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China: National Security Threat or Trade Protectionism? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Last week on 8 October 2012, the U.S. House Intelligence Committee released an investigative report accusing two major Chinese telecommunications companies, Huawei and ZTE of posing threat to U.S national security. The committee was concerned that the companies’ networking equipment could potentially help the Chinese military or other Chinese government intelligence agencies collect sensitive data from computer systems and mobile networks. Both companies also have a history of selling surveillance devices to repressive regimes such as Iran and Libya.
To counter the attack, several media outlets in China have run a  number of news commentaries in the past few days that the dispute would end up in a “protectionism” trade war and “could be disastrous for enterprises in both countries”. the opinion of Nei Guangnan, a professor from the China Academy of Sciences, that China should protect its “information sovereignty [zh]” had been widely quoted.
The nationalistic position has won many echoes in Chinese social media, some even criticize the Chinese government for being too soft in protecting domestic businesses [zh]:
王峰213：美国天天以威胁国家安全为由阻止华为中兴投标，为什么就不见中国政府以威胁国家完全为由禁止思科等企业进入中国市场呢？对等原则嘛。
Wang Feng 213: The U.S government uses national security as a pretext to block Huawei and ZTE from entering their market, why doesn't Chinese government use the same excuse? Make it fair.
鄭峻￼：不仅是华为，中国公司在美国遭遇歧视对待是不争事实，多少规模、技术及行业都不重要的正常收购交易都被美国否决。中国一样有贸易壁垒，本是各国正常情况；但作为中国人，不管不顾美国的双重标准和贸易保护，反而来用政治眼光苛责华为这家在海外发展最为成功的中国企业，实在令人匪夷所思。写给某些人。
Leo Zheng: Not only Huawei, other Chinese businesses in the U.S are facing discrimination. The U.S government has banned quite a number of exchanges in different industries. China also have its own trade barriers, but as Chinese we have to be critical of the U.S government's double standard and protectionism rather than making harsh comments against our own successful businesses. I can't understand this. Just want to remind some people of their stand.
方兴东￼：10年前华为员工数大约思科一半，收入十分之一。而今天，华为人员是思科两倍，华为研发人员就超过思科员工总数！国际专利方面华为2006年就全面超越思科。所以华为中兴事件本质是中国高科技企业真正崛起，思科等无法通过技术创新和公平手段竞争，才丧失企业家精神基本价值观，无赖般地将市场问题政治化。
Fang Xingdong: 10 years ago, Huawei was half the size of Cisco in terms of employee numbers, while income was one tenth of Cisco's. Today, Huawei's employees are double the size of Cisco, the number of people in Huawei's research team is more than the total number of employees in Cisco. Since 2006, Huawei has obtained more patents than Cisco. Huawei and ZTE reflect the strength of Chinese high-tech industry. Cisco fails to compete with them, gives up its entrepreneurial spirit and politicizes the market competition.
老杳￼￼：华为美国安全调查事件，真正需要反思的是中国政府，外交部仅仅说一句：“美国应该抛开成见，努力促进贸易经济交往。”是完全不够的，华为设备卖到美国如果有安全问题，思科的设备到中国就没有安全问题？随着中国企业的逐步做强，如果政府继续不作为，将成为中国经济增长的最大障碍。
Blovesky: The Chinese government should reflect upon the U.S investigation of Huawei. It is not enough for the Foreign Affair Ministry to say: The U.S government should give up its prejudice and promote economic exchange. If Huawei poses a national security threat to the U.S, Cisco does the same thing to China? Chinese corporates are growing bigger and stronger, if the Chinese government does nothing to ensure their status, it would hamper the country's economic growth.
Some netizens, however, believe that the Chinese government is responsible for the trade war. Below are some comments picked up from the Southern Metropolis’ discussion thread [zh] at Sina Weibo:
灣區的BDTB：全世界都一样。当年的谷歌也被类似的理由被掐死在中国，还不是为了保护度娘。大家都一样，理由也一样：国家安全￼
未来花会开：华为董事长孙亚芳大学一毕业就进了国安局工作。多了解中国特色吧，华为到底是家什么公司？
东张西望_轻度：靠政府的中国垄断国企没前途, 靠政客的美国企业一样没有前途!
人来看猫：这种企业要没有间谍嫌疑鬼才相信。 说 QQ 没有替官方监控你觉得可能么？
青杨梅酸：民营企业为什么要设党组织，设党委呢？取消了美国人不就没籍口了？
Bayarea BDTB: The whole world is the same. Google was forced to leave China before. It is also a kind of protectionism. Everyone is the same, with the same reason: national security.
Future flower will open: The CEO of Huawei Sun Yafang started working in National Security Bureau soon after she graduated. Have some more knowledge about the Chinese characteristics, what kind of company is Huawei?
Looking east and west: Chinese corporate that monopolizes the market through government is useless. U.S corporate that depends on politicians is also hopeless.
See the cat: Who will believe these kinds of corporates do not have spies? Do you think it is possible that QQ is not spying on you for the government?
Green Plume: Why does a private corporate have a Party committee in it? The U.S would not find any pretext without such a set up.
Some point out that the problem may lie in the mainland Chinese business model, which tries to strengthen its link with the government in exchange for policy favor.
寒室花香￼：华为、中兴在美遇到不公正待遇，除了思科这个幕后黑手外，我们所付出的这笔学费值得所有中国企业深思：“闷声发财”、“渠道优先”、“人脉即金钱”等中国式经商思维在西方世界是否需要更高标准的修正？而品牌经营、知识产权与研发投入、政治游说与区域法律、国际资本运作等应该成为这次代价的反省。
Flower fragrant: Apart from the fact that Cisco is lobbying behind the scene, we have to reflect upon Chinese business culture. “Making profit in silence”, “creating back channel”, “capitalizing relations”, all these business practices have to be adjusted when entering the western business world. We should give more thought to areas such as brand building, intellectual property rights, research and development, political lobbying, regional law, international capital flow etc.
别笑我是认真的：企业成立党委党支部在普通企业看来，完全是为了向党政府示爱，表示归顺听话，先主动浑身染成红色，让党放心，不要惹麻烦。华为这种企业搞党建不知老板有没这种想法？企业发展到一定程度就是社会的，社会是党的，华为也就是党的，这个逻辑是不是美国议员的推理？党也是不是也有天下莫非王土的理念。
I am serious, don't laugh: The setting up of a Party Branch in a corporate is a gesture of love to the party. To show that you are loyal to the party. To taint the business with red color so that the party will trust you. I wonder if Huawei is sharing the same thought. Corporates belong to the society, society belongs to the Party. The U.S House representatives are using the same logic. The idea that all land in the kingdom belongs to the King has been upheld by the Party.


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Greece: Petition to Remove Golden Dawn MP from Non-Discrimination Committee · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

The Golden Dawn party has become notorious for its blatant anti-Semitic and xenophobic rhetoric and has been responsible for perpetrating attacks against Jews and foreigners.”
The European Union of Jewish Students have created a petition urging the Council of Europe Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly to remove Golden Dawn MP Eleni Zaroulia from its ranks. Zaroulia recently referred to immigrants as “sub-human” [el] while addressing the Greek Parliament. The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece also addressed a letter asking for Zaroulia to be removed.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Asteris Masouras


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Myanmar to Ban Viber? · Global Voices
Chan Myae Khine

An engineer from Myanmar's Ministry of Communication has warned[my] that Viber and other VOIP services might be banned in the country because of revenue losses of the state and the absence of contracts between ministry and the users. Internet users immediately criticized the statement.

author: Chan Myae Khine


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New Orleans Jazz Band Performs with Youth of Japan Disaster-Region · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Wonderful World Jazz Foundation in Japan raised and donated over 10 million yen ($127,000 USD) to New Orleans, the home of jazz music. To repay their kindness, one month following the the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, the children of Kesennuma city in Miyagi Prefecture received a gift of musical instruments from New Orleans.
On October 7, 2012, O. Perry Walker's Chosen Ones Brass Band and Tipitina's Intern Band came to Japan to join a performance with the youth of disaster-stricken Tohoku region to show their support for recovery.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Radio Campaign to Protect Colombian Human Rights Defenders · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Front Line Defenders has joined Colombian social movement ‘MOVICE‘ [es] (National Movement of Victims of State Crimes) in a campaign to develop a series of 6 radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to “encourage public opinion in Colombia to support greater protection for [human rights defenders].”
On the bi-lingual campaign site www.radiohrd.org you can listen to the first PSA which highlights the case of Luz Elena Galeano, whose husband disappeared in 2008.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Russia: Regional Governor Holds Twitter Q&A · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Two days ago Alexander Tkachev, governor of the the southern Kradnodarskiy Krai (one of Russia's 87 federal regions), announced a “twitter-conference” [ru], soliciting questions from his followers. Today he spent a few hours answering several dozen of them. The new-media-savvy public relations move met with hundreds of “trolling” questions like “how is your billionaire niece doing?” and “what types of off-shores do you recommend?” Of course, Tkachev did not answer these [ru]. However, he also failed to address some of the more legitimate concerns, for example about the recently flooded city of Krymsk or local corruption.
Some users have also alleged that Tkachev only answered planted questions from fake accounts [ru]. The Q&A session is now over, but its hash-tag #вопросТкачеву [ru] is still busy, mainly with rhetorical questions like [ru] “Tkachev, where have you lost your conscience?”

