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Iran: Street fights between Khamenei and Ahmadinejad supporters · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several blogs such as Mina and news sites reported [fa] Khamenei, Iran's Leader, and Presidnet Ahmadineajd supporters attacked each other in Tehran on Saturday. Read more here.


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Kyrgyzstan: International Commission releases report on Osh violence · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Christya Riedel reports that the Independent International Commission released its final report on the interethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan last year, blaming the country's interim government for failing to stop the violence.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Adil Nurmakov


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New Japanese site about business in Africa · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

The ICT4Development site [ja] reports the launch of Rising Africa, a Japanese site that delivers information about business on the African continent.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Russia: Livejournal Blocks Navalny’s Post  · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Livejournal.com, the most popular blogging platform in Russia, blocked the post of one of the famous bloggers Alexey Navalny for violating the Livejournal terms. Navalny attempted to publish a screenshot from the Russian social network Vkontakte.ru that allegedly contained personal information of the person connected to the recent anti-corruption donors scandal.

author: Vadim Isakov


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Senegal: “Enough is Enough” Movement: First the Web, Now the Presidential Palace · Global Voices
Philippe Léveillée

As uprisings continue across the Arab World, several incidences of angry young people have sprung up on Senegalese websites. Since early March, this activism has left the web behind and a group calling itself “Y'en a marre” (Enough is Enough) has now become the main symbol of the protests.
Founded in January 2011, Enough is Enough arose from frustration built up during power cuts that brought Senegal to a standstill. The group hails from the Dakar suburbs and is led by several local rappers, including Fou Malad, Thiat (from the group Keur Gui) and Matador. An article on Afrik.com explains the story behind the movement [this and all subsequent links in French].
The group does not hold anything back on its Facebook page:
The time has passed for moaning in your living room or futile complaining about power cuts. We refuse to accept the systematic rationing imposed in our homes to supply electricity. We're sick and tired of it. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
The group has now transformed its discontent at power cuts into a mobilisation movement for young people. It attacks mass unemployment, police brutality and corruption. But above all, it tries to make people take part.
On 19 March, Enough is Enough held a protest in Dakar's Place de l'Obélisque (Obelisk Square), using its website to summon young Dakarois there. The organisers certainly knew how to get their message across: black t-shirts with “y'en a marre” in white letters were distributed around the crowd. There were also rhythmic, rap-style slogans, and both youth speak and the local Wolof language were heard.
The outcome: several hundred young enthusiasts, but most notably, the police – who were on the lookout under the shadow of the obelisk – did not use any tear gas. (Video):
To keep its momentum, the group has given itself a new objective: mobilise young people and give them a voice in anticipation of the 2012 presidential election. The organisers have redefined their message and come up with a new slogan: “ma carte d'electeur, mon vote” (“my polling card, my vote”).
On 15 April they launched a national campaign called Daas Fanaanal (a Wolof verb meaning “to protect oneself”), which aims to encourage young people to vote without pledging allegiance to any particular party.
Many young Senegalese have shown their support for the campaign on Facebook and Twitter, such as  this post by Mamadou Dieye:
Enough is also enough because the majority of the 1.4 million young people of voting age will not register on the electoral roll. They're always quick to complain but never do anything about it. Y'en a marre will only succeed in the challenge it has set itself if it helps to wreck the Interior Minister's plan to leave all young people who don't support the Government off the electoral roll!
Enough is Enough does not hesitate to slam President Abdoulaye Wade's government, and the government is not sitting idly by. The group claims to have been put under a lot of pressure, and says it has received threats from the authorities. One press conference was cancelled when the landlord of Janeer, the bar in which it was supposed to take place, was pressurised by police.
The police also seized loudspeakers seized at a rally on 19 March, 2011, in the city of Rufisque, close to Dakar, despite the fact that the group had been granted official permission to hold the event.
Thiat, one of the leaders of the group, explains that it is first and foremost a movement of citizens, not an anti-Wade movement:
We are on the side of neither the President nor the opposition, we are on the side of the people and we are creating a movement which guards and upholds the respect of democracy and the institutions of Senegal. If the “enough is enough” movement is closer to the opposition right now, its founders have said that's because we're taking on the concerns of the citizens.
The group wants change. Period. Its growing popularity has made it April's catch of the month . The group instantly responded :
Y'en a marre is not a fish.
Small fish in a big pond, or mini revolution? The real extent of its impact on the 2012 presidential campaign will be known soon. The fact remains, only the rappers of the Dakar suburbs are speaking out. During Senegal's last presidential election campaign in 2007, the only passing mention of youth issues arose from the “Concrete Generation” movement. Its figurehead was Karim Wade, the then 39 year-old son of President Wade. To say that young people are missing from Senegalese politics is an understatement.
Enough is Enough is not a call for the overthrow of the government, and it talks the line of democracy and non-violence. Its revolution will affect every ballot box in Senegal. These events confirm that the Senegalese people believe in the power of their ballot papers, but above all that the next presidential election campaign has long since begun, and this time, Senegal's youth will not settle for a role as mere spectators.

author: Philippe Léveillée


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Sub-Saharan Africa: Fighting Malaria, 2011 Report · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On the occasion of World Malaria Day, April 25, 2011, the blog santelog.com reports: “Although funds to combat malaria have increased significantly since 2003, current levels of funding have reached US$1.6 billion annually, approximately only 25% of the estimated amount required to reach the goals of the RBM [Roll Back Malaria] Partnership and the five WDOs [World Development Organizations] working on malaria.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Turkmenistan: Dangerous mirage for businessmen · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Foreign businesses are facing an unusual “investment” crisis in Turkmenistan: three major Turkish companies have lodged a legal inquiry with the ICSID, and according to an anonymous source, 22 more may soon follow, reports neweurasia’s Annasoltan.


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Turkmenistan: TAPI Continues To Face Challenges · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Christya Riedel provides an update on the TAPI, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India proposed gas pipeline scheduled for completion in 2016. So far, no big progress has been made on a diplomatic front to provide for the project's start.


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Africa: Drug trafficking and African politics · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ken discusses drug trafficking and African politics. He notes that Kenya, Gambia, Ghana, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea have experienced allegations that people high up in government are involved in drug trafficking: “The latest news on this subject is the jailing of Sheryl Cwele, the wife of South Africa’s intelligence minister.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Asian-African Economic Cooperation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Johan Lagerkvist posted his research paper on “The strategic presence of China, Japan and Korea in sub-Saharan Africa” in China Roader.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Bahamas: Education Failure  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe thinks “it's time for the teachers and administrators of the public school system to stand up and be counted for the failure of the educational system.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bangladesh: The Complicated Issue Of Fatwa · Global Voices
Rezwan

Although Fatwa has been declared unconstitutional in Bangladesh by the High Court, misuse of fatwa is being continued by a section of village elders. Adnan M L Karim at Law Chronicles Online discusses the complicated issue of Fatwa in Bangladesh.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: The Cradle Of Buddhism · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh Unlocked analyzes history to deduct that the land of the present day Bangladesh was probably the cradle of Buddhism.


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Brazil: Internet Users Commemorate Legal Recognition of Gay Civil Unions · Global Voices
Paula Góes

