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Scientists from Around the World Gather in Brazil · Global Voices
Davi Bonela

World Science Forum
The World Science Forum (WSF) gathers hundreds of scientists from all around the world this week in Brazil, to discuss their role in the 21st century and to emphasize the importance of scientific advice in political and economical decisions.
Brazil has hosted several events to discuss poverty eradication and sustainable development from the perspective of different social groups, occasionally antagonistic, such as Rio +20, the People's Summit and the World Social Forum. Due to the fact that nature does not recognize national borders, scientists see both issues from a global perspective. Therefore, they are using their knowledge so that science is able to integrate the construction of equitable societies, which ensure the quality of life of the populations without depleting the natural resources needed for future generations.
The sixth edition of the WSF takes place from November 24 to November 27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the first time the forum is not organized in Hungary. This year the Brazilian Academy of Science partnered with the biggest international scientific organizations. The event will be broadcast via Internet in English, the official language of the event, and will be covered in social networks via hashtag #WSFBRAZIL.

author: Davi Bonela


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Czech Crime Boss Claims South African Police “Tortured” Him · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Radovan Krejcir, an alleged Czech crime boss living in South Africa, was arrested on Friday, November 22, 2013, in Johannesburg on charges of kidnapping and attempted murder, although there are rumors on social media that other charges, such as money laundering and conspiracy, will be added to the list.
Krejcir, who has been a hot topic on social networks since his arrest on Friday, was already charged by Czech authorities, where he was sentenced to 11 years in prison in absentia for money laundering. He fled to South Africa before trial and is still wanted in the Czech Republic for several crimes, including tax fraud. South African authorities have been planning to have him extradited to the Czech Republic.
Krejcir is now claiming that he was tortured and treated cruelly by South African police since he has been in their custody. Many on social media are calling the case a disgrace and Krejcir “an embarrassment” to the country, asking that he be deported immediately. Twitter user Nqaba Ndlovu living in Nelspruit, South Africa, says:
If all else fails, withdraw Radovan Krejcir's SA passport/ID and send him back where he came from. The whole thing is a circus.
— Nqaba Ndlovu (@NqabaNdlovu) November 24, 2013

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Danica Radisic


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Interactive Map of #Euromaidan Protests in Support Ukraine’s EU Integration · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

Interactive protest map on November 23, 2013. Screenshot by Tetyana Bohdanova.
A Lviv-based Facebook user, Bogdan Tsap, has set up an interactive map of pro-EU Association Agreement protests in Ukraine. On his Facebook wall, Bogdan described [uk] his creation:
Створив інтерактивну карту #Євромайдан з усіма містами які брали участь. Будь ласка поширте та давайте знати що упустив
[I] set up an interactive  #Євромайдан map with all cities that participated. Please share and let me know what I have missed.
At the time of writing this post the map has grown substantially, with users adding protest sites across Ukraine, in the EU and the US.
As Global Voices reported, the protests dubbed “Euromaidan” [#євромайдан] erupted on November 21, 2013, after the Ukrainian government announced it was suspending the preparations for signing a EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, a historic deal that would secure the post-Soviet country's European integration.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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One UK Suburb’s Un-Neighborly Reaction to Slovakian Roma Immigrants · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

After a wave of discriminatory statements against Roma communities in France made by French Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls, Slovakian and Romanian Roma in England are now getting the same message from authorities and neighbors.
According to an article in the Guardian, Sheffield locals in an area with a high level of Roma settlements created patrols in an attempt to calm the tensions between the Roma community and other local citizens, an effort that seems to be making things worse. As the article explains:
“In an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield the former home secretary [now Sheffield MP David Blunkett] also accused the government of “burying their head in the sand” over the scale of Roma settlement in the UK and said the Roma community had to make more of an effort to fit in with British culture: “We have got to change the behaviour and the culture of the incoming community, the Roma community, because there's going to be an explosion otherwise. We all know that.”[…]
Nobody knows for sure how many Roma people have come to Sheffield since Slovakia joined the EU in 2004. The council's best guess is that 1,500 eastern European Roma children now live in the city as a whole, with around 500 in the small Page Hall area. Miroslav Sandor, a Roma community worker in Page Hall, gives a much higher estimate. He thinks there may be 600-900 large families in the city, mostly concentrated in Page Hall.