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Slovakia, UK: “Child Snatching” or “Child Protection”? · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

On September 18, about 150 people (or, according to another source [en], more than 400 people) protested [sk, images] in front of the UK Embassy in Bratislava. They were holding banners that said, “Kids to Mom,” “Kids are not business,” and “Britain thief of children.”
It all began this past summer, when the Slovak TV channel JOJ broadcasted a report about Miroslav Goroľa and Veronika Čonková, an unmarried Roma couple from Slovakia. They took four of their nine children and moved to Britain “to search for work.” Čonková was pregnant at the time of the move and soon gave birth to the couple's next child. When they asked the British authorities for social support, all the five children were taken away from them.
From the netizens’ intolerant comments to this SME article [sk], it is clear that this Roma couple's case was not the reason for the protest in front of the UK Embassy.
ghostface:
[The Roma] bring a car full of kids […] later they will log them in social care and live better than the well-paid Slovaks at home […] Thanks to the Brits – and with happiness we will send them other families of ‘Slovak’ citizens.
doo:
Britain has discovered how to stop large-scale [Roma] child production without sterilization.
vlasok:
Over there [in Britain], a uterus will probably not work as a production tool…
Later, even the Slovak PM Robert Fico praised the British approach to cases like this as “inspiring” [sk].
What caused the recent anti-UK protest in Bratislava was another TV JOJ report: it told the story of a UK-based ethnic Slovak family whose two children had also been taken away by British social workers, due to alleged sexual abuse by the father.
The Boor family visited a doctor because of one child's genital infection, and this was reported as suspicious to the social office. Even though the court later confirmed that there was no proof of the father's wrongdoing, the children were not returned to family.
The children's mother, Ivana Boorová, has worked as a carer in Britain for the past seven years and got qualified to run a nursery. Now, however, she is allowed to meet with her own children only if accompanied by social workers. (A Facebook page devoted to this case is here [sk].)
A screenshot of the Facebook page set up to support the Boors family effort to return their children.
According to SME [sk], Britain introduced stricter child protection rules after the scandal caused by the death of Victoria Climbié, an 8-year-old African girl, in London in 2000, when social workers failed to recognize the signs of long-term abuse.
But some believe that cases like the Boors’ may not be as straightforward as they are presented to be. The Daily Slovakia's John Boyd wrote this [en] in a recent piece about the protest in Bratislava, mentioning, among other things, journalist Christopher Booker's report [en] for The Telegraph:
[…] The tearful documentary on the Boor case raises accusations that the motive behind such cases is big money, because one child feeds a whole chain of people in the social services network. In this case, the Telegraph cites various court hearings, four social workers, seven specialist doctors and psychologists, 16 interpreters, 13 contact supervisors and dozens of lawyers. […]
Booker has worked on the issue for three years, despite the rules that make it difficult to publish specific information about the cases. Writing for Týždeň [sk; subscription required], he thanked Slovakia:
[…] It is the first European country that started to protest against this mass violation of human rights that is happening in Britain. […]
All these reports have sent a wave of panic among some Slovaks living in Britain.
Petra Schwarczová, a Slovak native who has firsthand experience of the British social care system as an interpreter, decided to blog her perspective on the situation after speaking with a UK-based Slovak mother whose parents back in Slovakia were so worried that they were urging her to return home:
[…] It is necessary to understand that adoption is absolutely the last solution, when a family ignores all advice, requests or regulations and continues to threaten/neglect their child. Social offices are here not only to take the children away from families. They are here primarily to teach families to take care of their children properly and responsibly. So, a social worker usually visits the families assigned to her and spends months and months with them while she is helping them. This system of work is called Child Protection Plan.
I recommend reading it all. […]
[…] Parents ignore the well-meaning advice and experts’ assistance, the child is still at risk […]. Then comes the court decision for the children to be removed into temporary foster care. It is still not bad, parents can still get their children back. Meetings between parents and children are arranged – I think it's three or more times per week – and a social worker is present, who observes the interaction between parents and the child, and, of course, there are detailed written reports about it. Yes, those meetings take an hour or two […]. Parents are still under scrutiny – in terms of finances – it is determined whether they have sufficient funds to support the child, but they are also receiving adequate help with finances. Whether other children who stayed home are attending school regularly and have something to eat. Whether they are not skipping visits to the doctor or dentist. If the child in foster care gets sick, the mother can (if it is not even an obligation) arrive at the agreed time to the doctor. Many times I've seen mothers who ignored it, literally, because they did not want to go visit the kids, or even mothers who abandoned their children – they shouted at the social worker that they they would never come to the next session again, and let the child be adopted, though we tried to convince them not to do it, because later they would regret their decision.
Families can no longer complain about the lack of funds. Compared to Slovakia, here they have heaven on earth. Nor is it even possible to use the language barrier as an excuse, as they have interpreters absolutely everywhere – and they even do not need to ask for them. The mistake made by the Slovak families and not by the English authorities is that they think that once they come to England, they'll be greeted with bread and salt and benefits and work within the first three days. They do not realize that […] it can take months […]. And for those few months, their savings from home simply will not last. Then they will begin to apply for emergency loans, they'll fail to pay the rent, they are thrown out onto the street, and a social worker, because of their children, will, of course, contact them. Nor am I going to count the cases when social workers advised them to return to Slovakia, otherwise they risk ending up on the street in England. Some authorities even bought tickets for families to return home, because for them it is cheaper than to take care of them forever. But when a family decides that, despite it all, it will stay, it also risks having a social worker getting involved.
[…] Only extreme cases end in adoption, so what is stated in the SME article are only unsubstantiated facts and information taken out of context.
Meanwhile, the Čonka family has already been re-united and is back in Slovakia. The Boors, thanks to MP John Hemming, has recently got a second chance in court.

author: Tibor Blazko


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United States: Hispanic Perspective on Second Presidential Debate  · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

Without a doubt, the second debate which took place at New York's Hofstra University on the night of October 16th showed a much more energetic and on the offensive Barack Obama than in the first. For some, Obama took advantage of the ground gained by Joe Biden in the first and only appearance of the vice-presidential candidates, visibly putting Mitt Romney up against the ropes.
The head-to-head was held in a public audience-style atmosphere where the participants, some of them students, asked the candidates questions. The debate opened with the lack of opportunities for recent graduates, which led on to discussion of equal conditions for women, tax cuts, the cases of bankruptcy of automotive companies in Detroit, energy and finally, immigration. The vast majority of these topics are important in states which have still not decided which candidate to vote for on November 6th, the day of the election.
During the hour and a half dedicated to the debate, the grudge between the two candidates was
Mitt Romney and Barack Obama during the second debate. Screenshot from video.
obvious judging by the crossing of glances, their occasional physical approaches, and even in their exhanges of words. When Romney asked Obama if he had checked his pension fund, the latter responded: “No, but it's not as big as yours.” In the final moments of the debate, Romney made a mistake when he stated that President Obama had not classified the attacks on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya as an “act of terror,” at which point the moderator Candy Crowley confirmed that Obama, in fact, had made such a pronouncement.
Twitter saw high levels of activity surrounding the debate. According to reports, more than 100,000 tweets were registered per minute when the subject of immigration was raised. The Latinos did not hold back with their observations, as in the case of Richard Molina Gómez (@Richgomez18):
@Richgomez18: Que desorden ese debate presidencial en USA. Le han dado mucho mas tiempo a Obama en su intervención
@Richgomez18: What a mess this presidential debate in the USA. They've given Obama much more time for his speech
Even in the middle of a day of qualifying matches for the World Cup in Brazil 2014, many didn't want to miss the presidential debate, like Juan Muñoz (@Jmmunoz69):
@Jmmunoz69: En cuanto termine este partido d #Chile – #Argentina veré el debate presidencial d los EEUU entre Romney y Obama q por lo q leo es chistoso
@Jmmunoz69: As soon as the #Chile – #Argentina match finishes I'll watch the US presidential debate between Romney and Obama, from what I read it's pretty funny
Miss Behaved (@youngvictoria16) noted the contrast in Obama's performance in comparison with the first debate:
@youngvictoria16: Vi 10 minutos del debate presidencial en USA. Parece que Obama resucito
@youngvictoria16: I watched 10 minutes of the presidential debate in the USA. It seems like Obama has come back to life
Jennyfer Cohen (@JennyferCohen) made the following statement:
@JennyferCohen: #debatepresidencial Obama mucho mejor que el anterior.
@JennyferCohen: #presidentialdebate Obama much better than in the last debate.
Similarly, Yoryna (@Yorynaperalta) emphasised Obama's efforts:
@Yorynaperalta: Me esta gustando todo lo que estoy leyendo del #debatepresidencial, al parecer esta mas agresivo que el otro! #Obama se activó! :D
@Yorynaperalta: I'm liking everything I'm reading about the #presidentialdebate, it seems he's being more aggressive than in the last! #Obama has livened up! :D
Ma Ximena Rodriguez (@MariaXimena) defends Obama's administration:
@MariaXimena: Es fácil criticar a Obama que está gobernando y decir lo que “yo voy a hacer”cuando Romney no ha sido presidente! #debatepresidencial
@MariaXimena: It's easy to criticise Obama who's in government and say what “I'm going to do” when Romney hasn't been president! #presidentialdebate
The debate went beyond US borders and some Twitter users like Fabiola De León (@FabiolaMarina35) wished for a similar debate in their countries of origin:
@FabiolaMarina35: Me detuve en mi faena laboral para ver el debate presidencial de Obama y Rommey joooo políticos y futuros candidatos en Panama aprendan!
@FabiolaMarina35: I paused in my work to watch the presidential debate between Obama and Romney, ohhh politicians and future candidates in Panama, learn from them!
Hiddekel Morrison (@IngMorrison) spoke about the topic of China during the debate:
@IngMorrison: Romney acusó a Obama de tener acciones en empresas Chinas, se puso tenso ese tramo del debate presidencial EEUU. Campaña sucia?
@IngMorrison: Romney accused Obama of having shares in Chinese companies, this part of the US presidential debate got tense. Dirty campaign?
Carlos Salomón (@carlossalomon) suggests that Romney came out badly on a controversial topic:
@carlossalomon:  Obama va ganando el debate presidencial,solo un error cambiaría el resultado,Rommey esta muy mal,la ley arizona lo hundió.
@carlossalomon: Obama is winning the presidential debate, only a mistake will change the result, Romney is doing very badly, the Arizona law brought him down.
Finally, Sebastián Reina (@_sebastianreina) posed the following question:
@_sebastianreina: ¿Quién ganó el debate presidencial gringo? MSNBC dice que Obama, Fox dice que Romney, por supuesto, ¿a quién creerle? ¿CNN?
@_sebastianreina: Who won the Yanks’ presidential debate? MSNBC says it was Obama, Fox says it was Romney, of course, who are we to believe? CNN?
In actual fact, CNN declared Obama to be the winner in its most recent survey carried out two hours after the debate. Equally, experts in Forbes granted victory to the Democrat candidate, which gives rise to the expectation of a change in voter preferences over the coming days. The next and final debate will take place in Boca Raton, Florida, on October 22nd.

author: Robert Valencia


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Vietnam: Cost of Rescuing Trafficked Children · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

It's definitely worth stopping to count the cost of rescuing trafficked girls and boys. When we do so, we see that the cost of NOT rescuing them is even higher.
Blue Dragon explains the value of helping trafficked children in Vietnam.

author: Mong Palatino


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Vietnam: Impact of Agent Orange · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Aaron Joel Santos uploads photos which show the negative legacy of the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.


