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Poet Aimé Césaire’s Battle Continues Stronger than Ever · Global Voices
Amadou Lamine Badji

[All links forward to French-language webpages unless otherwise noted]
The famed poet and activist from Martinique Aimé Césaire [en] would have been 100 years old on June 26, 2013. Césaire's birthday is an opportunity to pay tribute to the champion of the anti-colonial African identity Négritude movement: a movement that is currently being shaped by a more globalized world where people come together across borders and continents, all the while attempting to protect and foster their own cultural identities.
It is as if his vision of the world back in the 1930's along with those who fought for respect for cultural differences has become yet again a tangible reality 80 years later. Today, almost every country in the world fights a battle against racism with relative success. Still, injustices remain, the verdict in the trial for the death of Trayvon Martin can attest to this [en].
Trayvon Martin on wikipedia CC-BY-3.0
Today, human dignity is attacked in more subtle ways, such as economic hardship and profiling, highlighting the need to revisit the work of activists in the past to fight human oppression. With respect to the fight of activists, writer, French resistance member and Occupy inspiration Stéphane Hessel's successful call for outrage came to fruition to a certain extent with the Arab revolts and the protests in Brazil and in Europe.
Here is a retrospective on the life of Aimé Césaire by Yao Assogba, a sociology professor at the University of Quebec :
Né à la Martinique le 26 juin 1913, Aimé Césaire, poète et homme politique, est mort en sa terre natale, le 16 avril 2008, à l’âge vénérable de 94 ans. La poésie de Césaire est un grand cri de révolte contre la domination coloniale. Son œuvre, à la fois littéraire et sociologique, est une arme de combat contre la « chosification » des peuples noirs par la colonisation européenne. C’est un phare pour la décolonisation de l’Afrique et la réhabilitation des cultures négro-africaines. Pour bien apprécier l’influence déterminante qu’Aimé Césaire, chantre du mouvement de la « négritude », a eue sur la décolonisation et la renaissance de l’Afrique et des Antilles après la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, il faut se replacer dans la situation coloniale de l’époque.
Born in Martinique on the 26 of June, 1913, Aimé Césaire, poet and politician died in his birthplace on the 16 of April 2008 at 94 years old. Césaire's poetry is a great cry of revolt against colonial domination. His work, both literary and sociological is a weapon of warfare against the reification of black peoples by European colonization. It is a siren call for the decolonization of Africa and the rehabilitation of black African cultures. To truly appreciate the important influence that Aimé Césaire, champion of the “negritude” movement had on decolonization, and the renaissance of Africa and the West Indies after the Second World War, one must put oneself in the mindset of the colonial times.
Noel Kodia added on the panafrican news website Le Pangolin Afrik :
Après avoir découvert les lettres en Martinique au lycée de Fort de France et à Louis-le-Grand à Paris, il fonde avec Léopold Sédar Senghor et Léon-Gontran Damas en 1939 “L’Etudiant noir” qui se présente comme une suite logique d’une autre revue de l’époque intitulée “Légitime défense”. A la même année apparaît son “Cahier d’un retour au pays natal” comme pour annoncer son retour au bercail dans une langue volcanique et pleine d’agressivité et qui va s’approfondir avec une colère légitime dans “Discours sur le colonialisme”. Le texte met en relief l’itinéraire du poète nègre devant son destin de colonisé dont la thématique sera le nerf directeur de l’emblématique “Discours sur le colonialisme”. Dans ce cri de douleur, il ne se voit pas fils de certains royaumes africains comme le Dahomey et le Ghana.
After discovering literature in Martinique at the Lycée de Fort de France and at Louis-le-Grand in Paris, he founded, along with Léopold Sédar Senghor and Léon-Gontran Damas in 1939 “L’Etudiant noir” [The Black Student] that positioned itself as a follow up to another journal of the time, “Légitime défense” [Self-Defense]. In the same year “Cahier d’un retour au pays natal” [Notes on a return to the motherland] appeared, as if to announce a return to the cradle with an explosive and aggressive language that eventually came to a crescendo in “Discours sur le colonialisme” [Discourse on Colonialism]. The text throws into relief the journey of the black poet, facing his fate as a colonized person. The raw nerve of the iconic “Discours sur le colonialisme”. In this crying out of pain, he doesn't see himself as the son of certain African kingdoms such as Dahome and Ghana.
Aimé Césaire's Inscription at the Panthéon in Paris, France on Wikipedia -public domain
Aimé Césaire and the fight for human dignity
Nicole on médiapart wrote about the challenges that Césaire had to face during his life:
Les écrits d’Aimé Césaire ne lui ont pas attiré les sympathies de l’Académie française qui, globalement, est de cette droite revancharde forte de ses certitudes et qui ne renie pas la conception de la civilisation qu’elle a infligée aux colonies, et qu’Aimé Césaire n’a cessé de dénoncer avec élégance et pertinence. «…La France moutonnière aura préféré Senghor et ses mots fleuris, sa poésie de garçon-coiffeur, ses «versets», sa sotte imitation, pâlotte et ringarde, de Claudel, ses génuflexions d’acculturés et son culte imbécile d’une toute aussi imbécile civilisation de l’universelle et d’une bâtarde francophonie; au style de pur-sang, de révolté, d’écorché vif d’un Alioune Diop, d’un Gontran-Damas, d’un Césaire…Aimé Césaire restera la mauvaise conscience de ce XXe siècle, de ces générations qui donnèrent au monde le contraire de ce qu’elles espéraient. Il aura été de toutes les luttes progressistes de son temps.
Il aura écrit, avec son Discours sur le colonialisme, le livre le plus concis, le plus fort sur ce thème. Il aura bâti la réfutation la plus solide de ce système. Il aura été un écrivain supérieurement doué, un humaniste sincère, généreux. (…) Césaire fut une leçon d’honnêteté, une leçon d’amour de la langue française, un maître en écriture, un traceur de route, une école de style -lui, si parfait pur-sang littéraire- un repère».
Aimé Césaire's writings did not attract the support of the Académie Française– that self-consciously and self-confidently opposing right that refuses to revoke the idea of civilization that it foisted upon the colonies, which Aimé Césaire never ceased to denounce eloquently and precisely. “…sheepheaded France would have preferred Senghor, his affected, flowery language, his verses, his mindless imitation of Claudel, wan and ossified; his conformist kowtowing and his stupid worship of another, equally stupid civilization of the universal whole, and of a half-breed Francophone. In the manner of purebred, rebel, torn from the flesh of an Alioune Diop, a Gontran-Damas, a Césaire…Aimé Césaire would remain the thorn in the side of the 20th Century — of those generations that would give the world the exact opposite of what was expected. He would become a part of all the progressive movements of his time. He would write, with his “Discours sur le colonialisme” the most accurate and strongest book on this subject. He would fight against the strongest rebuttals of this system. He would be a more gifted writer, a sincere and generous humanist…Cesaire was a study in honesty, in love for the French language, a master in writing, a GPS, his own school of thought; he, so perfect, a real true literary thoroughbred — a landmark.
Here is a video of his speech on colonialism  read by Thymslab:
To put Césaire's impact into a contemporary perspective, it is worth having the input of a contemporary writer such as Alain Mabanckou, Prix Renaudot 2006, who was interviewed by Grégoire Leménager on the blog le Pangolin:
Alain perpétue en quelque sorte le travail des pionniers dans une démarche autocritique relativement objective et un style humoristique captivant. Il s’attaque aux stéréotypes passés et présents en montrant les différentes conditions de l’homme noir selon son lieu de résidence. Le noir d’Amérique semblerait avoir mieux réussi à vivre sa citoyenneté en Amérique qu’en France et les africains de l’ouest différent de ceux du centre dans leurs perceptions de leur histoire et de leur présence actuelle au monde.
Alain carries on in some way the work of pioneers on a path of objective self-examination and a captivating humorous style. He attacks stereotypes of the past and present by showing different conditions of the black man depending on where he lives. The black of America would seem to have better succeeded in staking his claim as a citizen than in France, and West Africans are different from Central Africans in their views of their history and their modern day presence in the world.

author: Amadou Lamine Badji


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Puerto Rico is a Key Link in Espionage of Latin American Countries · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

