me from scooping up as much knowledge as I can before this little bubble of Internet magic pops.
Though the results aren't surprising, this is what I've learned …

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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Your Legal Guide to Digital Security for Arab Human Rights Activists  · Global Voices
مؤسسة حرية الفكر والتعبير

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, in Egypt, issued a “legal guide to digital security” as part of its digital freedoms programme. The guide was produced for campaigners and human rights activists and lawyers interested in freedom of digital expression and the confidentiality of communications and information stored on mobile phones, computers or any other device used to store or distribute data or information. They argue that security problems can present a risk to both users and others, particularly in the case of users living under repressive regimes that restrict freedom of expression and the right to privacy and in countries where activists using the internet and other digital services often face vague charges such as “misuse of communications networks” or “insulting individuals and organisations by means of digital publishing”.
The legal guide to digital security is divided into two parts: the first is a technical manual for ways to secure data and information and how to combat snooping or infiltration; the second is a collection of legal advice for people facing prosecution charged with publishing digital content illegally.
The guide, published as part of the digital freedoms programme by the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, stands out for its emphasis on the legal aspects of digital security and its attempt to explain the most important aspects to be considered during investigations and trials related to crimes of digital publication where the perpetrators often enjoy a greater degree of anonymity than is the case with other crimes. The technical part of the guide provides a number of tools for digital safety related to browsing, file editing, data storage, restoring lost files, combating viruses and thwarting snooping attempts as well as other tools.
Click here to view the paper [ar].

author: مؤسسة حرية الفكر والتعبير


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YouTube Lags in South Korea While Internet Zips By · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In South Korea where net users are accustomed to whizzing along with one of the fastest Internet connection speeds in the world, YouTube's sluggish performance is a source of constant complaints.
But why does the video-hosting site run so slow compared to the rest of South Korea's Internet? The answer lies in the utter disrespect that South Korea's dominant corporations have for net neutrality.
Net neutrality is a principle defending the free flow of information on the Internet by forbidding Internet service providers from delivering one website faster or slower than another or blocking customers from accessing certain websites. (Read more on South Korea's net neutrality controversy by Global Voices author Jae-Yeon here.)
The emergence of bandwidth-guzzling video websites and software such as YouTube, Netflix, and Skype, which make it difficult or more costly for Internet providers to maintain high speed connections for their customers, have made the issue of net neutrality more important than ever.
Although South Korea proudly promotes itself as one of the most advanced high-tech countries, it has been a cruel place for small tech start-ups that have struggled under the government’s strict guidelines and policies and been squeezed out by a few powerful corporations that control the market. Google and YouTube had butted heads with the South Korean government for not following its attempt to enforce real-name policy.
YouTube by Flickr user codenamecueball (CC BY 2.0).
Korean net user ID:GaedokChoding elaborated [ko] on how a disregard for net neutrality by South Korean Internet providers led to YouTube's slow performance – a version of events [ko] shared by many in the Korean tech community:
1. 유튜브가 한국에 서버를 돌리려고 했음. 2. 인터넷 통신망 회사들이 유튜브가 트래픽 많이 차지하니까 사용료 내라고 압박. 3. 유튜브는, ‘우리 콘텐츠 덕분에 사용자들이 인터넷 신청하고 사용료 내는데 왜 우리가 돈을 냄?'하고 한국에 서버를 마련하지 않음. 4. 그래서 한국에서 유튜브는 해외 서버를 통해 들어옴 5. 그 결과 한국 통신 회사들은 해외 유입 트래픽에 대한 대가를 외국 통신망 회사들에게 지불하게 됨 6. 그래서 한국 유튜브는 느리고 한국 통신 회사는 많은 돈을 외국에 넘기게 되었음
1. YouTube tried to set up their server in South Korea. 2. Internet Service Providers pressured YouTube to pay fee since YouTube sucks up so much traffic. 3. YouTube responded with “why do I have to pay since users subscribe and pay Internet fees to watch our content?” and decided not to install their own server in South Korea. 4. As a result, YouTube in South Korea comes from servers in adjacent countries. 5. Now, Korean Internet service providers have to pay traffic fees to other foreign service providers. 6. The outcome: Korean YouTube slowed down and Korean Internet providers wind up paying lots of money to other nations.
Some have even created cartoons [ko] explaining the source of problem and discussions have formed below the cartoons, with many net users sharing their YouTube experience [ko] in and outside South Korea:
ID 우사우사냥냥: 일본에서 유튜브는 니코니코동화 보다 빠름. 근데 한국 영상은 […]
ID Caspian: 미국 거주중인데 확실히 유투브 빠릅니다… 1080p도 original 화질도 버퍼링 없이 봐요[…] ID Lucis: 이거 맞는말임. 여기 필리핀에서 한국 포털사이트(네이버,다음) 동영상 재생할라면 하루종일걸림. 근데 유투브는 진짜 올려져있는 2시간짜리 영화도 실시간으로 볼수있음. 네이버?다음? 1분짜리 동영상도 10분은 버퍼링해야하는곳이 여기임[…] ID Beef: 근데 이게 진짜 실감할수있는건 해외와서 인터넷을 해봐야됨. 한국 IT 강국에 인터넷 빠름 진짜 빠름. 근데 유튜브는 겁나느림. 근데 한국보다 인터넷느린나라들도 유튜브는 빠름 진짜 빠름
ID UsaUsaNyangNyang: YouTube in Japan can be faster than NicoNico Douga site [popular video-sharing site in Japan]. However, [things are different] when watching Korean video…
ID Caspian: I am now in the United States and YouTube is really fast indeed. I can stream 1080p video with keeping its original resolution.
ID Lucis: This is all true. Here in Philippines, it takes nearly an entire day to stream video on Korean portal sites such as Naver and Daum. However, you can stream a two-hour-long movie seamlessly on YouTube. To compare, a one-minute-long video [on Korean sites such as Naver and Daum] needs ten minutes of buffering to watch.
ID: Beef: You can feel the difference when you use the Internet abroad. In South Korea, despite being a strong tech nation and despite its fast Internet speed, YouTube is freaking slow. How weird it is that YouTube is really fast in other countries, whose Internet speeds are much slower than South Korea's.
Foreigners in South Korea, used to better YouTube performance in other parts of the world, have also commented on it's slow speed, posting on forums seeking an answer.
Blogger DamviWorld criticized [ko] how near-sighted the actions of Korean Internet service providers are:
국내 통신사들은 유투브의 (무료로 네트워크 망을 제공하라는) 요구를 거절했고 유투브는 미련없이 한국을 떠났습니다. 결국 생산자가 우위에 서게 될 것이다란 사실을 그들은 벌써 알고 있었기 때문이죠. 유투브의 한국 이용자는 폭발적으로 증가했고[…] 만약 우리나라 통신사들이 미래를 내다보고 유투브와 유연한 자세로 계약을 했었다면 엄청난 액수의 선로 사용료가 중국과 일본에 해마다 유출되는 일은 없었을 것입니다.
Local communication companies declined YouTube’s request for free network connection and YouTube left Korea without hesitation. Because they knew that content providers will get the upper-hand eventually. The number of Korean YouTube users has increased exponentially indeed.[…] If our communication companies were not so near-sighted, and flexible in negotiations with YouTube, we wouldn't be paying huge sums of money to China and Japan for [using their YouTube servers] for traffic.
The blogger also pointed out that local video-streaming sites, such as Mncast [ko], have gone out of service for huge burdens imposed on them by Internet service providers:
유투브가 한국에서 이처럼 빠르게 확산된 이유에는 국내 토종 동영상 서비스 업체들이 무너졌기 때문인 이유도 있습니다. 국내 업체들은 통신사에 지불하는 엄청난 네트워크 비용을 감당하지 못하고 하나둘 파산했기 때문이죠.
One of the reason how YouTube has expanded rapidly in South Korea is because local video-streaming sites have collapsed. Local companies, after not being able to afford the huge amount of fee for using networks, went bankrupt one by one.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Legal Checklist For Doing Business in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Is Your Company Bribing Anyone?  The United States vigorously enforces its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which penalizes improper payments to foreign officials by US companies.  In certain situations, US companies can be liable under the FCPA for payments made by their Chinese partner.  Canada and most European countries have their own somewhat similar corrupt practices acts, as does China.
Dan Harris from China Law Blog posted this legal checklist for those who plan to do business in China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Car Explosion at the French Embassy in Libya  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Explosion at the French embassy in Libya via @Eh4b10 on Twitter
Twitter user @Eh4b10 has posted several photos on twitter of a car explosion near the French Embassy today around 6:50 am local time in Tripoli, Libya.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Developing Latin America: A Summary · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Desarrollando América Latina (Developing Latin America) has published a video summary of the regional hackathon DAL 2012, where 400 participants and 70 social experts developed 80 applications. Here [es] you can see Global Voices’ coverage of the event.