author: Tibor Blazko


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Right-Wing Extremist Enters Second Round of Elections for Governor in Slovakia · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Extremist leader of the People’s Party – Our Slovakia (ĽSNS), Marian Kotleba, won enough votes on November 10, 2013, to push through to the second round of the race for governor in the Banská Bystrica region in central Slovakia. The result has come as a surprise to many in the country and beyond. Social-Europe.eu, a site that calls itself “the leading eJournal addressing issues of critical interest to progressives across Europe”, explains why voters seem to be turning more toward extreme right options in the country:
Of course, Slovakia had its share of nationalist politics back in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Slovak National Party (SNS) was a member of several governing coalitions – the last one formed by the presumably social-democratic Smer-SD in 2006-2010. The SNS professed a typical breed of traditionalist, highly conservative nationalism – chauvinistic, xenophobic, and much too often openly racist […]
But this time it’s something different. In a few years Marian Kotleba rose from political obscurity to one of the two leading candidates for the governor of the regional self-government. He had no professional election campaign, no media and PR advisors, no sponsors paying for billboards, newspaper ads, public opinion polls, and god-knows-what-else is winning elections these days. Through staging rallies in Roma villages, giving public hate speeches, celebrating the WW2 Slovak fascist regime, and uncoordinated but intensive hate campaign on social media and websites, he is riding successfully on the wave of increasing intolerance and rising public anger.


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Roma in Norway Evicted from Camp by Police · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

During the week of November 18, 2013, Oslo police and state property owner Statsbygg dismantled a Roma camp, acting on court orders. The Roma settlement was located on public recreational grounds at Sognsvann, Norway. An Oslo appeals court ordered this eviction, agreeing with Statsbygg that the settlers had surpassed the legal two nights in a row that people are allowed to camp there. Some of the Roma campers now plan to leave Norway entirely, while others plan to appeal the eviction. Norwegian site NewsinEnglish.no says:
A support group for the Roma folk told news bureau NTB that they plan to appeal the eviction to Norway’s Supreme Court, but the court order is now enforceable and the campers left voluntarily. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that only one man protested, but he also ended up leaving the area.


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Sri Lanka: Debate On Legalizing Sex as a Profession · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Sex work finds its place in the underbelly of most societies, more so in conservative cultures like that of Sri Lanka,” comments Shilpa Samaratunge at Groundviews. The question remains whether the sex workers can demand their rights confronting stigma.

author: Rezwan


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Thousands Applaud Iran’s Nuclear Dealmaker Javad Zarif on Facebook · Global Voices
Farid

Screenshot of Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's Facebook profile
Thousands of Iranians poured comments of praise on the Facebook page of Iran's Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif today, thanking him for brokering a nuclear deal.
Finally, after ten years of negotiation, Iran and world powers came to a temporary agreement on the Iranian nuclear program on Sunday, November 23, 2013. The six month agreement rolls back Iran's ability to work towards a nuclear bomb, while economic sanctions will be eased.
Both Tehran and Washington praised the deal, but differences in understanding of the deal between the two sides emerged immediately. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's said the deal does not say Iran can enrich uranium, while the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, said the agreement recognises “Iran's nuclear rights,” including the right to enrich uranium.
Representatives of Iran and 5+1 after striking a deal. on Sunday, November 24, 2013. Source: Irna
Online, opinions about the deal vary too. And many Iranians did not forget their sense of humor in reactions.
Among those praising the deal, Solmaz Naeemi wrote to the Foreign Minister on Facebook [fa]: “You said either we win or lose together. We won together.” Saffiye Noura said [fa]: “This news [nuclear deal] is no less important than the liberation of Khormashar [an occupied city during the Iran-Iraq war, liberated by Iranians].”
Persain Banoo considers that the enemies of the Islamic Republic must be desperate now. She tweeted:
I am sure @netanyahu & MEK cult leader Maryam Rajavi have been crying on each others shoulders since the #Geneva agreement was signed #Iran
— Persian Banoo (@persianbanoo) November 24, 2013
Behzad Parsa tweeted [fa] with irony:
با #اورانیوم 5% #سیگارت هم نمیشه ساخت چه برسه به #بمب #هسته ای … :))) #ژنو #ایران
— Behzad Parsa (@BehzadParsa7) November 24, 2013
With 5% enriched uranium we can not even light a cigarette, let alone make a nuclear bomb.
Also Saleh has doubts that a nuclear agreement can improve people's lives and tweeted [fa]:
توافقنامه ی #هسته ای چه امتیازی می تواند برای مردم ایران داشته باشد؟ مگر قبل از تحریم ها وضعیت اقتصادی به چه گونه بود؟!
— Aso Saleh (@asosaleh) November 24, 2013
What advantage is there in this agreement for Iranians? [Remember] how the economic situation was before sanctions.
Also skeptically, the blogger Shahinsahr politik, says [fa]:
What will you [Islamic Republic] do with the disagreements with the Iranian people… Do you think with this [nuclear] agreement, people will forget the regime's crimes and their demands?