On Thursday, Brazil's Supreme Court recognized civil unions for same-sex couples [pt]. In a unanimous decision, the justices stated that stable homosexual couples merit the same rights and obligations that Brazilian legislation grants to heterosexual couples. Individuals in homosexual unions can now benefit from their partner's pension, retirement and health plans, and homosexual couples can now enjoy all the benefits afforded under family law, such as adoption. According to the 2010 census, there are 60,000 gay couples in Brazil.
May 5, 2011 -> The day the Brazilian Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to form a civil union in a 10-0 vote. Twitpic by @Leo_Rossetti
The historic decision, which brings an end to the legal discrimination of homosexuals, dominated conversations both virtual and otherwise and assumed a predominantly commemorative tone. Since Thursday, when the session opened in the Court, the hashtag #uniaohomoafetiva (literally homo-affective union, Brazil's term to describe civil unions for same-sex couples) topped Twitter's trending topics.
Tielo, on the blog Ululos Selvagens (Wild Shrieks) [pt], watched the vote play out on television in order to analyze the arguments that would be used to recognize or deny civil unions for homosexuals. Proud of the country's Supreme Court (which hears only cases of constitutional concern), he highlighted the vote's best arguments:
Recomendo a leitura dos votos não apenas pelos argumentos jurídicos, mas pelos argumentos pró-tolerância.
Há duas falas que ministros que eu gostaria de deixar aqui:
“Aqui, o reino é da igualdade absoluta, pois não se pode alegar que os heteroafetivos perdem se os homoafetivos ganham. Quem ganha com a equiparação postulada pelos homoafetivos? Os homoafetivos, muito bem. E quem perde? Ninguém perde. Os heteroafetivos não perdem e a sociedade não perde” – Ministro Ayres Brito
“Uma sociedade decente é uma sociedade que não humilha seus integrantes.” – Ministra Hellen Gracie
I recommend a reading of the votes not only for the legal arguments, but for those arguments made in favor of tolerance.
There are two excerpts from the justices that I would like to include here:
“Here, the kingdom is one of absolute equality, since one cannot allege that hetero-affective couples lose if home-affective couples gain. Who gains from the equality that homo-affective individuals are seeking? Homo-effective individuals! And who loses? Nobody. Hetero-affective couples do not lose, and society does not lose.” – Justice Ayres Brito
“A decent society is one that does not humiliate its members.” – Justice Hellen Gracie
Papai Gay (Gay Daddy) [pt] says it was one of the rare moments in which he felt pride in Brazil's judicial system:
Essa equiparação nos faz, perante a lei, iguais em nossos direitos de casais gays. Isso tem um efeito psicológico social fortíssimo. O estranhamento que ainda causa quando as pessoas sabem que moro com um homem será amparado pela lei. Vão pensar 2 vezes antes de falarem que isso é uma pouca vergonha.
For Joaquim Fernandez, the decision came somewhat late on account of actions by religious groups and conservative social groups that have managed to delay legal recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples. Fernandez believes Brazil has made one more step in the right direction [pt]:
Só mesmo a visão turvada pelo preconceito ou pelo fanatismo religioso pode levar alguém a ser contra tal medida. A decisão, inclusive, não institui o casamento civil entre pessoas do mesmo sexo. Entendem os ministros que o casamento civil se restringe aos casais formados por um homem e uma mulher. Assim, não há motivos para alguém se opor a uma decisão que, reitere-se, foi tomada por unanimidade. Ainda que de forma mais lenta do que seria desejável, o Brasil vai avançando nas questões de cidadania.
Commemoration of the law allowing for same-sex marriage on Paulista Avenue. Twitpic by @Gui_5
This, however, was not the understanding shared by the many who celebrated the legal approval of civil unions for same-sex couples as if it were synonymous with marriage. Everton Lopes and Marcel Zama recount the overall mood on the streets of São Paulo [pt] following the ruling:
Ontem algumas dezenas de pessoas foram comemorar na Av. Paulista. Foi bem legal e interessante. Emocionante as pessoas gritando “Agora pode”, quando uma drag queen vestida de noiva apareceu segurando a bandeira do arco-íris.
Sim, agora pode!
Mas que fique bem claro. O mais importante não é casar. É TER O DIREITO DE SE CASAR. Direito negado desde sempre e que hoje, é a nossa realidade.
Yesterday, a few dozen people went to Paulista Avenue to celebrate. It was very cool and interesting. It was exciting to hear people shouting “now, it's allowed” when a drag queen dressed as a bride appeared waving a rainbow flag.
Yes, now it's allowed!
But, just for the record. What is important is not marriage. IT IS THE RIGHT TO MARRY. A right that has always been denied us is now our reality.
Actually, homosexual couples will not be able to marry under this ruling, which represents merely one step in the direction of civil unions for same-sex couples. Attorney Flavia Penido clarifies this and other questions [pt]:
Não se está falando sobre casamento gay, e sim de equiparação da união estável heterossexual para a união estável estabelecida entre homossexuais
Cida Lorenz Pelenz [pt] summaries the question regarding the guarantying of civil rights for all:
Elementar, meu caro. A Constituição já diz que somos todos iguais perante a lei. Cumpra-se a lei!
Dissonant voices
While the overall mood may be one of commemoration, not everyone is content with the Supreme Court's ruling. Jhunior Silva, for example, views the ruling as a setback for the family [pt]:
Deus neste dia está muito triste e decepcionado com os congressistas Brasileiros, o que Deus fez, eles querem apagar, abolir, tirar dos valores do ser humano o projeto família, mas eles não sabem, o que Deus estabeleceu homem nenhum irá destruir.
Congressional Representative Jair Bolsonaro mocks the court's ruling, saying “after gay civil unions, the next step is to legalize pedophilia.” Some people agree and have expressed similar points of view, such as Marcon [pt]:
Pelo andar da carruagem, muito em breve passará a ser necessário, no Brasil, que todo homem terá que ter uma experiencia homossexual para ser considerado maior de idade – felizmente de há muito já passei dos 18 anos e não serei alcançado por tal determinação.
The fight continues
Civil Union for Same-Sex Couples. Illustration by Marcel Trindade in homage of the ruling by Brazil's Supreme Court (Flickr, copyright CC BY 2.0)
Amanda Almeida underscores that the legal battle may have been won, but the fight continues [pt]:
Estamos agora em busca da aprovação do PL 122, que torna crime a ofensa e discriminação a homossexuais. É outro ponto que acho um absurdo que precise de votação. Respeito é algo que deveria ser inerente ao ser humano, independentemente de qualquer cor, raça ou escolha sexual. Mas tendo como estatística que um homossexual seja morto a cada um dia e meio (260 mortes irracionais em um ano), essa é outra luta essencial. Como infelizmente precisamos disso, que venha a votação da lei, mais uma vez.
Finalizo esse texto com uma frase fantástica da minha mãe. Sim, minha mãe. Que nunca foi feliz com minha ‘ orientação’ sexual e que sei que se sente triste com essa orientação, mas é uma pessoa que me deseja ver muito feliz, independente de qualquer coisa. Quando disse a ela que teve uma votação para garantir esses direitos, ela disse: “Mas se até as amantes, que obviamente causam destruições da instituição familiar, quando comprovam relacionamento duradouro têm direito a pensões e benefícios sem que nunca tenha sido necessária essa votação, pq um casal homossexual que só quer ser feliz sem prejudicar ninguém precisa passar por essa votação?” . Pois é, mãe. Ótima pergunta!
We are now looking to pass PL 122,which makes discrimination of homosexuals a crime. This is yet another point where I think it is absurd that we need a vote. Respect is something that should be inherent to human beings, regardless of color, race or sexual orientation. But, given the statistics that a homosexual is killed every 1.5 days, on average (260 irrational deaths annually), this is yet another essential fight. As we unfortunately need this, bring on the legal vote once again.
I end this text with the wonderful words of my mother. Yes, my mother. Who was never happy with my sexual “orientation” and who I know feels saddened by my orientation, but who is a person who wishes to see me very happy regardless. When I told her that there was a vote to guaranty these rights, she said: “But if mere lovers, who obviously bring destruction to the institution of family, when they can prove a lasting relationship have the right to pensions and benefits without there ever being a need to vote on the matter, why does a homosexual couple that only wants to be happy without jeopardizing anyone else need to be subject to a vote?” Exactly, Mom.  Great question!
The manner in which Brazil is currently handling intolerance and prejudice will the the subject of the next post in this series. Read earlier articles in this series:
Brazil: Homophobia, Religion and Politics
Brazil: LGBT Scene Under Discussion

author: Paula Góes


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Brazil: Netizens Denounce Bloody Clothing Industry · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

On May 7, a campaign in Brazil against the killing of animals for the clothing industry [pt] became a trending topic on Twitter with the hashtag #LeLisBlood. After Arezzo Boycott [pt] in mid-April, the company Le Lis Blanc is thus being pressured to stop using rabbit fur in its collection.

author: Sara Moreira


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Brazil: Soccer Analysis with Twitcam Tactics · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Every Monday at 10 pm (GMT), brazilian journalist Marcelo Costa hosts the Twitcam Tatica event on his blog Esquemas Táticos (Tactical Schemes) [pt] and Twitter (@esquemastaticos). The Twitcam Tatica live sessions are an online space to interactively analyze the main soccer games of the week.


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China: Ai Weiwei’s Chat with Public Opinion Channeler · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Media Project has translated a portion of Ai Weiwei's interview with a public opinion channeler or the so-called member of 50 Cent Party which was conducted back in March 22 2011.


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China: Death of Bin Laden and the Clash of Civilizations · Global Voices
Andy Yee

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
In the early 1990s, political scientist Samuel Huntington put forward the clash of civilizations theory that the fundamental source of conflict in the post-Cold War world will be cultural. He identified several major cultures – Western, Eastern Orthodox, Latin America, Islamic, Japanese, Chinese, Hindu, and African – as contestants in the struggles across the globe. But he specifically highlighted a Confucian-Islamic connection which challenged Western interests, values and power.
From a strategic point of view, the recent death of Osama Bin Laden has caused anxiety in China. The title of an editorial at the official Global Times best summarizes it: After Bin Laden, will China become US foe? While the article contends that economic integration will steer a stable US-China relations, it nevertheless admits that China as a rising power ‘is certain to cause friction with the US’. The death of Bin Laden offers the US an opportunity to ‘declare an end to the War on Terror’ and a ‘strategic adjustment’.
How to view the demise of Bin Laden in the framework of the clash of civilizations? Is it a watershed moment from which the West will shift its focus from Islamism to Confucianism? Two Chinese authors, writing in the Princeton-based web journal China in Perspective, have offered contrasting viewpoints.
Guo Baosheng, a Chinese democratic activist, wrote that in the strategic triangle characterized by the West vs. Confucian-Islamic conflict, the death of Bin Laden means that the West can shift its focus to China:
了解了新时代的大三角关系，就不难理解2001年911事件对中国的意义，也就不难理解今天本拉登之死对中国的意义。尽管亨廷顿认为911事件是“野蛮对文明的攻击”，根本不是文明间的冲突，但大多数论者还是依据其文明冲突论，判定911事件是伊斯兰文明中的极端势力挑战西方文明的战争，而此战争，使原本想遏制中共专制（及其包装“儒家文明”）的西方文明战略发生了重大转移，使得西方文明不得不与中共寻求联手，对付伊斯兰文明。大三角关系中的西、儒联手，使得中共得以脱身、势力不断坐大。
而在毛泽东执政后期，苏联、美国、中国，也是大三角关系，中国联美对抗苏联的策略，也使中国的国际地位一下地提升，既免除了来自北方的威胁，又因美国的支持而进入联合国。因此，911事件发生时，美国与中国的联手，使中国受益匪浅。
根据文明冲突论中的大三角关系，当西方文明对伊斯兰文明取得决定性胜利时，就再也没有必要联手儒教文明，而且，西方文明与儒教文明间的冲突就会重新开始。本拉登的死标志着伊斯兰文明中极端势力的标志性崩溃，这一崩溃，使以前需要联手中国反恐、对中国作出不少妥协的美国及西方文明，真正开始对中共强硬起来。
However, another Chinese writer Liu Zili, responding to the above article, pointed out that it is not a question of clashes between civilizations. Universal values are inherent in each and every civilization. But bad elements are also present in each of them. If we can separate out the bad elements, a grand integration of civilizations is conceivable:
不管是美国人亨氏，还是其他人，他们只看到问题的表层，没有看到问题的深层；问题的关键，不是各种文明冲突，而是不采纳文明导致自由之路的错误归宿使然，从而产生了中国之假儒教，伊朗之伪阿拉，乃至其他伪基督和伪宗教；不但如此，就连西方文明也产生过类似错误：宗教极权主义之中世纪；后世之对内民主，对外殖民；沆瀣中共和苏共等…这些罪恶之重要表现，就是本.拉登不采纳伊斯兰穆罕默德之历史上，麦加占领时期的、黑方石下的宽容所致；就是列宁主义，毛主义、共产主义，消灭东正教，消灭孔子的仁政之“反文明论”；其，又和西方资本主义文明和早期布尔什维克主义，和毛、邓主义之某种媾和与“战略经济”勾结——这就是西方文明，对于西方自由民主本身的对峙和背弃。
所以，只有西方文明像消灭拉登一样，消灭这种文明之负面恶果，才能划分西方文明中的良莠之区隔，做到，和一切伊斯兰和东方文明接轨，且，为此催生民主带来的世界各种文明之复兴；绝对不是营造基督教一统天下（或者像后学那样，解构解域之；或者像《时代精神》一片那样，对此施行基督涂炭主义和大讲“阴谋论”，为拉登解脱（请见该影片；他们说，911不是拉登所为）。这是文明融合论的大构想，大设计。所以，在此欢庆拉登死掉的节日气氛里，世界有识之士，该对产生西方和伊斯兰乃至儒家文化中、反民主自由，给恐怖主义造成空隙的那些文明悖论，予以警惕和清除；否则，一个拉登倒下，百十个拉登还会站起来。他们的旗帜和伪装，就是文明冲突论。
故此，美国方面，并非因为拉登之死，就可以腾出手来对付中国，就可以改观“中美国”的经济和外交关系；关键所在是，美欧要重新考虑西方文明中、资本主义沆瀣中共市场这件事情。只要这个“战略经济‘同盟’”不废弃，不重构（重新设计对民主中国之构想），美国和欧洲走出资本文明至上论的怪圈，就绝无可能。如果这样，在未来的对华政治中，此消彼起的中美关系，仍旧会处在无法定位中国的难题之中，左右彷徨，且为其真正最后“崛起”，制造条件。
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