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Documenting Cases Of Discrimination To End Untouchability · Global Voices
Rezwan

Video Volunteers, an international media and human rights NGO, is promoting community videos to document and highlight plights of the marginalized and poor communities around the world. On the 14th of April 2012, Video Volunteers launched the ARTICLE 17 campaign which involved documenting video testimonies of different forms of untouchability by Community Correspondents across the country and taking actions. This 14 April, 2013 marks the first anniversary of the campaign against the discrimination against the so called “untouchables.”
Untouchability is a form of discrimination, the social-religious practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The term is used in India to talk about the public treatment of especially the Dalit communities, who face work and descent-based discrimination at the hands of the dominant Hindu castes.
Girls in a garbage picker colony. They are considered as Untouchables because it is considered that the simple act of touching them brings impurity. They are excluded from the system of Indian castes. Image by Yan Seiler. Copyright Demotix (1/9/2011)
Although untouchability has been made illegal in post-independence India, Dalits and other scheduled castes substantially empowered, prejudice against them are seen in the society, especially in rural areas.
Video Volunteers director Stalin K. provides a background of the campaign to end untouchability:
Ten Years ago, I started on a journey to document practices of untouchability across several states and religions of India. 25,000 kilometres, 9,000 minutes of footage and four years later, I put together a documentary called India Untouched. The main reason for making this film was to challenge the belief of most Indians that untouchability is a thing of the past.
Stalin continues:
Article 17 of the Indian Constitution states that “Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. The enforcement of any disability arising out of untouchability shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law.” However, society continues to look at untouchability as a social given, grounded in ‘tradition’. Instead, we should see such practices for what they are: criminal acts.
The documenting initiative started in 2010 (see Global Voices report). The Community Correspondents of Video Volunteers have so far produced a series of 30 videos which documented untouchability practices across the nation. Here are a few examples:
The Untouchable Well: The Dalit community is only allowed to drink water drawn from the one chosen “untouchable” well in the village. Video by Video Volunteers
Untouchability in Shops: Dalits are not allowed to enter shops even if they are paying customers. They have to either throw their money into the hands of the “upper” caste shopkeepers without touching them or leave the money on the floor. Goods touched by Dalits are purified by putting them once through a burning flame. Video by Video Volunteers
Untouchability Captured and Ended on Camera: The video chronicled married Dalit women in the village removing their slippers and holding it in their hands as they crossed an “upper caste” neighborhood.  The combined efforts of the Community Correspondent on the ground, the over 5000 people who signed the petition (DM) online and the national zeitgeist created by the TV show, persuaded the DM and the Superintendent police to personally visit the village to conduct a public hearing condemning the practice. The people promised the DM that there will no more complaints from the village. The practice was declared ‘abolished.’ Video by Video Volunteers
You can watch the whole set of videos from this Youtube channel. A petition campaign has started to ask the National Commission for Schedule Castes (NCSC) to take action against the documented violations.
Shekhar comments on the videos at India Unheard Blog:
After watching all these videos, I came to know that my view that the caste system in India is weakened to some extent is wrong and totally a blunder. I am forced to grasp that it is still rampant and deeply rooted.
Here are some Twitter reactions on the untouchability situation in India:
Shraddha Upadhyay (@shraddha48), a blogger from Gwalior tweets:
@shraddha48: Do read a personal experience of untouchability & endless prejudices. “What night is donned upon my nation, lord?” http://t.co/GtZRde1ndz
Community Media (@babasaheb_org) writes:
@babasaheb_org: 84 types of untouchability are being practised in the state even now http://fb.me/1D1WAjT2l
Stalin ends his post with:
It’s time we accepted that the practice of untouchability is not the vestigial remains of some backward, social phenomenon or tradition: it’s a criminal offence. Let’s start calling it what it is.

author: Rezwan


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Expectations Run High for Immigration Reform in the United States · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

Blazing temperatures didn't deter protesters, activists and community leaders from taking to the streets of Washington DC earlier this month in a show of support for immigration reform that would legalize some 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. Their cause seems to have been heard by a bipartisan group of senators who proposed a new immigration bill this week.
Immigration reform is again front page news this month. Photo taken from Flickr account of nathangibbs (CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The so-called “Gang of Eight” (comprised of four Republican and four Democratic Senators), have been working on drafting the bill since February of this year. Among other things, the proposed S.744 bill includes the creation of a provisional program aimed to assist immigrants who meet certain requirements begin their application for legal residency; provisions to increase the strength of border security; the establishment of a merit-based system whichs awards green cards based on education and job stability; the development of electronic verification system e-verify, which employers will use to check an applicant's legal status; and a system that will track all foreigners exiting the counry. Without a doubt, some of these measures are quite controversial and problematic.
What remains to be seen, however, is how the attacks at the Boston Marathon on 15 April will play into this bill's success. The suspects, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 26 and 19-years-old respectively, are originally from Chechnya in southern Russia although they had been living in the U.S. for nearly a decade. Actually, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is a US citizen. Tamerlan died Thursday night in a shootout with police in a Boston suburb, while Dzhokhar- detained Friday after a massive manhunt closed down the city and surrounding areas- remains in critical condition in one of the city's hospitals.
For some, like those at Encuentro, the proposed bill is merely a first step:
What this means is that there is so much more to do. We have to now assure that the plan is detailed with the clearest, attainable path to citizenship, that there be no discriminatory barriers that could impede people in our community. We want the best because our struggle has been big and united. Encuentro wants to highlight that this struggle has been happening from Albuquerque to Alabama and beyond, and is finally getting to the hearts of the entire country. We want to celebrate with you all, but at the same time, we still recognize there's much to do, especially going out and celebrating the migrant worker this year by going to the May Day celebrations and marches.
Father José Eugenio Hoyos explains how he views the relationship the Catholic Church has in immigration reform on his blog:
Nuestra Iglesia Católica desde los comienzos del Éxodo masivo de inmigrantes dentro de la historia y en la actualidad siempre ha estado acompañado y apoyando a las familias inmigrantes…Las dificultades y sufrimientos de los inmigrantes sobre todo de los indocumentados golpean nuestras conciencias de cristianos y nos invitan a adoptar actitudes iluminadas por la fe y la Palabra de Cristo, especialmente desde nuestra comunidad. Las Sagradas Escrituras nos llaman a ser más sensibles y dar la bienvenida a los extranjeros, a los inmigrantes y a los enfermos (Mateo 25: 31-46).
Since the early days of the Exodus our Catholic Church has always been joined and supported by immigrant families…The difficulties and suffering of immigrants- above all the undocumented immigrants- weigh heavily on us as Christians, and are inviting us assume stances rooted in faith and the Word of God, especially on behalf of those within our community. The Sacred Scripture call us to be more sensitive and graciously welcome the hungry, the stranger, and the sick (Matthew 25: 31-46).
This month marked the launch of a new campaign by American news sources to deter the use of the term “illegal immigrant” in print. The initiative was started by the Associated Press, who claims the term “illegal” implies a criminal act, and identifies the person as illegal instead of explaining their immigration status. News outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post and other new conglomerates are likely to follow this example. Social media giants like Mark Zuckerberg have also recently expressed an interest in the topic, though some reports say the interest goes only as far as to gain the human capital from the country's developing demographics according to the newspaper Politico.
The proposed bill and the decision to cease using pejorative terminology in reference to immigrants have been major topics on Twitter.
Cindy Y. Rodriguez (@cindyrodriguez) says:
@cindyrodriguez: Hasta ahora, la campaña contra dicha palabra ha tenido un éxito limitado
@cindyrodriguez: Until now, efforts to stop using the word “illegal” have had only limited success.
Some like Alfonso Hernández (@alhezjr) urge followers to support the reform:
@alhezjr: Apoyemos la Reforma Inmigratoria Comprensiva esta semana de apoyo,15-20 de abril @worldrelief #G92 #ReformaInmigratoria
@alhezjr: Show your support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform this week, 15-20 April@worldrelief #G92 #ReformaInmigratoria
Finally, Karina Sánchez Campos (@karisanchezc) quotes Republican Senator Marco Rubio, one of the eight senators in the bipartisan group that drafted the bill:
@karisanchezc: #ReformaInmigratoria Pagar impuestos mientras tiene este estatus temporal y “demostrar que no son una carga pública” (Marco Rubio).
@karisanchezc: #ReformaInmigratoria Pay taxes while you are in temporary status and “prove that you are not a public charge.” (Marco Rubio)

author: Robert Valencia


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Ghana’s First Ever Social Media Award Winners  · Global Voices
Kofi Yeboah

The results are in for Ghana's first ever social media awards.
Thirteen people and organizations were awarded on March 23, 2013 for their outstanding use of social media to create content and promote their work during ceremony in Ghana, which was attended by US Ambassador to Ghana Gene A. Cretz. The contest was hosted by Blogging Ghana, a group of bloggers and social media users writing out of Ghana or about the Ghanaian experience.
Blogging Ghana's website displays the following as the winners of the various categories listed:
According to Blogging Ghana website, nominations for the award were received from 314 people, totaling 1,128 nominations spread over 13 categories. That averages about 87 nominations per category.