See our special coverage Snowden: The US is Watching You.
Edward Snowden's disclosures regarding the U.S. government's massive electronic surveillance program and its global reach, continue to have repercussions. The Center for Investigative Journalism of Puerto Rico (CPI) has written [es] about the role of the Island in the espionage of its Latin American neighbors.
Several Latin American and Spanish media sources originally revealed the information.
The CPI explains that at the now closed naval base in the Sábana Seca zone of the Toa Baja municipality, close to the capital city of San Juan, the NSA and the CIA (National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency) maintained a joint operation for years collecting data on the communications of citizens of Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. The classified information that Snowden has revealed offers the evidence. According to the article:
Esta operación en Puerto Rico servía para coordinar con otras oficinas en Brasilia, Bogotá, Caracas, Ciudad de México y Ciudad de Panamá mediante un programa llamado Fornsat, con el que la NSA y la CIA interceptaron miles de millones de llamadas telefónicas, mensajes electrónicos y de texto y comunicaciones por Internet privadas.
This operation in Puerto Rico served to coordinate with other offices in Brasilia, Bogotá, Caracas, Mexico City, and Panama City through a program called Fornsat, which the NSA and the CIA used to intercept billions of telephone calls, electronic and text messages, and private Internet communications.
Despite the fact that the base in Sábana Seca closed because changes in technology made it obsolete —according to the Navy—, there is still a facility in the Ingenio neighborhood that, according to the CPI, is the “backbone” of Echelon, a program with U.S. allied nations created during the 1960s Cold War “to intercept the core communications via satellites.”
On Twitter, the CPI article was spread extensively. More than surprised, people expressed the feeling that their suspicions, harbored for quite some time, regarding the Toa Baja base-still under the control of the U.S. Navy- had been confirmed:
@Nancy_Millan: El que sorprenda con esta noticia no sabe en que país vive. http://fb.me/6orBuTQWh
@Nancy_Millan: Whoever is surprised by this news doesn't know what country they're living in. http://fb.me/6orBuTQWh
@ImperioCaliban: Sabia que era cuestión de tiempo para que Puerto Rico terminara involucrado en el espionaje denunciado por Snowden cpipr.org/historias/48-a…
@ImperioCaliban: I knew it was a question of time for Puerto Rico to end up involved in the espionage denounced by Snowden cpipr.org/historias/48-a…
@LeilaMovil: El equipo de espionaje de EEUU ha estado aquí hace décadas. Esto confirma que siguen usándolo. #PuertoRico#Snowdenhttp://ow.ly/mTRnF
@LeilaMovil: The U.S. espionage team has been here for decades. This confirms that they continue using it. #PuertoRico#Snowdenhttp://ow.ly/mTRnF
@Felotrompeta: Entonces habrán algunos que justificarán y/o verán con buenos ojos estás acciones… http://fb.me/RVCz0fvt
@Felotrompeta: So there will be some that will justify and/or see these actions with good eyes… http://fb.me/RVCz0fvt
@rickyreys: Y no se crean q el #NSA no verifica los Data Centers de Puerto Rico
@rickyreys: And do not believe that the #NSA does not verify the Data Centers in Puerto Rico
Cartoon by Kike Estrada alluding to the slogan of the Tourism Company of Puerto Rico “Puerto Rico does it better.” (Translation: “Spying is better from Puerto Rico.”)
Curiously, given the gravity and the implications of the information disclosed by the CPI, the news has not had nearly the presence that it should in the traditional Puerto Rican media. Journalist Hiram Guadalupe (@hiramgp) commented on this in a column published on July 12 on the Metro [es] website:
Llama la atención, sin embargo, la poca importancia que los medios corporativos puertorriqueños han mostrado sobre este asunto al manifestar cautela en la divulgación de esta investigación que, por su trascendencia, debería ocupar las primeras planas de informativos impresos y electrónicos.
It is striking, however, the little importance that the Puerto Rican corporate media have placed on this subject to express caution in reporting this research that, because of its importance, should occupy the front pages of print and electronic news bulletins.
Salvador Tió, writing for Kaos en la Red [es], understands that with these disclosures, it is evident that the United States’ recent attempts to resolve Puerto Rico's political status are an act of hypocrisy:
Estas actividades de espionaje que dirigen los servicios de inteligencia de los EUA en Puerto Rico constituyen una grave violación al derecho de los pueblos de Nuestra América a su libre determinación. Además constituyen la negación misma de las palabras de Casa Blanca en el sentido de que interesan propiciar un verdadero proceso de descolonixzación [sic] en Puerto Rico.
These espionage activities of the U.S. intelligence services in Puerto Rico constitute a grave violation of the right of the people in Our America to self-determination. Additionally, they constitute the very denial of the White House's words when they say they are interested in promoting a true decolonization process [sic] in Puerto Rico.
A Storify prepared by Al Jazeera on the presence of espionage programs in Puerto Rico can be found here.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ángel Carrión


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Russian Blood on the Asphalt, Armenian Hands on the Wheel · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

It’s not every day in Russia that over a dozen people die in a single traffic collision, so when an Armenian national crashed a freight truck into a bus full of passengers last weekend, killing eighteen, it caught people’s attention. The incident was even captured on amateur dashcam video (see below). Two days after the accident, on July 15, 2013, a Moscow court sanctioned the arrest [ru] of the truck driver, 46-year-old Grachia Arutiunian, whom authorities had recently awakened from an artificially induced coma, which doctors decided was unnecessary, after determining that his injuries (while significant) were not life-threatening. The Armenian driver stands accused of negligent homicide and faces up to seven years in prison.
In conversations online, Arutiunian’s case has stoked the fires of Russia’s unabating nationalist debate, which most recently flared up in the city of Pugachev, where the July 5 murder of an ethnic Russian local by a Chechen youth provoked anti-immigrant street demonstrations.
With Pugachev still fresh in the public’s mind, Russian nationalists have seized on last Saturday’s tragic crash as another government failure to protect the country from lawless immigrants. For example, Vladimir Tor complained [ru] on LiveJournal that people like Arutiunian represent a danger to the public:
Но главное – надо решительно менять ситуацию на дорогах: масса диких шахид-такси, джихад-газелей, камаз-бабаев в ужасающем техническом состоянии и с дикими шоферами за рулём – это постоянная угроза нам всем. Так жить нельзя – этому необходимо положить предел.
But the main thing is that we have to change the situation on the roads decisively: all these wild shakhid-taxis, jihad-shuttles, and truck-babevs [slurs directed at Russia’s Muslim migrant-worker drivers] are all in terrible technical condition and operated by wild drivers behind the wheel. It’s a constant threat to us all. We can’t live like this, and we must put a stop to it.
Writing on the National-Democratic Party’s website, Rostislav Antonov made a similar argument [ru], faulting federal lawmakers for allowing foreign nationals to operate motor vehicles in Russia without obtaining Russian driver licenses, which Arutiunian indeed lacked. (As it happens the government already in April 2013 adopted new legislation [ru] to close this loophole, though it doesn’t take effect until November 5, 2013.)
Many Russian bloggers have also taken issue [ru] with the Armenian community (both its diaspora in Russia, which provided Arutiunian with two defense lawyers, and Armenian bloggers [ar]) for its outpouring of support for the now incarcerated driver. In truth, several dozen Armenians did stage a rally [ru] outside Russia’s embassy in Yerevan on July 16, demanding an end to Arutiunian’s degrading treatment while in custody. Bloggers, too, have reacted sharply to photos of Arutiunian in court, where he appeared on July 15 in a women’s hospital robe and rubber slippers. Covering his tear-strewn face and relying on a translator to understand the court’s Russian-language proceedings (a necessity despite his living in Russia for a decade, nationalists are eager to point out), Arutiunian did appear to be a man thoroughly humiliated.
Grachia Arutiunian in court, 15 July 2013, screenshot from YouTube.
LiveJournal user maggel offered his own deeply unsympathetic suggestion [ru] for “rehabilitating” the man:
1. Халат снять.
2. Выдать белые тапки.
3. Отвезти в Подольск на тот самый перекресток.
4. Положить обиженного под вот это-
5. Дать порулить агрегатом родственникам погибших.
1. Remove the robe.
2. Issue him some white slippers.
3. Take him to Podolsk, to the same intersection [where the crash occurred].
4. Place the offended [Arutiunian] under this thing:
[an image of a steamroller]
5. Let the victims’ relatives steer the steamroller.
Another LJ user, pavell, attacked expressions of compassion for Arutiunian, but admitted a certain envy for the community’s solidarity. Posting excerpts of a letter [ru] from Armenia’s human rights ombudsman to his Russian counterpart that condemned Arutiunian’s treatment, pavell called [ru] the text arrogant, but wondered aloud which if any state officials were working as devotedly for the protection of Russians:
И всё же, несмотря на плевки в лицо Лукину, завидно. Армянина, убившего в России 18 человек, есть кому защищать. А кто защитит русского? Я не говорю в Армении, а просто в России?
And, yet, despite the [Armenian official] spitting in the face of Lukin [his Russian counterpart], I’m jealous. An Armenian who’s killed 18 people in Russia has someone to defend him. But who would defend a Russian? I’m not even talking about in Armenia—what about just in Russia?
Even if the Moscow court convicts Arutiunian and sentences him to several years in prison, the decision isn’t likely to calm fears that ethnic Russians are a persecuted majority. The prominence of criminal groups tied to certain ethnicities and the ongoing tensions between Russia’s native population and migrant workforce—two of the most significant root causes of the country’s nationalist fervor—aren’t going anywhere. Whether Arutiunian is given back his clothes or executed under a cement truck, Russia’s troubles with race and assimilation haven’t claimed their last victim.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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South Korea Suspects North Korea Was Behind June Hacking Attack · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean investigators suspect North Korea has carried out a series of cyber attacks on June 25 that temporarily hobbled the presidential office websites and major media sites, pointing out the fact that an IP address used in the attack matched one used by North Korea in previous cases. North Korea Tech blog explains in more detail.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Thousands in China’s Guangzhou Rally Against Trash Incinerator Plan · Global Voices
Abby Liu

This post is part of our special coverage China's Pollution Problem.
Thousands of residents in a town in China’s southern Guangzhou province took to the streets on July 15, 2013 to protest against plans to build a trash incinerator in the town center.
Residents marched along the main road in Shiling town with flags and banners criticizing the incinerator plan. More people joined as protesters move towards the local government office. The protest lasted about four hours.
Last week, local officials announced a timetable for the incinerator, with plans to start the construction in June, 2014.
Protesters say they worry about the pollution from the incinerator and the impact on their health as well as the lack of transparency with which the incineration plan is being rolled out. One protester named Xie told Takungpao News [zh] that residents tried different ways to contact the Guangzhou government, but never got any reply.
To appease protesters, local officials promised to give residents a reply in three days.
Image from Sina Weibo
In June, 2012, residents in Guangzhou’s neighboring city Qingyuan took to the streets to protest against a plan to build a garbage incinerator in an nearby area.
On China’s most popular microblogging site Sina Weibo, most of the information about the protests was quickly censored as usual, but a few posts were able to get around the censor.One netizen “Yuban 10249” wrote [zh]:
游行被各大媒体封杀了，打电话电视台要求报到，电视台居然还说等待上级的通知才可以报道！清远人民反对的时候，媒体也一概不受理，政府还说我们对建焚烧厂的方案很满意。万能的微博求帮转，为了我们的健康。让政府听到我们人民的声音。
The protest was censored by major media, we tried to call the TV station to ask for the report, the TV station said they need to wait until after they get the permission from their superiors! When Qingyuan residents protested against it, the media didn’t report about it, the government said that we were happy with the incineration plan. Please republish this post for the sake of our health. Let the government hear the voice of the people.
Another netizen “Wei” wrote [zh]:
所有反对信息都被屏蔽了，各大媒体没一敢播出。高层都是外地人不住在这里当然说没污染。狮岭几十万人口健康不是儿戏，是全国皮具重镇，人口密度极高。去你的高层拿了钱财，让我们来受罪坚决反对到底！！
All the information is blocked, no major media dare to report about it. High level officials don’t live here, of course they would say there’s no pollution. The health of tens of thousands of residents in Shiling is no joke. Shiling is an important town for leather manufacturing, the population density is very high.[ The officials] went to your senior to take the money and leave us to suffer! We strongly oppose to it till the end!

author: Abby Liu


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With Russian Netizens Like These, Who Needs Trolls? · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