author: Andy Yee


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Colombia: Police Evict 5,400 Squatter Farm Workers · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Blueandtanit writes [es] about the eviction of 5,400 homeless farm workers by anti-riot police. The farm workers had occupied farmlands and roads in Urabá (Antioquia department in north western Colombia) early last week. She is concerned about the media coverage of the issue, which treats the squatters as “alleged peasants,” and the way the government deals with this and other similar problems.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Cuba: Activities Against Homophobia · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger and journalist Francisco Rodríguez Cruz discusses [es] the history of, and his participation in, the Cuban Symposium against Homophobia [es], which celebrates it fourth edition this May with events all over the island.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: Bloggers, Period · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Elaine Díaz reflects on how Cuban bloggers have been artificially divided [es] into two bands: the “pro-government” and the “mercenaries,” erasing the plurality of this small, yet vibrant, blogosphere.


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Cuba: Low Birth Rates · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

“What is the problem of low birth rates? That soon there will be very few working age people to maintain many old people. Well, let's try and solve this,” says Rogelio Díaz Moreno in Bubusopía [es] regarding the decrease in birth rates in Cuba.


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Cuba: Osama Bin Laden’s Death · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Journalist and blogger Vladia Rubio comments on United States politics [es] and the death of Osama Bin Laden.


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Cuba: Remembering Martí · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo reflects [es] on the figure of José Martí, considered the founder of the Cuban Republic.


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Cuba: Role of Police in Dissident’s Death  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Generation Y says of the death of dissident Juan Wilfredo Soto: “I don’t know how the authorities of my country are going to explain it, but I doubt, this time, they will manage to persuade us it wasn’t the fault of the police”; Along the Malecon adds a few more details.


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Ecuador: Voters Back President Correa in 10-Question Referendum · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

President Rafael Correa, the 48-year-old leader who has ruled Ecuador since 2007, may have received more power on Saturday May 7 after Ecuadorians voted on the referendum he called back in January 2011.
The referendum includes a major judiciary reform that will grant the president more  control over the system, and the creation of a monitoring body for the  press which will allow the government to limit freedom of speech.
Although most voters do not fully understand the complex referendum, in which each of the 10 questions were being voted on separately, exit polls have already predicted  a victory for Presidet Correa's ‘yes’.
On Monday, May 9, BBC News reported that “with final results not expected for a few days, the margin of the Yes victory appears to be much slimmer than expected.”
A referendum ballot in the province of Morona Santiago. Photo used under CC license by Presidencia Republica Ecuador
In Shyris Avenue, the Quito headquarters of Correa's movement, supporters were ready to celebrate as soon as polls closed at 5 pm (Ecuador time). Preliminary results show that  between 61 to 64 percent of Ecuadorians approved the amendments to their Constitution [es] on a national level.
Ecuadorians didn’t report major incidents during the voting process at home and abroad. Maybe the most anecdotal is the security feature   in the new document voters received as proof they concurred to the   polls.  Blogger and journalist Nini (@nini022) noticed something was missing on her certificate:
Lo comparo con el anterior (jun/09) y este no tiene sello se seguridad. Ni siquiera tiene el escudo bien impreso. #consultaEC
Young Twitter user Luis Gabriel from Guayaquil  (@luchogabucho) believes in the social and political changes taking place in Ecuador. He, at least, has verified one thing:
Otra de las cosas por las que sé que este país ha  cambiado es que ahora mi recinto electoral está a menos de 1 km de mi  casa #consultaec
Manuel Ignacio Gomez (@manueligomez), tweeting from Guayaquil, thinks Correa’s celebration is due to the differences between the opposition and the government at the moment of promoting or opposing the referendum:
“Democracia” plebiscitaria como excusa para comprar popularidad, eternizar al candidato, y evitar la responsabilidad de gobernar…
The exit poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent, was based on the national electorate equivalent to 23,880 voters out of the 11.1 million who voted on Saturday, May 7. Before the election, polls showed that Correa's “citizen revolution” would get most of the votes in the referendum. Ángel Polibio Córdoba, head of Cedatos, the main pollster in Ecuador, said that only two provinces rejected the referendum: Tungurahua and Sucumbíos vetoed Correa’s initiative.
Paola Pullas (@paolapullas),  a founder of the Ecuador Oracle Users Group, explains why people were misinformed and the possible reason why the opposition didn't succeed.
@tonnets lastimosamente en Ecuador los periodistas o son correistas o son contrarios a él so la gente no puede informarse
But even when the exit polls give favorable results to the ‘yes’ on the referendum, the opposition is divided. Among them, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and the leftists political party MPD (Democratic People's Movement) campaigned for the ‘no’. “This time the answer is no Mr. President”, was the slogan they used in their campaign.
The presidential project was not well received by some of the old ideologues of the “citizen's revolution” either.  Alberto Acosta, former energy minister and former president of the national assembly, and Gustavo Larrea, also a former prime minister, campaigned against the referendum with other former allies.
Furthermore, some Ecuadorians think the 30 million dollars spent on this electoral event could have been invested on something else. Twitter user Ariana Rivadeneira (@aricris), went to the polls on May 7 and argues that if the government spent that money wisely people would understand the referendum questions better:
VOTANDO POR OBLIGACIÓN ! Y si mejor el dinero gastado en la #consultaec 2011 la invertirán en educación? Así la gente entiende las preguntas
This view is corroborated by another Twitter user and journalist, Kristel Freire (@kriele):
Yo creo que la consulta es una gastadera de dinero por simples caprichos presidenciales #consultaec
The day after voting on the referendum, on Sunday night, reports of the ‘no’ gaining more votes than the exit poll first reported started circulating online.  Yadira Ribas (@yadira_ribas) reacted with this tweet:
RT @susana_marcillo: @FAlvaradoE Total apoyo y ahora en vigilia porque no nos van a Venir con cuentos chinos el SI gano #consultaec
Another Referendum supporter, David Villavicencio (@widaviye), keeps his hopes up:
Con #obtaculos y #trabas y uno que otro #chanchullo gana el #SI y con este gana la #patria VIVA #ECUADOR ! #consultaec

author: Milton Ramirez


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Ethiopia: Artist finds inspiration in banana plant · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ethiopian blogger Arefe meets Bany Payne (Ras Hailu Tafari), an artist based in  Ethiopia who “draws his inspiration from his feelings for land and banana tree which was the chief produce in his home country, St. Vincent, Caribbean Island.”


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Ethiopia: In search of genuine musicians · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Endalk is in search of genuine music artists in Ethiopia: “Although we had remarkable artists like Tilahun Gessese and Ali Bira singing “political” music way back during the imperial regime in the 1950’s and 1960’ the influence of music on the general public came into the forefront during election 2005 during the rise of the growing opposition to the government.”


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Guyana, Jamaica, T&T: Reviews of “Bocas”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Charmaine Valere and Annie Paul both give a run-down of Trinidad and Tobago's first Bocas Literary Festival.


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India, Bangladesh: Is Rabindranath Tagore relevant today? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Is Rabindranath Tagore still relevant in present day Bengal? Anirban at Its A Miracle tries to answer that question.


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Japan: Holiday in Fukushima · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

The author of Spike Japan decided to spend last week's national holidays in the Fukushima prefecture. In his latest post he chronicles his journey  [en] to the tsunami hit area and its surroundings.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Nepal: The Start Of A Facebook Revolution? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pradeep Kumar Singh posts pictures and news of the recent Facebook campaign titled “Show up. Stand up. Speak up. Else, shut up”. Around 400 Nepali youth showed up at Maitighar Mandala on May 8, 2011 to demand a new constitution.