author: Kofi Yeboah


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Japan’s Next Election Campaign will be Tweeted, Emailed and Blogged · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Japan has approved a bill that will allow political candidates to tweet and blog and run online advertisements during their election campaigns
Up until last week, Japanese electoral candidates had to cautiously navigate their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and blogs to avoid breaking the country's strict election laws which banned online political activity.
The revised election law passed by both houses of Japan's legislature on April 19, 2013 will allow political candidates to use social media and other online platforms to voice their opinions and reach their voters.
The bill's impact could be soon as early as July, during the election for the House of Councilors.
Young activists and change-makers had been working behind the scenes to revise Japan's election law. Kensuke Harada, one of the founders of the One Voice Campaign [ja] that advocated for online election campaigning wrote [ja] in a Facebook post:
Finally the ban on online election campaigning is lifted! We've been working on this issue as One Voice Campaign since last April [2012]. This is the issue that our elders have been working on for years. But  April last year, nobody was talking about it, not even the politicians, or the public.
But I still wanted change. I thought it would be definitely fun if each one of us worked to make a difference in the law. With that passion, various people came together to the One Voice crew, and shaped how we are today. I am grateful to the people who are not members but helped us a lot too. […]
I don't know how much impact we had in passing the bill but I can say it wasn't zero. With voices from each one of us, politics can change! You can bring change!
Image of Japanese Diet: Photo by flickr user
By Dick Thomas Johnson under Creative Commons License BY-2.0-Deed
The change is expected to recapture Japan's youth vote, by offering young people, who have turned away from old media like newspapers, an option to be politically informed online.
Only 37.89 percent of voters in their 20s exercised the right to vote during the general election held in December 2012, which made overall voting rates hit a post-war record low of 59.3 percent.
But online campaign will not be completely free, there are rules and restrictions for both candidates and voters.
One concern is identity fraud; falsifying identity and posting damaging messages can lead to imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to roughly 3,000 US Dollars.
Internet service providers (ISP) have the authority to delete malicious comments, if users fail to provide acceptable reasons within two days of being notified。
GMO GlobalSign, an Internet security certification company, announced that they would provide verification services for political parties online. The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan also announced [ja] their plan to extend the use of Extended Validation Certificates on websites of individual politicians. They embraced the popular Verisign certification on their official website in 2011.
Music blogger and Twitter user Yamada (@wms) worries [ja] that pseudonyms, common in the citizen media sphere, might get users in trouble:
@wms:ネット選挙でSNSを利用した活動を全面的に認める代わりに、偽名による発言などは逮捕につながるという記事があったので、実名以外のアカウントで政治的発言するのはかなり危険性が高い時代になったと思われ。
@wms: According to some sources, there are chances of online users getting arrested by posting political comments with pseudonyms Even though social media is now fully acceptable for online campaigns, I think it can be dangerous to post political comments if you don't use an account with your real name.
Another concern is the use of online advertisement. Muto Nobuki, a Twitter user who works in the news and advertising industry tweets:
@mutonobuki:ネットという新市場が生まれるので、政党間で不安心理が起こりネット広告に資金流入するでしょう。ただ、政党も予算あるので削られる媒体出ますね。
@mutonobuki: Now that there's a new market online, political parties feel anxious without placing online ads, it is likely they will pour money on the Internet. But they have a limited budget, so certain media will lose advertising revenue.
Kalaiyo, a supporter of the  Liberal Democratic Party, which is popular among Japan's conservative voters, worries that the revised law allows political parties to buy as many online ads as they want, but leaves out measures for independent candidates:
@kalaiyo政党制である日本において無所属が不利なのは当たり前だが、無所属だけ広告出すの禁止というのは確かに変かな。
@kalaiyo: Japan's politick is based on a party system. So it's common that independent candidates that do not belong to any party have disadvantages. However it's kind of strange that [the law] bans independents from placing online ads.
Ryosuke Nishida, a researcher and professor on social entrepreneurship and public policy writes on his blog [ja]:
いろいろ言われているけれど、ネット選挙解禁は出発点というのが筆者の認識。国民が政治にもっとも関心をもつと思われる選挙運動期間にITの利活用を認めると、政治家は適応すべく、中長期でITへの理解を改善するだろう。そうすると、電子政府や電子自治体、通信と放送のあり方等々いろいろなところに波及する可能性を秘めている。
I think permitting online campaigns is a good starting point. Citizens pay more attention to politics during election campaigns. Using Information Technology, politicians will have better understanding of IT in the mid to long term while learning to adapt themselves to latest technologies: this will potentially lead to e-government and [integration of] communication and broadcasting.
Another Twitter user writes about the irony of the new law being passed while legislators have been unable to solve the unconstitutional state of Japan's election process due to vote disparity:
@gankuma_:定数是正（違憲）問題が遅々として改善されないのに選挙活動のネット解禁はあっさり決まるあたりに先生方のやる気の差が透けて見えるなとか思ってても言うよ。
@gankuma_: Let me think out loud – the online campaign bill was passed quickly while those who sit in the legislatures seem to have lesser motivation to resolve the issue of our unconstitutional elections.
Thumbnail photo by flickr user 7_70 under Creative Commons License BY-NC-ND 2.0

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Hong Kong Hit by Gold Tourism · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

As the price of gold drops worldwide, mainland Chinese Tourists travel cross the border to Hong Kong to clear local banks and jewellery shops. See Hong Wrong for story detail.


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Malawi: Presidents, Pop Stars and the ‘White Savior’ Complex · Global Voices
Steve Sharra

It started out as a disagreement over definitions – can a classroom block be considered a school? – and soon escalated into a war of words between President Joyce Banda of Malawi and American pop star Madonna. According to a tweet from The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff, neither party emerged favorably from the short-lived but widely publicized feud.
Madonna with her Malawian adopted kids. Photo courtesy of Mabvuto Banda. Used with permission.
Malawian journalist Suzgo Khunga (@suzgokhunga) dubbed it “the president and the pop star”, in a post to a closed online Malawian discussion forum for journalists. She tweeted:
@suzgokhunga: Now a whole president #JoyceBanda of #Malawi is fighting with a pop star #Madonna. Very embarrassing!
It is not the first time that Madonna has created a stir when visiting Malawi, the home country of her two adoptive children. At the time of the first adoption in 2006, the debate centered on why the government had circumvented its own laws to facilitate adoption by a foreign celebrity. This time the discord seems to be centered around a personal feud between the two women, with roots in a falling-out between Madonna and the president's sister Anjimile Oponyo, formerly the CEO of Madonna's charity, Raising Malawi, and now a Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education.
The latest phase of the furore dates back to January 2013 when Madonna's charity issued a statement exclaiming that it had built ten new schools in the country. Malawi's Minister of Education, Eunice Kazembe, issued a press statement, published in Malawi's daily papers, denying the claim. “Raising Malawi only built ten classroom blocks, and not schools. People should know the difference between the two,” she was quoted as saying in the online newspaper The Maravi Post.
When Madonna visited Malawi in April and repeated the statement that her charity had built ten schools, the government, once again, shot back. Not only was Madonna's hand-scrawled note to President Banda requesting a meeting leaked, she never got the meeting, and as she left the country, was stripped of her VIP status, according to a blog post by Rebecca Chimjeka:
Madonna and her entourage were shocked with how they were treated. Each and every person on her entourage went through security checkpoints; their passports were stamped as normal passengers. Physical body checks were conducted and all their luggage went through security screening. There was no heavy security as she was going to board her jet that left KIA around 5.
In an exclusive interview with Chimjeka, Trevor Neilson, Madonna's manager, also confirmed that President Banda's sister, Anjimile Oponyo, was indeed “making life difficult for Madonna”.
A scathing press statement from one of President Banda's press officers, Tusekele Mwanyongo, accused Madonna of wanting “Malawi to be forever chained to the obligation of gratitude”. The statement was first posted on Malawian discussion forums, and soon appeared on the pages of online newspaper Nyasatimes.
The statement was unexpected given the president's dedication to restoring relationships between Malawi and the West, run to the ground during President Bingu wa Mutharika's reign. President Banda has prided herself on bringing back “azungu” (white people), whom she openly and repeatedly credits with having rescued the country from near-implosion. Given the accusatory tone of the press statement, it was, perhaps unsurprisingly, later revealed to have been unauthorized.
As expected, reactions in Malawi as well as outside world were divided. Malawian blogger and journalist Telephorus Chigwenembe posted on his blog:
To say the least, the statement resembled some communication from a private citizen to another. No sense of executive decorum.
Another blogger-journalist, Richard Chirombo, posted on his blog:
This is what the confused confusionists can do! It's the height of their madness. Power, may be, has, as it does more so often, inebriated them. They care about themselves. They don't care about the Malawi people. The children especially. That is why they have ganged up against Madonna.
In an entry from 14 April prominent columnist and BBC correspondent Raphael Tenthani offered advice to President Banda:
We should have never dragged the whole presidency in this issue. Whether we apologise or not we have come out of this with egg all over our face while Madonna is having the last laugh. We must learn to pick our fights carefully. Not every fight is worth fighting.
Comedian Daliso Chaponda, son of a former cabinet minister and close colleague of late President Bingu wa Mutharika, composed a poem:
Dear Joyce,
Was it your choice? To spurn me, to burn me, to turn me away From the VIP?
You defied me, denied me. I'm like a land ridden boat, Since you leaked my hand written note
On Facebook, Jack Banda drew parallels between President Banda and Madonna:
JB jets out with forex/taxes :Madonna jets in with forex.
Because of JB kids go to the streets: Because of Madonna kids have classrooms to learn from.
Because of JB hospitals don't have drugs and nurses and doctors strike: because of Madonna Queens has a paediatrician and a trainee paediatrician.
The story soon went global. Kenyan thinker and writer Binyavanga Wainaina composed a satirical yet poignant letter to Madonna, published on The Guardian's Comment is Free website. Wainaina called on Madonna to abandon the ungrateful Malawians and adopt Kenyan orphans instead. He went further:
But some of us Africans are deeply committed to the values Europe and the west brings to us: like democracy, human rights and lots and lots of cold hard cash for human rights workers and civil society and anything, really, that does things like Sustainability, Empowerment and most of all, Capacity Building – which, as you know is very, very important for Africa's future especially as it is tax free and comes with per diems and conference allowances. Imagine what your money would do in Kenya! We have cannier auditors than the Malawians.
Others focused on the wider implications of the feud. While acknowledging that President Banda's press office had “handled a messy situation with staggering ineptitude”, BBC's Africa correspondent Andrew Harding identified with the press statement's poignant argument and a shifting paradigm in development practice. He quoted an official speaking off the record:
That old image of a white person holding a starving black child is just embarrassing these days. The emphasis is on partnership, on building resilience in communities, and on business models.
International development consultant Amy Auguston saw an important lesson for donors in the Joyce Banda-Madonna saga:
I bristled with recognition when I read the government statement, and I imagine that many other development workers did too. In my career, I believe that I have done my best to be humble and respectful towards the host countries where I worked. Still, much like Madonna, the “honorable intentions” of those who work in development are not enough, and we must continually examine our motives and behavior. And, perhaps more importantly, we must listen to the sometimes harshly critical voices of the population that we are trying to serve.