The Russian Internet, much like the Internet at large, runs on short cycles of outrage. Bloggers get incensed over a current event, be it a murder in a provincial city (Global Voices Report) or LGBT rights (Global Voices Report), but in the span of a week switch their attention to a new thing that angers them. Although sometimes these news cycles repeat, or are recycled, it is still rare for the same event to create two different waves of outrage within the span of a month. Yet, this is essentially what happened this July when Pavel Astakhov, Russia's children's ombudsman, yet again blithely mentioned [ru] the possibility of sending Russian orphans to the North Caucasus for adoption.
Astakhov's earlier, May 30, 2013, statements to that effect (he dubbed the possibility an interesting “experiment”) weren't well received, to say the least. This time, however, Astakhov was more specific — naming Chechnya as an example of a Russian region where orphans are immediately adopted and well taken care of, and promising to chat with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov about the possibility of establishing a process for cross-regional adoption. It appears that his suggestion was particularly tone-deaf given recent ethnic violence between Russians and Chechens (Global Voices Report) in the town of Pugachev.
Pavel Astakhov gearing up for a day's work. Image remixed by author using “Pavel Astakhov” by Dmitry Rozhkov, 25 November 2011, CC 3.0 Wikimedia Commons.
The main gist of the RuNet commentary was predictable — Russian orphans would be sold to white slavery and forced to grow up to become suicide bombers. In fact, it was curious to see how similar the arguments were, although this time RuNet nationalists were perhaps even harsher in their criticisms. LiveJournal user mouglley, for example, hearkened back [ru] to the time when Russian principalities were forced to pay tribute to the Mongolians:
Астахов предложил платить дань еще и детьми, отсылая русских сирот в Чечню, чтобы из них делали чеченцев — самих чеченцев пока еще слишком мало, чтобы установить прямой контроль над Россией.
Astakhov has offered to pay tribute with children, sending Russian orphans to Chechnya, so that they make Chechens out of them — as of now there aren't enough Chechens to establish direct control over Russia.
A different netizen tweeted [ru]:
Всё думаю, вот Астахов хочет чтобы наших сирот воспитывали в Чечне-так как убийцу в Пугачёве? Ах да, зато русские будут резать русских-так?
I keep thinking, does Astakhov want our orphans to be brought up in Chechnya — just like the murderer in Pugachev? Oh yeah, but this way Russians will be killing Russians, right?
Another wondered [ru]:
На органы, в рабство или как?
[Will they harvest them] for organs, enslave them, or what?
To round out the collection, one user of a city forum in the Siberian town of Prokopievsk was quite sure [ru] about the Manchurian Candidate angle:
Лично я уверен, что через несколько лет результаты чеченского воспитания дадут о себе знать в виде светловолосых шахидов …
Personally, I am convinced that in a few years the results of a Chechen upbringing will let themselves be known through blonde suicide bombers …
Unlike the last wave of outrage about orphan slaves, this time even ostensible liberals were incensed. Dmitry Olshansky (a liberal, cosmopolitan publicist with some nationalist tendencies) wrote [ru] in his Facebook:
Это невыносимая по своей гнусности новость. Просто невыносимая.
This news is unbearable in its odiousness. Simply unbearable.
Andrey Malgin, a liberal blogger opposed to the Kremlin, went a different route — he simply made a reference [ru] to a novella by Anatoly Pristavkin [en], which is set in post-Word War II Chechnya (after the Chechen deportation), and follows two Russian orphans, one of whom meets gruesome death by disemboweling at the hands of local Chechens. Malgin left his readers draw their own conclusions.
Of course, it turns out that Astakhov's comments were taken out of context and blown out of proportion. One blogger [ru] contacted Astakhov's press secretary, who explained that Astakhov had only mentioned Chechnya as one region among several others, including Krasnodarsky Krai, which also has good adoption statistics. But that doesn't seem to matter — this particular story no longer incites outrage on RuNet, and will be all but forgotten by the time someone else says something about orphans in the near future.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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China Cracks Down on Corruption Whistleblower · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Renowned Chinese anti-corruption sleuth Zhu Ruifeng has withdrawn from the online world and his website and four personal microblogs blocked in mainland China on the heels of his exposing the alleged corrupt dealings of Chinese Communist Party (CPC) chief secretary in southeastern Fujian province.
Only a day after Zhu's website Remin Jianduwang reported on how Fan Yue, the former inspector of the general office of the party's Central Committee, allegedly used his influence to elevate Chen Rongfa, the party's chief secretary of Jinjiang city in Fujian province, Zhu suddenly disappeared from social media. Some online sources said he was arrested and netizens started to look for him by calling out his name in their microblogs.
In the late afternoon of July 17, 2013 Zhu delivered a message through another microblogger that he is safe but that all his microblogs have to take a summer vacation [zh].
According to Hong Kong newspaper Takungpao's report on the same day, access to Zhu's anti-corruption website Renmin Jianduwang (人民監督網) was blocked. The site is founded by Zhu and registered in Hong Kong. In addition, more than 107 websites of similar nature run-by other individuals and groups have been either blocked or shut down.
Authorities claimed that the sites they had cracked down on were involved in blackmailing activities.
Renmin Jianduwang posted Jinjiang CCP Chief Secretary Chen Rongfa's photo in its corruption report.
Zhu became an anti-corruption hero adored by Chinese netizens after he exposed the sex tapes of a district chief secretary of Chinese Communist Party Secretary in Chongqin. Despite heavy political pressure coming from various authorities, Zhu continues to dig into corruption cases, exposing them via his microblog and Renmin Jianduwang.
The latest corruption case exposed by Zhu concerns Fan Yue, who was sacked after his affair with a TV host was exposed in June 2013. But Zhu dug into his corruption network and on July 15 Remin Jianduwang came up with a story [zh]:
“被情妇”的纪英男告诉人民监督网记者：“2010年12月，时任福建泉州南安市政府市长陈荣法来北京拜访时任中共中央办公厅法制室副主任、巡视员范悦。范悦带着陈荣法市长、闽商陈贵阳到北京霄云一号夜总会（海航大厦）喝花酒，经常收受范悦中南海特供蔬菜和水果的“妈咪”卢双双亲自做陪。“妈咪”卢双双为陈荣法市长、闽商陈贵阳各安排了模特级小姐助兴。消费由闽商陈贵阳买单。”
经人民监督网记者调查，经时任中共中央办公厅巡视员范悦的操作，陈荣法6个月后即2011年6月被安排为泉州市南安市委书记，9个月后又被安排至经济最发达的泉州市晋江市委书记。
近年来，陈荣法多次来北京拜访范悦，也经常光临京浙会、华侨、花都等夜总会寻欢作乐，一时兴起时还会将小姐带至房间过夜。
[Fan Yue's mistress] Ji Yingnan told a reporter from Remin Jianduwang: In December 2010, Chen Rongfa was then the mayor of Nanan city in Fujiang. He visited Fan Yue, who was then the Inspector and the Deputy Head of the Office of Legislative Affairs of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee. Fan Yue brought mayor Chen Rongfa and Fujian businessman Chen Guiyang to a Beijing night club at Haihan building. Lu Shuangshuang, the head of the night club ladies, who received Fan Yue's official-only safe vegetables and fruit regularly as gifts, arranged model-grade girl to serve Chen Rongfa and Chen Guiyang. Chen Guiyang paid the bill.
According to the Remin Jianduwang reporter's investigation, Fan Yue, then the Inspector of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee had helped Chen Rongfa to become the chief secretary of CPC of Nanan city. Nine months later, Chen was alleviated again to become the chief secretary of CPC of the Jinjiang city, one of the most prosperous city in Fujian.
In recent year, Chen Rongfa visited Fan Yue from time to time and went to different night clubs such as Linjing, Huaqiao, Huadu. Sometimes, they would spend a night with the night club girls.
Between 1999 and 2002, the current General Secretary of CCP and Chinese President Xi Jinping was the governor of Fujian and had spoken highly of the “Jinjiang economic model” before he left Fujian. Soon after Chen Rongfa's scandal was exposed, netizens have started making fun of the Jinjiang spirit [zh].
Most of the posts concerning Chen Rongfa's corruption have been deleted in social media and “Chen Rongfa” has become a sensitive term and unsearchable. Despite heavy censorship, a number of posts condemning the news remained attached in the comment threads of unrelated posts on Sina Weibo. For example, Poetic Cowboy (@诗情格牛仔) commented on a report from state-run CCTV:
央视，我们是法治社会吗？朱瑞峰报道贪官，没有颠覆我们的国家政权。怎么把人家的微博账号屏蔽了，人民监督网的网址也屏蔽了！！！我们还相信法律吗？我们不是傻子告诉贪官们，纸里终究包不住火的！
CCTV, is our society still ruled by law? Zhu Ruifeng reported on corruption, he did nothing to subvert our government. How can [the authorities] just delete his microblog account and block the Remin Jianduwang? Can we still believe in law? We are not stupid. Tell the corrupted officials that papers can't wrap the fire!
Satellite DFH (@衛星DFH) said the Chinese judiciary should protect Zhu:
朱瑞峰报道举报贪腐官员的真实性很高，国家的纪检司法机关为什么不保护？并且不制止封杀网站的人？
Zhu Ruifeng's reports on corruption have been proven accurate. How come the state judiciary do not offer protection? How come they don't stop those who order the site blocked?
Ji Yingnan, the former mistress of Fan Yue who provided Zhu with more corruption evidence, wrote in her microblog:
朱瑞峰的微博被封了，原因是什么大家都知道，中央领导说苍蝇老虎都要打，朱瑞峰只是走了领导指的路，却遭到如此黑手，一个高喊法制社会的国度能如此作为，让人寒心，当你再打开电视看新闻联播时，看到领导们视察群众，你还感觉亲切吗？
Zhu Ruifeng's microblogs have been blocked. You all know the reason. The central government keeps saying that they would crush both big and small corruption cases, Zhu just follows the principle and he was crushed. The state keeps saying that rule of law is upheld in our society, how can we not feel chilled by such kind of action? Can we still feel attached to the leader when we see leaders visiting people in CCTV news?
Prominent writer Li Chengpeng  wrote with a satirical tone:
好吧，坚决反对官员财产公示，坚决支持官员子女移民美国，坚决禁止人肉官员手表牌子，坚决打击调查官员房子数量，坚决配合网络严厉监控，坚决镇压民主宪政之流，坚决不开报禁D禁，坚决紧跟宇宙真理，坚决鄙视翻墙上推的宵小行为，坚决每天七点收看新闻联播。然后，我们就比朝鲜还要幸福啦……
OK, let's oppose the public disclosure of property of our officials. Let's support the migration of the offspring of officials to the U.S. Let's ban people from checking the price of luxurious watches officials are wearing. Let's crackdown on all attempts to dig out the number of properties an official owns. Let's work together to censor the web. Let's crack down on those who demand constitutional rights. Let's continue censoring our media. Let's follow the only truth and look down on Internet censorship circumvention. Let's insist to watch CCTV's news at 7 p.m. everyday. We shall then be happier than our fellows in North Korea…

author: Oiwan Lam


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Foreign Words Invade Traditional Japanese · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