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Ministers Caught Browsing ‘Zambia’s WikiLeaks’ · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

On October 2 2012, Zambia's Finance Deputy Minister Miles Sampa and Minister in Charge of Chiefs Nkandu Luo were caught on camera during a Lusaka Council meeting browsing the online news website Zambian Watchdog. The online publication, known for its investigative reporting, was this month threatened with de-registration by the Registrar of Societies.
Several high ranking government officials including President Michael Sata, Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba, Defence Minister Goeffrey Bwalya Mwamba and Foreign Minister Given Lubinda have openly called for it to be taken offline.
Reporting about the incident, Kabwe wrote:
The PF government is relentlessly fighting online media but its top members are key followers of major websites reporting on Zambian politics.
On Tuesday, finance deputy minister Miles Sampa – President Sata’s nephew – and  minister in charge of chiefs Nkandu Luo, were caught on camera during a Lusaka council meeting keenly browsing the Zambian Watchdog as deliberations were underway.
This was on Monday during a full council meeting which was also attended by Vice-President Guy Scott who is Lusaka Central MP, Mandevu MP Jean Kapata, Matero MP Miles Sampa, Kabwata MP Given Lubinda and Chawama MP Edgar Lungu.
After watching the video, Zambian netizens reacted as follows [*the site does not have permanent links for individual comments]:
Anonymous said:
In case you are under rating the substance and existance of the watchdog. Some of us we start with the watchdog then proceed to the office read a borrowed post newspaper just to check chocklet’s catoon. I may buy the daily mail [goverment owned daily paper] for adverts. But I don’t forget to re-check the watchdog just incase of any breaking news. Even before going to bed, I check the breaking news. Keep it up ZWD [Zambian Watchdog].
Socrates asked:
A screenshot from the video showing Zambian Watchdog on Deputy Minister Miles Sampa's tablet during a council meeting.
Interesting… If they could read like that in public, what do they do in private at the office?
Rick Bobby supported the ministers:
That’s the way to go Miles. I respect a man who takes his time to know what the critics are saying. And I will defend the rights of those critics to continue saying what they’re saying.
Another reader did not see anything wrong but thought the timing was bad:
Basic rule know who you are up against.cant blem them,only bad timing to surf
Another netizen called the publication “the door of hope”:
Let the pathetic fellow ministers read the ZWD – the door of hope…
Mambamba Musaama loves the “craziness” of Zambian Watchdog:
This site is simply addictive, it carters for both crazy and sane pipo which is the very axis of life. It has given us a fresh breath amidst the boring govt mouth pieces- ZNBC, POST, Times & Daily. Social networking has come to stay, just enjoy it bane, no need to threaten to close these sites coz you also have an opportunity to air your views,it even allows you to insult, I mean where do you get such opportunities to distress apart from ZWD? Viva ZWD, I love the craziness………
Zed Patriot told the ministers not to kill the messenger:
A screenshot of the video showing Minister Nkandu Luo and Deputy Minister Miles Sampa during the meeting.
Honourables Sampa & Luo, since you read the watchdog I advise you to prevail over you colleagues who are against the publiction to back off. Instead of killing the messenger, use ZWD to help you plan how to fulfill the needs of Zambians.
James did not see anything wrong with the ministers reading it:
What’s wrong with that. As a leader you have to read all papers in order to be in touch with what’s on like it or not.
Another reader who claims to be addicted to the site noted that it updates him constantly:
Zambian watch dog is the best.Its the only web that updates me every day where ever i am.Even at 01hrs when i wake up for a pee;i check the watchdog coz it is always updated with latest news.Am addicted to Watchdog.
Commenting on YouTube, user lightonphiri simply wondered:
ha ha ha… classic! I mean who doesn't read zambianwatchdog?
Zambian Watchdog reported in May this year that its website was the target of a denial of service (DDoS) attack, allegedly by the government.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Cartoon: Economic Crisis and the Nazis in Greece · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

Economic crisis and the Nazis in Greece. Cartoon by Carlos Latuff (used with permission) first appeared on Brazilian OperaMundi [pt].
Inspired by the recent rise of neo-Nazi aggressive behavior and violent activities in Greece, cartoonist Carlos Latuff, based in Rio de Janeiro, tweets two cartoons that depict the strength of Neo-Nazism in Greece as an immediate result of the economic crisis.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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France: Photos and Impressions from the World Forum for Democracy 2012 in Strasbourg  · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

From October 5 – 11, 2012, the city of Strasbourg, France had its opportunity to shine at the center of the intellectual debate on democracy. The first World Forum for Democracy, organized by the Council of Europe and the Urban Community of Strasbourg, was entitled “Democracy on Trial: Between Old Models and New Realities”. It was inaugurated in the presence of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman.
For three and a half days, the Palais de l'Europe hosted a thousand participants from around the world, for a plethora of debates in all formats, on the themes of democracy. The meetings were also a place to exchange experiences and good practices. Participants in the “Arab Spring” were invited to testify, although initially, simultaneous translation was not available. The hashtag #CoE_FWD allowed readers to follow the debates on Twitter.
The interior of the Palais de l'Europe, Strasbourg
Being from Strasbourg, the author had not far to go, after proper registration, to attend the sessions. Here is a personal selection of quotations and links to resources.
Debates, roundtables, and workshops: a wealth of ideas
Conference on the theme of “Virtual Values? Democracy and New Social Networks”. World Forum for Democracy, October 8, 2012.
The author's favorite theme was “Virtual Values ? Democracy and New Social Networks” [fr], including the workshop “Internet, New Media, and Democratic (R)evolutions” [fr].
Some notes and questions, presented in aggregate:
- Citizen journalism, response to betrayal by traditional media companies, which are traded on stock exchanges, and are tools in the service of financial powers
– Technological neutrality of the Internet, and the inability of politicians to understand it: analogy with the advent of the printing press
– Freedom, immediacy, courage: “Should I go there?” “Are others going there?” Following passively in front of one's computer, or taking action
– Anonymous voices of social media – which thus can be manipulated, while the authorities have a public face
– In movements such as “The 132″ in Mexico: The risk of irrelevance and the difficulty of making decisions
– A third way, community media
– Information is still geographically localized, so publish guides to counteract official information
– After protests, use social media to support democratization
– In Senegal, the media workshop RFI warned the international community about potential tampering with elections, and the pressure that ensued has limited the scope of manipulation of the results
– Education for more effective use of citizen media
– Expressing oneself does not imply being heard, journalists still have their role
– Can liberal ideology tolerate difference?
– Who will require social media to fulfill their responsibilities?
– The ineffectiveness of censorship; for illegal content, prosecution is easier if it is not censored
Jillian C. York, of Global Voices and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, at the debate on the responsibilities of media, and their potential to support democracy (October 9, 2012): “Censorship is pointless”.
Tawakkol Karman, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, at the debate on the responsibilities of medias, and their potential to support democracy (October 9, 2012): “Fundamentally, there is a right to receive information”.
Meeting on “Immigration: Solidarity in Crisis?” at the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg, October 10, 2012
Links and selected highlights [fr]
- Non-governmental organization HRIC (Human Rights in China)
- Toolkit for intercultural dialogue, www.dialoguetoolkit.net
- Canadian information and activism site on immigration, BASICSnews.ca
- The example of the immigration policy of Portugal [fr] (welcomed by the OECD, [pdf])
- The organization ICORN (International Cities of Refuge Network), for writers and for those who are, in a larger sense, threatened
- The appeal of writers for peace [fr], by Boualem Sansal and David Grossmann
Tunisian blogger Lina Ben Mhenni receives the Alsatian Prize for Democratic Engagement
Additional activities
The aim of a larger audience had been proposed in meetings between writers and journalists, as well as a film festival, exhibitions, and various debates and conferences. Local and regional authorities provided the building, and in this context, the “Alsatian Prize for Democratic Engagement” [fr] was awarded to Tunisian blogger and activist Lina Ben Mhenni, who previously had already been honored in  “Best of Blogs 2011″ [fr].
Was there democracy at the forum?
A protester at the meeting organized by “Le Monde”, on the subject of the “Arab Spring”. October 9, 2012
Communication about debate sessions was limited, and the mandatory online registration process was closed too soon, which probably excluded a larger number of people who would have been interested. This “very institutional” forum (according to opening remarks)  was not a venue open to everyone [fr], but may have more closely resembled a Davos-style club discussion. There was also a small protest at the meeting organized by French newspaper “Le Monde”, on the theme of “The Arab Spring”.
Some people who had been approached about the Forum canceled their appearances : Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki [fr], a former medical student at the University of Strasbourg, cited scheduling conflict for his withdrawal. Guinean President Alpha Condé [fr], who was to have delivered the closing speech, probably preferred to avoid a demonstration which had been announced by his compatriots in the diaspora, who were outraged, and refused to allow him to present himself as a democrat.
On Tuesday the 9th, a demonstration by “Travellers” [fr] blocked the tram line, which connects the Palais de l'Europe to the Maison de la Région Alsace, for several hours.
Next year's meeting
The event is intended to take place annually. Has the challenge been met? To begin preparations earlier, should be one of the lessons learned from this first edition: within the nation of France, at institutions of the European Union, and among the common citizens.
After a session of the Forum at the Palais de l'Europe

author: Suzanne Lehn


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India: Conflict Over Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Continues · Global Voices
Lakshmi Sarah

The Atomic Power Project in Koodankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has started operations last month amidst protests (see Global Voices report). The plant has started generating electricity but the situation is becoming worse as arrests are still being carried out and protesters remain in jail. This week also marks a call for a fortnight of protests across India in solidarity with people’s struggle against the Nuclear Plant.
On Sunday, 14th of October, the revolutionary Democratic Front issued a statement condemning the illegal detention and, arrest on the members of an all-Indian fact finding team to Koodankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu. The team was detained at Nanguneri on the 12th of October, 20 km away from Koodankulam on charges of “illegal assembly”. After a daylong detention, the police charged them under different sections of Criminal Law Amendment Act. The team members have been taken to Palayamkottai prison.
According to Sanhati:
“The people of Koodankulam have been bravely fighting against the nuclear power plant which has come up in their homes and hearths for months now. The government instead of responding to their just demands and concerns for the immense security risk and the environmental hazard that this plant can cause on the surrounding area, has responded with the most cruel repression on the protesting masses. Their attempt to restrict and repress this fact-finding team also clearly shows how they do not want the people to speak out or even knows about the conditions in Koodankulam or about the valiant movement the people are fighting there. The government is simply trying to intimidate and throttle all voices of solidarity and support to the people fighting against Koodankulam nuclear plant.
Protesters across the nation send in their signatures to kudankulam, India, in solidarity with the anti nuclear campaign. Image by Dipti Desai. Copyright Demotix (15/03/2012)
Also on Sunday, the Socialist Janata (Democratic) Party in Kerala voiced support to people agitating against the proposed nuclear project at Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu.
Women from the protests are still in prison. Anitha S. writes about them in a post titled ‘Koodankulam women from prison: Tell everyone we are still here !:
Xavieramma said, “We are here so that the world will not see any more nuclear power plants that are dangerous and uneconomic… I saw that there are so many people in various parts of the country who are raising their protest. It is not just about losing their land and sea, but it is about the creation of spaces where life itself is in danger. Who would want to live in such places?”
As another woman Selvi said, “It is only after being part of the struggle that we realized that trying to establish one’s right to live as one wishes, pursuing traditional livelihoods and also questioning activities that are being implemented without consulting the people is equivalent to crime and sedition.”
As Sundari said, “We are here for a common cause- we are here for the world.
They wanted to tell the world that they are here, inside, locked up only physically within concrete and iron.
“Tell everyone we are still here”.
They are still in the Women’s Prison of Trichy, holding on to their vision of a world that is “free from one of the most toxic of human inventions”.