author: Steve Sharra


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Popular Demonstrations in Porto Alegre Reverse Increased Bus Fares · Global Voices
Pedro Henrique Tavares

Weeks of popular demonstrations in the city of Porto Alegre in favour of reduced bus fares have precipitated the decision to return to the previous rate.
The plan to increase the rate by 14.82%, to 3.30 reais, was announced by the State Company for Collective Transport on 15 February, despite the decision of the State Audit Office (ECA) of Rio Grande do Sul, who decided that the fare calculation should be carried out by the current operating bus fleet and not by the overall fleet, among other factors in the audit, as reported by Global Voices.
In late March the executive approved an increase of 7% to 3.05 reais. From then until the decision was revoked, demonstrating crowds gathered in front of the City Hall and the city centre turned into a stage for a series of protests calling for the cancellation of the measure.
The first demonstration took place in front of the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, on the 25th of March. (Photo: Cassiana Machado Martins, on Flickr)
The best news for those fighting against increasing the rate above inflation reached Councillor Pedro Ruas on 4 April. It was he who had filed an injunction against the increased tariff the day before: the decision had been revoked. Soon after, by simply spinning the turnstiles for fare payments on the buses, the original fare, 2.85 reais would register. A downpour brought a sense of relaxation and victory to the mass. It seemed like an achievement, a sign that the protest movement had won against the city hall. The judge, Hilbert Maximiliano Akihito Obara, admitted that the public outcry had sped up the decision to revert to the previous bus fare rate.
Until the reversal of the measure, the people of Porto Alegre, mostly students and other members of the public, protested with an average 4,000-5,000 people at each rally. On 1 April, there were reports of 10,000 demonstrators gathered in one place. “Hands up, 3.05 reais is daylight robbery,” they chanted.
A video of the Collective Catharsis on YouTube summarizes the demonstrations:
Jadson Oliveira’s Evidentemente blog highlighted on 8 April the importance of popular demonstrations:
As mudanças políticas e sociais requerem uma gama de condições, ações e circunstâncias, tudo objeto de mil e uma discussões. Mas um dos componentes para a mudança é indiscutível: somente quando o povo começa a acreditar na sua própria força, começa a se conscientizar e a se organizar, as coisas começam a mudar, começam a aparecer líderes políticos realmente comprometidos com o movimento popular. É difícil, mas é por aí que as coisas andam. No Brasil dos últimos anos mobilização popular parece ter virado palavrão, mas a verdade é que somente com ela poderemos avançar.
Political and social changes require a range of conditions, actions and circumstances, all the focus of a thousand discussions. But one component for change is indisputable: only when the people start to believe in their own strength, become self-aware and organize themselves, do things really begin to change. Political leaders, committed to the popular movement, begin to make themselves known. It's hard, but that's how things stand at the moment. In Brazil in recent years popular demonstrations seem to have turned into a byword for insults, but the truth is that we can only move forward with them.
On 28 March, Rafael Garde posted a video on YouTube showing how the protest was sparked off the previous day, and another showing the second demonstration after the confirmation of the increase:
Even with the injunction, more protests took place. In one of the acts on 11/04, the headquarters of the Association of Passenger Transporters (ATP) was vandalized by a group of protesters who broke windows with stones and scrawled the walls with slogans such as “We want 2.60 reais and we want it now “. The protesters claim the reduced rate for this value, based on “an audit by the State Audit Office (ECA), which showed that the calculated value in 2012, which increased the bus fare to 2.85 reais, was wrong because the formula took into account the reserve fleet of buses,” Sul 21 has commented.
However, the review, prepared by TEC was confused, as reported in local newspaper Zero Hora:
Mas, segundo o TCE e o Ministério Público de Contas, a informação foi mal interpretada. O que a auditoria do TCE mostrou foi que, na época em que houve o [primeiro] reajuste para R$2,85 [em 2012], se fossem aplicados os critérios da auditoria, a tarifa teria sido de R$,2,60. Só que, como já se passou um ano e outros itens que incidem sobre o cálculo sofreram ajustes, o valor não pode ser automaticamente considerado agora. Por isso, uma nova auditoria foi aberta para examinar o preço de R$3,05.
But according to the TEC and the Ministry of Public Accounts, the information was misinterpreted. What the ECA's audit showed was that, at the time there was the [first] adjustment to R $ 2.85 [in 2012], if audit criteria had been applied, the rate would have been R $, 2.60. But, as a year had passed in the meantime and other criteria that affect the calculation were adjusted, that rate cannot be automatically considered now. Therefore, a new audit has been opened to analyse the price of R $ 3.05.
In a report published on 4 April by Sul 21, the political scientist and professor at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Unisinos, Bruno Lima Rocha, highlighted the presence of political organizations, even in a smaller number:
No protesto de quarta-feira, claramente, havia pelo menos cinco forças políticas: PSTU [Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado], PSOL [Partido Socialismo e Liberdade], Movimento Revolucionário, PCB [Partido Comunista Brasileiro] e Federação Anarquista Gaúcha. Nenhuma delas é majoritária e consegue hegemonizar o ato. É um sintoma de que a manifestação transborda e se inverte. Quem está organizado em alguma instituição não consegue hegemonizar o que é convocado
In the protest on Wednesday, clearly, there were at least five political forces: PSTU [Unified Socialist Workers Party], PSOL [Socialism and Freedom Party], Revolutionary Movement, PCB [Brazilian Communist Party] and Gaucha Anarchist Federation. None of them is the majority and none can act alone. It is a symptom of the demonstration that it overflows and is then reversed. Whoever is organized in an institution fails to gain a majority when called upon.
Porto Alegre City Hall has said it will not appeal the ruling, as has its advisory body, the Municipal Council of Urban Transport (COMTU), which met on 9 April to discuss the preliminary injunction suspending the increase.
However, the Association of Passenger Transporters, which brings together all the bus companies in Porto Alegre, has indicated “that it will take legal steps to reverse the reduction of the tariff.” One reason would be the nationalization of companies during the Dutra local government time (1989-1992), which caused a large deficit in the number of companies. The city is also the champion of discounts: of every 100 people who travel on the buses, 33 do not pay , according to the municipal government.

author: Pedro Henrique Tavares


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The Kingdoms of Southeast Asia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

There are four monarchies in Southeast Asia: Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. The March 2013 issue of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia discussed the history and prospects of these monarchies. In Brunei, the absolute monarchy is able to consolidate its rule by implementing generous welfare programs.

author: Mong Palatino


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“Tell Everyone I’m not Free” · Global Voices
Abby Liu

The wife of jailed Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo has been seen in public for the first time on April 23 after years under house arrest.On her way to the trial of her brother who has been accused of real estate fraud, she shouted to the public: “Tell everyone I'm not free”. Shanghaiist has more details.

author: Abby Liu


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Thailand Police Shame Drunk Drivers on Facebook · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Bangkok's Metropolitan Police has posted photos of drunk drivers on the public Facebook page of its deputy chief. The move is an apparent effort to show the seriousness of the police in apprehending drunk drivers but some are skeptical about its effectiveness and even its legality.