author: Farid


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Pakistan Government Blames Social Media for Fanning Sectarian Clashes · Global Voices
Sana Jamil

Curfew in Rawalpindi after clashes between Shia and Sunni groups. Image by Muhammad Majid Rashid. Copyright Demotix (16-11-2013)
A three-day curfew was imposed in Rawalpindi city, after eleven people were killed and a market was burnt, following a clash reportedly between Sunni and Shia crowds on Ashura, the 10th day of the Islamic month Muharram, a day of mourning and processions for Shia-muslims.
Soon after the clash on November 15, 2013, images – some doctored and some manipulated with propaganda – quickly spread on social media, putting the blame for the violence on either Sunnis or Shias. Just a day after the Rawalpindi unrest, rare spates of violence broke out between Shia and Sunni crowds in different parts of the country, which the Pakistani government has blamed on the negative role played by “social media” during the Rawalpindi clashes.
On 22 November, twin bombings killed nine people and injured 28 others in a Shia-dominated neighborhood of Karachi. The banned militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the bombings were revenge for the Rawalpindi incident.
Journalist, anchor and blogger Mansoor Ali Khan (@MansoorGeoNews) tweeted a picture of his colleague who was killed in the Karachi bombings:
A #TeamGeo colleague we lost to terrorism today – Salik Ali Jafferi RIP pic.twitter.com/8mMMwvUl8S
— Mansoor Ali Khan (@MansoorGeoNews) November 22, 2013
Rawalpindi incident
According to reports, the situation turned violent in Rawalpindi, a garrison city that borders capital Islamabad, on November 15, after a cleric made inflammatory statements on a loud speaker at a Deobandi mosque along the path of an Ashura procession in a popular market area, agitating and offending both Shias and Sunnis. The cleric denigrated the Prophet Mohammad's grandson, a revered figure across all sects of Islam, whose death Shias mourn on Ashura. Blogger Sarah Khan wrote about the account of an eye-witness on the Let Us Build Pakistan (LUBP) blog:
According to the eye-witness, Mullah’s inflammatory speech agitated the mourners in procession. [..] Agitated (Shia and Sunni) mourners finding it difficult to bear the (Deobandi) mullah (cleric) started shaking the grills outside the mosque in protest against the comments. In meantime someone from inside mosque 1st hurled a stone at mourners shaking the grills. The stone was followed by firing from mosque rooftop. Firing caused panic and people started running. [sic]?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /
The situation deteriorated when people exchanged gunfire and dozens of shops around the mosque were torched. Once the police failed to get a hand of the situation, the army imposed a curfew, and invoked “Section 144,” which prohibits groups of five or more people from assembling. The curfew was lifted on 18 November, several culprits have been identified through security footage and a judicial inquiry into the clashes is underway, but the overall mood in Pakistan is tense.
While Shia mosques and Ashura processions have been been targeted and attacked by banned anti-Shia militant groups in Pakistan, the Rawalpindi incident marked a rare spontaneous clash between Sunni and Shia crowds.
Just a day after the Rawalpindi unrest, isolated incidents of violence broke out between Shia and Sunni groups in various parts of the country. Hundreds of miles south of Rawalpindi, several people were injured in Multan city and a group damaged a Shia mosque and shops in the neighbouring town of Chishtian.
A hundred miles north-west of Rawalpindi, violent clashes in Kohat, also linked to the Rawalpindi incident, took the lives of three people; officials imposed a curfew there. On November 19, a hundred miles east of Rawalpindi, a Shia senior official of the University of Gujrat, Syed Shabbir Hussain Shah, was gunned down, and his killing is also being investigated for links to the Rawalpindi unrest.
Role of social media
While all this was happening, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was on official visits to Sri Lanka and Thailand for which his newly elected government is being criticized. Nawaz Sharif in turn accused social media for playing a ‘negative role’ during the clashes.
A former Pakistani policeman writes about the failure of police to use social media to its advantage to control the aftermath of the Rawalpindi incident in the daily Dawn:
To reinforce their influence, extremist groups increasingly rely on social media but our law enforcement and regulatory agencies still don’t know how to tackle the challenge. Social media can be effectively used to bring the police and community on one page. In mega urban centres, apart from the physical presence of the law enforcers, people expect the online presence of the police. [..] Police need to learn quickly about social media to keep pace. Many police forces around the world have started to use it for engagement, intelligence and investigation, and often release pictures or videos of wanted criminal and terrorist suspects on their websites.
The websites of police departments in Pakistan, on the contrary, are neither public friendly nor interactive. This is a pity as police websites could help in the introduction of e-policing in urban areas.”
Rawalpindi native Qurat-ul-Ain Fatima writes in her blog during the curfew which ended on November 19:
As army roams around the streets of the city trying to “keep peace” , the social Media buffs are making their own statements book justifying this or that picture as the proof of perpetrator to be “Shia” or “Sunni”. The Humanitarian aspect of the tragic event and its long lasting repercussions have almost escaped everyone’s  thought. The trend shows we will forget the incident as soon as the temporary peace is restored. [all sic]
In recent years, sectarian extremists and militant groups with links to the Taliban and AlQaeda have routinely targeted Shias, followers of liberal strands of Sunni Islam (Barelvis) and other religious minorities in the country, namely Christians and Ahmadis. A church bombing in Peshawar on September 22, killed over 80 Christian worshippers.
Banned anti-Shia militant groups Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Lashkar-e-Taiba/Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat  (AWSJ) have claimed responsibility for many bombings. According to a former Interior Minister of Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is believed to be behind 80 percent of terrorist attacks in the country.
After the Rawalpindi violence, TV producer Muhammad Shahbaz Zahid (@shahbazzahid), while criticizing banned outfits, tweeted:
Peace-loving sunni Muslims of #Pakistan should immediately distance themselves away from banned outfits ssp/aswj if they already have not.
— Shahbaz Zahid (@shahbazzahid) November 17, 2013
Anti-Shia groups have left the Hazara community in Balochistan, in Southwestern Pakistan, in a helpless situation. They refused to bury their loved ones after twin-bombings, which Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for killed dozens from their Shia -Hazara community earlier this year.
Shia Muslims Protest in Quetta. Image by ppiimages. Copyright Demotix (11-01-2013)
In the lead up to Muharram and Ashura, Pakistan's leading newspaper Dawn published the editorial Tensions High: Muharram Security:
The sectarian militants are well organised and have their own system of gathering information. They have access to the latest technology and are a step ahead of the overall counterterrorism strategy. That is where we can see the gap. The political face of sectarianism is known to the intelligence agencies; but greater efforts are needed to crack down on militants. Without a serious approach to the problem of sectarian militancy, the risk of communal flare-ups, which has so far not manifested itself in most places, cannot be discounted […] At the same time, a check is also required to be kept on those who show their hate towards communities through incendiary speeches and literature. Engaging rational-minded Shia and Sunni religious scholars would be indispensable to this exercise.