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Pakistan: Bin Laden’s Death Transforms Local Coffee House · Global Voices
Sasa Milosevic

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
The death of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, has benefited not only the United States and its President Barack Obama, but also some of the city's local business owners.
Coffity, a local coffee house, turned into the second hottest place in town overnight, the first one being the house where Bin Laden had been killed. As “the first coffee shop in Abbottabad […] serving espresso based coffees prepared from freshly ground beans” and offering “a smoke-free environment and free wifi,” Coffity has been transformed into a unique local press center, where international journalists gather exclusive information on the recent events from locals.
After Osama Bin Laden
Coffity's online presence has been growing as well. Early in the morning on May 2, 2011, Coffity's Facebook page was among the first outlets to inform the world about the crash of a U.S. helicopter involved in the Bin Laden hunt:
Hope everyone is safe and unaffected by the helicopter crash/blast
The Facebook page and Coffity's Twitter account (@coffity) show how business is now being done in a new way.
Norwegian journalist Mariane Vikas used Coffity to seek local sources for information regarding Osama's death. She asked:
Anyone in Abbottabad who has seen/know something about the operation against Osama bin Laden? Norwegian journalist seeking info. Pls message me.
Spanish journalist Julio Cesar Escovar added his request to the same thread:
And journalist from Spain too, any help?
A Pakistani user Umar Naveed offered to help:
contact me i tell you
Jessi Spaulding Johnson offered a piece of advice to Coffity:
Better up your prices. Journalists love their coffee. ;)
Initially, Coffity's owner didn't seem too prepared for the influx of large numbers of journalists:
Oops! Here's to hoping journalists don't drink a lot of coffee…
And today Coffity was obviously overworked:
The Coffity UPS is being used by media people; We can not turn the generator on today as there are a lot of voice conversations going on – so we will be closed for a while – until further notice. Non-coffee + non-blended items still available.
Justin Macdonald concluded:
Looks better than any Starbucks, hope business is good
Nick Rearden observed:
Peace and love from Bath in the UK. Isn't it a shame all of the rich and important people in the world cannot be happy just to fight their wars on the cricket pitch while the rest of us enjoy a nice cup of coffee :-)
Michelle Klein-Hass left this note to Coffity's owner:
Some seek fame, others have it thrust upon them. You have handled yourself with enviable grace under pressure. Hopefully one day you will be known instead as “That guy who writes awesome code and makes the best coffee drinks in the greater Islamabad area.” Cheers from an American geek.
Brian Dunmire admitted:
Suddenly Pakistan doesn't seem that far away..
Ibtassam Rasheed, a proud Pakistani, wrote:
[…] One day I'll visit your coffee shop not because you are a twitter celebrity but because you put the love for your country above all other things. Please carry on spreading the positives related to Pakistan as its much needed in today's age of constant lies and negative projections regarding our beloved beautiful nation. You've certainly made a fan out of me!
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

author: Sasa Milosevic


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Portugal: Memory of Political Police Officer on Trial · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Three portuguese theatre figures are on court [pt] because of a play about the life of the late Silva Pais [pt], the last director of the repressive police of the dictatorship, PIDE. Bloggers are outraged [pt] with the accusations of Dias’ nephews, who say that the play disrespects their uncle's memory [pt].


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Postscript to Singapore Elections · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The People's Action Party (PAP) dominated the recent General Elections in Singapore but opposition parties also scored some important victories as well. PAP has been in power since 1959.
Ng E-Jay interprets the results:
The results of the 2011 general election show that Singaporeans have grown more discontent with the ruling party, and that they are more prepared to vent their frustrations at the ballot box. However at the last moment, some voters appear to have held their cool, and retained support for the PAP.
Despite retaining majority seats in the parliament, the PAP’s reduced numbers in the polls were the lowest in several decades. Siew Kum Hong explains the decline of PAP:
…the PAP lost because it had lost touch with the ground. It had clearly under-estimated the extent of antipathy towards it by a large margin.
The themes of government accountability and arrogance played so strongly with the electorate, that the Prime Minister was compelled to apologise for the errors of his Government late in the campaign.
yawning bread credits the new media for the improved performance of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party:
I think the key move was actually its sustained investment in new media, allowing it to reach a new audience directly. Couple that with a party stand that combines substance with principled clarity, and it attracts a second look from citizens.
Words of the Cze identifies the Workers Party, which won a strategic Group Representation Constituency, as the leader of the opposition:
The Workers Party (WP) is now the opposition leader by a long shot, ensuring that its model of ‘constructive opposition’ and alternative policy suggestions will be dominant in the political paradigm for the foreseeable future. My perspective, for those unfamiliar, is very simple: the political space for the opposition is going to grow no matter what the PAP does, and it might as well be filled by the WP rather than just about any other party.
Politics thinks that PAP has “lost the ability to dictate the agenda”:
PAP has lost the ability to dictate the agenda. The PAP has originally campaigned on leadership renewal, 4G leadership etc, but it was obvious during the campaigning period, other issues such as cost of living, liberal immigrant policy, and housing took the stage
The Singapore opposition (red mark) gained five seats in the Parliament. Image from singaporesojourn.blogspot.com.
harishpillay believes that the voting results will inspire Singaporeans living in other countries:
We have to build on the momentum of these elections. I am sure that these results will perhaps spur many a Singaporean who gave up on their country and moved overseas to consider returning. To return and help build this into a nation that we can all be extremely proud of
Scrutinizing the Singapore government gives advice to political parties which intend to participate in the 2016 elections. Keanbon argues that PAP now has a “weak mandate“:
The spell is broken. Ruling with such a weak mandate necessitates a very serious endeavour in finding out and tackling the root causes – what members of the electorate are finally saying via the ballot box. Only then can new proposals be introduced and discussed on without a baggage. I hope this happens productively in the next 5 years.
Redbean reminds the opposition to field better candidates if they want to dominate the next elections:
For once, the PAP was humbled by the shift in sentiments against them. They sensed it during the election hustings. They knew that the people were angry. And they started to tone down their cocky and high and mighty approach even before Polling Day.
What is important is that the people have shown that they were most willing to change if there are good alternatives. If the opposition can attract more good candidates, the next GE is going to see a better contest.
According to Singapore Sojourn, the results showed that the people are “not happy with the status quo”:
So behind the numbers what does this all mean?  The return of a stable government in a volatile economic environment is a real plus and the PAP's stewardship through the toughest of recessionary times should not be forgotten.
Despite this acceptance, the people of Singapore have signalled strongly to the government that they are not happy with the status quo; especially the growing wealth gap, the influx of foreign workers, rising prices and the cost of housing.
The results didn’t impress Political Writings:
The result is a very clear message from the electorate for the “opposition”: field good candidates, as good or better than the PAP candidates, and we’ll vote you. Conversely, field no-hopers and axe-grinders, we’ll dump you!
PAP got a very clear message from the electorate too: don’t threaten us, don’t talk down to us, don’t belittle us, don’t call us to repent.
Still, PAP has 81 seats against 6 for WP. And that’s hardly a good result!
funny little world has a message for PAP:
I hope the PAP will not forget that they represent all Singaporeans, not just the ones who voted for them. I hope you will not forget that too.
I hope the PAP will not forget that we are humans, not economic digits. I hope you will not forget that too.

author: Mong Palatino


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Russia: A Third of Russian Internet Users Enjoy Broadband Internet Access · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Almost 18 million of Russians now browse the Web using broadband connection, Rumetrika.ru reported. It is 34 percent of all Russia's Internet users.


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Russia: Bloggers React With Cynicism to Bin Laden’s Death · Global Voices
Dmitry Davidov

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
The death of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, has provoked condemnation and talk of conspiracy theories among Russian bloggers.
Quickly becoming one of the hottest topics of the Russian Internet, the death of bin Laden did not divide netizens. In a rare instance of unity, Russian bloggers revealed their cynicism toward one of the most important events of this year.
Russian bloggers’ reactions resemble the reaction of their counterparts in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. Criticism of the United States and the popularity of conspiracy theories – a clear sign of distrust of any government – characterize the Russian society. The death of bin Laden has spotlighted those characteristics even more.
Osama bin Laden. Collage by Alexey Sidorenko.
Did Bin Laden exist?
One of the most popular blog posts on the topic was the one by liberal blogger Andrey Malgin (avmalgin) who wrote [ru]:
В сообщении об убийстве Бен Ладена меня кое-что смущает. Почему не сфоткали убитого c разных ракурсов,   вообще не дали изображения трупа в интерьере, а тут же сбросили тело в  море? Почему Обама объявил о ликвидации Усамы до того, как станут  известны результаты генетической экспертизы?
Причем появляется не только вопрос: убит ли Бен Ладен? Возникает вопрос: а существовал ли он вообще?
There is something that confuses me in the announcement of bin Laden's death.Why they did not photograph him from different sides? Why they did not release the picture of the dead but threw the body to the sea instead? Why did Obama announce the elimination of Osama before the results of DNA tests?
The questions arises if bin Laden was killed. Another question is did he exist at all?
Malgin went even further and posted a “picture” of the dead bin Laden [ru] that, according to the blogger, “had been released that morning.” Following the same principles as a crime novel, the blogger went on to prove that the picture was fake.
Malgin claimed that he saw the pictures on CNN and Euronews; other bloggers quickly pointed out that neither the CNN or Euronews websites contained any information on the fake photo.
Anton Nosik (dolboeb), another popular Russian blogger, joined Malgin in the theory that bin Laden did not exist [ru]. According to Nosik, a farmer from Afghanistan may have played the role of bin Laden for 100 US dollars.
A post [ru] in the ru-politics Livejournal community cites Steve Pieczenik, an outspoken conspiracy theorist, who claimed that Bin Laden was killed in 2001. This is a popular theory on the Russian Internet; many bloggers are convinced that Osama bin Laden has been dead for a long time.
Who is next?
Russian bloggers have also wondered who will take bin Laden's place. Yuri Krupnov (krupnov), chairman of the “Movement for Development,” and a former government advisor, wrote [ru]:
Теперь фронт «борьбы с международным терроризмом»  будет сдвинут в другое место, скорее всего, в Йемен. Главным террористом будет назначен, скорее всего, 40-летний йеменец Анвар аль-Авлаки – и весь Земной шар будет учить наизусть это новое имя.
Tina Kandelaki (tikandelaki), a popular Russian TV host, compared [ru] Osama bin Laden to Julian Assange and hinted that, unlike bin Laden, Assange was somehow beneficial for the CIA and that is why he still was not “stopped.”
Andrey Malgin contemplated on the possibility of naming Vladimir Putin as the next enemy of the United States. But LiveJournal user chudinovandrey argued [ru] that Putin is vital for the US because with his demise Russia would be split into several districts with no control, and terrorists would be able to obtain nuclear weapons.
“Our Internet is not that simple“
Liberal blogger and a co-chair of the party “Right Cause” Leonid Gozman (leonid-gozman), outlined [ru] other popular reactions of Russian bloggers to the death of the most wanted man in the world:
“Bin Laden is dead,” Gozman wrote. “I though it was definitely good. I thought the opinions would be unanimous, except the ones by the Taliban, Hamas, etc. Indeed, the world leaders are unanimous. But our Internet is not that simple.”
Georgia-based blogger Oleg Panfilov also brilliantly summed up [ru] the tone of the Russian net:  “There are two heroes in Russian blogosphere. Navalny is an enemy [popular blogger Alexey Navalny], bin Laden is a friend. Earlier, the friend was Saddam Hussein. And then and, in a way, now, it is Qaddafi.”
“I want to live in the world where the good triumphs and the evil is punished,” Gozman wraps up his blog post. “I don't believe the world became safer but I believe it became better.”
“Solzhenitzyn once said through one of his characters that everything is, in fact, simple: ‘A wolfhound is right and a cannibal is wrong.’ My congratulations to the wolfhound.”
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.