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Eric Schmidt and North Korea’s Internet Dilemma · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea Tech blogs about Google Chairman Eric Schmidt's visit to North Korea and his views on the limitation and potential of internet technology in the North Korea.


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Video: Shop Assistants Beat South African Woman Accused of Shoplifting · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

Mother of four Esther Mankge, 49, was filmed begging for mercy while two alleged staff members of a local shop in Limpopo, South Africa, beat her with ropes, belts, a broom and a rubber hammer after accusing her of shoplifting, the South African Human Rights Commission reports.
Mankge described the events saying that she was not only brutally assaulted, but she was wrongly accused of the crime in the first place:
I hadn’t bought anything but a woman accused me of stealing panties and hit me in the face. I cried and asked them to call the cops if I had stolen something.
In a statement released last week, Isaac Mangena of the Commission was reported as saying:
It was very shocking to see such ruthlessness knitted out to a human being, and a woman for that matter. Indeed we are seeing this dark trend in our community whereby women and the elderly are being abused, are being kicked and all those kinds of things.
Below is a video posted on YouTube by Daily Sun showing the staff members beating Mankge:
The video has since sparked national outrage. South Africa's African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has called for a boycott of all regional branches of the store. ANCWL's provincial secretary, Maleke Mokganyetji, declared:
We are calling on progressive women and men to protest against all regional branches of the store during any time of the day. Our message to the store is, ‘You strike a woman, you strike the rock’.
Nhluvuko Masocha Shabangu commented on eNCAnews’ Facebook discussion forum saying that:
Point of correction. It didn't go viral [because] other people's pain entertains us but it went viral because awareness had to be raised about the brutality that takes place behind security doors, that these animals who call themselves humans in their attack lack the mercy to even consider that this is an elderly woman. They just beat her like a dog. Sies! The only person who finds this act amusing is that bish behind the camera. Ntli!
But the outrage was not limited to South Africa.
Nigerian blogger Musibau Lyabo lamented the events on BekkyBlog.com:
There are times when we think Africa is really shifting from its backward mentality, then things like this makes one think otherwise. Why do people resort to jungle justice in this time and age? Do they feel the government and laws put in place are not adequate enough?
This post was proofread in English by Georgi McCarthy.

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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What Do Mozambique’s Artists Need?  · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

April 2013's “Open Terrace” will focus on Artists and ‘Houses of Culture’ [pt] from the Northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The initiative takes place every month, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to debate public issues. On December 2012, Global Voices reported on an Open Terrace dedicated to transparency in extractive mega projects in the country.

author: Sara Moreira


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Cheap Gold Puts China in a Frenzy  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mainland Chinese tourists tempted by the plunging price of gold emptied Hong Kong's local banks and jewelry shops over the weekend of the precious metal.
With the price of gold falling 15 percent in 2013 after a steady 12-year climb, hitting a low of $1,321.95 an ounce on April 16, 2013, China has developed a voracious appetite for the metal, gobbling up more than 300 tons of gold [zh] over the course of 10 days, according to local reports.
Demand is so high that the Shanghai Gold Exchange Market had a record breaking exchange of 43 tons of gold in a single day on April 22.
According to London metals trader Andrew Maguire, 1,000 tons of gold has already been delivered to Shanghai in 2013 . In 2011, the total gold importation was 431.2 tons and 2012 the figure was 834.5 tons.
The rush on Hong Kong left the city empty of most of its gold holdings, according to blog Hong Wrong. Below is Apple Daily's English report on the phenomenon made available on YouTube:
Song Hongbin, a writer of the famous book series “Money War” (貨幣戰爭) in China, highlighted the impressive 10-day figure on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo:
业内人士透露：黄金412暴跌以来短短10天内，仅中国内地的投资人就鲸吞了实物黄金300吨，约占全球黄金年产量的10%！
Weibo user Anson Feng was in Hong Kong buying gold last weekend and she posted online a photograph of the scene.
His comment prompted much discussion, with some interpreting the frenzy as a sign of domestic crisis or a scheme to draw money out of China.
In Song's comment thread, “Ha Lou” (徽土豆) used traditional Chinese wisdom to explain the phenomena:
盛世藏古董，乱世抢黄金。
“Zhangnansen 1975″ (盗梦空间里的人) and “Beautiful water in West Lake” (西湖水美) believed that it is related to the failure of the stock market:
盗梦空间里的人：石建勋认为：中国股票市场没有投资价值，已经沦为利益阶层和权贵集团骗钱、圈钱的合法场所，老百姓已经被股市骗了多次了，心有余悸。目前老百姓手里有钱但缺乏投资渠道和品种，现在金价下跌，抢金子就成了老百姓必然的选择。
西湖水美：想想07年股市6124跌倒5000点以下时，大家疯狂抄底，结果一直跌到1664.
“Lihua” (lihua088) and “Liu Jihan” (刘济寒) believed that the Chinese economy is strong enough to beat the world market:
lihua088：中国人 牛啊!
刘济寒：一吨黄金约2.8亿人民币，300吨黄金约840亿人民币。大陆居民储蓄超过18万亿。
“Future Silver — Xiao Chen” (银在未来-小陈) and “Small reunion” (小团圆92457) predicted that the eventual winners are investors in the U.S:
银在未来-小陈：美国政府和投行有意做空黄金白银，月初奥巴马和美联储官员见面，后来美联储把会议纪要提前发给一些机构和银行，高盛就开始唱空黄金，接下来黄金暴跌，这都是阴谋。黄金的定价钱是由美国控制的，改不了十年牛市转变熊市的格局，黄金将会再一次探底！
小团圆92457：历史上，散户赢过华尔街的大鳄们么？ 黄金已经不可能成为货币了。只是商品。


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China Says ‘No’ to Japan’s Earthquake Aid Offer · Global Voices
Owen Guo

The Chinese government has turned down Japan’s offer to help with relief efforts following an earthquake in China's southwest Sichuan province that left at least 193 people dead and more than 12,000 injured [zh].
The quake, measured at magnitude of 7.0 by the China Earthquake Administration, stuck on the morning of April 20, 2013 in the mountainous areas near Ya’an, a city of 1.5 million people known for its population of pandas and tea industry.
Shortly after the quake, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered condolences and assistance to Chinese leaders, saying that Japan was “ready to offer its maximum support”.
In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry in its daily news briefing on April 21 said the government was grateful for the gesture, but overseas aid at the moment was not necessary, citing congested roads and the competency of Chinese authorities to cope with the relief work:
Ya'an earthquake kills 193 people. Image by Flickr user @Shiqi Shen(CC BY-SA 2.0).
4月20日，中国四川芦山发生地震后，国际社会迅速向中国政府和人民表示慰问和支持，一些国家提出愿意提供各种形式的援助。中国政府和人民对此表示衷心感谢。中国政府正全力开展救灾工作。目前中方搜救和医疗力量有保障，救灾物资充足，同时考虑到灾区交通和通讯条件不便，暂不需要外国救援队、医疗队和救灾物资。如有需要，我们将适时向有关国家提出。中国红十字会总会已发布了接受国际资金援助的联络方式。
After the April 20 Lushan earthquake in Sichuan, the international community has swiftly offered condolences and support, some countries have shown willingness to offer assistance of all kinds, to which the Chinese government and its people are grateful. Chinese government are carrying out all-out disaster-relief work. At the moment, we have sufficient relief and medical workforce, as well as sufficient relief supplies, given the inconvenience of telecommunication and traffic in the quake-hit zones, for now don’t need foreign rescue teams, medical teams, and relief supplies. If we are in need of them, we will make the demand to relevant countries where necessary. The China Red Cross has released the contact for the acceptance of overseas financial aid.
But at the same time, Chinese state media reported the imminent arrival of nearly 200 Russian rescue workers [zh].
Japan's offer to help comes at a shaky time for relations between China and Japan as the two countries continue to spar over islands in the East China sea.
The ministry's rebuff of Japan's help sparked lively debates on Chinese social media, with some netizens shelving the recent territorial dispute and historic bitterness between the two countries.
“Kuaile Songxiang” from Beijing wrote[zh] that China should learn from Japan about disaster prevention, commenting on popular Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo:
不但应该接受日本援助，还应引入日本先进的防灾减灾培川，当然最根本的是学习日本那让人眼红的防震建筑和先进的报警系统.
Not only should we accept Japan's assistance, we also need to introduce the advanced disaster prevention and reduction from Japan, of course, fundamentally
Echoing the same sentiment, Weibo user “name no longer meaningful” lamented [zh]:
狭隘的民族主意，打肿脸充胖子，接受日本援助很丢脸吗？
Narrow nationalism, it's just biting off more than we can chew, is it really humiliating to accept Japanese assistance?
“Yanger Dini” from the northwestern city of Xi'an, however, came to the government's defense by offering his analysis [zh]:
有很多政治因素在里面，中国很多重工和核设施在四川附近，这个时候闭关自守也是出于国防的考虑.
There are many political elements involved, many heavy industries and nuclear facilities are near Sichuan, choosing to shut ourselves off is for the reason of national defense.
“Pushan Pushan De Yanjing” from the provincial capital Nanchang of eastern Jiangxi province wrote sarcastically [zh]:
日本是中国凝聚民心彰扬民族主义的反面宣传的对象，若让其来中国做好事，会直接提升其在中国百姓心中的正面形象，对以后的反面宣传不利，所以。。。
Japan is the the subject of negative propaganda used to rally nationalism, if we let them do good deeds in China, it will elevate their positive image among ordinary Chinese people, which will be bad for the negative propaganda, so…
“Yihao Caomin” seemed dismayed [zh] at the comparison between the two nations,hinting about China's Red Cross scandal and media reports about leaders eating instant noodles as nothing more than image boosting.
日本每年有感地震1000多次，全球10%的地震均在日本。可是日本地震却很少大规模死人。为啥？1.房屋抗震，绝无豆腐渣。2.救援及时专业，不会派没经验的军队上，更不会拒绝外国援助。3.领导吃泡面小米粥不会拍照宣传。4.人家的红十字会不养郭美美。5.人家能上推特，且不删帖。6.……欢迎补充
Japan experiences sensible earthquakes more than 1,000 times, 10 percent of all the earthquake in the world occur in Japan. But earthquakes in Japan rarely cause large casualties. Why? 1. Houses that can sustain quakes, not shoddy construction projects. 2. Professional and timely relief work, no inexperienced army sent to do the work, no declining foreign aid. 3. No photos of leaders eating instant noodles and millet porridge to boost their image. 4. Red Cross (in Japan) does not have Guo Meimei. 5. People can access Twitter without posts being deleted. 6….any addition is welcome