author: Lakshmi Sarah


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Libya: Bani Walid under violent siege · Global Voices
Davide Galati

Almost one year after Muammar Gaddafi's death, his former stronghold and heart of the Warfalla tribe, the town of Bani Walid, seems about to fall under the attacks of the Lybian army. Some sources [it] define its two week bloody siege as a ‘small genocide’. The operation is lead by armed militias and Islamist forces of Benghazi and Misratah, long time enemies of the Warfalla. It seems that medical and other essential supplies are now being prevented from entering the city, which is under rocket and mortar fire with some reports of toxic gas use. Twitter updates are under the #BANIWALID hashtag, while the International community seems unaware and/or disregarding this “cleansing” operation, which is clearly causing severe suffering to local population.

author: Davide Galati


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Pakistan: Developing Viewpoints on Malala Yousufzai · Global Voices
Kumail Ahmed

It has been ten days when Malala's story first came out on the global screen. Today, Malala has become a symbol for an enlightened  and moderate Pakistan. Her name is being eulogized in prose and poetry. People are praying for her better health. Malala can be found in every newspaper and every social media website in Pakistan.
Without doubt, this is the Golden Age for a modern progressive Pakistan – a country where girls have an equal right to get education.
Sabir Nazir writes in Dawn blogs:
The image of Malala on every chowk, newspaper, profile picture, status update and TV channel….. Let us celebrate this golden moment in the history of Pakistan that might not last for very long.
For the first time religious extremists, such as Taliban, are being vehemently criticised in the public. During an address to a public rally in Karachi, MQM's head, Mr. Altaf Hussain, described Taliban as ‘inhumane, stone age people’.
Moreover, Malala has helped in consolidating the anti-Taliban forces in Pakistan. Across the political landscape, people are on an outrage against Taliban:
Saman Jaffery comments:
“If Taliban is a mindset, then Malala is a mindset, too. It's a mindset of educated and empowered women.”
Ashwer Waqi, a participant of MQM's political rally in support of Malala Yousufzai comments:
The message is right here … all these people. They are condemning the act of the Taliban
Social media has applauded Malala's stance against religious terrorists. The following picture was shared on Nosheerwan's fan page:
Source: Facebook\Nosheerwan's Fan Page
More than 205 people shared this picture on Facebook. This was just one of the thousands of shares people made to show their love for this little angel.
Across the border, in India, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik constructed a sculpture to honour Malala. The following message was embossed on it:
“MALALA GET WELL SOON”
World famous American actress and director Angelina Joli proposed a Nobel Prize for Malala's determination for spreading girl education. She writes in her blog:
Still trying to understand, my children asked, “Why did those men think they needed to kill Malala?” I answered, “because an education is a powerful thing.”
Moreover, Government of Pakistan has planned to confer Sitara-e-Shujaat for her valour. A bounty of $1 million is also placed on the head of Taliban's leader involved in killing Malala.
Gedrosia tweets:
@Gedrosia: Proud of you #Malala – #Taliban you all can go to hell
The following two Urdu poetic verses have now being attributed to Malala. Years ago, Pakistan poet Habib Jalib wrote these verse for the assassinated prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. Saad Khalid shares [ur] these verese with us:
ڈرتے ہیں بندوقوں والے ایک نہتی لڑکی سے
پھیلے ہیں ہمت کے اُجالے ایک نہتی لڑکی سے
Gunmen are scared by an innocent girl
Radiance of hope spreads due to her
On the other end of the world, Mrs. Laura Bush, former first woman of United States compared Malala with Anne Frank.
Although Malala has been praised around the world and more specifically in Pakistan, an Anti-Malala Syndrome has also developed simultaneously.
People belonging to this school of thought either try to allude or delude Malala's achievement. They are trying to create a soft corner for such terrorist act in the minds of the commoners. Jahanzaib Haque has written a detail blog where he elucidates tactics Taliban-sympathisers use to debase Malala.
Their central thesis revolves around the following self-created conspiracy theories:
1) Attack on Malala was purposefully perpetrated by the United States
Taliban sympathizers try to equate Taliban's attack on Malala attack with US drone attacks in the Waziristan region in Pakistan (see Global Voices report). A fake picture was shared on twitter that shows an innocent girl who is sitting on a wheel chair:
Fake picture of an innocent girl depicted as being injured in a drone. Source: @Khuram_PTI
Text in the picture reads:
Innocent girl Laiba, who was injured in a drone attack, questions the Pakistani nation!!
“Oh! The people of Pakistan, am I less innocent than Malala or is my patriotism under question? [If not] then why isn't anyone speaking for me? Is this because United States is responsible for this act?”
Let Us Build Pakistan (LUBP) debunked this picture. In reality, the girl lost her limbs in a suicide attack perpetrated by terrorists while she was doing shopping for the Muslim festival of Eid in November 2008.
2) Malala maligned Islamic symbols
Another fake picture that spread like fire is a deliberate concoction in Malala's memorable diary that tells about the degradation of girl education and destruction of schools during the Taliban rule in Swat.
The message in the picture reads:
False Propaganda about Malala's diary. Source: Facebook\Hasan Nisar
Malala wrote none of the following statements in her diary:
“Seeing a veil reminds me of the Stone Age, and a beard reminds me of a Pharaoh”
This is a false propaganda, which is being carried out by Taliban-supporters ans those who are against woman education.
Hasan Nisar wrote on his facebook page:
People are doing propaganda against Malala, by spreading false information, and by other cheap stunts.
3) Attacks on Malala is a diversion tactics
Yet another perceptive says attack on Malala is a ‘deliberate attempt‘ to divert Muslim attention from the recent blasphemy film.
Twitter users gave the following reactions to such ‘absurd theories‘ [ur] :
@arslajawaid: hameful *that* conspiracy theorists label#Malala a US spy/CIA agent. Shes just a child who showd us up with her courage.inferioritycomplex?
@Anas_Abbas: World is praying for Malala from West to India but Pakistanis are busy classifying her CIA agent as she didn't have Aafia's credentials.
@adeel_azhar: So the extremist mindset trying to prove#malala is herself a CIA agent..wonder what's next Malala, a freemason? Malala a devil worshipper?
@MhwshB: Haan haan. Bana do Malala ko yahoodi, CIA, RAW agent. Pehle goli maro, phir us ko agent keh do. Bas TTP ko na kehna kuch. Khabees.
@MhwshB: Yes! Yes! Now make her a Jew, make her a CIA or RAW agent. First shoot her, and then call her an agent. Just don't say anything to TTP. Pathetic!
An apt response to all such conspiracy theories is given by Nosheerwan on his face book page:
“People who are saying that Malala is an US agent are accomplishing nothing other than giving US agents a good name.”
Malala's love for education will continue to reverberant in the hearts of the peace-loving global majority:
Source: @LuvVictoria_XOX

author: Kumail Ahmed


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Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica Continue on the Road to 2014 World Cup · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

Tuesday, October 16 marked the last matches in the third round of the Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) qualification competition for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Because the Federation is one of the largest (due to the amount of islands), the qualification consists of three rounds where six teams rank for a final round called ‘the Hexagonal‘. Those six teams will fight for three and half tickets to the World Cup.
With the classification of these six teams, a qualifying round two years in the making has started to take shape. Fernando Palomo (@Palomo_Espn) [es] lists the six ranking countries in this Tweet:
@Palomo_Espn: México, Honduras, Panamá, Estados Unidos, Costa Rica, Jamaica entran al Hexagonal de Concacaf.
@Palomo_Espn: Mexico, Honduras, Panama, the United States, Costa Rica, Jamaica form the Hexagonal of Concacaf.
Thus three Central American countries enter among the six best in the Federation.
Football fans on various social networks have been discussing the qualification matches. The “marea roja” or the “red tide” (the name that followers of the Panamanian selection identify with), for example, took over Twitter last Friday and managed to create a global trending topic under the label “Somos Marea Roja” [es] (We Are the Red Tide).
Panama The Red Tide is with You, image shared by José A. Balmaceda A. (@elbalma507) on Twitter
October 16 was no exception, and although Panama dealt with an agonizing tie in Cuba, Panamanians celebrated their entry to the Hexagonal in the streets and on social networks. Felipe Baloy (@pinbaloy23) [es], the captain of the Panamanian team, posted on his account:
@pinbaloy23: Panama Disfruten el pase a la Hexagonal ya habra tiempo de ver q se hizo mal y q se hizo bien y trabajaremos para corregir, objetivo cumplido
@pinbaloy23: Panama Enjoy the spot in the Hexagonal. There will be time to see what was done wrong and what was done right and we will work to correct it, objective accomplished
Meanwhile Honduras, which needed a win to classify, crushed Canada in San Pedro Sula with a final score of 8-1. Honduran fans also expressed their joy on social networks, like Héctor Martínez (@heremaga2009) [es]:
@heremaga2009: Buenos días.. Despertando después de esa borrachera de goles de #Honduras ayer ante#Canadá y darle esa alegría a ese pueblo q lo necesita.
@heremaga2009: Good morning.. Waking up after that inebriation of goals by #Honduras yesterday against #Canadá and the joy that the team gave to this nation which needs it.
Costa Rica also qualified in a crushing manner beating Guyana 7-0 in San Jose. Joel Campbell (@joel_campbell12) [es], a promising young Costa Rican footballer, commented after the game:
@joel_campbell12: Primer objetivo cumplido, pero esto apenas empieza, la meta es el mundial de Brasil, juntos llegaremos, gracias por tanto Costa Rica!
@joel_campbell12: First objective completed, but this is just the beginning, the goal is the World Cup in Brazil, together we'll make it together, thank you for everything Costa Rica!
The Hexagonal begins in February 2013 and will certainly be full of surprises and more activity on social network sites. The table is set.

author: Ariel Moreno


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Panama: TEDxPanamaCity 2012 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Porto Diao [es] reviews TEDxPanamaCity 2012, an independently organized TED event held on October 10, 2012. The post lists the best five conferences, providing a short overview of each one. It also shares several photos of the event.