author: Dmitry Davidov


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Russia: ‘Online Superman’ Navalny Has Bloggers Divided · Global Voices
Dmitry Davidov

Alexey Navalny is much more than a blogger. He exploded onto the Russian Internet with scandalous and already-known [Russian paradox] revelations and quickly grew into the country's “online Superman,” fighting what seems to be an unwinnable war against corruption and an army of human bots.
Western media rave about Navalny's persona. The New Yorker called him the “Russian Julian Assange or Lincoln Steffens” and The New York Times is fascinated by how Navalny “takes on big state-owned energy companies in his crusade against graft, kickbacks and bribery.” Among cyber-activists, the term the “Navalny Effect” has became almost equal in prominence to always-wanted-and-never-seen “Twitter Revolution.”
Picture by Azraeuz/DeviantArt, under Creative Commons license.
Knight in shining armor?
The New Yorker and The New York Times are, without any doubt, right in praising Navalny. Although not original, the idea of crowdsourcing the fight with corruption, can bring (and already has brought) many positive results. But as it often happens when Western media try to cover Russia, enormous amounts of important information goes unreported due (one hopes) to the objective difficulties of writing about something without a full understanding of the situation and history of the country.
Yet the reaction of Russian bloggers to Navalny is far from universal. Many netizens do consider him a knight in shining armor. Thousands donated money to Navalny's online project Rospil.info [ru], a website covering corruption in government tenders.
One cannot argue with the amazing success stories that have come about as a result of Navalny's hard work and efforts of Russian bloggers. Allegedly, many government officials were unable to add to their bank accounts because of the scrutiny their shady “projects” underwent on Rospil.info.
But there are those who question Navalny's actions and slogans, although it is difficult to find anyone unsatisfied with his anti-corruption initiatives. Blogger spenser78, for example, argues [ru] that Navalny's recent call to boycott the ruling party “United Russia” during the elections is nothing but “silliness” of someone who is “uninformed” about political status quo in Russia:
Правда номер один заключается в том, что все партии, представленные в Думе, существуют очень давно, их депутаты, лидеры и высшее руководство – богатые люди, сросшиеся с властью и пользующиеся множеством привилегий, которые дает статус. У них жены, дети, недвижимость, яхты и миллионные капиталы, им определенно есть, что терять. Потому возможности влияния на них со стороны жесткой и безжалостной к своим противникам кремлёвской группировки вряд ли можно переоценить. Не будет преувеличением сказать, что все, абсолютно все политические партии, представленные в Государственной Думе, ЯВЛЯЮТСЯ ТАКИМИ ЖЕ КАРМАННЫМИ ПАРТИЯМИ КРЕМЛЯ, КАК И «ЕДИНАЯ РОССИЯ».
Too polished
Another blogger Maksim Aleksandrov (ma79)  accuses Navalny [ru] of being too glossy. He draws attention to Ivan Begtin, a blogger who has been fighting corruption with the help of his blog for a long time but, according to Aleksandrov, was ignored by media because Begtin is not handsome or articulate enough. “As it turned out,” Aleksandrov writes, “people are interested and have sympathy not toward those who are more efficient, but toward those who speak colorfully, look better and give an opportunity to hate.”
For the sake of objectivity, it should be noted here that Ivan Begtin does have amazing posts and results on corruption in Russian government but he was largely absent from media spotlight. Begtin is a creator of the Internet portal Rosspending.ru [ru] that monitors government purchases. According to blogger fritzmorgen [ru], Bektin's activity saved 3 milliard Russian roubles (around 110 million US dollars) from being embezzled.
alex-mos-cow notes [ru] the decline of interest toward Navalny's online project. The number of daily visitors of Rospil.info fell from 2,000 in February to 800 in March.
Blogger sapojnik explains [ru]:
с какого-то момента такие вот проекты становятся публике НЕПРИЯТНЫ. Не потому, что она вдруг начинает любить коррупционеров, а потому, что информации появляется все больше – а ничего не происходит. Тут работают голливудские механизмы: для того, чтобы нечто стало блокбастером, оно должно иметь хеппи-енд. А тут – никакого хеппи-энда, а наоборот, наш привычный российский “ужас без конца”.
LiveJournal website user fima_psuchopadt talks about Navalny's interview [ru] in Russian oppositional newspaper The New Times, in which the interviewer starts their conversation with Navalny with words “Hi to the future President of Russia”. So much for journalistic objectivity and impartiality.
fima_psuchopadt also cites the results [ru] of recent survey of Levada-Center, Russian non-governmental research organization. The surveys results show that only an embarrassing (for opposition leaders more than for Navalny) 0.6 percent trust Alexey Navalny.
In an apathetically energetic post, blogger chashaosa compares [ru] Navalny to Boris Yeltsin and says that any fight with corruption becomes worthless as long as Russia still has former bandits in the high echelons of power.
A recent verbal duel between the governor of Perm region, Oleg Chirkunov [ru], and Alexey Navalny reawakened the suspicions of bloggers. Chirkunov donated [ru] money to Navalny and advocated for more transparency in Rospil.info – something that Navalny has always demanded from government bodies. Navalny's reply did not provide any significant hope for the future transparency of the project and only stressed the slogan that people “should trust” Navalny. But then again, too much transparency in Russia can easily lead to the collapse of a good initiative.
There is often distrust toward any anti-corruption project in Russia in general and, as a result mistrust directed towards Navalny in particular often appears on the Russian Internet. colonelcassad writes [ru] that this online fight with corruption is reminiscent of the “artificial” fight with the bad guys during the 1980s in the Soviet Union.
Bloggers’ divided reactions toward Navalny tells a lot about Russian society and its distrust of anything that originates within the country. As an old Russian saying goes, “There is no prophet in his own country.” The hope is that Alexey Navalny will prove this wrong.


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Russia Opens Its First “Creative Commons” Portal  · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Russian Institute of the Information Society created “Creative Commons Russia,” the first Internet portal in the country working under Creative Commons licenses, Russian collaborative blog Habrahabr.ru reported.

author: Vadim Isakov


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Russia: Photos and Videos of the Victory Day Parade · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Blogger polyakovv publishes [ru] pictures and videos of the Victory Day Parade, a celebration of the end of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945 section of the World War II). Twitterers use hashtags #parad [ru], #pobeda [ru], and #9may [ru] to share their pictures and recollections of the holiday.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: “United Russia” Party Targets Social Networks · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Pro-government party “United Russia” plans to increase its presence on social networks, popular newspaper Kommersant reported. The party will create a separate group responsible for working with potential voters on social networks.


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Russia: Victory Day and Politics · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Blogger Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich recollects [ru] his feelings over the media coverage of the Victory Day. Due to over-politicisation and excessive advertisement through the media, the feeling of the national unity of the holiday faints, blogger claims. “I will not watch the parade this year, even on TV. But I will put on Ribbon of Saint George (symbol of the holiday)… This my cherished object, not yours.”


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Russia: Video Shows Journalist Being Beaten in Khimki Forest · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

LJ user Oleg Kozyrev posted a video showing journalist Yuri Samsonov being beaten by a private  security service employee in Kimki forest.


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St. Lucia: Views on Bin Laden’s Death  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Regional bloggers weigh in on different aspects of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Tattoo considers the “moral dimensions to Obama's actions”, while Lullabies, Fairy Tales and Other Self-Delusions suggests that “the greatest victory in the killing of Osama bin Laden came for the PR machine that runs the USA…There’s always more in the mortar than the pestle, and international politics is never transparent.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: R.I.P. Allyson  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bloggers pay their respects to the late television presenter Allyson Hennessy, with B.C. Pires saying: “There’s no up side to the passing of someone as committed to her Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean family as she was; across the archipelago and Diaspora…she’ll me missed.”


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Video: Budding Young Scientists in India, Singapore and South Africa · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.
The Google Science Fair project semi finalist listings are up. Although it was open to teens between 13 and 18 years from all over the world, it is interesting to note that the United States, Singapore and India take the majority of spots amongst the 60 selected semi finalists, which also includes entries from New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The winner of the amazing Grand Prize – which includes a National Geographic expedition and 50,000 US dollar (USD) scholarship – will come from this crop of 60 talented young scientists: judges will select 15  finalists who will fly to the US where they will present their project, before the winner is chosen. The semi-finalist who gets the most votes will win the People's Choice Award and a USD 10,000 scholarship.
Screenshot of Google Science Fair People's Choice Award's Video
The Google Science Fair Project kicked off back in January 2011, with a video invitation. The video is based around a fun Rube Goldberg type of machine that uses scientific props and tools to show how science is a universal language. And it seems to have worked wonderfully: according to the video announcement to vote for the semi-finalists, more than 7,000 entries were received from 90 different countries.
Luke Taylor from South Africa is competing in the 13-14 year old category.  In his video presentation, he explains the process behind teaching a robot how to follow spoken English instructions:
In India, Chaithya G. R. and Siri G.R. thought about the increase in accidents at unmanned train crossings which they suspect is due to lack of signals to let people know a train is coming. They designed a system which uses magnets and electronics, so that the passing of a train engages sound and light sensors and deploys a gate as well:
Chiu Chai Hao of Singapore is also intent on saving lives, in his case, by granting access to clean water free of heavy metal contamination through the use of water plants:
[Ed.Note.- Author has since removed the project from public view]
Sahil Sahibole from India is also interested in the environment. He project focuses on harnessing solar power to resolve an important issue in health in remote locations: the lack of electricity to safely sterilize medical instruments in autoclaves:
The team of Nishanth Kumar, Krishna Betai and Anish V Malladi of India also focused on medical issues, in this case creating a sensor that could tell medical practitioners when intravenous fluid levels get low so they can assist patients better:
There are many other projects by talented young scientists waiting for your votes for the People's Choice Awards. You can vote once in each age group.
http://youtu.be/YRHCCzLZCME
This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Where the hell is Taiwan · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Remember “Where the hell is Matt“? Wu Jian-heng(吳建衡), a young Taiwan backpacker who went on a journey to India-in the costume of deity Nezha, has a similar ambition. His sole wish is to let more people around the world know his country and his trip video has gone viral online recently[English subtitled].