author: Owen Guo


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Diaper Ad Hit for ‘Twisting’ Philippine History · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

A Philippine diaper manufacturer has been ordered to stop airing a TV advertisement that parodies the scene when Datu Lapu-Lapu killed the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the 1521 Battle of Mactan after a netizen campaign criticized it for “twisting history” and “insulting the Filipino people.”
The Advertising Board of the Philippines and the Advertising Standards Council recalled the EQ diaper advertisement’s “clearance to air” in response to a National Historical Commission “cease and desist order” issued last April 19, 2013.
Before this, an online petition criticized the EQ diaper TV commercial for spreading a wrong impression of the Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu. The Lapu-Lapu City local government also decried the ad for disrespecting the heroism of Lapu-Lapu.
Screenshot of the controversial diaper ad
In the 30-second ad, Magellan gives a box of diapers to Lapu-Lapu and his wife. But this gesture of friendship backfires when Lapu-Lapu realizes that the diapers are of inferior quality and dares Magellan to a fight that would ultimately lead to his death.
The petition has 323 supporters as of this writing. Here are some of the comments by those who signed the online petition:
Sheila Berame: We should respect our history and the people behind it. Lapu-Lapu is a national hero, the first to defend against imperialism.
Jim Rosales: I want our young generation to remember our heroes as people who died for a cause and with dignity. Not as a diaper endorser.
Ahmed Cuizon: The ad trivializes a proud moment of Philippine history. We should not make fun out of an important event that has come to define and symbolize Filipino patriotism.
Luz Hernandez: History should be preserved with the right facts, etc. and not mislead the belief of the general public especially the minors who has no parental guidance while watching this add. Our Dept. of Educ. should be the first who should have censored this add to be shown in TV.
Andrew Neil Retuya: This is a mark of our history, no company should distort it.
YouTube user iloveoldschoolanime reminds critics that the ad should not be taken seriously:
It's just a COMMERCIAL for DIAPER. Why take it so seriously? As if Lapu Lapu and Magellan was never spoofed before in those gag shows like Bubble Gang and such. Some people needs to lighten up a bit. Focus on the real issues of the country instead!
itsumo kokomo thinks politicians are simply craving for attention:
Trash politicians just want your attentions and some sympathy.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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India Suffers from Bad Governance · Global Voices
Rezwan

Big government leads to corruption. Corruption leads to bad governance. Bad governance gives rise to mass poverty.
Atanu Dey argues that India is not doomed to be poor due to factors outside its control. It needs good governance.


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Japan’s Cherry Blossom Tradition Tests Rookie Employees · Global Voices
Ayumi Nakajima

Among the thousands of people that fill Japan's parks every spring to picnic under the delicate pink cherry blossoms, known as sakura, are young professionals. They are new recruits sent by their bosses to reserve a spot for the company's outdoor feast, and are sometimes made to sit for hours well into the night guarding the location.
The blooming of the cherry blossom trees in Japan in early spring coincides with the beginning of the Japanese business year, and it is tradition to test new employees with this task.
Hanami at Yoyogi Park. Photo by Dick Thomas Johnson (CC BY 2.0)
Twitter user Mame (@MameBroth) wrote about the thankless job on his account on March 20, 2013:
@MameBroth: 新人が花見の場所取りをします。ですが仕事には納期があります。なのでノートパソコンを持たされます。場所取りしながらコーディングします。夜になります。誰も来ません。会社に連絡すると「クソ忙しいのにいけるわけねえだろ！」と怒られます。まだ冷える寒い夜に一人ぼっち。なんと悲しいことか。
@MameBroth: I am taking place for hanami spot as a new employee. But I have to meet a product deadline so they told me to bring a laptop computer. I do coding while reserving the spot. Night comes on. Nobody has come yet. I call the office. I get yelled at over the phone, “What make you think we can come? We are busy as hell!”. All alone on a chilling night. How sad is this.
The tradition of new hires reserving a picnic spot for their companies is part of the larger annual tradition of hanami where friends and families hold feasts under the flowering trees and enjoy sake and beer. Companies also organize hanami, and often cases, the new employees are being evaluated based on how good they conduct the hanami party.
Why is this a new employee’s job? In online resource site All About, writer Kagezo stated [ja] that the task is a way for new recruits to prove their workplace skills:
もしあなたが幹事なら、場所を確保し、お酒の調達をするだけではあまりにも無難すぎます。なぜなら花見の準備は、仕事の手際や仕切りに通じます。酒宴の準備とは、すなわちあなたの手腕が、こっそりと上司や先輩に試されているということでもあるのです。
If you are responsible for your company's hanami party, simply reserving a spot and procuring liquors are not good enough.The skill of preparing hanami is associated with management skill and neat work. Your bosses and seniors are surreptitiously evaluating your capability through your skill of preparing the feast.
This year, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced cherry blossoms reached full bloom on March 22 in Tokyo, the second earliest since the weather agency began taking statistics in 1953.
With the early arrival of the full bloom of cherry blossoms this year, Twitter users wondered if the new employees’ first task would be affected. The blooming period is very short, and company hanami parties are supposed to be held in April.
Twitter user Wappa (@tokyoallnight) wrote on April 1, the start of the Japanese business year:
@tokyoallnight: 今日は入社式の日か・・・新人の新人だけの初めての仕事と言えば昔は花見の場所取りだったけど今は違うのかな（笑）。あれで、だれがリーダーシップあるかとかわかるとかよく言っていたけど・・・（笑）すでに散ってる・・・都内
@tokyoallnight: Oh today is the day of initiation ceremonies at companies… Speaking of the very first task for rookie, the task used to be hanami spot keeping. Is it still rookies’ job? We used to say that we could tell who would have leadership among those new ones by watching their hanami preparation. Well, but here in Tokyo, cherry flowers have already fallen off.
Twitter user Yas (@yas_ukey) advised new hires to seize on alternative opportunities to prove themselves:
@yas_ukey: 今年は桜咲くのが早く新入社員の大事な仕事、花見の場所取りはなくなったので、別の部分で同期と差をつけるんだ
@yas_ukey: New worker’s mission, reserving a hanami spot become impossible this year. Find some other ways to have a leg up on your fellow colleagues.
A Japanese company holds hanami party at Ueno Park,
Tokyo. Photo by Benson (CC BY-ND 2.0)
On the other hand, others were puzzled by the tradition. Masumiyutaka (@masumiyutaka) tweeted:
@masumiyutaka: 昔は4月の入学式くらいに桜のイメージだったけれど、もう3月後半のイメージ。段々早まっているから、4月に新入社員が花見の場所取りするという良くわからない伝統がなくなるかしら。
@masumiyutaka: I have an image of cherry trees beginning to bloom in April around the time of school entrance ceremony in the old days. But nowadays, the image of blooming cherry blossom is the latter half of March. Blooming is getting earlier and earlier. So the weird tradition of new employees taking place for hanami spot in April would possibly disappear?
Not everyone supports the tradition of rookie employees serving as party location placeholders. An online article by business newspaper NIKKEI.com reported [ja] that telling junior employees to reserve hanami spots could fall under the two of six categories of power harassment specified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare – excessive demands, such as assigning work that is impossible to perform or obviously unnecessary; and intrusion upon the individual, such as intrusion into an employee's personal life.
In free posting site Hatelabo, an anonymous user was strongly opposed [ja] to the custom:
新人に花見の場所取りをさせる会社ってまだあるのか？　外国育ちの俺には心底意味がわからん。 勤務時間外に付き合わせるだけに飽きたらず場所取りって！　人を何だと思ってるんだ。 俺なら絶対にやらないね。絶対にだ。
Are there still companies that force new employees to take place for company’s hanami spot? As someone who grew up in a foreign country, I really don’t get it. On top of the heavy social obligation after working hours, to use them for reserving a spot? Who the hell do they think they are? I will never ever accept it. No way.
Another anonymous user responded to the comment:
外国育ちでも新入社員でもないし若者でもないんだけど、同意。 好きな人がやるのはいいんだけど、集団が個人に強制するのはよくないよねー。なにごとも。
I didn't grow up in a foreign country, I'm not a new employee and I'm not young. But I agree with you. It's OK if you are willing to do it but it's not OK that society forces the individual to do it. Or of anything.
Japanese businessmen working in the park.
Photo by GaijinSeb (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
On Twitter, user xxxxxlg (@xxxxxlg) wrote about his personal experience with the spring tradition:
@xxxxxlg: 1,2年目の新人による上野公園でのお花見会のミーティングが行われた。事業本部100人が参加する大花見会なため予算やスケジュールなどかなり細かく考えなければならないらしい。ちなみに当日の花見の場所取りは徹夜。
@xxxxxlg: First and second year workers had a meeting for a hanami party in Ueno Park. Apparently, we have to plan the detail of budget and schedule for the big hanami party that 100 people participated from operational headquarters. By the way, taking spot for the hanami party kicks off the night before the day.