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Russia: A Ponzi Scheme to Destroy the Opposition’s Coordinating Council? · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

The election of the Russian opposition's “Coordinating Council” is set to take place in just one day. Voter registration is now closed and more than 200 candidates will compete for 45 spots in a 48-hour vote, beginning October 20. The majority of those candidates recently participated in three weeks of televised debates [ru], aired on the oppositionist-friendly Dozhd TV channel. Once all verifications are completed by Saturday, the electorate could surpass 165 thousand people. Anticipation and spirits are running high, as the opposition is poised at last to establish for itself a formal coordinating body, relying primarily on the Internet to marshal and manage this grand project.
There are storm clouds rolling in, however, and the promise of a democratic triumph for the protest movement could be faltering, thanks mainly to the unsavory scheming of one of Russia's most infamous and odious characters: Sergei Mavrodi, the founder of the MMM series of pyramid schemes. Throughout the 1990s, MMM defrauded millions of Russian investors of their life savings, a crime for which Mavrodi ultimately served over four years in prison. After his incarceration, he amazingly resurrected MMM, first openly as a ponzi scheme (which is not illegal in Russia), and later as a political party. Mavrodi's platform is vague, to put it gently, but I can tell you that the organization's premise involves instigating a financial collapse that somehow makes MMM the dominant political force in Russia. (When infox.ru asked [ru] him why he was meddling in the opposition's elections, Mavrodi ranted wildly against “circus” “swindlers” and declared that MMM is Russia's “only real political force.”)
Sergei Mavrodi, screenshot from one of his YouTube videos, 11 October 2012.
Choking on Candidates
Mavrodi's attack on the Coordinating Council election has come on two fronts: candidate and voter registration. First, MMM tried to pack the list of candidates with 64 of its own (disguised) representatives. Leonid Volkov and the opposition's Election Commission realized the ploy only after 53 of Mavrodi's “zombies” had slipped through and successfully submitted the “voluntary” 10,000-ruble (325 USD) candidate-registration fee. Volkov and the Commission identified MMM's people by singling out all applicants whose personal information was limited to “I am an ordinary person.” This, Mavrodi later revealed openly, was intended to be how MMM's voters would later know whom to support in the election.
On September 20, the Election Commission denied [ru] candidate registration to all individuals considered to be Mavrodi's operatives, primarily on the grounds that they misrepresented themselves by declining to acknowledge their ties to MMM.
In response, Mavrodi immediately accused the opposition of robbing MMM of thousands of dollars in registration fees. In a homemade video [ru], he mocked the Coordinating Council's election process, and told his investors that Volkov had stolen from them.
Writing in his LiveJournal, Volkov answered in kind:
А вот все-таки, конечно, грустно: вот этот человек, он очевидно сумасшедший и очевидно жулик, он 20 лет занимается мошенничеством, разводя на бабки дебилов, не понимающих разницы между арифметической и геометрической прогрессией […], он плохо говорит и ужасно выглядит.
It's really quite sad, of course: here's this person, and he's clearly insane and obviously a cardsharp. He's been swindling people for twenty years, making money off morons who don't understand the differences between arithmetic and geometric exponents […]. He speaks poorly and he looks awful.
Volkov went on to ask why the Election Commission should have to refund MMM any money, and argued that Mavrodi had apparently embezzled the funds from his investors, at any rate. Volkov also proposed (perhaps as a joke) that MMM's orphaned registration fees might be spent on bolstering the Election Commission's defenses against DDoS attacks. “[It would be] the first time in twenty years that [MMM] money would go to something useful,” he quipped.
Five days later, the Commission established a refunds procedure [ru] available to Mavrodi's rejected people (as well as other banned candidates). This, however, didn't prevent MMM representatives (Volkov says [ru] three, the Prosecutor General's Office says sixty-four) from appealing to police and accusing the Commission of fraud. On October 17, the Prosecutor's Office formally opened a criminal case [ru] against the opposition's Election Commission on the grounds that it defrauded MMM's people of more than 20 thousand dollars.
While there is disagreement about the actual size of the total registration fees in question, the rub is that the MMM candidates paid in bank money orders. In other words, the Commission is incapable of returning the funds without the bank routing information of MMM's rejected candidates. Rather than provide this information to the Commission, MMM has instead convinced federal prosecutors to open a criminal investigation!
Voter Registration
While Mavrodi's meddling in the candidates pool has sparked this latest run-in with the law (which Volkov is convinced is a pretext to search [ru] the Commission's physical offices), MMM's voter registration scheme poses a far greater threat to the election.
Leonid Volkov, screenshot from YouTube, 17 October 2012.
Bloggers and journalists have poured over the Election Commission's web traffic statistics (which Volkov has made partially transparent [ru]), trying to gauge MMM's penetration of voter registration. Conservative estimates hold that Mavrodi's people have captured roughly 15% [ru] of the electorate, granting them a sizable but not decisive influence over the vote. Others, like Kommersant's Dmitri Butrin, put that figure closer to 30% [ru] (depending on whom among the already registered voters the Commission ultimately verifies). While precise numbers are hard to determine, the evidence of MMM's presence is irrefutable. (Volkov himself acknowledged [ru] that recent spikes in registration were largely the result of an MMM initiative.) Mavrodi's personal website, for instance, referred over 100,000 visitors to cvk.org (the Commission's webpage) in September and October. (To create such traffic, Mavrodi restricted [ru] access to the MMM website, requiring his own investors to register for the Coordinating Council election, in order to enter MMM's portal.)
Some commentators, like Vedomosti newspaper's editorial desk, are convinced that Mavrodi is working in league with the Kremlin. “He's got something worth selling to the state,” that publication said [ru] of his slavish investors. Others, like Butrin, are prepared to view [ru] MMM as a kind of religious sect that's opposed both to Russia's “protest movement” and its federal government.
The pro-government blogger camp has done its best to exploit the election's MMM-inspired scandals. Viktor Levanov used the federal prosecutors’ criminal case to launch a wider critique [ru] against Volkov's accounting practices, scrutinizing the election's outreach expenses, some of which he believes may have trickled down into the wallets of prominent oppositionists. Former NASHI spokesperson Kristina Potupchik cited Levanov's post, and added [ru] her own questions about 800 thousand rubles (26 thousand USD) that were apparently paid to Dozhd TV to finance coverage of the opposition's debates. Stanislav Apetian also addressed [ru] suspicious web traffic to and from cvk.org.
Volkov's response to the MMM crisis has been optimistic, as well as defeatist. He has been vague in explaining how the Commission might weed out Mavrodi's voters, seemingly asking the public to take it on faith that justice will be done. Indeed, when it comes to neutralizing the MMM “zombie” voters, Volkov's pronouncements have orbited a single idea: the opposition's real supporters must participate maximally, if Mavrodi's scheme is to be overwhelmed and defeated. In other words, the fate of the election hinges on voter turnout.
The same, of course, could be said of Mavrodi's bizarre gambit.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Singapore Tightens Rules on Casinos · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Singapore is revising its casino rules to discourage low-income groups and the jobless from gambling. After weeks of consultation, the government has filed the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill which would empower authorities to restrict the entry of ‘financially vulnerable’ individuals in casino gaming centers. The provision as stated in a government press release:
Committees of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) will be empowered to issue visit limits to local, financially vulnerable casino patrons who visit the casinos frequently. Families and individuals may also apply for visit limits in addition to the current family and voluntary self-exclusion.
Provisional family exclusion orders can be made if there is a need to act urgently to protect the family from further severe harm. Exclusion orders can also be made if respondents to the orders cannot be located or are uncooperative.
At present, Singapore locals and permanent residents must pay an entry levy of S$100 and annual entry levy of S$2,000 if they want to play in the casinos. In the past 18 months, the government earned $288 million from casino levies. Asia Singapore notes the casino boom in Singapore:
Singapore Marina Bay Sands. Photo from Flickr page of milpool79
Although they are supposedly meant for tourists, many residents visit and many are also addicted to gambling there.
If you take $100 as the cost of entry to casino by residents, it makes $2.88 million visits in 18 months (Actually many visits cost less because there is a $2,000 yearly pass so number of visits is much higher. I do not know any other attraction this much popular in Singapore!
Chun Han Wong writes that gambling has actually declined in Singapore but he is worried about the gambling addiction affecting low-income residents:
… the social experiment has yielded mixed results, pressuring authorities to do more to contain gambling ills even as the global slowdown and rising competition threaten growth in the country's fledgling casino industry.
…the feared rise in organized crime never materialized, and gambling overall in the city-state has actually declined. But government leaders are concerned about surveys that indicate more low-income residents are betting larger sums and frequent gamblers are playing more often, while more people are seeking counseling for gambling troubles. Anecdotal reports of problem gamblers in the local media—some of whom have turned to crime to fund their gambling addictions—have also alarmed people.
Roger Poh advises the government to use the casino revenues to help the elderly:
These are astronomical sums so naturally many people have been wondering what the government has been doing with this windfall. It claims that the bonanza is used to provide support and care for Singaporeans.
Now I don’t think many people are satisfied with this claim. Can the government spell out specifically how it has been using this bonanza to help Singaporeans?
If there is one group of people the bonanza can be of tremendous help, the elderly poor surely rank high up on the list of priorities.
Loh and Behold thinks the casino center has become Singapore’s new icon:
…the casinos are operating in full force now and Marina Bay Sands is fast replacing the Merlion as our national icon, not that the hermaphrodite Merlion is anything to be proud of really, but at least it is original and unique.
Isn’t that great? Ours must be the only country in the world with a casino as our national emblem or symbol. (If you don’t believe me, just do an online search on “Singapore” and see what picture shows up.)
Convex Set wants more ‘effective barriers’ to ‘prevent gambling-led destitution’:
It strikes me that while the casinos were advertised to be an additional draw in our tourism portfolio, with an “effective” barrier to locals frittering away their hard-earned (and low by international standards) salaries in the form of levies, they have nevertheless “been very effective at drawing locals”.
I believe that this is undesirable and it is important that more effective barriers to entry be put up to prevent gambling-led destitution.
I think we have to be smarter about dealing with the gambling problem. What we have is grossly insufficient.