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Africa: A Possible Al-Qaeda Redeployment in Africa? · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On his blog, Dierry Diallo takes up  an article [fr] on Slate.fr where one can read: “For the GSPC , the stakes are enormous: it's about controlling a formidable strip of land stretching from the Atlantic and Mauritania all the way to Sinai and the Red Sea. Hence Bin Laden's idea at that time: to transfer war from the narrow Middle East to the Sahel and Sahara, even if troops are much fewer there.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Angola: The Way of Being of the Traditional Markets · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Can the traditional markets of the world “[reflect] the living culture and [give] the sense of place better than any city tour ever could, in more depth than the destination’s best museum”? Anja Mutic, from the blog Ever The Nomad believes so and offers us a glimpse into the markets of Angola.


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Bangladesh: Measures Against Extra Judicial Killings · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mahadi Hasan Talukder discusses a recent report of Human Rights Watch, which recommends that to stop the extra judicial killings, the Bangladesh government should take make major steps to ensure accountability and reform in the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces or disband it.


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Bangladesh: Protests Against Women Development Policy · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rahnuma Ahmed posts her reflections on the proposed Women Development Policy of Bangladesh and the protests against it by a section of religious parties (Part I, Part II, Part III).


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Bieber Fever Hits Brunei  · Global Voices
Zul-Fadly

After the release of Justin Bieber's silver screen debut, ‘Never Say Never‘, a movie/documentary of his trials and tribulations, his ‘Beliebers’ here in Brunei have attempted in full force to get his attention because Brunei is not one of his concert stopovers in Southeast Asia.
News of his sold out concerts in neighboring cities, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, spurred his fans in Brunei to create the #Bruneineedsbeiber hashtag and local fans flooded the hashtag #Brunei every minute to get @justinbieber‘s attention.
‘Brunei Beliebers’ even opened a twitition to help get the Canadian star to come to Brunei. To date they have 366 signatures.
Local blogger @marul69 of geekinwhite.com was never a ‘belieber’ and ‘is still not a bieber fan’ but after watching ‘Never Say Never’, he mentioned,
After watching this movie, I have to admit his success is no fluke, not manufactured or because of his looks entirely. He has real talent from a very young age. The type of talent one is born with.
I’m in no way Bieber-ized. His songs are catchy no doubt, but it’s nothing I wanna listen to daily. All I am saying is that I respect his determination, his never say never attitude, the hard work he has put into it and the sacrifies he had made to be where he is. And when you’re 16 years old and you sold out Madison Square Garden in 22 minutes, that is just sick!
Brunei's twitter celebrity @BruneiTweet sent out his first tweet to @justinbieber after watching ‘Never Say Never’ film and mentioned that he watched it for social media researching purposes.
Another local blogger @Bruneiankidsays in his blog ‘memoirs of a Bruneian Kid’ has nothing but praises for the 17 year old.
think he’s a gifted singer no matter what the future lies for him. There’s just something about him
Some ‘Brunei Beliebers’ has even gone to the extent of making videos and posting it on YouTube to convince Bieber to come to Brunei. Meanwhile, local talent Aziz Harun, @jambul212  records his version of Bieber hit song, ‘Baby.’
But after all these attempts, ‘Brunei Beliebers’ are still frustrated because @justinbieber has yet to reply to any of the tweets from Brunei.

author: Zul-Fadly


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Bolivia: Keeping Aymara Alive Through TV? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

M. Luk’aña Champi [es] wonders why Bolivia doesn't have a TV channel in Aymara or Quechua, considering that the country is now ruled by an ‘indigenous government': “Modern media like radio and television are ways to keep a language alive and in full use. When a language is not used that language dies.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Brunei: Fake Bus Robbery Alerts Citizens · Global Voices
Zul-Fadly

Last week, the story of a robbery in the busy business area of Gadong, Brunei, spread quickly on Twitter and Facebook.
@ranoadidas: http://twitpic.com/4t68c2 Part of the crime scene this afternoon, near Ayamku Gdg. Lady hurt from cash robbery. Around 3pm #brunei
@givemecaek: First time I heard there was a day light robbery in Brunei. o.O
Local celebrity blogger ranoadidas posted on his blog his concern about this bus robbery which is unprecedented in Brunei:
rumours that the victim was killed or murdered were not true. She was manhandled for sure and the culprit managed to walk away with the $$. According to a local source, the lady worker withdrew some substantial amount of money from a bank and walked in Gadong area. Only then she was apprehended outside Ayamku Gadong and that's how it all happened.
… the lady victim is in stable condition and the robber is still on the loose. Now the question is about the level of safety in Brunei. This is truly a sad incident to know of because the magnitude of the robbery. This happened in broad day light and in public. This would indeed change the mindset of the public of bringing $$ in hand too.
I do hope the police and relevant authorities can find the culprit. So guys.. just be aware and mindful if you withdraw loads of money in public places… today's incident may have cause some temporary doubts about the safety in public places.
Scene of the crime? From the twitpic page of @purply28
An earlier report stated that a few passengers on a bus might have caught a glimpse of the ‘robbery’. Taken from Brunei Times:
As the bus was still moving, he said he could not see the occupants inside the car but noticed that both front doors were open. From his line of sight, he also saw another individual standing “a bit far” from the car, who also witnessed the incident.
“He was looking directly at the car. I don't know. He could've been one of them (an accomplice) or just a witness,” he said.
But even before the papers came out the next day, there was already rumours that the robbery was staged. The fake robbery made the front page of one of the local newspapers. Apparently, an employee tried to steal money from an employer by faking a bus robbery. Here are some comments on Twitter:
@kisich: okay… so, the robbery never happened.
@ranoadidas: twitpic.com/4thu4v So the robbery was staged??
@d3x: Worrying trends.twitpic.com/4thvct
Even from the start the story did not really make sense. Why would anyone withdraw BNF $20,000 and not have someone to accompany them? This is a tragic story of how the ‘assaulted’ person tried to cheat her own employers but in the end could not pull it off out of guilt.
In a fairy tale, there would be a happy ending, in this case the employers could possible sympathise here and decide to help her. However, this is not a fairy tale – in real life she will have to face the law.
This incident, regardless of its false nature, had given the people of this country some cause for alarm that some people are not afraid to resort to crime just to make a quick buck. It just shows that money, in this case, can do more evil than good.


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Costa Rica: When National Music Turns out to be Copied · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Some Costa Rican bloggers were terribly disappointed with their musical memories after reading Luis Alonso Murillo's blog post: 11 songs we all believed were national and turned out to be covers [es]. As one commenter wrote: the foundations of national “chiqui-chiqui” music… weren't even national.


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Côte d’Ivoire: Pro-Gbagbo Militiamen Chanting ‘ADO’ · Global Voices
Julie Owono

Youtube User Vespuca17 posted on May 1, 2011, a video [fr] of pro-Gbagbo militiamen chanting the name of the new President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, ‘ADO’. To some this is one sign of the possible reconciliation the country has been seeking since the capture of former president Laurent Gbagbo.

author: Julie Owono


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Cuba: “Police Brutality” or “Natural Causes” in Dissident’s Death?” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

UPDATE: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 – 9:15 a.m.: Babalu links to a medical report [ES] which leads him to surmise that:
Several months ago, Soto Garcia was examined by doctors and of the many ailments suffered by the activist and documented in their report, pancreatitis was not one of them. The pancreatitis that afflicted and ultimately killed Soto Garcia came suddenly, and most likely from the brutal and violent blows he was subjected to by Castro State Security agents.
The blogger also notes that “members of the opposition and dissidence in Cuba are calling for an international investigation into the murder of opposition member Juan Wilfredo Soto”, while Pedazos de la Isla observes:
After the assassination of Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, which occurred this past May 8th, those who wield power in Cuba have unleashed another wave of repression against dissidents on the island.
END UPDATE
Cuban bloggers continue their outcry over the death of dissident Juan Wilfredo Soto, especially in light of an official statement which suggests that Soto, popularly known by his nickname “The Student”, died “of natural causes”.
On hearing the position of the Cuban government, Uncommon Sense quips:
That could be true, of course, because in Cuba under Castro, the police beating a dissident is as natural as it comes.
Then his tone becomes serious, saying:
But the party line has been undermined by witnesses who have stepped forward to tell what they know about Soto's death. The party line is being undermined by the truth.
For instance, there is Mario Lleonart Barroso who says he spoke to Soto after he was beaten and before he was readmitted to a hospital in severe pain.
The blogger also speaks of “other witnesses ready to testify not to what they saw but ready to risk their own lives to ensure that justice prevails in Soto's death” as well as “numerous dissidents ready to go on hunger strike if by July 26, 2011, the dictatorship does not properly investigate what happened to Soto.”  One dissident has reportedly already begun [es] his hunger strike.
The two accounts of Soto's death could not be more contradictory, with local dissidents insisting that he had been beaten by police and officials maintaining that his “acute pancreatitis…led to multiple organ failure” and calling the allegations of police brutality a “‘smear campaign’ aimed at weakening the Cuban revolution.”
Babalu does not accept the official line, saying:
Apparently, a vicious and brutal beating by State Security is considered a natural cause of death in Cuba.
The blog also takes issue with this post, saying:
Once again we have a ‘Cuba Expert’ blaming the victim instead of the assailant. Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia is dead not because Cuban security agents beat him to death, but because Soto Garcia ‘resisted their entreaties to leave the area.’
Meanwhile, Pedazos de la Isla spares a thought for Soto's mother, who “must accept the harsh reality of no longer being able to see her son just because chose to defend human rights in a country where all that is just is considered illegal.”  The blogger goes on to question the position of the Cuban government:
The only thing that is clear is that they have responded with fear, quickly asserting that it was all a lie.  Now we must wait and see if the international media will repeat the absurd fallacies created by the Castro government, as many did with Orlando Zapata.
Octavo Cerco offers a more personal perspective on the situation:
The last image I have of Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia is at my side running around under the Santa Clara’s relentless sun. We tried to get permission from the Bishop so that Padre Dominico–who had come halfway around the world to get to Cuba–could go see Guillermo Fariñas in Intensive Care at the scheduled visiting hours.
Now I look at the photo in Penultimos Dias of the Student and I don’t recognize him. It must be that I refuse to accept that they beat him to death. It must be that I can’t admit that this time of horror has come to this Island.  And I ask myself–is it the obvious uncertainty of rationalism–how many Wilfredos have there already been and how many are still to come? While sitting in a park, an incomprehensible crime, the massive weight of half a century of police impunity falling on his body.
Finally, the blogger goes on to say of the Cuban police, whom she calls “anonymous faces in blue”:
For a long time people have feared them more than the thieves, scammers and criminals. “Call the police” has become the last card in the deck. Because justice does not come with them. Because they are not here to protect us, but to control us at any price.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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East Timor: An Alternative Reading of the Human Development Report · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Following the launch of the United Nations “Human Development Report 2011 – Timor Leste” [pdf], the portuguese economist Almeida Serra, from the blog É a economia, estúpido! (It's the economy, stupid!) [pt], makes an alternative analysis. Serra claims that a significative share of the oil revenues have no impact in timorese citizens income.