author: Ayumi Nakajima


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RuNet: What Does Boston Mean for Chechen Cause? · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

In the days since the arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, ethnic Chechen and “Suspect #2″ in the Boston Marathon bombings, there has been surprisingly little cogent analysis of the situation from Chechen bloggers active on the RuNet. Of course, some have commented on the matter, but mostly to link to viral conspiracy theories (some of these were alluded to in RuNet Echo's original article [GV]; a more in-depth look is to follow).
This makes a recent post by one Chechen blogger particularly interesting. Like many others, Zulikhan [ru], “a Chechen, an Ichkerian [wiki], a Muslim, a wife, and a mother” who runs a popular blog on LiveJournal, subscribes to the theory that the Boston bombings were planned by Putin and Russian special forces, using the Tsarnaev brothers as pawns. In her first post on the bombings she wrote [ru] about the potential motivation for such a plot:
Ну вот, что-то уже прояснилось. Путин и Обама, по инициативе российской стороны, договорились по телефону о координации усилий в борьбе с международным терроризмом. Считаю, что за событиями в Бостоне торчат уши российских спецслужб. По принципу “кому выгодно”. […] Путину выгодно – чтобы Штаты не мешали России творить на Северном Кавказе все, что угодно, под видом борьбы с терроризмом.
Well, some things are clearer now. Putin and Obama, at the initiative of the Russians, have come to an agreement about coordinating efforts in combating international terrorism. I think that the Russian special services are visible behind the events in Boston. Based on the “who profits” principle. […] Putin profits — so that the States let Russia do what it wants in the North Caucasus under the guise of fighting terrorism.
Regardless of her suspicions (which are rather mild compared to those professed by some of the others), it is worth looking at Zulikhan's later analysis of what Boston means for the Chechen people, the cause of Chechen independence, and for the North Caucasus in general. Her opinions should be viewed through the prism of Chechen nationalism. She is no fan of Putin, and names Dzhokhar Dudayev, ex-Soviet military leader of Chechnya's bid for independence in the early 90s, (and likely the man Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was named for) as a personal hero. (As more conspiracy fodder for the aficionados, Dudayev was born on April 15, 1944, which means that the bombing took place on his birthday. [Update: there seems to be some controversy as to when Dudayev was actually born. Most Russian-language online media (including the Russian version [ru] of the Wikipedia article) cite February 15, however some sources do claim April 15 [ru], and even May 15 (the Chechen version of the Wikipedia article). The controversy can be traced to a 2004 Kavkaz Center forum thread [ru] where April 15 is claimed as the birth date. However, because it looks like the English-language Wikipedia article on Dudayev was edited from February 15 to April 15 following Tsarnaev's arrest, the motivation of the edit is questionable.]
Dzhokhar Dudayev addressing his Chechen troops. YouTube screenshot. April 24, 2013.
With that said, here are some excerpts from her most recent post [ru]. First, Zulikhan makes sure to note that the repercussions of the Boston bombings will be felt by all of North Caucasus, including Dagestan and Ingushetia where much of the separatist movement is concentrated at the moment:
Если бы несчастные Тамерлан и Джохар устроили мозговой штурм именно с этой целью – как сильнее навредить своему народу – вряд ли додумались бы до такого. […] для Запада все кавказцы, которые что-то такое творят – чеченцы. Бренд работает. Как в том анекдоте про ингушей, которые позавидовали чеченцам, что весь мир их знает, решили переплюнуть их достижения и захватили Кремль. После чего все СМИ сообщили: “Группа чеченских террористов захватила Кремль. Непонятно почему они называют себя ингушами”.
If the hapless Tamerlan and Dzhokhar brainstormed with precisely this question in mind — how to greater harm their people — they would have hardly thought of this. […] for the West everyone from the Caucasus that does something bad is a Chechen. The branding works. It's like that joke about the Ingush [a neighboring, rival culture of mountaineers  similar to the Chechens], who became jealous of the Chechens because the whole world knows them, decided to one up them, and took over the Kremlin. After this mass media reported: “A group of Chechen terrorists hijacked the Kremlin. It's unclear why they keep calling themselves Ingush.”
She predicts, rather astutely, that the days of Chechens being unequivocally accepted as political refugees in the West are over:
Из-за этих двоих чеченцев – всего лишь двоих! – и в Штатах, и в Европе кавказцам перестанут давать убежище. Будут высылать чеченцев прямо в руки Путину и Кадырову – не только каких-нибудь грабителей, но и воинов, т1емлой. Тех, кто будет сидеть тихо-тихо, может, и не вышлют – просто будут мучить и унижать всевозможными проверками.
Because of these two Chechens — only two! — in the States and in Europe they'll stop accepting refugees from the Caucasus. They will extradite Chechens into the hands of Putin and Kadyrov — not just robbers, but warriors, “tlemloi”. Those who will sit there quietly, maybe wont be expelled, but will be tormented and humiliated with all sorts of checks.
She also talks about the difficultly of distinguishing an actual extremist from someone like her, who simply supports the idea of Chechen independence:
Какие-то американские сенаторы или конгрессмены уже возмущаются, почему ФБР не отреагировала должным образом, получив от российских спецслужб сведения, что Тамерлан Царнаев связан с террористами. Значит, теперь ФСБ сможет про любого беженца, любого эмигранта заявить, что он террорист, и ФБР отреагирует. “Доказательства” долго искать не придется – ведь все мы регулярно посещаем “сепаратистские” сайты и форумы. Значит, все связаны с террористами.
Some American Senators or Congressmen are already outraged that FBI did not react properly, having received notice from the Russian special services that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had ties to terrorists. So, now the FSB can say about any refugee, any emigrant, that he is a terrorist, and the FBI will react. It won't be that hard to find “proof” — we all regularly visit “separatist” websites and forums. So, we are all tied to the terrorists.
Finally, she predicts a general crackdown on Chechen organizing in the West:
Чеченцев в Европе и Штатах начнут преследовать за любую политическую и общественную активность. Станут невозможны мероприятия, подобные этому – когда чеченская молодежь из разных стран собралась в Эстонии под ичкерийским флагом для знакомства и обсуждения политических и культурных проблем.
Chechens in Europe and the States will be persecuted for any kind of political and social activity. Eventss like this — when Chechen youth from different countries came together in Estonia under the Ichkerian flag, to meet and discuss political and cultural problems — will become impossible.
According to Zulikhan, such meetings are important if exiled Chechen separatists are to ever organize into a structure that would be able to take over Chechnya once it finally gains its independence (of which she has no doubt).
Are some of her predictions over-the-top? Perhaps. However, even if one does not agree with the analysis in all of its particulars, one thing is certain — life has definitely gotten more difficult for Chechen emigrants.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Saudi Judge Bars Women from Trial of Human Rights Activist · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia
Just ten days after the first Saudi woman was granted a lawyer's license, a judge prohibited women from attending  the public trial of activist Dr. Abdualkareem al-Khudar, founding member of the Kingdom's defiant leading human rights organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA).
Saudi law makes it difficult for organisations like ACPRA to even exist. The monarchy does not acknowledge basic human rights like freedom of speech, bans most forms of association and restricts public assembly.
More than 40 men and women supporters arrived at the court in Buraidah city to witness the fourth session of Dr. al-Khudar's trial on April 24, 2013, which is the latest in a series of legal proceedings against human rights activists of the ACPRA. In 2012, dozens of prominent human rights activists were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
al-Khudar objected to women being barred from his trial and refused to enter the courtroom. While he stood outside the court, a policeman detained him. His lawyer Abdulaziz Shubaily (@a_abdulaziz300) [ar] went to the head of Buraidah Criminal Court to find out why his client had been detained and tweeted [ar]:
ذهبت للمحكمة وقابلت رئيس المحكمة على العمر قال أن القاضي إبراهيم الحسني أصدر أمربالإيقاف٤أشهر والجلسة القادمة لم تحددبعد.
@a_abdulaziz300 I went to the court and met its head Ali al-Omar. He said that Judge Ibrahnim al-Hussni issued a four-month detainment order.
Last month a verdict was announced in the 9-month trial of two other ACPRA founding members, Dr. Mohammad al-Qahtani and Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid. They were sentenced to ten and eleven years in prison respectively for “breaking allegiance to the ruler and his successor” and “trying to impede the country’s developments”.
The ACPRA revealed that al-Qahtani and al-Hamed had been told that the government would drop legal action against them if they agreed to stop their activism, but both men said they preferred “going to jail over being silent.”
Women were allowed to attend those proceedings, but today, the judge cited a Quranic verse to back his decision to bar them. ACPRA member Abdullah al-Sied (@abdulllah1406) tweeted [ar]:
Dr. al-Khudar (in the middle) before the beginning of the session. Image uploaded by @acprahr
القاضي ابراهيم الحسني يستدل بآية ( وقرن في بيوتكن ) على منعه لدخول النساء #محاكمة_حسم_القصيم
@abdulllah1406: Judge Ibrahim al-Hussni cited the Quran verse “And abide in your houses” for prohibiting women's entry to ACPRA trial.
Saudi Arabia officially imposes Sharia law. The country's criminal code does not rely not on written statutes but on commentaries and interpretations of the Quran and other sources of Sharia, often made arbitrarily by judges who are government-appointed clergymen.
Human Rights activist Bandar Shammari (@xalshammari) traveled to Buraidah to attend the trial but was denied entrance based on how he  “looked”. He tweeted [ar]:
حرس المحكمة الجزائية ببريدة منعوني من الدخول بحجة “ان شكلي ليس كالسعودي” :(
@xalshammari: The guards of Buraidah Criminal Court did not allow me to enter because my “looks do not seem Saudi.” :(
Activist Waleed Abualkair (@abualkhair) [ar]:
السياسي يقول للخارج بأنه يسعى لضمان حقوق المرأة لكن المشكلة في مجتمعنا .. بينما هو يعزز من مكانة القاضي الذي يحتقر المرأة ويسجن الإصلاحيين
@abualkhair: The political [regime] says to foreigners that it defends women's right, but the root of the problem lies in this society..Now [the regime] is supporting a judge who insults women and imprisons reformists.
In a previous session, al-Khudar requested that his  case be shifted to another judge, because of a personal conflict that he had with the judge before the trial. But the judge refused his request saying that it would not affect his judgment.
Saudi Arabia is one of the few remaining absolute monarchies in the world and has a devastating human rights record which includes arbitrarily detaining over 30,000 people.
This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