A 71-year-old man is suing Japan's public broadcaster NHK for the mental distress they have caused him through their excessive use of foreign words. He is literally lost in translation, in his very own country.
Image of katakana by flickr user mroach.(CC BY SA.2.0)
The elderly man is frustrated with the TV channel's use of loanwords which phonetically-mimic foreign expressions but are transcribed in the Japanese alphabet katakana. To him they are just a bunch of letters, which do not give contextual meaning in his native Japanese.
For example, in these phonetically described loanwords: “preview” is written “プレビュー” (pronounced purebyu), “draft” is written “ドラフト” (pronounced dorafuto). What made no sense to the old man was the use of words like “care” and “risk” in public broadcasts, which have equivalents in Japanese, he thinks the broadcaster is violating his right to access information, and his right to pursue happiness.
The use of foreign words is not a problem limited to old men, but also to the larger public. Japan's Agency of Cultural Affairs noted [ja] that the increasing use of foreign words is impairing the beauty of traditional Japanese, and hindering communication between the young and old. In a government survey on loanwords in 2007, understanding of katakana words such as “empowerment” and “literacy” was less than 10 % [ja] but overall understanding of loanwords was increasing. Given the excessive use of foreign words in daily communication, Kentaro Takahashi published a book [ja] in September 2012 to explain what commonly used katakana really means in plain Japanese.
Katakana to describe foreign words in Japanese. Image by flickr user WordRidden (CC BY 2.0)
Journalist Toshinao Sasaki who wrote a book about curation in the social media age, was in a dilemma about using katakana in describing the very concept his book was about [ja]:
@sasakitoshinao キュレーションとかも美しい日本語にはできなかったので、カタカナのままだった。変に大和言葉にすると、たとえば「ホホエミスト」とかなんか気持ち悪い感じになっちゃったりするし。ことばは本当難しい。
I couldn't find the right translation of “curation” in Japanese, so I left it as it is. Language is difficult.Translating foreign concepts into native Japanese can be strange sometimes.
Anthropologist Ichiro Numazaki gave his thoughts on foreign words on Twitter:
@Ichy_Numa サッカーを蹴球と言えと言う人が今時いるか？　サポーターじゃなくて応援団か？　ワールドカップは分かりにくいから世界杯と言うべきか？　カタカナ語批判は、実はカタカナが嫌なんじゃなくて、そのカタカナ語の示す新しい概念が嫌いなんだよ。それをカタカナのせいにしてるだけ。
Who would say shukyu[old word for kicking ball] to describe soccer today? Is it better to stop saying “supporters” [in katakana] and refer to them as “応援団”[traditional word for cheering comrade]? I don't think so. Critics of foreign words in katakana, hate the use of a new words when it describes new concepts. Not that they hate katakana itself.
There was a time when foreign words introduced in Japan were literally translated, and allocated existing kanji (Chinese script) and hiragana (Japanese script) words to match their actual meanings. Words like “freedom” and “democracy” which were imported in the late 19th century, were translated into Japanese using kanji and became “自由“[ja] and “民主主義“[ja]. Even though these words were new back then, it still made sense to many Japanese people because each kanji represents its own meaning and comes together to form a word that makes sense.
A poet, Kiyoe Kawazu felt that the use of foreign words in katakana was ebbing at the world of the words that he knew:
@kiyoekawazu カタカナ表記された外来語、漢語による概念語を、未消化なまま発語されつづけていることによって生まれる、「自明性」は怖い。明治初期にはまだ意味にもとづく漢語表現が工夫されたが、現在ではただカタカナで流していく。そしてぼんやりと生まれる「自明」的な意味が、世の中を鈍く支配していく。
It makes me scared how self-evident things are driven by the use of loanwords such as Western words described in katakana or Chinese conceptual words drawn in Japanese kanji. Back in Meiji era [1868-1912], they used to translate the meaning into kanji, but now they just use katakana. Gradually the vague meanings penetrate the public, making obvious things ambiguous.
Ichiro Numazaki looks at the positive side of loanwords:
@Ichy_Numa セクハラやＤＶは、カタカナ語やアルファベットだけど、世間に注目されたし、意味が連想しにくいからこそ、新しい概念の記号として有効だったぞ。
Loanwords introduced foreign ideas such as “sexual harrassment” and “DV” or domestic violence. Loanwords gained public attention because katakana and its letters were effective in providing new ideas. People have to understand the issue to comprehend the katakana or the alphabet.
Another Twitter user @sumiyoshi_49 commented that foreign words are alienating non-experts on everyday issues:
@sumiyoshi_49 みんなネタにしているけど、「ノーマライゼーション」とか「ヘイトスピーチ」とかいう、普通の英語苦手日本人にはイメージのつかみにくいカタカナ語を使い続けることで、どれだけ一般の素人をこういう問題に対する興味・関心から遠ざけているのかについて、もう少し真面目に考えたほうがいいと思う。
I think we need to take a serious consideration in using terms like “normalization” and “hate speech” [both described phonetically in katakana as loanwords], for these katakana are isolating ordinary Japanese, and keeping them from getting interested in the issues these words represent. Japanese people who are not good at English won't grasp these ideas in katakana.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Nigeria Cements China Relations With Presidential Visit · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Nigeria's President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was on a five-day official visit to China from July 8 to 12, 2013. The Nigerian president's visit was aimed at shoring up investments through bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping.
This visit came a few days after President Barrack Obama ended his tour to some African countries. Naturally, this created the impression that President Jonathan’s visit to China was to spite the American president for not visiting Nigeria in his second trip to the continent. However, the media adviser to President Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati, dismissed these insinuations thus:
The claim that the China trip is a respond to the fact that Obama did not come to Nigeria is also not true because this trip was planned one year ago. Every country has the right to determine where they go. We have excellent relationship with the US and the truth of the matter is that nobody can overlook America. But China is also an important partner. China has shown a lot of interest in Africa in the last few years. Nigeria is a major trading partner with China. We have over 30 Chinese companies operating here.
President Goodluck Jonathan (R) inspecting guard of honour mounted by the Chinese military during his official welcoming in Beijing, China on Wednesday, July 10, 2013. Photo used with permission from Reubenabati.com.
Sino-Nigerian ties have been growing over the years. Global Voices reported last year that Mandarin was introduced as a language to be learnt in the public schools of the port city of Lagos. Raymond Eyo in an op-ed in online newspaper Scoop gave a brief history of the Sino-Nigerian relationship:
On April 18, the Jonathan administration disclosed an agreement with China’s Export-Import bank to fund the importation of over 100 rice mills from Asia. The Ministry of Agriculture said the project was undertaken to boost Nigeria’s efforts in rice production and exportation, as against importation.
In May, a Chinese trade delegation visited Cross River State and, after discussions with Governor Liyel Imoke, announced plans to open a truck manufacturing plant in the Calabar Free Trade Zone – an investment that will add to Nigeria’s industrialisation efforts.
In September last year, according to a Finance Ministry statement, China offered Nigeria a loan of least $1.1bn to build more airport terminals and a light rail for Abuja. Indeed, it has been reported that this latest trip includes airport construction deals with Nigeria’s Aviation Ministry, to be handled by China’s Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC). China is, of course, already involved in some major road and railway projects across Nigeria. Also, Nigeria’s latest of three satellites, NigComSat-1R, which was launched in 2011, was built in China and has since significantly improved IT services in the country.
Olu Famous in this blog post, “What President Jonathan Brought Back from China”, reeled out the gains from the visit:
Following a meeting between the two Presidents, representatives from both countries signed five deals, including a lending agreement between China’s Import-Export Bank and the Nigerian Finance Ministry for the expansion of the airport terminals and an economic and technical cooperation pact.
Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the loans being finalised during this trip were part of $3 billion approved by China at interest rates of less than three per cent. Chinese companies are already building roads across Nigeria in contracts worth $1.7 billion.
Odilim Enwegbara described Jonathan’s visit to China as timely because:
China’s successful model makes a lot of sense for Nigeria, particularly learning from the former how long term macroeconomic planning coupled with the promotion of entrepreneurship could too become Nigeria’s own economic growth drivers, especially if our private sector and public sector could be restructured to work hand-in-hand as it is the case in China, we too could begin to witness a job-based economic development.
The subtle diplomatic dicing was not lost on some Nigerians who still think – despite official explanations to the contrary – that the US will be disconcerted by the Nigerian’s president visit to China. These tweets by Nwachinemelu (@cchukudebelu) captured the sentiments:
@cchukudebelu: I can bet you that the US ambassador at Abuja will not be happy that Jonathan spent a full week at Beijing.
@cchukudebelu: Expect the US to organise a “massive reception for Africa leaders” in Washington next year (Obama has already hinted that).
Alabi Williams in “No Free Lunch in China” cautioned that the elation about this visit should be marched with an equal demand for high standards:
The [Nigerian] textile companies have disappeared and what you now have are Chinese textiles, so tight fitting you could hardly raise your hands when you wear them. The Chinese do not carry around too much flesh and they are naturally of pint size and that helps them to be prudent with their textile demands. That is what they have foisted on the Nigerian market. And you will search endlessly to get a quality cotton shirt, because they give to our market what our merchants ask for.
When you talk of quality control, the federal government must insist on the very best, not low or sub standard quality, like the fake drugs that come from Chinese companies.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Pakistani Taliban Militant Writes an Open Letter to Malala · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