author: Sara Moreira


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Ecuador: Blogger Detained for Offenses Against Attorney General · Global Voices
Paulina Aguilera Muñoz

The detainment [es] of Ecuadorian blogger Víctor Vizcaíno Luzuriaga for alleged offenses against Attorney General Washington Pesántez [es] became a trend [es] on Twitter, with strong reactions in the blogosphere and a harsh analysis regarding freedom of expression in Ecuador. The blogger was detained for the crime of offenses [es] against officials (Art. 231 from the Ecuadorian Criminal Code). Many have been commenting on the situation online with the Twitter hashtag #presoporopinar [es] (in English: detained for expressing his opinion).
The blogger was freed following the formalization of the judicial report. He would have argued “forgery of identity” to write off the offenses, but he affirmed that he was not the creator nor the author of the messages highlighted on said webpage, as The Guayaquil Times [es] reported.
Vizcaíno blogs La Plegaria de un Pagano [es] (currently set to private) and has a YouTube [es] page whose description is “A Youtube channel of open and frontal opposition to socialism and its declared stupidity.”  His Twitter account, (@victorvizcaino) with more than 600 followers contains his autobiography: [es]
Busco ser inmortal a punta de egoismo e  individualismo pese a una pulsión de muerte buscadora del bien común,  aun creo que podré, aunque sea de forma virtual.
From his blog, he wrote an article about the Attorney General's actions; the post was entitled “Washington Pesantes… criminal, accessory to criminals and f**got” [es]. The blog post accuses the wife of Ecuadorian Attorney General, Washington Pesantes, of running over a Colombian girl [es] and later accuses the General of a series of acts such as “crook” and “homosexual.” His post states:
Todo ha quedado frío, es impresionante descubrir el poder del dinero y el miedo de algunos medios junto a la población general
Vizcaíno defines his blog as “proudly Guayaquileño, right-wing and liberal with news, current events, opinions, politics, poetry, science, psychoanalysis and more.” [es] The site contains publications, videos and photo montages in which Vizcaíno questions the “regime” of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, and his collaborators, among them Attorney General Pesántez.
The blogger is also a member of the Libertarian Movement (that has a Facebook page) [es], which supports the ‘No’ in the referendum from May 7. Ecuador Inmediato [es] indicates that the investigations against Vizcaíno began over a year ago.
Eduardo Palacios, in the Tecnodatum [es] blog explains:
Vizcaíno es el primer bloguero ecuatoriano en ser detenido por las opiniones expresadas de su blog
Blogger Varth Deider [es] on the blog entitled Comentarios del lado oscuro [es] (Comments from the dark side) defends the anonymity of blogger identities.
Es como el caso de este blog en donde los posts, en su mayoría, están   suscritos por un tal Varth Deider, personaje imaginario sin cédula de   identidad o ciudadanía. Cualquiera que sepa la clave de este blog podría   publicar textos los cuales saldrían publicados con dicho nombre.
Hasta  donde yo se, cualquier persona  con acceso a la clave del sitio  “laplegariadeunpagano.com” puede  publicar bajo el seudónimo de “Víctor  Vizcaíno”; porque, sépanlo  señores, en los blogs se firma con  seudónimos.
It's like the case of this blog where the posts, in their majority, are written under one Varth Deider, an imaginary character without an identity card or citizenship. Whoever knows the password to this blog could publish text that would be published under said name.
For all I know, anybody with access to the site “laplegariadeunpagano.com” could be published under the pseudonym of “Víctor Vizcaíno”; because, take note people, blogs are signed with pseudonyms.
The blog balconperegrino, in its post “Aterrizó el buitre negro sobre la blogosfera” [es], comments:
en ningún país democrático se persiguen juicios por “ofensas” contra funcionarios del Estado,  pues eso atenta contra la esencia misma de la democracia, que es la  libertad de cada ciudadano para emitir juicios y criterios sobre la  labor de sus supuestos representantes.
Arrestar por una supuesta ofensa verbal es propio de un país que se  regodea en el subdesarrollo. Un país de operetta, de soldaditos de  plomo, de provocado analfabetismo, de gobernantes con delirio de  grandeza, un banana republic a fin de cuentas.
Elinternet.es denounces the detention in their post, “Signs of blocking free speech on the Internet from Ecuador.” [es]
Este hecho que busca silenciar la voz de un Ciber Activista y blogger  opositor en el Ecuador es condenado por el equipo directivo del portal  el internet es, y exiguimos que se respeten las garantias de libertad de  expresion en el Ecuador, y que se realice una investigacion contra el  Fiscal Pensantes quien ha enviado a este Blogger Ecuatoriano (de la  ciudad de Guayaquil) a la capital (Quito) para investigaciones.
Not all bloggers share this opinion. Lola Cienfuegos (@lolacienfuegos) tweets:
El susodicho bloguero Víctor Vizcaíno es el mismo que denuncié en mi blog como farsante en este post http://tinyurl.com
Alfred Naranjo (@anaranjoc) alludes to one of Vizcaíno's posts to show his disagreement:
otra perla de Mr. Vizcaino http://twitter.com/#!/victorvizcaino/status/20868641028 #presoporopinar
Nevertheless, far beyond the positions in favor or against the Ecuadorian blogger, Tweeters show their concern for topics like freedom of expression and censorship. Víctor Sánchez (@vicosanz) comments:
#presoporopinar chuta ahora si las cárceles van a estar abarrotadas!!
Rafael Méndez Meneses (@kevinhurlt) defends:
#presoporopinar una cosa es criticar, otra cosa es iinsultar. Una cosa es injuriar, otra cosa es opinar #nodefiendanloindefendible
Carlos Miguel F-C (@CarlosMiguelFC) contributes:
“sto NO ES diario online, NO SOY comunicador social y NO TENGO xq ser imparcial” (blog de @victorvizcaino #presoporopinar)”
User @menospons poses the real question:
Me pregunto cuantos blogueros habrán corrido a proteger sus blogs hoy para q no les pase lo de @victorvizcaino #presoporopinar?
Eduardo Yaguar (@eyaguar) shares a concern:
RT @palulo: ¿El siguiente podría ser un twittero? #Libertadexpresion #presoporopinar // Maestro, acaso seré yo?
Fabian Pozo (@fabianpozo) comments on the paradox of the blogger's detainment on the Day of Freedom of Expression [es]:
#presoporopinar el bloguero Victor Vizcaino, justo en el dia de la libertad de expresion!!

author: Paulina Aguilera Muñoz


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Gabon: Parliamentary Immunity Removal Could Spark Protests · Global Voices
Julie Owono

This post is part of our special coverage Gabon Unrest 2011.
The central African Republic of Gabon has been facing a latent political and social crisis since January 26, 2011. André Mba Obame, president of the now banned opposition party ‘National Union’, took his oath as the country's president, claiming that he had won the June 2009 election which was officially won by Ali Bongo, son of the former president Omar Bongo.
The crisis has since deepened, with protests from students and recently oil workers, despite of the exit of Mba Obame from the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) building where he had sought refuge for a month.
Immunity lifted
On May 5, Mba Obame, who is also a Gabonese member of parliament (MP), saw his parliamentary immunity removed by a National Assembly vote, after he was accused of high treason. This will allow legal proceedings against Mba Obame before a civil tribunal.
The procedure at the National Assembly was initially scheduled to take place on May 4, but in this already tense situation, hundreds of Mba Obame's supporters demonstrated to show their support to the one they consider their real leader. They gathered in front of the National Assembly building in Libreville, the capital city, surrounded by an imposing army deployment, forcing the president of the National Assembly to postpone the hearing.
Jean-Pierre Rougou, a Gabonese activist, has posted a few pictures of this demonstration:
Mba Obame's car surrounded by partisans in front of the National Assembly, Libreville. Image copyright Jean-Pierre Rougou.
Army facing demonstrators in front of the National Assembly, Libreville. Image copyright Jean-Pierre Rougou.
Netizen reactions
On website La voix du peuple Gabonais (Voice of the Gabonese People) more than 138 comments were posted under the article [fr] on this news. According to user AMO Advocat,  a civil war would be the consequence of the possible arrest of Mba Obame:
[…] Boukoubi n'a qu'à arrêter AMO si lui et son chef son courageux
Mais les conséquences seront une guerre civile et impitoyable
[…] Let Boukoubi [general secretary of the presidential party] arrest AMO [André Mba Obame] if he and his boss are brave.
But the consequence will be a relentless civil war
Mba Obame claims that the lift of his immunity is a political act which aims at his political and physical elimination [fr] by the current Gabonese government.
National Assembly representatives have given another explanation for the vote. According to MP Jean Christophe Mbiguidi Dinga, who led the ad hoc commission in charge of this case, as quoted on website infosgabon [fr], the lift of immunity will “allow the possibility of Mba Obame to explain himself before the law”.
This post is part of our special coverage Gabon Unrest 2011.