author: Sana Jamil


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VIDEO: Authorities Destroy Mosques in Angola  · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The destruction of at least 11 mosques in the last two months in Angola is provoking reactions of outrage online.
According to Voz da América [pt], Angolan authorities state that the reason for the destruction is illegal construction. Other reports add that the process of legalization of Islam and other religions in the country has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, and therefore, according to the news agency of the state AngolaPress, “their temples will be closed until the new pronunciation in the case”. The Minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva, said that a law related to liberty of religious assembly should be revised “as a way of fighting ‘vigorously’ the coming up of new religious congregation whose religious assembly are contrary to our habits and customs to Angolan culture.”
The Muslim Community of Angola (CISA) considers that the government is undertaking religious persecution and preventing the realization of religious cults. So is referred in the caption of a video posted on Youtube last September by Coque Manuel which shows a mosque in the city of Moxico being destroyed:
A destruição (…) deve ser imediatamente interrompida e exigimos ao Presidente Angola que peça desculpas aos muçulmanos em todo o mundo. Se não, então gostaríamos de convidar a comunidade Islâmica para realizar manifestações pacíficas em frente dos edifícios das embaixadas angolanas em todo o mundo.
The destruction (…) must be immediately stopped and we demand an apology from the President of Angola to muslims around the world. If not, then we would like to invite the Islam community to protest peacefully in front of the buildings of Angolan embassies around the world.