Following teen activist Malala Yousafzai's speech at the UN demanding free education for all children, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant Adnan Rasheed, has written a letter to the 16-year-old Pakistani, urging her to return home and seek an education at a local madrassa.
In his letter, Rasheed says he wishes she had never been attacked and claims Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban because she is a propaganda tool used to malign the group, and not because she was pursuing an education. His letter was passed on from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan media cell to journalists and was published in its entirety by Newsweek Pakistan. Here is an excerpt:
I wish the compassion you learnt from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) should be learnt by Pakistan Army so they could stop shedding of Muslim blood in FATA and Balochistan. I wish, the compassion you learnt from Prophet Jesus should be learnt by the U.S. and NATO so they should stop shedding blood of innocent Muslims across the world and I wish the same for followers of Buddha to stop killing of innocent unarmed Muslims in Burma, and Sri Lanka and wish the same for Indian Army to follow Gandhi jee and stop genocide in Kashmir.
[…]
At the end I advise you to come back home, adopt the Islamic and Pushtoon culture, join any female Islamic madrassah near your hometown, study and learn the book of Allah, use your pen for Islam and plight of Muslim ummah and reveal the conspiracy of tiny elite who want to enslave the whole humanity for their evil agendas in the name of new world order.
Rasheed tells Malala he feels compelled to write to her because they belong to the same Pushtoon tribe: “all my emotions were brotherly for you because we belong to same Yousafzai tribe. “
Rasheed was broken out of jail in 2012 by the Taliban, where he was awaiting his death sentence for attempting to assassinate former president Pervez Musharraf in 2003. He is a former member of the Pakistan Air Force.
More Global Voices stories from Pakistan on Malala:
14 July 2013 Teen Activist Malala Yousafzai Impresses UN, Polarizes Pakistan
12 November 2012 Thousands Celebrate Malala Day & Sign Nobel Peace Prize Petition
19 October 2012 Pakistan: Developing Viewpoints on Malala Yousufzai
17 October 2012 Pakistan: Malala Yousufzai And The Drone Attacks
11 October 2012 Pakistan: Religious Extremists Attack Malala Yousufzai

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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PHOTO: “Go Bald for a Cause” in Brunei · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

“Go Bald for a Cause”, a charity event to benefit the Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group. “The act of shaving their heads will also aid in creating public awareness on breast cancer, demonstrating that hair loss is just a temporary setback on the road to recovery for patients.”
Image from @ranoadidas

author: Mong Palatino


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Russian Nationalists Score Victory in Opposition Council · Global Voices
Nina Jobe

The Coordinating Council of the Opposition has released [ru] a statement on the ethnic clashes and protests taking place in the town of Pugachev [ru]. First posted to the e-democracy website democratia2.ru [ru] on July 9, the draft was republished [ru] on the Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) website on July 15. By then, it had already been signed by Alexey Navalny, as well as several known nationalist members of the Coordinating Council. The resolution was accepted on July 16, by 10 Yeas and 4 Nays (with 26 abstentions).
A note at the beginning of Ekho Moskvy’s publication of the statement said this of the text:
Некоторые уже называют его националистическим.
Some are already calling it nationalist.
Was it even possible to comment on a matter such as Pugachev without at least touching on some aspect of nationalism? While the majority of the document focuses on the inability and/or refusal on the part of authorities to respond to their constituents (whose demands are to drive the local Chechens from their town), one paragraph was called out for being particularly “nationalist”:
Попытка приравнять к «экстремизму» законный протест коренных жителей против демонстративно вызывающего поведения выходцев из других регионов, которое грубо противоречит местным традициям и моральным нормам, а также упрямое желание со стороны властей сводить происходящее к «бытовым» причинам, напоминает позицию страуса.
The attempt to equate “extremism” and legitimate protest of the local people against the deliberately provocative behavior of people from other regions [i.e. the North Caucasus], which is grossly contrary to local traditions and moral standards, and the stubborn desire on the part of the authorities to reduce what's happening to “common” causes, is reminiscent of an ostrich [hiding its head].
One user on Ekho’s website commented sarcastically:
авторы могут назвать «местные традиции и моральные нормы», которые нарушают «приезжие»?
может быть они имеют в виду повальное пьянство, мат и т.д. и т.п.?
can the authors name any “local traditions and moral standards” that the “newcomers” violate ?
maybe they are referring to general alcoholism, swearing, etc., etc.?
Over on the Coordinating Council’s website, Professor Mikhail Gelfand voted against the statement and noted:
Требования поголовного выселения по национальному признаку, т.е. тотальных этнических чисток не являются “законным протестом”.
Demands of wholesale ejection on the basis of nationality, meaning total ethnic cleansing, are not “legitimate protest”.
Emelyan Pugachev, 18th century rebel, pretender to the Russian throne, and namesake of the town of Pugachev, says of the two North Caucasians on either side of himself: “I've been asleep for a long time, but I'm going to have to eject [them].” Part of the message is probably lost because this portrait of Pugachev looks much scarier than the presumably Chechen youths. Anonymous image freely distributed online.
Another Pugachev meme: “I'm sorry, but have you tried ejecting them?” Anonymous image freely distributed online.
However, some on Ekho Mosvky's website did not object to the statement at all:
Вполне взвешенный документ, ничего националистического в нем нет.
This is a balanced document, nothing nationalist about it.
Another commenter felt that the real problem was the Kremlin’s refusal to address the issues of inter-ethnic relations in Russia:
Федеральная власть должна высказаться и определиться по поводу взаимоотношения людей различной национальности. Власть должна провести совещание на высоком уровне с представителями различных республик и принять согласованное заявление о национальной политике в России. Сам КСО тоже должен определиться со своей позицией. Я против выселения, я за дружбу народов (как ни по советски это звучит). Но жители всех республик должны понять, что Конституция России действует на всей территории, что надо всем соблюдать права людей и вести себя доброжелательно по отношению друг к другу.
The Federal government should speak out and decide about the relationship between people of different nationalities. The authorities must hold a high level meeting with the representatives of the various republics and accept an agreed statement of national policy in Russia. The CCO [the Coordinating Council] itself must also define their position. I am against ejection [of ethnic minorities], I'm for the friendship of peoples (no matter how Soviet it sounds). But the residents of all of the republics should understand that the Russian Constitution applies to the entire territory, that everyone must respect the rights of all people and behave kindly toward each other.
26 members of the Coordinating Council either did not care enough to vote on the statement, or perhaps thought to distance themselves from it. Only 4 members voted against: biology professor Mikhail Gelfand, journalist and radio host Sergei Parkhomenko, professional oppositionist Ilya Yashin and human rights activist Anna Karetnikova. The 10 members who voted to adopt the statement, included Alexey Navalny, conservative philosopher Konstantin Krylov, the usually liberal journalist Oleg Kashin, and nationalist leader Vladimir Tor. The only non-nationalists to vote for the resolution were members of the so called Navalny's Bloc – Alburov, Naganov, and Sobol. All three work on Navalny's projects outside of the Coordinating Council.

author: Nina Jobe


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Tainted School Lunches Kill Nearly Two Dozen Children in India  · Global Voices
Chirag Sutar

Twenty-two children between four and 12 years old at a public primary school in the Indian state of Bihar are dead after eating contaminated mid-day meals on July 16, 2013.
Many more in the poor, rural village of Chapra were hospitalized in serious condition. The food is believed to have been poisoned by pesticides.
The tragedy was the worst incident in a rash of apparently tainted school lunches. In a separate incident in Bihar's Madhubani district, 15 students fell ill after eating mid-day meals. In Gaya-Bihar, one student was killed after eating school lunch there. And in another separate incident in Dhule in the district of Maharashtra, 31 children were hospitalized after having their mid-day meals.
A student at a government-funded Hindi school in outskirts of Mumbai, India, 2011. Photo by author.
The mid-day meal scheme, which began in the 1960's, is one of India's oldest and aims to encourage marginalized classes to send their children to schools. Besides the education, a meal for every student is given as an incentive for enrollment. However, ever since the start of the scheme, reports of embezzlement of food meant for children have consistently surfaced. A 2006 news report found that students of a primary school in Darjeeling were deprived of their meals for 18 months.
The issue has, as expected, taken a political twist. The political party in power has alleged that the opposition has indulged in a conspiracy to frame them. The school principal's husband is reported to be a political figure who was responsible for supplying food to the school.
The negligence on the part of the government angered many on social networking sites.
India-based Twitter user Vikram Singh (@cynicalvs) wrote:
@cynicalvs: How can kids die of eating a midday meal? It is food. Somebody needs to be tried for murder. #chappra
As soon as journalists began reaching hospitals to report on the situation, more mismanagement came to surface. The streamed video images showed surviving children laid next to each other crammed on a desk and saline water being administered.
Milind Khandekar, the managing editor of ABP News (@milindkhandekar), observed:
@milindkhandekar: Pictures from Chappra shows relatives using paper fan for children admitted in the hospital. Is this ‘ Bihar model of development?
This incident, soon enough, prompted users on social media to discuss negligence and arrogance of Indian politicians.
Abhijit Majumder, a journalist from Delhi (@abhijitmajumder), tweeted:
@abhijitmajumder: Our politicians don't discriminate. 2G for the better-off or NREGA, Mid-day meal for the poorest, all are robbed with equal relish. #Chhapra
Students of a Hindi school in the outskirts of Mumbai eat on the ground with no seating or plates. Another student shows a tiffin box and complains about the quality of the food. 2011. Photo by author.
Majumder, was making a reference to recent scams such as 2G and NREGA, which have run into billions of dollars and planted grave mistrust towards the way Indian government functions.
Another Delhi-based journalist, Raghavendra Verma (@r_verma), made a commentary on the general attitude of the teachers at these government run schools:
@r_verma: School teachers serve mid day meal to children as if they are doing some big personal favour to them. #Chhapra
Fazal Abbas (@fazlabas), a Mumbai-based Twitter user, brought some historical perspective to the ongoing discourse:
@fazlabas: Chhapra is same as our first president Dr. Rajendra Prasad left half century back. Children are dying for education.
Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi), a former police officer from Delhi who is recognized for her philanthropic activities and anti-corruption crusade in India, tweeted:
@thekiranbedi: Mid-day meals, at places r a scandal and un-hygienic. Teachers too r wasting time cooking!Why not serve fruits and nuts?
Bedi's narrative corroborates with the above photographic evidence. Not just Bihar, government run schools, across India, may have bigger stories of negligence and mismanagement to tell. As far as this case is concerned, the Indian government was quick to announce a compensation of 2 lakhs (about 3,367 US dollars) to the victims family.
The exact cause of how the food became contaminated is being studied – in short, a long bureaucratic process follows. Will those guilty be held accountable?

author: Chirag Sutar


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Thailand ‘Hitler’ Chicken Story Exposed as Inaccurate · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

What does the Daily Mail, The Sun, Bangkok Post, Time, Gawker, MSN Money, Huffington Post have in common? They all published a story about the existence of ‘Hitler’ Fried Chicken Store in Bangkok which was recently exposed by Thailand-based blogger Matt of The Lost Boy as inaccurate. Some of these news websites have already issued a correction but the inaccurate story continues to spread online.