author: Anas Soliman


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Social Media’s Role in the Sichuan Earthquake  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

ChinaFile and TeaLeafNation analyzed the important role social media has played in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake that has killed 208 people. Social media's instant reactions to the quake has made a difference when compared to the coverage of the 2008 earthquake dominated by China's state media.


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Bill Gates’ Handshake Irks South Koreans · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has sparked controversy for his single-handed handshake when meeting with the South Korean president. Gates’ left hand was jammed into his pants pocket during the handshake, which is considered disrespectful in South Korea. An extensive photo compilation of Gates’ handshake [ko] was viewed more than 76,000 times in less than a day.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Tokyo Joins NASA’s App Challenge · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Hackathon in Tokyo for the International Space Apps Challenge. Photo by ISAC Tokyo Bureau CC BY 2.0
Japan participated in NASA's International Space Apps Challenge 2013 with a hackathon in Tokyo on April 21 and 22, 2013. Eighteen project teams developed apps with the aim of improving life on Earth and in space, including an app to create dishes in a shape of celestial bodies [ja] such as the moons of Mars using 3D printers, and a location finder app to suggest less cloudy places for installing solar panels.


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Visiting World’s ‘Most Dangerous Country’ · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Every day I wake up, shivering with fear, hoping I’ll make it to see the light of another day here in Honduras. I live behind doors enforced with triple bolt locks and I barely dare to go out on the street. […]
If that’s what you want to hear, there you have it.
But the truth is quite different.
Blogger Carin Steen argues that “the most dangerous country in the world” is actually not that dangerous for tourists.

author: Silvia Viñas


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‘Addictive’ Social Network is Back in Uzbekistan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

After going offline for about a week, the top Russian-language social network service Odnoklassniki has become available again to tens of thousands of users in Uzbekistan. Blogger Doch’ Bukhari (Bukhara's Daughter) explains [ru] why Internet users in the Central Asian country choose this social network over other ones and why the network is “addictive like a drug”.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Ahmadis Boycott Upcoming Elections in Pakistan · Global Voices
Salman Latif

This post is part of our Special Coverage Pakistan Votes 2013.
The Ahmadi community in Pakistan, comprising of 200,000 members, has decided to boycott the upcoming elections. The decision has been taken to protest the state's discrimination towards the community. They have been boycotting the election process since 1985 when Ahmadi voters were put in the list of religious minorities.
Back in 2002, Pakistani government decided to issue separate list of voters for the Ahmadis. These lists, updated and published by the Election Commission of Pakistan for May 11 elections, contain addresses of the Ahmadi community members. In the past, a number of attacks have been launched on properties owned by Ahmadis. So the list of addresses puts the community members at a great risk.
The white in Pakistan's flag denotes minorities.
Image Courtesy: Ahmeddiya Times
Commenting on this state of affairs, a notable Pakistan blogger Kidvai wrote a post titled ‘What – Me Worry?’‘ where he wrote:
Ahmadis cannot freely vote in Pakistan due to the discriminatory processes introduced in the election related laws which climaxed during the regime of former dictator General Pervez Musharraf. He bowed to Islamists’ demands (as did Z A Bhutto!) and issued a Presidential Executive Order, effectively barring Ahmadis from participating in the election process. The Executive Order No. 15 of 2002 excluded Ahmadis from the country's joint voter roll, requiring they be registered on a supplementary voter roll, and necessitated that Ahmadis must sign a declaration to renounce their faith in Islamic tenets.
Pak Votes (@PakVotes), an elections monitoring initiative, recently kickstarted a Twitter discussion on the issue. The account posted on April 22:
@PakVotes: Some 200,000 members of Ahmadi community will boycott election in protest at their treatment by the authorities. #PakVotes via. @dawn_com
In response, one of the users launched a tirade of abusive comments towards the Ahmadi community. He (@iAtifAli) wrote in one of his tweets,
@iAtifAli: @PakVotes @dawn_com Acha Hua.. Inn par Lanat ho Khuda ki .. inkee zarurat b nahee hay (That's great. God's curse be on these people, we don't need them.)
Sadly, this behavior is reflected in a majority of Pakistan's population. Ahmadis are deemed as non-Muslims and often have to suffer violence at the hands of the general population. In the past, a number of such incidents have been highlighted by citizen journalists. However, state seems either incapable or unwilling to attend to the issues.
Imran Khan recently stated that his party, PTI, would work to safeguard the rights of the minorities and would provide equal rights to everyone. According to him, PTI stands for justice for everyone. However, it remains to be seen whether or not Khan can live up to these claims given his party's right wing leanings.

author: Salman Latif


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Arabic Hashtag Trending Worldwide on Twitter · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Arabic hashtags finally trending worldwide on Twitter
Kuwaiti Hamad Al Sabah tweets:
@hmalsabah: Twitter is finally allowing Arabic hashtags to trend worldwide #كلام_مصري_مترجم pic.twitter.com/tb84Nkrk94
Netizens are using the hashtag, which translates to Egyptian Talk Translated, to translate Egyptian expressions and idioms.

author: Amira Al Hussaini