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Australia: PM Julia Gillard’s Misogyny Speech Sparks a War of Words · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

A fifteen-minute parliamentary speech rarely gets local attention, much less a massive global audience. On 8 October 2012, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s attack on Opposition leader Tony Abbott as sexist and misogynist was a rare exception. The YouTube versions have had nearly 2.5 million views, with countless others on other websites.
However, a sideshow has emerged over the meaning of the word ‘misogyny’. William Steed explained at crikey.com:
Julia Gillard has been criticised for changing the definition of misogynist to suit her attack on Tony Abbott. Now, Macquarie Dictionary have updated their entry for ‘misogyny’, seemingly to reflect Gillard’s usage.
A new meaning of ‘entrenched prejudice against women’ has been added to the traditional definition of hatred of women’ by Australian dictionary Macquarie.
Prominent opposition parliamentarian Barnaby Joyce hinted at a conspiracy of some sort:
@Barnaby_Joyce: How wonderfully convenient, Macquarie Dictionary changes definition “misogyny” to suit PM Gillard's misuse of term.
Megan Clement-Couzner at the blog the conversation, does not see the need to quibble about semantics:
I have always understood and used the word in its old sense, exactly a hatred of women. And I remain convinced that Tony Abbott, along with many others, is worthy of such a label.
On the other hand, Ilana Cooper has a sense of loss:
@ilanacoops: Definition of #misogyny broadened in the Macquarie dictionary. What a sad time for #Australian #politics
In a lengthy discussion of the issue, Neil’s Final Decade, has had a change of mind:
I was conservative in my attitude to the word misogyny last time I mentioned it , endorsing Annabel Crabb’s opinion that misogyny was a “big call” as an accurate descriptor for Tony Abbott. She cited the Oxford Dictionary. However, the illustrative citation on the Oxford Dictionary web site is “she felt she was struggling against thinly disguised misogyny” – which perhaps reflects, if you think about it, more the sense in which Julia Gillard and others have used the word.
He explains his modified view:
On reflection, whether you like it or not, it is clear that a combination of contemporary usage and academic specialist usage has extended (or weakened?) the meaning of the word, and that this predates what happened a few days ago in the Australian parliament.
The Oxford dictionaries have also become caught up in this war of words. In fact Rachel Eldred believes that it is not a new change:
@racheldred: Interesting that the Oxford dictionary online already includes prejudice against women in its definition of misogyny. ½
Mike Seccombe writes in Word Of The Day on the Global Mail:
Words change their meanings over time, through usage. These days, “misogynist” is sort of an amped-up version of “sexist”.
Nevertheless he wants to return to the political rather than the lexical issue:
No, the real indicator of misogyny came in Abbott’s suggestion that women — all women — are unsuited to the public domain  and that it was biologically predestined that men should run the show.
Unless you pay for the complete internet version of the Oxford, it may take some legwork to fact check this one, as Andrew points out in his comment on Seccombe’s post:
You need to see the full oxford online edition available by subscription. If you become a member of a state library or the National Library (no cost) you can access it or if you are a uni student uni libraries usually have access.
One of the consequences of this fracas is that lots of people have discovered the word ‘misandry’. You guessed it – that’s ‘hatred of men’. K.R. O'Connell is all for equality:
@RorRedRor: They are participating in Misandry by NOT doing Same for it a Misogyny! Obviously a pack of #SEXISTS  at the Macquarie Dictionary! #Equality
Madbrain Rudesby lives up to his pseudonym as well as his handle:
@Kaptain_Kaos: @crikey_news the macquarie dictionary is a piece of shit.
As Absolutely Fabulous would say: “Oh dear, mr. dictionary seems to have deserted us again”.
The issues of trolling and online civility are ongoing debates in Australia. We’ll keep you posted.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Chad: ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ Winner & Human Rights Activist Attacked  at Home · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

DJAMIL AHMAT in Chad reports that Jacqueline Moudeina, a lawyer, human rights activist  and winner of  an Alternative Nobel Prize Award  was attacked at her home (fr) last night (October 19). Moudeina is the legal representative of the victims of the Hissène Habré regime since 2000. Other HR activists were arrested earlier this month in Chad.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
China: Campaign to End the Unconstitutional Re-education Through Labour System · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The injustice faced by 25-year-old Ren Jianyu, a village official in Pang Shui county, Chongqing province, who was sentenced to two years labour education for blogging has brought the Re-education Through Labour System into public spotlight. Currently, in October 2012, there are more than 60 thousand people detained in labour education camps all over the country and opinion leaders are calling for an end to the unconstitutional system.
2 years re-education labour for blogging
Ren Jianyu, a graduate from Chongqing Wenli College started his career as a village teacher in Pang Shui County in 2008. Later, in 2009, he decided to apply for the position of village official and began to blog about the frustration he faced in handling village affairs under the pseudo name Xiao Ben. In 2011, he started commenting on current issues on social media platforms and some of his micro-blogs such as “this society is so full of evil people while good people have bad luck. The mission of our generation is to eradicate the evil system and protect goodness”, have become evidence of “state sedition”. (via report from infzm.com [zh])
Ren Jianyu's photo. Public domain photo.
On 18 of August 2011, he was arrested by Pang Shui Police. Even though the police reported that “there was no evidence that Ren had committed state sedition” and the People's Procuratorate of Chongqing city decided to drop the charge, the Chongqing Re-education Through Labour Committee decided to sentence Ren to two years labour re-education on 23 of September 2011. The so-called evidence of “state sedition” presented by the committee was Ren's micro-blog comments.
Ren tried to file for appeal but no lawyers dared to take up the case until June 2012. Three months after former Chongqing CCP leader Bo Xilai stepped down, Beijing lawyer Pu Zhiqiang approached Ren and took up the appeal case.
As the details of the case were exposed, major CCP mouthpieces, including Global Times and the People's Daily also published commentaries to criticize the Chongqing Committee's decision and call for more freedom of expression.
More than 60 thousands still detained in Re-education Labour Camps
Ren is only one of the 60 thousand plus victims of the Re-education through Labour System who are punished directly by the police authorities rather than through the judicial system. According to the report on ND Daily [zh], currently more than 60 thousand people are detained in Re-education labour camps all over the country and the Central Legal Reform Committee admitted in October 9, 2012 that the System has some procedure defects and should be reformed. While some are pondering  whether or not the progressive gesture is a by-product of the power struggle before the up-coming 18th CCP Congress, online opinion leaders, in particular those from the legal field, are pushing for an end to the system rather than reform. 21ccom.net posted an opinion piece [zh] written by Feng Yuxiong:
Protest against the Re-education Through Labour System. Photo from Human Rights Campaign in China.
被劳教的都是些什么人，那些人到底危害了谁的利益？根据学者研究，劳教制度发挥作用的地方主要是这么几种：处罚那些多次违法且屡教不改者，比如多次盗窃，寻衅滋事的人；关押上访维权的人；出于维稳需要，处罚不听话者，如在房屋拆迁、黄金开采、户口管理、出租车管理等方面违反了地方政府的规定的那些人；刑事案件中因证据不足、案情复杂等原因难以移送起诉的人；为创收做贡献，对卖淫、嫖娼、聚赌人员以劳教相威胁，收取高额罚款。
除了第一类惯偷惯犯跟社会安全有关外，其它几类均属于为维护某些既得利益集团和政府部门利益而侵害人权的行为。此时的公安机关，是某些人的家丁，而不是人民利益的维护者。劳教制度之所以无法改革，就是因为公安机关的强力阻挠。
Who are the people sentenced to re-education through labour? Whose interests had they harmed? According to existing research, the re-education through labour system punishes those people who: refuse to correct their wrongs, such as stealing, causing public disorder; visit petitioners; those who disobey the local government in demolition, mining, household registration, taxi management etc.; suspects of criminal cases who have not been prosecuted because of lack of evidence; those who are engaged in gambling and prostituting activities.
Apart from stealing, which involves public interest, all the above mentioned prosecutions are in violation of human rights as the sole objective is to protect the existing interest bloc and government sectors. The police authorities become some people's servants rather than defenders of people's interests. The reason why the central government has failed to reform the re-education through labour system is because of the strong opposition from police authorities.
劳教作为脱胎于威权时代的一种社会控制方法，与法治理念格格不入。如果我们仅仅因为担心社会秩序，而容忍一个明显违法的不正当制度长期存在，那只能说明，我们的执政者对法治根本没有任何信心，所谓一切政党、国家机关和社会团体的活动必须置于宪法法律之下根本就是一句空话。如果当政者尚且玩弄法律，怎么能要求人民信赖法律、遵守法律?
实际上，目前中国的劳教制度无论是从被劳教人数还是从业人员规模看，都处于强化阶段，这是正在发生的事实，公众舆论热火朝天地讨论改革还是废除，没有影响这一进程。由于各种改革方案始终不能被各方接受，改革就只能一再搁浅，于是劳教制度就心安理得地存在并强化着，这实在是莫大的悲剧。没有最佳改革方案就只能维持现状，这种思路本身就是有问题的，既然劳教制度违法、违宪，是彻彻底底的恶劣制度，我们就必须立刻无条件废止，至于以后是建立违法行为矫治制度，还是保安处分制度，还是别的什么制度，都要留待废除之后再做讨论。
Re-education through labour is a social control mechanism developed from the authoritarian era. It is at odds with the idea of “rule of law”. If we allow such an illegal system to exist because of social stability concerns, it indicates that those in power show a lack of confidence in the law. The over-arching constitution becomes a piece of paper. If the ruling elites are manipulating the law, how can people live by the law?
In fact, if we take a closer look at the number of detainees and staff, the Re-education through Labour System has been expanding even though the public are debating whether to reform the system or to abolish it. In the end, the debate will lead to the maintenance of the status quo. If the Re-education Through Labour system is against the law and constitution, it is an evil system and we have to abolish it with no other conditions. If we have to introduce other systems to fill in the gap, that should be another discussion.
An end to the unconstitutional system
Feng's opinion has a lot of echoes in social media. Below are my picks of the discussion [zh]:
hainiesi：两年前，李庄还是名被认为“臭名召著”的黑律师，任建宇也是被认为是个“愤青”。两年后，李庄和任建宇成了结束中国社会左转和废除中国劳教制度的关键人物，中国这社会，就是有那么多神奇的事说不清。我们对未来应该乐观，废除劳教制度，放宽新闻审查，去毛化毛主席入土为安，如此中国社会才有新纪元。
hainiesi: Two years ago, Li Zhuang was labelled as “notorious black lawyer” and Ren Jianyu as “Angry Youth”. Two years later, they become the key person to abolish the Re-education through Labour System. The Chinese society is so full of strange happenings. We should be optimistic for the future. Abolish the Re-education Through Labour System, grant freedom to press and let Mao Tsedong died in peace. Then we can enter a new era.
斯伟江￼：劳教手段被公安有时滥用，恐怕是不争的事实，在重庆，无非是极端化了，譬如一坨屎案或任建宇案，但，更多的是，打民警一耳光被劳教，阻扰执法被劳教等，本身行为人有过错，但罪不至被限制人身自由一年的例子，这种才最普遍。在法制最发达地区上海都如此，我想其他地方绝对不会比上海状况好。
斯伟江: It is an inarguable fact that the police authorities have abused their power through the Re-education through Labour system. In Chongqing, cases like Ren Jianyu are very extreme. However, a majority of the cases involve very minor offenses such as obstructing police officers’ duty. The offenders do something wrong, but one year restriction of freedom is too much. Such cases are very common in Shanghai, which has better respect of the legal system. Other areas would be far worse than Shanghai.
何兵￼￼：【劳教】我导师北大姜明安教授说，劳教过大于功，但确实能教育人。我开玩笑说，您满口湖南话，这么多北京人，这么多年，也没把您教育过来。如把您放回湖南，一堆湖南人在一起，有指望吗？劳教场所“坏人”成堆？所谓教育，全是骗人。劳教培养着仇恨和复仇，培育着政权的掘墓人。
何兵: My teacher, Jiang Mingan from Beida said that Re-education through Labour does more wrong than good, but it is effective to “re-educate” people. I jokingly said that, listen to your Hunan accent, living among with Beijing people for so many years, you still could not correct your accent. If I put you back together with Hunan people, will that give you a better chance for correction? There are so many “bad people” in Re-education camp, how can you get education? It is a place for nourishing resentment and hatred – grave diggers for the rulers.
租售情报-上海别墅版￼：首先想被劳教的都是什么人！大部分都是进京告状的！为何要进京告状，因为地方腐败，官官相护！几千年了，还是如此，你说中国还有希望吗？
租售情报-上海别墅版 Most of the re-educated are petitioners. Why do they petition? Because of local corruption. The officials are covering for each other. It has been like this for thousands of years. Do we still have hope?
肖文军律师：一直强调要废除“劳教”，但其实法律上劳教早已被废除，不合法，但这样被废除不合法制度却保持旺盛生命力，每一起劳教都是公权力严重违法犯罪的行为，但却无人被追究，这只能见证中国法律的苍白无力。废除劳教根本不需要什么程序，什么法律，认可劳教合理存在，就是对法律否定，劳教根本不是废除问题
肖文军律师: We have been advocating for the abolition of “Re-education Through Labour”. Actually, it has been abolished as the system is illegal. It does not have legal grounds. But such an illegal system continues to survive and grow. Each prosecution is against the law but no one is taking the responsibility. It reflects how weak our legal system is. We don't need a procedure or another set of laws to abolish the system. Its existence is a denial of the rule of law. It is not an issue of abolition.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Colombia: The “Lleras Law” and Content Creation · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages, except when otherwise noted.]
As opposed to a few months ago, when it could be seen often in the Spanish-speaking twitterverse, #LeyLleras [es] is currently not a popular hashtag. However, the problem caused by the adoption of this Colombian copyright law persists under the revamped Lleras Law 2.0 [en; named after Colombian politician Germán Vargas Lleras].
To get an idea of what the Lleras Law was and how the subject has evolved up to now, Pilar Sáenz of the Karisma Foundation gives us a brief summary of the matter:
Even within the realm of various Colombian institutions there is discrepancy about the Lleras Law. So much so that Senator Jorge Robledo filed suit against the law before the Constitutional Court in May. However, the Attorney General has contested that the law respects constitutional principles.
But how is day-to-day internet use of Colombians under threat with this law? David Jaúregui of the blog En Zilencio wrote a long post analyzing various aspects of the law. Among these we find:
uno de los mayores inconvenientes que tiene la ley es que se toma el atrevimiento de decirle a los colombianos usuarios de internet cómo deben utilizar la red diciéndoles (más o menos, en resumidas cuentas) qué pueden hacer y que no […el artículo 13 dice] incluso si el video, la canción, la obra, o lo que sea que sea ya está en la red, no está permitido (al menos, hoy por hoy) legalmente compartirlo;
Then he covers another aspect perhaps only rarely discussed. According to David, this law, more than taking care of copyrights in Colombia, protects and promotes copyrights of American companies and people in Colombia:
El artículo 21 redujo la obligación de los canales de transmitir producciones nacionales del 50 al 30 % los fines de semana (días de la semana en que por obvias razones la audiencia es mucho mayor). Es decir, si mi interpretación no es muy “mal intencionada”, que parte del tratado de libre comercio es regalar nuestro espacio de televisión nacional para que ellos tengan más cabida y por supuesto más regalías
In the blog El que Piensa Gana [Whoever Thinks, Wins], they also call attention to another activity that could be affected by the Lleras Law, that of community radio, or community broadcasting stations:
Uno de los grandes problemas de las emisoras comunitarias son los exagerados cobros que se les imponen por el uso del espectro electromagnético y por los derechos de autor de la música que utilizan, que deben cancelar a Sayco y Acinpro, situación que podría ser más compleja con la llegada de la recién impuesta Ley Lleras. A esto se suman las prohibiciones tales como el no cobro de pauta en las elecciones regionales, porque según la Ley Anticorrupción, los medios comunitarios deben prestar su servicio de manera gratuita.
Another aspect that will be seriously compromised in its development is content creation of any type. To delve into this topic, Global Voices in Spanish, in conjunction with producer Armadillo Media TV, coordinated the making of a video that reflects upon how the creativity of Colombian internet users might be affected by Law 1520, or the Lleras Law 2.0.
This matter will take a while. Recently, various civil organizations in Colombia have started [en] “citizen interventions” as part of the process of filing another lawsuit of unconstitutionality [en] against Law 1520, this time from Senator Camilo Romero. These “interventions” are what Juan Pablo Arteaga proposed in an analysis (1 and 2) of his various implementation models in the blog Derecho Comparativo [Comparative Law]. Juan Pablo finalizes his writing with a call:
hago un llamado al gobierno nacional y a los legisladores a que tengan en cuenta las distintas posibilidades existentes de implementación de la regulación de derechos de autor. Asimismo, los insto a ustedes, a la sociedad civil, a construir una discusión informada y dinámica sobre los modos de regulación de internet con miras a apoyar una regulación que presente un equilibrio entre los derechos de autor y los derechos de nosotros (los usuarios de internet).