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Global Blogging Competition on Water Issues · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

The European Journalism Centre has launched a three month international blogging competition focusing on water issues called TH!NK5. Bloggers from 40 different countries joined the contest, aiming to win the final prize: a trip to Lisbon, Portugal.
As the Th!nk About It site describes:
TH!NK  ABOUT IT is a series of blogging competitions organised by the  European  Journalism Centre. The competitions are aimed at professional  and  aspiring journalists and new media creators from a diverse range of   backgrounds. TH!NK aims to provide an online platform for coverage of a   timely topic, establishing an international community of bloggers in  the  process. The first TH!NK edition in 2009 concentrated on the  European  parliamentary elections, with subsequent editions focusing on  global  topics such as climate change and global development.
Here are some of the most popular and original posts written by some of the winners:
On the post “The Usual Question: Faucet or Bottled Water?”, Brazilian blogger Diego Lobo talks about water markets and his personal experience with bottled water.
Blogger Iris Gonzales from the Philippines wrote “Wait! My Water Bag Broke!“, a post where she discusses water through a maternal perspective.
Larisa Rankovic from Serbia posted “Dam on Danube and the End of Communism”, a historical text telling the story of a dam that was becoming a focus for opposition of the Hungarian regime.
Blogger and film maker Peter Vadocz from Hungary uploaded a short movie he made on the topic called “Spiagga/ Beach”. The author defines it as “a picture dictionary for 4-6 years old kids  on the beach.”

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Honduras: Teachers on Hunger Strike  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Quotha posts pictures of a teachers’ hunger strike. Prensa Latina reports that on the day the pictures were taken, May 8, “Honduran teachers announced they would continue their hunger strike  until the government reinstates the jobs of more than 300 suspended  teachers.”


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Iran: Ahmadinejad’s “Exorcist” Arrested · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Twenty-five close collaborators and supporters of Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his influential Chief of Staff, Esfandyar Rahim Mashai, have been arrested, allegedly including “exorcist” or “djinn catcher” Abbas Ghaffari.
Many speculate this is due to a quarrel between Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei over the resignation of Iran's minister of intelligence.
Last week, Morteza Nabavi, a conservative politician, accused [fa] team Ahmadinejad of thinking they were being empowered by djinns or genies. In a cabinet meeting on Sunday 8 May, 2011, Ahmadinejad responded by  dismissing [fa] the notion that he has exorcists in his government as a joke. You can watch the video here [fa].
Iranian blogger Azarakan asks [fa] “Do you not smell the odor of the decaying corpse of a regime that runs the country by exorcism and tricks?” The blogger says:
Many were arrested, tortured and even killed after anti-government 2009 protests erupted, so it is not surprising that 20-30 Ahmadinejad-Mashai supporters were now jailed. After Ahamdinejad resisted the demand to keep the Minister of Intelligence in his post, the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Khamenei, needs to assert his authority. Khamenei is also [with these arrests] sending a warning to Ahmadinejad that in his two remaining years as president, he should not disobey. Finally the Supreme Leader wanted to demonstrate to all the different fractions that if anyone does not obey they will be punished without exceptions.
'Look what Mahmoud's exorcist did' cartoon by Nik Ahang
Nik Ahang, a leading Iranian cartoonist, depicts opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi, watching ghosts vote in the controversial presidential election two years ago, where Ahamdinejad was declared to have won by 63 percent. The original caption says ‘Look what Mahmoud's exorcist did’.
Another blogger, Zabanesabz says [fa] that the exorcist Abbas Ghafari was a kind of ‘herbal doctor’ who used to claim he had special powers to heal different sicknesses. He also said he had special dark powers.
Blogger Motafekrin reminds [fa] us that during the presidential election two years ago, Mir Hussein Mousavi said that Ahmadinejad governs the country by superstition and fortune-telling.
A couple of Iranian newspapers reported [fa] that several employees of pro-government websites disappeared on Tuesday. They did not explain what made them disappear: security forces or the dijnns!

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Dogs Arrested (Again) · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian security forces are back in the streets for a sequel to their infamous action of 2007: arresting dogs. The last crackdown lasted only a short time, and the dogs were soon released. According to Iranian newspapers, several dogs were recently confiscated and moved to ‘temporary to jail’.
Iran's government considers keeping pet dogs un-Islamic, but has mostly tolerated it. It is possible that because the people most likely to keep dogs are Iran's urban and educated youth, dogs may be generating more official hostility again.
Animal Persian blog writes with humor and irony about what heavy crimes animal lovers in Iran may face being prosecuted for in the future [fa]:
Animal Persian posts a mock photo of a 'crime scene' where the owner is labeled a 'criminal' and the dog is the 'crime instrument'.
1- Keeping a dog full time in an apartment
2- Sheltering two dogs as refugees
3- Distributing flyers in favor of dog ownership
4- Creating a blog with a dog name and writing posts about dogs
5- Walking dogs in the street
6- Sending 15 text messages to support animals, especially dogs
7- Owning three books about dogs
8- Suspicious visits to a veterinary clinic
9- Imitating a dog's voice at a student party
10- The discovery two dog food cans in your home
The blog Anti Hunter writes [fa] that 39 members of the Iranian parliament proposed a bill to ban dogs and other “harmful animals” from the streets. They call pet ownership an “imitation of westerners and a social-cultural problem”.
The blogger says if parliament approves this proposal, owners will be punished if they keep animals that are considered impure under Islam. Anti Hunter also says:
Who is going to judge, and based on which criteria, whether an animal, a creature of God, is harmful? Can we ignore all services a dog renders to people? Do these MPs ask the expert opinion of sociologists, psychologists or veterinary doctors?
Dardesaraye yek Dampezeshk (Troubles of a veterinary doctor) writes  [fa] that we can find positive characterisations of dogs in the words of Imam Ali, the first Shiite Imam, who said believers deserve to have them.


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Kazakhstan: Two Kazakhstanis in the World News – One Arrested, One Killed · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Two Kazakhstanis made it to the international news last week, both in very unfortunate ways.
Firstly, Valeriy Tolmachev, an adviser to Kazakhstan's delegation at UNESCO, attacked a flight attendant with a knife onboard his Paris-to-Rome flight and demanded it fly to Libya. The hijacker was overpowered by the crew, arrested and jailed in Italy. Investigation revealed that the ill-starred newsmaker suffered from depression and mental disorder.
Nemtschin comments [ru]:
Kazakhstan is having a bad luck with its diplomats. One of them was not happy with the route chosen by a Berlin taxi driver, tried to beat him up and broke the German newsstands. On another occasion, the Kazakh Embassy in London becomes famous for being a top non-payer of illegal parking fees. Now the UNESCO official is hijacking the plane. In the meantime, their colleagues have to explain to everyone that they are not assholes…
Megakhuimak adds ironically [ru]:
The clearly lunatic hijacker Tolnachev was mentioned in the world media five or ten times more than our OSCE summit or Asian Winter Games. What did we waste so much money for?
Russian top blogger Dolboeb is not missing [ru] an opportunity to remember the most known character, associated with Kazakhstan on the West:
[Kazakhstan President] Nazarbayev has an outstanding gift to choose diplomats that are to represent their country in Europe. One of them caused the blockage of LiveJournal in Kazakhstan for two years [see this earlier post], another one tried to get an airplane to Lybia… Borat Sagdiev is a model behavior boy against this background.
The second story is far less entertaining – a Kazakhstani citizen became a victim in a dramatic and highly controversial situation. KZBlog, an expat blogger living in Kazakhstan, explains:
This is a terrible story and it’s doing bad things for the image of the US [United States] in Kazakhstan. A 26 year old, Kirill Denyakin, who was working in Portsmouth, VA was shot by police. Reportedly, he was drunk and banging on the door of an apartment complex where he had been staying with a friend. A neighbor called the 911 reporting a potential break-in. I don’t get it […] You can say that Denyakin was drunk and didn’t understand how things work with the police in the US. Yes, he did a dumb thing. But that’s not a capital offense. […] I hope this thing is fully investigated and the officer is punished sufficiently.
HamptonRoads reports on the press-conference given by the police chief about the incident in Portsmouth:
“The suspect disregards the verbal commands being issued by the officer. He immediately places his hands at the midsection of his body, in the waistband area, and then charges at the officer. The officer begins to retreat toward the sidewalk of Green Street while giving additional verbal commands. The suspect continues his advance on the officer, causing the officer to discharge his service weapon in an effort to stop the threat.”
Friends and co-workers of Denyakin said they were shocked that he was involved in the shooting. They described him as a good friend and a hard worker who didn't lose his temper.
In another article at HamptonRoads, columnist Roger Chesley alleges that:
Prosecutors won’t charge the Portsmouth police officer […], because on-duty cops in the region rarely face criminal counts when a suspect is gunned down.
Kruzhechka‘s update from the Denyakin's funeral [ru]:
Kirill's palms are shot through in several places – most likely, he tried to cover himself. His parents say that one of the bullets entered the body through a hip and got stuck in a throat. How come? Perhaps, they were shooting at the already lying body…
Shabaldina reacts [ru]:
This topic is very alarming to me. I can't speak about it cold-blooded. […] Apparently, it became known that there were 11, not 6 bullets discharged, and some of them entered the body from his back. Maybe I  am speaking like a philistine, but I want to ask: Do you think those billions that our state spends for the image-making activities on the international arena make a change? Will they help the family of Kirill to win the case against the United States? […] Can you imagine the level of scandal that US diplomats would have made if, say, a Kazakh policeman shot and wounded an American citizen? Actually, our diplomats are generally doing a good job – they filed a pretty harsh note of protest, provided financial and legal support. Will they carry it through? I keep my fingers crossed.
The most recent news about the case is that the family of Denyakin is going to sue Portsmouth Police Department. The US State Department has already been notified that Kazakh Embassy is planning to claim financial compensation for Denyakin's death.
Kirill went to the United States under a Work & Travel program and decided to stay there to work at the Renaissance Hotel as a cook for two years.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Macedonia: Alleged Photos of New Alexander the Great Monument · Global Voices
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Rezwan

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Pakistan: Save The Nukes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shahid Hassan at Teeth Maestro wonders as the US navy seals could finish their operation to kill Osama Bin Laden without challenge from Pakistani defense system, someday the nuclear arms of Pakistan could be stolen.