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Young and Old United in Nicaragua’s #OcupaINSS Movement · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Nicaragua's youth began using the hashtag #OcupaINSS [es] to show their solidarity with the senior citizens that were protesting to demand partial pensions from the government. Blogger Mildred Largaespada of 1001 Trópicos [es] explains what happened:
And now the action movie begins: The senior citizens occupy the [Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS)] building and the president sends the police to evict them. A group of young people feel sympathy for the seniors and think that if they go [to the occupied building] to show their support, they won't get kicked out. This is how this all started, which ended up unleashing the fury of [President] Ortega […] and in the dark, at night, using the paramilitary and with the complicity of Nicaragua's chief of police, used the state's violent repression to evict the young and old.
She adds:
But, Ortega says that none of this happened. And he wants to believe that people are going to believe him because this was not reported through his media outlets. But…oh, Daniel Ortega, wake up! it was reported through new media, social networks, and now the whole world knows.
Mildred goes on to quote citizen media and share how she joined this movement through Twitter.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Sixty Killed During Fighting in Nzérékoré, Guinea · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Guinee News reports the latest death toll – 60 – from the killings in Nzérékoré, Guinea [fr] :
Les cinquante deux corps qui étaient non identifiables ont été enterrés dans une fosse commune hier. Les autres corps reconnaissables ont été remis à leurs familles.
52 non-identified bodies were buried in a mass grave yesterday. The other bodies were returned to their families.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Chinese Court’s Bizarre Anti-Sexual Abuse Poster  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A poster, warning people to obey the law otherwise turn from “a fresh daisy” to “a shriveled sunflower”, was recently put out by People’s Court in Manzhouli, a small city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. See Ministry of Tofu for the poster's sexual implication.


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Blockbuster Film ‘Tiny Times’ Reflects China’s Generational Conflict · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

The summer blockbuster movie Tiny Times (Xiao Shidai), a drama about four young women featuring a heavy dose of luxury brands, designer clothing, and splendid venues, is triggering debate in China on the materialism of Chinese youth.
Tiny Times, adapted from a serial novel written by Guo Jingming, shattered opening day box record in China and remained top of the box office charts since its release on June 27, 2013. Its sequel, originally slated for release in December, is now set to open in China on August 9.
The film follows the lives of four college girls who have been best friends since high school. With an overarching theme of the pursuit of success, love, and friendship, the storyline easily reminds the audience of American TV series Sex and the City and Gossip Girl or the film the Devil Wears Prada.
Tiny Times movie poster via Wikipedia.
Guo Jingming, who also produced and directed the film, is China's richest author and has come to represent the country's younger ‘Me Generation’, the generation born after 1980 who grew up during China's rise in consumerism since the 1990's, because of his popular young adult fictions. Born in 1983 with modest family background and plain appearance, he began to enter into the public’s eyes with his first novel “The City of Fantasies” in his early 20's. He then dropped out the university and started his own publishing business. Last year, he climbed onto Forbes’ Rich Chinese List with a record annual income exceeding 27.6 million yuan [45 million US dollars].
He lives a luxurious lifestyle and never avoids public exposure. In a recent interview [zh] Guo said: “You cannot change society by yourself. But you can master the rules of the society, and use the rules to play against others.”
Despite being a huge box office hit, the movie has attracted a storm of criticism. The mainstream media, older generation writers, and directors have accounted for the majority of the attacks, who fiercely blast the film for its shallow and vacuous celebration of material abundance.
Popular film critic Zhou Liming (@周黎明) alleged that the movie goes too far in showing off wealth [zh]:
该片对物欲和美色的炫耀完全是恶趣味的，它不像时尚杂志里的高档商品广告。广告需要刺激人们的购买欲望，它往往借用憧憬。而郭敬明对于富和美的观念，如同一个小时候挨过饿的人，长大后看到一桌子食品时垂涎欲滴，没有淡定或自发的快乐，只有病态的贪婪
I cannot stand the movie anymore. Unlike the commercials in fashion magazines that base the material desire on beautiful imagination, Guo’s depiction of wealth and beauty is unhealthy, akin to those who have been starving for a long time who suddenly come across a table of food, a lack of calm with spontaneous happiness.
Playwright Maguashihang (@鹦鹉史航) echoed Zhou and even criticized the popular idol actors:
「小时代」有一点是对的，导演把关把得好，全片没出现一个演技派，大家水准一般齐…
The Tiny Times only gets one thing right – the director chose the actors all of the same low level cast regardless of any actual acting ability
Both Zhou and Maguashihang's comments received backlash from fans of Guo Jingming as well as fans of the actors and actress in the film. Many wrote that the critics are too old to cope with the younger generation. Director Ning Caishen (@宁财神) criticized the “old-fashioned” critics:
小时代是类型清晰的小鸡电影，好歹能伺候人家自己的观众群。我这次生气的只是周黎明老高刘春杨早史航那些八十多岁的老年人，有愤怒感很正常，但是，没想明白就上战场，胡喷一气，没干掉人家，反倒惹一身骚，所有烦恼都是自找的！
Tiny Times is one of those easy idol dramas that clearly targets its young audience. I am just angry about the older ones like Zhou Liming and Maguashihang, etc. I can understand their anger, but it’s a trap of their own making to join the war without recognizing their situation, losing the battlefield and running into trouble.
The debate in Chinese social media was elevated after Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily entered the discussion and lashed out against the movie. While the newspaper’s criticism was not unique, it shifted the attention of the audience from attacking the film to combating the state media’s attempt to control ideology:
@北島學長 虽然还没看这个电影，估计也不会喜欢，但人民日报这样上纲上线未免太小题大做了，各种主义并不是因为这个电影才出现、形成的，把人文建设的责任推给《小时代》，不如思考一下这些社会问题出现的根本原因。
@”Senior student Beidao” Although I have not seen the movie and don’t expect that I will like it, the People’s Daily is making too much of a fuss to exaggerate the value of the film. The materialism and consumerism didn’t stem from the film. Rather than give away the responsibility of humanity's construction to the movie, People’s Daily should find out the primary reasons behind these social phenomenons.
@朱学东 不允许小时代只讲大时代的时代，一定是可怕的园艺时代。在园艺社会，园艺师永远正确，只有它们才配掌握了草木的生命，园艺社会是人类的大敌。
Zhu Xuedong: An age that only allows for “Big Time” instead of “Tiny Time” is a horrible horticultural age. [If refers to the time when individuals were ruled and organized by an authority for agricultural activities. This term is appropriated by some to describe authoritative collectivism.] In a horticultural society, gardeners are always the authority who control the lives of the woods and grass. The society of gardening is human’s the biggest enemy.

author: Gloria Wong


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China: Crackdown on Citizen Movement Activists · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chinese Human Rights Defenders has an update on the arrest of citizens and activists in China. The latest detainee is prominent activist Xu Zhiyong, who is considered a moderate reformer. 25 individuals have been confirmed criminally detained since February for publicly appealing for an end to official corruption and for promoting other politically “sensitive” goals.


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China Law Professor: Raping Bargirl Does Less Harm · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

While commenting on a recent rape case, Tsinghua University law professor Yi Yanyou argued on microblogging site Sina Weibo that, “It does more harm to rape a good woman than to rape a bargirl, a dancing girl, an escort or a prostitute.” Such arguments were echoed when the lawyer of gang rape suspect Li Tianyi, the 17-year-old son of Chinese general Li Shuangjiang, argued to the court that the gang rape is a case in which people “take turns to have sex” because the victim was a bargirl. Off Beat China has collected and translated Chinese netizens’ reactions.


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Experience of Being Black in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Marketus Presswood, who previously lived in Beijing for more than eight years, wrote in Tea Leaf Nation about his experience of being black in China in late 1990s.
I overheard students speaking in Chinese about how they were paying so much money and wanted a white instructor. One student went so far as to say, “I don’t want to look at his black face all night.”


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Gay Uzbekistan: Unknown Singer Stands for an Alternative Lifestyle · Global Voices
Shakhnoza Isakova