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Colombian Senator Removed and Disqualified, Triumph for Social Networks? · Global Voices
Lully

On October 16, 2012 the Attorney General's Office removed Senator Eduardo Merlano from office, disqualifying him from holding public office for 10 years after finding him guilty of taking advantage of his position as senator to avoid a traffic ticket. Merlano refused to take a breathalyzer test last May in Barranquilla, when he was caught driving without a license and allegedly intoxicated.
The following video shows Merlano refusing to meet the requirements of security officers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxqOMxCNm7Y
News of the dismissal was well received among Colombian netizens [es], who attributed the achievement to an online campaign [es] calling for Senator Merlano to resign. His name became a trending topic on Twitter with the hashtags #ChaoMerlano [es] and #Merlano [es].
From Bogota, Daniel E. (@skovaretta) [es] comments:
@skovaretta: Es innegable que el rechazo masivo por las redes sociales aceleró la destitución de Merlano…desde las redes podemos empujar a la justicia
@skovaretta: It is undeniable that the massive rejection led by social networks accelerated the removal of Merlano…from the Internet we can enforce justice.
Stella Navarro (@stella_navarro) [es], in Medellin, celebrates citizens’ power:
@stella_navarro: No es simplemente que se inhabilité a #Merlano. Es sentir, como casi nunca ocurre en Colombia, que juntos podemos más que la corrupción.
@stella_navarro: It is not simply that #Merlano was disabled. It's the feeling, that almost never happens in Colombia, that together we can fight corruption.
Meanwhile user @SexoSinCensura2 [es] advises:
@sexoSinCensura2: redes sociales demuestran la fuerza de las opiniones de un pueblo, #unbuenconsejo no hacer jamás lo que hizo #merlano #chaomerlano
@sexoSinCensura2: social networks demonstrate the strength of peoples’ opinions, #unbuenconsejo (a good piece of advice) never do what [Merlano] did #merlano #chaomerlano
Lizeth Rojas (@Lizeth_R) [es] states:
@Lizeth_R: Se comprueba de nuevo la importancia de las opiniones en redes sociales.
#ChaoMerlano
@Lizeth_R: The importance of opinions on social network sites is proven once again. #ChaoMerlano
Daniella Aguilar (@AguilarDaniella) [es] emphasizes:
@AgularDaniella: Los colombianos pedíamos la renuncia de Merlano, pero nos salió aún mejor por la puerta de atrás, destituido e inhabilitado #ChaoMerlano
@AgularDaniella: We Colombians asked for Merlano's resignation, but it worked out even better for us through the back door, dismissed and disabled #ChaoMerlano
For his part, Anderson Useche (@AnderUseche) [es] congratulated the campaign aimed at the senator's resignation:
@AnderUseche: Felicidades a @renunciesenador ejemplo de la fuerza de las redes sociales, no bajar la guardia y seguir denunciando mas casos de corrupción
@AnderUseche: Congratulations to @renunciesenador (resign senator) an example of the power of social networks, remaining vigilant and continuing to report more cases of corruption.
But the controversy over the cause of the Merlano's dismissal has just begun. Twitter user @jfredys [es], as well as others [es], claims the interests of the Attorney General to be the primary motivation for the Senator Merlano's suspension. Miguel Silva Moyano (@SilvaMoyano) [es] and Chente (@Ekufar) [es] warned that Attorney General Alejandro Ordoñez Maldonado's [es] reasoning for the dismissal is based on his campaign for reelection as attorney general:
@SilvaMoyano, Los que hoy se están auto-atribuyendo la sanción a Merlano deberían saber que lo destituyó un Procurador en Campaña de reelección
@SilvaMoyano, Those who are self-attributing Merlano's suspension should know that an attorney general running for reelection dismissed him.
@Ekufar, “Inocencia en 2.0″ .Creer que #Merlano se fue por 20 trinos y NO por campaña del proCURAdor del JopusDoy
@Ekufar,”Innocence in 2.0″ .Thinking that #Merlano was dismissed because of 20 tweets and NOT because of the attorney general's campaign
For others this ‘good news’ has been hampered by the possible replacement [es] of Merlano, that has become a controversy [es] because it involves Astrid Sánchez Montes of Oca, the sister [es] of a supposed parapolitical. Internet users have also shown their dissatisfaction with many [es] other unsolved cases [es] of the Colombian justice system.

author: Lully


text:
Kuwait: “Demonstration will be met with Force” · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Anti-government protests are planned in Kuwait tomorrow. Ahmad Al Kandare tweets [ar]:
@AhmadAlkandare: Kuwaiti foreign minister: “We call upon the Syrian regime not to oppress and prevent peaceful demonstrations.” The Government of Kuwait: “Tomorrow's demonstration is prohibited and will be faced with force.”

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Lebanon: Who Killed Intelligence Chief Wissam Al Hassan?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syria, Iran, Hizbullah and Israel are all suspects in the death of Lebanon's chief intelligence chief Wissam Al Hassan, who was killed in a bomb explosion, which claimed the lives of eight people and wounded around 80 people, in Beirut yesterday [Oct 20].
Joyce Karam sums up the mood after the explosion:
@Joyce_Karam: Undoubtedly this is the worse day in #Lebanon since 14 Feb 2005 and 2006 war. Given regional + internal fragility,things can turn ugly.
She adds:
@Joyce_Karam: If there is any right time for a national unity government for #Lebanon, it is now. Highest risk for instability since 2005.
But as the tension in Lebanon rises, so do the fingers pointing the blame at – almost everyone.
Nervana blogs:
When it comes to the Middle East, the lack of transparency and accountability make it difficult to stay calm and rational and draw reasonable conclusions. In fact, political assassination in my part of the world is the fastest, easy way to settle the score and to create a foggy environment where the truth is deemed impossible to find. Nonetheless, I find it amusing that those whom in the past accused Al-Hassan of being an Israeli agent are now accusing Israel of standing behind his murder.
She then discusses possible scenarios of who could have pulled the assassination – and why.
Yesim Comert shares this photograph of an empty Beirut street on Twitter. She writes:
An empty street in Beirut shared on Twitter by Yasim Comert
@yesimcf: The beautiful streets of #Beirut are empty today after yesterday's car bomb explosion #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/vd51K6jg
Patrick Baz adds:
@Patrick_Baz:  #Beirut looks like a deserted city. Shame that Lebanese are divided as much as in the 80s it seems that nothing has changed since #Lebanon
Still on Twitter, the Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati mourns General Hassan. He writes:
@Najib_Mikati: General Wisam Hassan# a big loss to #Lebanon and myself he was a special & wise person. I ask God to rest his good soul in peace. N.M.
In another tweet, he announces:
@Najib_Mikati: My #resignation on #hold for the sake of Lebanon's stability. #Chaos is not an option for me! National Unity# a must 4 Lebanon's interest!
Tom Gara is not holding his breath:
@tomgara: A new civil war in Lebanon is like the death of Hosni Mubarak, everyone is constantly certain it's about to happen and it never does.
And Lebanese Kam shares a positive note:
@kamtweeting: Here's to my country, Lebanon, a land that never sleeps, a beacon of hope & peace. Tonight, tears are shed, & tomorrow…a better dream.


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Libya: Is Khamis Gaddafi Really Really Dead?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
Is Khamis Gaddafi dead? Really really dead that is. The question is still making the rounds exactly a year after the fall of his father Libyan dictator Muammar Al Gaddafi.
Journalist Mary Fitzgerald tweets:
@MaryFitzgeraldIT: After day of rumours #Libya national congress spox has told local TV channel Gaddafi's son Khamis was captured injured today & died later
And she adds:
@MaryFitzgeraldIT: Given Gaddafi's son Khamis reported captured/dead several times over past 20 months, not surprising many are waiting to see evidence #Libya
The LibyanYouthMovement remarks:
@ShababLibya: We will wait for pictures and continue to update everyone on the story. We all thought Khamis was dead! #Libya
And Huda notes:
@hudduh: Khamis has died more times than Kenny. Waiting for the inevitable mobile phone footage to confirm his capture/death. #Libya
NPR senior strategist Andy Carvin tweets:
@acarvin: Show us Khamis Gaddafi. Prove it. Until you do, he'll remain Kayser Soze. #libya
Meanwhile, Iyad El-Baghdadi predicts:
@iyad_elbaghdadi: Some douchebag creates & circulates a photoshopped image of dead Khamis #Gaddafi in 3… 2… #Libya
And Libyan AletheiaLibya comments:
@AletheiaLibya: If #Gaddafi “lives forever in the heart of Libyans”, it's only fair that Moussa Ibrahim & Khamis should live forever in #Libya's prisons.
Moussa Ibrahim was Gaddafi's spokesman. News reports today say he was captured in Tarhouna, south of the capital Tripoli.
Journalist Jenan Moussa calls for reason:
@jenanmoussa: Guys guys stop spreading rumors. I confirm that no one in #Libya can confirm news right now about Khamis Gaddafi
Only time will tell if Khamis Gaddafi will meet his father's fate anytime soon.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.


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Mauritania: Human Chain Asks “Who Rules Mauritania?”  · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

Photograph of the human chain posted by the February 25 Movement on Facebook
The February 25 movement, which opposes military rule in Mauritania, organised [ar] a human chain along the Gamal Abdul Naser street. Protesters taking part in the event carried posters with a question mark on them, reflecting the situation in Mauritania after the shooting [ar] of Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz where Mauritanians are asking “who shot the president” and “who is ruling the country now?”

author: أحمد جدو


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Portugal: Citizen Digital Activism · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted.]
This post is part of our Europe in Crisis [en] special coverage
The atmosphere of growing indignation lived in Portugal in face of austerity measures, imposed by government at the command of the troika, has served as the trigger for more and more initiatives that bring new takes on the potential of digital media in the service of citizens.
Free software against austerity
Two days after the presentation of the Proposed State Budget 2013 [en], on October 17 the National Association on Free Software (ANSOL) put out its “Campo das Cebolas Manifesto“, that denounces a series of “public tenders” for information communications technology that followed procedures “as horrible as they were illegal”, totaling €4 million. The manifesto analyzes the groups “complicit in the deficit” by way of the various people responsible for these and other acquisitions, and concludes:
A responsabilidade política, tal como as cebolas funciona por camadas. Camadas que uma sobre a outra recobrem, escondem, protegem de qualquer incómodo os núcleos em que se tomam as “micro-decisões”.
A culpa não é (sempre) do Governo.
Está na altura das camadas internas responderem pelas suas decisões, ou alternativamente, perderem o poder de decisão. Estes decisores devem justificar a opção pela exclusão de produtos concorrentes nos seus procedimentos de aquisição ou o Governo deve passar a tutelar as compras TIC das respetivas entidades.
Political responsibility, just like onions, works in tiers. Tiers that one on top of the other cover, hide and protect any discomfort with the tiers that make the ‘microdecisions’.
The [central] government is not always to blame.
It is time for internal tiers to respond for their decisions, or alternatively, to lose their decision-making power. These decision-makers should justify the choice to exclude competing products in acquisition procedures or the Government should start overseeing the ICT purchasing of each respective entity.
The Manifesto points to various successful alternatives of open source software adoption by big institutions, like the insurance company Tranquilidade that cut costs on licensing by 80% after adopting Linux in their workplaces.
While the government does not adopt these kind of alternatives, programers, designers and hackers for good have initiatives to develop new platforms that permit the dissemination of information about public spending and public policies, using their own means and following their own wishes.
Where does my money go?
Almost simultaneous with the presentation of the Proposed State Budget for 2013, Nuno Moniz launched the platform “Your state budget“. The application aims to clarify to taxpayers how their contributions in taxes are used, using available maps and budget developments, and including data on Public-Private Partnerships.
Your state budget for 2013 v1.0. Calculation made by unmarried taxpayer, gross income €10,000 and single household.
The graphic shows the distribution of the total value paid in taxes (in the central circle) in each of the existing 12 ministries. The ex-parliamentarian from Bloco de Esquerda and researcher José Soeiro commented on Facebook:
Vai mais dinheiro para a Defesa do que para a Justiça. Cultura desapareceu (há ali uns trocos dentro da Presidência do Conselho…). E a verba para a economia, que é onde deveria estar a criação de emprego (não dizem sempre que o desemprego “é o principal problema do país?”) é inferior à dos Negócios Estrangeiros ou à do Conselho de Ministros. (obviamente, demitam-se!)
More money goes to Defense than on Justice. Culture disappeared (there is some pocket change within the Presidency of the Council…). The allocation for economy, where there should be job creation (don't they always say that unemployment is “the principle problem of the country?”) is less than the Foreign Ministry or the Council of Ministers (obviously, fire yourselves!)
The technology used for the development of the application is Bubbletree Library from the Open Knowledge Foundation, JQuery Library, Raphaël and JQuery Bubble Popup by Max Vergelli.
So many houses without people
GeoDevolutas.org – Mapping empty and abandoned houses in Portugal.
With the eviction of Es.Col.A da Fontinha in April (reported [en] by Global Voices) the debate around abandoned real estate and urban degradation gained new ground. In Porto alone, there are more than 25,000 empty buildings, and it is in this city that GeoDevolutas is being launched on October 20, the last day of Future Places [en] Festival. GeoDevolutas is a collaborative mapping platform for empty properties that was developed by Transparência Hackday Portugal, with the support of Nodes and Manufactura Independente.
Drupal and OpenStreetMaps were used for its implementation, based on the Spanish example CasasTristes.org.
Another initiative that came about recently after the protest “Screw the Troika” on September 15, 2012, was Job for the Boys, a page dedicated to corruption, complaints, business, illicit enrichment, injustice and irregular practices in Portugal.
Future events
Image taken from the Facebook page of Future Places.
The Future Places [en] Festival on digital media and local culture is taking place in Porto October 17-20. The is the Festival's fifth year with artists, journalists, academics and activists taking part in an extensive program [en] of citizen labs and flash-symposiums. It is possible to follow along live on Twitter @futureplacespt and #futureplaces, as well as on Facebook.
On October 25th in Lisbon the second edition of Pirate Culture in the Information Society will take place, with the objective of debating “the ongoing political and economic dispute being fought internationally over information”. The event will bring together various organizations with links to public policies that regulate the production of culture, communications, and knowledge (like Creative Commons Portugal, the Movement Portuguese Pirate Party), and it will be transmitted live via  livestream.
Also in Lisbon on October 26-27, Cidadania 2.0 (Citizenship 2.0), a meeting that aims to “stimulate discussion on new forms of communication in the heart of Portuguese society”. Among the case studies to be presented, Portuguese standouts are  Demo.cratica, Município de Mirandela no Facebook (The City of Mirandela on Facebook) and the Portal do Governo de Portugal (The Portal of the Government of Portugal) but there will be much more. The event can be followed on Twitter at @cidadania20 and #cid20.
This post is part of our Europe in Crisis special coverage

author: Sara Moreira


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Russia: DDoS Attacks Cripple Opposition’s Online Vote · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Eight hours after online voting for the Russian opposition's “Coordinating Council” began, unknown assailants launched a sustained Denial-of-Service attack against the Election Commission's website, disabling the primary voting portal. Candidates and bloggers Alexey Navalny [ru] and Vladislav Naganov [ru] were quick to accuse the Kremlin of financing the assault, though they assure voters that the election site will be restored soon. Commissioner Leonid Volkov accepted responsibility for being underprepared for the attack, but reminded the public that the opposition faces a powerful foe [ru] in the government.