Homosexuality is illegal in Uzbekistan, where government officials and the bulk of society hold negative attitudes towards LGBT groups. But a mysterious musician has recently hit YouTube with a song about the sweetness of forbidden tea, reminding the world that Uzbeks, too, can be gay.
During Soviet times, homosexuality was criminalized under article 121 of the USSR's criminal code, yet only two of the fifteen states that emerged from the collapse of the Union in 1991 retained this clause – Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Nowadays Uzbekistan punishes homosexual practice with three years imprisonment and Islam Karimov, the country's leader for over two decades has said [ru] that homosexuality is “disgusting” for Uzbeks.
Seemingly, it depends on which Uzbeks. Last month, a previously unheard of musician caused a splash [uz] with a provocative video on YouTube. In the video a nameless male soloist from a group called ‘Asal Choi’ [Honey Tea] appears in drag, singing an unpretentious song of passion in Uzbek to a male colleague working in the same office. The clip caused heated exchanges among users of the service and commenters on blogs featuring the video. Some Uzbeks accused the Asal Choi frontman of ‘shaming the nation’ while others gave the group credit for raising a taboo topic.
In the video, the Asal Choi singer sings [ru]:
Асал чойингдек ичгин мени, новвот чойинг деб билгин мени.
Drink me as your honey tea, know me as your sweet tea.
One YouTuber, Gulia Gaparova [Гуля Гаппарова] articulated [Uz] a dominant view of LGBT in Uzbek society:
Узбек халкини кулгуга,лаънатга,куйишдан бошка нарса эмас бу, шу энди бизга биз узбек халкига етишмас эди,шармандалик!
This is nothing but the reason of a derision and curse of the Uzbek nation, the last thing [homosexuality] that we Uzbek people were free of. What disgrace!
Another user Arnal Toktomamatov said [ar]:
Astagfirullah!
God forgive!
In other comments religious resentment gave way to overt sarcasm. TheKirbangaspoke [ru] of the incompatibility of Uzbek identity and homosexuality:
Есть ли чтонибудь более жалкое чем узбекский пидорас? Только ебаный румын.
Is there anything more pathetic than an Uzbek [expletive for homosexuals]? Only a sodomized Romanian.
Another user dexterio8says [ru]:
Судя по комментам менталитет в Узбекистане не изменился с 15 века.
Judging by the comments the mentality in Uzbekistan hasn't changed since the 15th century.
The country's perma-president Islam Karimov is not alone in disliking the idea of ‘men marrying men’. The leader of the opposition party ‘Erk’ [Freedom], political refugee Muhammad Salih, adheres to a similar viewpoint. Salih has even traded barbs with Galima Bukharbaeva, editor of the independent diaspora-run website Uznews over the issue of Islam and homosexuality. The Central Asia news digest quotes [ru] him as saying in May last year:
Я сторонник цивилизованной формы изоляции геев и прочих больных людей от общества, чтобы те не заразили своей болезнью здоровых людей.
I am a supporter of civilized forms of exclusion of gays and other sick people from the community, so that they will not infect healthy people.
Over on Uznews, a user called Renat opposed [ru] this view:
Узбекистан должен признать право своих граждан на неприкосновенность личной жизни. Кто и с кем спит после работы – не дело узбекской госбезопасности и милиции. В любом обществе 2 – 5 % граждан придерживаются гомосексуальной ориентации (вместе с бисексуалами получится ещё больше!). И никакая, даже самая жестокая уголовная статья, никакие “священные” писания законов природы отменить никогда не смогут. Ну, а то, что внимание узбекского общества к этой проблеме стали приковывать артисты эстрады, можно только приветствовать. Фальшивая средневековая мораль должна быть низвергнута навсегда!
Uzbekistan must recognize the right of its citizens to privacy. Who sleeps with whom after work should not be a matter of concern to Uzbek security services and police. 2-5% of the population in any society adheres to homosexuality (even more if including bisexuals!) And not any even the most brutal criminal article, nor ‘holy’ scriptures can reject the laws of nature. The fact that pop-stars are drawing the attention of Uzbek society to this problem can only be welcomed. Fake medieval morality should be overthrown forever!
Another user Некто says [ru]:
Я против геев? Нет. Я могу слушать Элтона Джона или Чайковского. Фреди Меркури. Но я против их вызывающего отношения к другим. И чтобы кто-то диктовал коу-то что норма, а что нет. Есть устои, в котором выросло общество. И самому обществу решать, что норма, а что нет. А не законам, которые гей-лоббисты проталкивают во многих странах.
I am not against homosexuals, no. I can listen to Elton John or Chaikovsky, Freddie Mercury. But I am against their defiant attitude towards others, against somebody dictating to others what is a norm and what is not. There are some foundations on which society has risen. And it is up to society itself to decide what is normal and what is not. And not to the laws which gay lobbyists are pushing through in many countries.
Another user, Ash then noted with sarcasm [ru]:
Не читал коментарии уважаемых, ну разве что по диагонали, обе команды хороши – гомофобы vs “любители прикинуться женщинами”.Одно очевидно – нашим детям достанется худший мир, чем он есть сейчас. Спасибо! Спасибо! Не надо аплодисментов!
I haven't read all the comments of the honorable people, but having skipped through them it seems both teams are good – the homophobes vs ‘admirers of pretending to be women’. One thing is clear – our children will inherit a world even worse than it is now. Thank you! Thank you! No need for applause!
N.B For opponents of homosexuality in Uzbekistan the fact that the singer sang in Uzbek, rather than Russian may be especially galling. For more on the Uzbek government's attempts to control “un-Uzbek” elements of the internet read Sarah Kendzior's Registan article Why Did Uzbekistan Ban Wikipedia?

author: Shakhnoza Isakova


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Iran: Campaign Against a Mobile Phone Network Operator · Global Voices
Farid

Several bloggers and news sites say Irancell, second largest mobile network operator in Iran, in a sms competition insulted Caliph Umar (Omar).Netizens launched a campaign against this mobile network operator and urged Irancell to apologize to Sunnis for this insult.

author: Farid


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Kyrgyzstan’s President Accuses Britain of “Dirty Lies” · Global Voices
Aliaskar Adylov

Almas Atambayev, President of Kyrgyzstan, blasted the British government for “hosting” the son of the country's ousted dictator in an interview with the Guardian last week. As the dust settles, Kyrgyz netizens are still weighing up the wisdom of his outburst.
Atambayev's interview with The Guardian's Maxton Walker broached a range of issues including the Tsarnaev brothers, democracy and Islam in Central Asia, street protests and political stability in Kyrgyzstan. But when it came to his country's failure to extradite Maksim Bakiyev – “a guy who robbed us” – Atambayev could barely contain his wrath:
Atambayev was quoted as saying the following:
Is Britain hosting the kids of [Muammar] Gaddafi or Bashar al-Assad? Why are there double standards against Kyrgyzstan? Britain is saying: ‘We want to help with democratic development in Kyrgyzstan.’ That's a lie. You're hosting a guy who robbed us. We could use that money to fund fair elections…I spent 20 years in opposition and have always fought for democracy but I didn't know that behind the beautiful words of democracy are very dirty lies. That's terrible. Britain is one of the founders of democracy and it's impossible to understand its actions against us. I am ashamed for Great Britain and didn't expect politics to be this cynical and corrupt.
Maksim Bakiyev – Kyrgyzstan's Enemy No. 1
In Kyrgyzstan, Maksim Bakiyev needs no introduction. The son of the Central Asian republic's second President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, he headed “ЦАРИИ” – the Central Agency for Development, Investments and Innovations in Kyrgyzstan (an acronym that sounds very close to “Tsar”, the Russian word for “King”) before the Bakiyev family were ousted in 2010. His local reputation was that of a corrupt criminal expanding his wealth through via family connections and a clique of shady international banking types. Immediately after the revolt he landed in a private jet at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, UK where he has applied for asylum. Kyrgyz authorities have accused him of stealing several hundred million dollars from the country and a Kyrgyz court sentenced him to 25 years in absentia for three violations of the Kyrgyz criminal code in March of last year.
Maksim Bakiyev (image widely shared. Taken from kloop.kg)
On October 2012, the United States also initiated a trial against Maksim Bakiyev on charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and obstruction of justice. He was immediately arrested in London and released on bail. In May 2013, the US department of Justice decided to close the investigation because there was “not enough evidence” of wrongdoing. Some have connected Maksim's arrest and the subsequent dropping of charges to geopolitical maneuvers surrounding America's Air base in the country, scheduled to close next year.
Righteous fury or empty bluster?
Despite Bakiyev's unpopularity however, not all netizens were supportive of Atambayev's tirade against Great Britain. On the Vecherniy Bishkek newspaper's website a translated version of the Guardian article attracted a host of comments.
312 wrote [ru]:
- “Мне стыдно за Великобританию”
АША когда Вам будет за себя стыдно? Когда будет стыдно что одних кыргызов низачто сажаешь, а Батукаева выпускаешь… Вам не стыдно распильщика назначать министром? Не стыдно что за 3 года Таджикистан обогнал по ВВП на 10 позиций? Не стыдно что отец убийцы спокойно работает мэром?.. Не смешите народ, как бы великобритания турецкие счета не заморозила….- “I am ashamed for Great Britain”
- “I feel shame for Great Britain”
Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev, when will you feel shame for yourself? When will you be ashamed that some Kyrgyz guys are imprisoned for nothing while Batukayev [crime boss] is released… When will you feel shame for appointing a thief to the position of Minister? Aren't you ashamed that Tajikistan has overtaken [us] by 10 positions in GDP? Isn't it a shame for you that the father of a killer is working as the Mayor of Bishkek?.. Don't make people laugh, be wary that the British might arrange to have [your] Turkish accounts frozen….
vb said [ru]:
Для экстрадиции нужны доказательства. Не просто так верните его к нам, мы приговорили его заочно к 25 годам. Украденные деньги использовали бы на проведение честных выборов. Денег не было поэтому выборы не честно прошли? Вам не хватило награбленного во время апрельских событий?
You need [appropriate] evidence for extradition. It's not enough just to ask them to return him because we have sentenced him 25 years of imprisonment. [You say] you would use those stolen money for fair elections. There was no money so does that mean the elections [that brought Atambayev to power] were not fair? Isn't everything that you stole during the April events [revolution of 2010] enough for you?
Акрам replied [ru]:
Правильно всё сказал АША. Англия давно стала местом отстоя террористов и воров из бывшего СССР
[Atambayev] said everything as it is. England has already become a place where terrorists and thieves from the former Soviet Union can hide.
Алинур (Alinur) wrote [ru]:
А что жалуютесь, кричать и бранить в том, что скрывают вора и преступника, сами же помогали им бежать.
Why are you complaining, screaming and apportioning blame that they hide [our] thief and gangster, when it was you [Atambayev] who helped him to escape.
On the website of Akipress news agency, Frunze17 reacted [ru]:
Атамбаев 20 лет боролся не за демократию, а за власть, которую в итоге получил. И стыдиться ему надо не за Великобританию (сильное и социально ориентированное государство), а за себя, за свою неспособность управлять страной, в которой развалена экономика, власти жируют, а пенсионеры и дети голодают. И что такое демократия он тоже не знает.
Atambayev fought for 20 years not for democracy, but for power, which he has already got. And he should be ashamed not for Great Britain (it's a strong and socially-oriented state) but for himself and for his inability to manage the country where the economy is ruined and authorities live like the kings while pensioners and children are hungry. He doesn't even know what democracy is.
BekAskar noted [ru] Atambayev's own double standards:
У Атамбаева самого двойные стандарты. Почему он не говорит про Россию, которая приютила вора и коррупционера Аскара Акаева вырастившего Бакиева с сыновьми и братьями.
Atambayev himself has double standards. Why doesn't he speak about Russia, which hides another thief and corrupt [politician] Askar Akaev [first president of Kyrgyzstan] who set up the regime of Bakiyev and his sons and brothers.
03kg said:
боже ты мой! мне стыдно! не дипломатично как то получилось! как мужик в колхозе
Oh my God! I am embaressed! [Atambayev's speech] turned out rather undiplomatic! Like a man from a collective farm!
Runi offered a rare comment in support of the President [ru]:
Все больше уважаю нашего президента. Действительно очень правильно он подметил – у Англии, США, да и всего Евросоюза двойные стандарты. Когда им НАДО, то они такой вой поднимут, что права человека нарушаются. А когда им не надо, они молчат и ничего не видят. Это по их вине происходят войны. Они хотят чувствовать себя хозяевами Земли. В принципе оно так и есть, к сожалению.
I respect our president more and more. Indeed, he noticed correctly – England and the USA as well as the whole European Union has double standards. When they NEED it, they start to howl about human rights abuses. But when they don't need it, they keep silent and pretend they don't see anything. They are guilty of starting wars. They want to feel like  the owners of the globe. Unfortunately, they probably are.
But Nurek twisted the knife [ru] with a joke about Atambayev's alleged penchant for a shot or two of vodka.
Больше ему не наливать…..
Don't fill [his glass up] anymore…

author: Aliaskar Adylov


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Online Gambling No Longer Accessible from Lebanon? · Global Voices
Nada

Gambling sites have been blocked in Lebanon reported Blog Baladi last month:
It was brought to my attention that gambling and poker sites are no longer accessible in Lebanon. I looked up a bit online and tried opening some websites and they weren’t accessible indeed. The decision to block the gambling sites was apparently taken by the Ministry of Justice (…)
Then a few days ago on Twitter, @MoNajem raised the issue with Telecommunications Minister @NicolasSehnaoui:
@MoNajem: Under what law online gambling has been blocked in #Lebanon. Who has the right to do so? We only know u @NicolaSehnaoui to ask
The Minister replied by saying this has been done in order to comply with the law, although he also specified he disagrees with the decision.
@NicolasSehnaoui: @MoNajem The law that gives casino du liban monopoly over gambling. The order was issued by the highest judge. 1/2
@NicolaSehnaoui: @MoNajem I went to see him to plead against the decision but couldn't convince him. 2/2
He his referring to a 1995 law that gives Casino du Liban (Lebanon's only legal casino) monopoly over all gambling activities on the Lebanese territory as explained by @sygma:
@sygma: MoNajem under decree 6919 of June 29 1995, Casino du Liban was given monopoly over all gambling activities to “protect public morals”.
Mohamad Najem pointed out it could start a vicious and worrying cycle of more filtering.
@MoNajem: @sygma on Lebanese lands, and not on z online sphere. Otherwise, blocking other kind of websites will start to happen for different reasons
Other Twitter users shared their concern over what became an interesting conversation.
@walasmar highlights the dangers of applying national legislation to online space:
@walasmar: @MoNajem @NicolaSehnaoui the issue is that tomorrow he can use media law to block all blogs bcz not part of the press syndicate
And @ralphaoun warns of a potential slippery slope:
@ralphaoun: @AbirGhattas @walasmar @MoNajem now it's Poker, next it's Adult content, then Blogs, then…
with some perspective:
@ralphaoun: @AbirGhattas @walasmar @MoNajem debate in Euro Internet Forum -> only thing that could possibly be blocked is child pornography
The discussion also showed how disconnected from (virtual) reality these decisions can be…
@LeNajib: @ralphaoun @AbirGhattas @walasmar @MoNajem It's funny hearing about things getting blocked on the internet as if its possible or sustainable

@AbirGhattas: hello VPN @LeNajib @ralphaoun @walasmar @MoNajem

author: Nada


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Pakistani Journalist Takes on Taliban Militant for Malala · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

Celebrated around the world for her bravery, she has been called a CIA spy, a western stooge, and a liar at home.
Even after her bold speech at the UN, demanding free education for all children from world leaders, teen activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012, continues to be a divisive figure in Pakistan.
Following her speech, a Taliban militant wrote Malala an open letter urging her to return home and continue her education at an Islamic school or madrassa. He was promptly taken down by a Pakistani journalist in another open letter who advised him against picking a fight with Pakistani women.
Malala Yousafzai at the United Nations. Beside her at left, is Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, and Mr. Vuk Jeremiae, President of the General Assembly. Image by Nancy Siesel. Copyright Demotix. (12 July 2013)
The open letter from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant Adnan Rasheed claims that 16-year-old Malala was attacked by the Taliban because she maligns the group, and not because she was pursuing an education. In a letter circulated to Pakistani journalists through the Pakistani Taliban media cell, Rasheed writes:
First of all please mind that Taliban never attacked you because of going to school or you were education lover, also please mind that Taliban or mujahideen are not against the education of any men or women or girl. The Taliban believe that you were intentionally writing against them and running a smear campaign to malign their efforts to establish Islamic system in Swat and your writings were provocative.
Award-winning author and Pakistani journalist Mohammed Hanif  writes his response to Rasheed in the Guardian's opinion section, “Dear Taliban leader, thank you for your letter to Malala Yousafzai“:
I write to thank you in response to the generous letter you have written to Malala Yousafzai. Thanks for owning up that your comrades tried to kill her by shooting her in the head. Many of your well-wishers in Pakistan had been claiming the Taliban wouldn't attack a minor girl. They were of the opinion that Malala had shot herself in order to become a celebrity and get a UK visa. Women, as we know, will go to any lengths to get what they want. So thanks for saying that a 14-year-old girl was the Taliban's foe.
Hanif adds:
The government practically handed over the valley to your comrades, but their rule didn't even last for a few weeks because they ordered all women to stay home.
There was only one lesson to be learned: you can fight the Pakistani army; you can try and almost kill Pakistan's commander-in-chief, as you so heroically did; you might wage a glorious jihad against brutal imperial forces. But you can't pick a fight with the working women in your neighbourhood and hope to win. Those women may never get an audience at the UN but everyone – from cotton picker to bank teller – cannot be asked to shut up and stay home, for the simple reason that they won't.
The Edequal Foundation, an educational charity, based in north London protests in support of Malala Yousufzai. Image by Peter Marshall. Copyright Demotix (20 October 2012)
Zubair Towali, who lives in Malala's hometown the Swat valley in Pakistan, explains in a blog post:
The conspiracy theories regarding Malala are most unfortunate and they are many. One posits that she is a tool in the hands of the American/Jewish lobby. This line of “reasoning” says that her ‘abrupt fame’ has been fuelled and guided by elements out to conspire against Pakistan.
A Pakistani Twitter user Saqib Ali Kazmi responds:
all those talking against #malala should read TTP's letter for malala & ask for forgiveness for spreading false #propaganda #Pakistan
— Saqib Ali Kazmi (@besaqib) July 18, 2013
The Taliban militant also responds to Malala's UN speech point-by-point in his open letter. He writes:
I wish the compassion you learnt from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) should be learnt by Pakistan Army so they could stop shedding of Muslim blood in FATA and Balochistan. I wish, the compassion you learnt from Prophet Jesus should be learnt by the U.S. and NATO so they should stop shedding blood of innocent Muslims across the world and I wish the same for followers of Buddha to stop killing of innocent unarmed Muslims in Burma, and Sri Lanka and wish the same for Indian Army to follow Gandhi jee and stop genocide in Kashmir.
Some Pakistani Twitter users still have their doubts though. Ahmed Bilal tweets:
#Taliban leader Adnan Rasheed, regardless of his atrocities has presented a valid point in his letter to #Malala.There I said it. #Pakistan
— Ahmed Bilal (@ABWDXB) July 18, 2013
And some take their own message from the letter, like Pakistani musician Salman Ahmad, who tweets:
The power of One, 16 year old Pakistani girl: #Malala‘s speech brings a remorseful Taliban to vent his world view http://t.co/VZRIN4jJVh
— salman ahmad (@sufisal) July 17, 2013
Khuldune Shahid, a finance correspondent for ePakistanToday, tweets:
Pak liberals need a lesson in honesty & clarity from #AdnanRasheed. Our liberalism is restricted to the number of alcohol brands we can name
— K Khuldune Shahid (@khuldune) July 17, 2013
But even Shahid defends Malala in his piece the “Epicentre of the Malalaquake”:
The Taliban’s conflict with Malala, much like their combat against all their adversaries, is a clash of religious teachings and humanistic viewpoints. [..]The Taliban devoutly follow antediluvian theologies, while Malala stands for enlightenment.”
The Pakhtoonkhawa Students Federation protest against the attack on Malala by Taliban at the Peshawar Press Club. Image by PPI Images. Copyright Demotix (18/10/2012)
Shahid's support for Malala combined with his dig at the liberals that generally defend her, and the overall vitriol against the teen activist from other Pakistanis, could be a symptom of the country's larger identity crisis.  Journalist Huma Yusuf writes in the NYT's Latitutde blog about the Malala Backlash:
These virulent reactions seem odd in a country that purports to value education and women’s rights. But that is simply a sign that Pakistan is still struggling to figure itself out — to figure out how to participate in the modern, global economy as it comes to terms with its colonial past, to reject Western pressure while coveting international approval, to strengthen its democratic institutions as an Islamic republic.
Rafia Zakaria, a columnist with Dawn, a leading English daily in Pakistan writes:
if she returned, Malala Yousafzai, like other Pakistani heroines before her, would have to deal with the crude judgments of a society where lip service to education is permitted, but the freedom owed to educated women is denied.
In his open letter Rasheed also says he is writing to Malala in his personal capacity, and not as a Taliban member: “all my emotions were brotherly for you because we belong to same Yousafzai tribe.” Meanwhile, Taliban leaders have told the BBC they have nothing to do with the letter Adnan Rasheed wrote and that “his letter will be examined” [ur].
Rasheed was broken out of jail in 2012 by the Taliban, where he was awaiting his death sentence for attempting to assassinate former president Pervez Musharraf in 2003. He is a former member of the Pakistan Air Force.


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Privileges Granted to Ex-Presidents in Madagascar · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Reporter Rianasoa posts the image of a document that stipulates what ex presidents will be entitled to in Madagascar. These privileges include but (not are not limited to) the services of five household helpers and two drivers, and a stipend of 6,000,000 Ariary (about $2700 USD/month):
Loi N°2013-001 relative aux privilèges statutaires des anciens Présidents de la République #Madagascar pic.twitter.com/LQhHF1G5iS
— Rianasoa (@rianasoa) July 19, 2013
Law #2013-001 stating the privileges granted to former presidents in Madagascar