author: Sara Moreira


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Brazilian Activists Meet in Free Media Week in Rio de Janeiro · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Banner of the event Semana de Mídias Livres (Free Media Week) on Facebook by Copyfight.
A series of debates and workshops dedicated to the democratization of the media, digital radio, cryptography and surveillance, among other digital activism issues, starts tomorrow, November 26, in Rio de Janeiro. The Semana de Mídias Livres (Free Media Week) [pt] gathers three events in one until November 30: the second international conference Spectrum, Society and Communication (ESC2), a meeting organized by the Rizoma de Rádios Livres (Rhizome of Free Radios) [pt], and the third Copyfight meeting, that stated in a release note:
O foco desta edição são os novos desafios da cultura livre em um contexto de crescente insurgência nas redes e nas ruas, assim como questões relevantes no contexto da luta pela democratização da comunicação no Brasil.
The focus of this edition will be given to the new challenges of free culture in a context of growing insurgency in the networks and on the streets, as well as relevant issues in the context of the struggle for democratization of communication in Brazil.
All the activities will be livestreamed in the website of the event.


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Competing Candidates Claim Victory in Honduras Presidential Election · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Juan Orlando Hernández from the ruling conservative National Party is currently leading the presidential vote in Honduras, according to results released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). But his main rival, left-wing LIBRE party candidate Xiomara Castro, has also claimed victory and her party has declared that they don't recognize the results released by the TSE.
Xiomara Castro is the wife of former president Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup in June 2009.
Twitter users shared reactions and reports throughout Sunday, November 24, with the hashtags #HondurasDecide (Honduras decides), #EleccionesHonduras2013 (Honduras 2013 elections), #HondurasVota (Honduras votes) and #Honduras, among others:
#Honduras voters in Las Delicias barrio in Tegucigalpa pic.twitter.com/1u9uFGnAdH
— Will Grant (@will__grant) November 24, 2013
Freelance writer and consultant Boz from Bloggings by boz explained that both parties quoted exit polls that claimed they had won the presidential election.
Both Libre and National Parties are quietly passing around exit poll data showing they won. Prediction: At least one of them is wrong.
— boz (@bloggingsbyboz) November 24, 2013
Xiomara Castro claimed her victory on Sunday night. She tweeted:
Con los resultados que he recibido de boca de urna de todo el país, puedo decirles: Soy la Presidenta de #Honduras.
— Xiomara Castro (@XiomaraCastroZ) November 25, 2013
With the exit poll results that I have received from around the country, I can tell you: I am the president of Honduras.
But the early results released by the TSE placed National Party candidate Juan Orlando Hernández in the lead:
RT @americahn Primeros resultados del @tsehonduras pic.twitter.com/75dmngO4FN National Party leads early results in #Honduras
— David Agren (@el_reportero) November 25, 2013
First results from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
Juan Orlando Hernández declared his victory soon after these early results:
¡Gracias Dios mio y gracias pueblo hondureño por este triunfo! pic.twitter.com/iucVwtM7du
— Juan Orlando H. (@JuanOrlandoH) November 25, 2013
Thank you God and thank you Honduran people for this victory!
Titulares: Insólito #Honduras estrena dos presidentes, ambos celebran la victoria #eleccioneshonduras #HondurasDecide #HondurasVota
— Libertas (@Tekandi) November 25, 2013
Headlines: Unbelievable, Honduras debuts two presidents, both celebrate victory.
Later that night, the bloggers behind Honduras Culture and Politics shared the last TSE results of the day, which still had Juan Orlando Hernández winning the election:
#Honduras TSE: 54% prelim counts with estimated 61% voter participation: Partido Nacional 34.27% LIBRE 28.67%: no more updates tonight
— Honduras Cult Politi (@HondurasCultPol) November 25, 2013
Xiomara Castro's LIBRE party did not recognize these results, as human rights and anti-mining activist Karen Spring explained:
LIBRE does not recognize announced results bc of irregularities with the scrutiny of the actas or vote tallies #EleccionesHonduras2013
— Karen Spring (@springkj) November 25, 2013
Radio Globo, a radio station known for its opposition to the coup in 2009, had reported earlier that Xiomara Castro was the winner of Sunday's election:
Radio Globo #Honduras: ¨No les mentimos en el Golpe de Estado. No les mentimos ahora. @XiomaraCastroZ está ganando en todo el país¨
— Rolando Segura (@rolandoteleSUR) November 25, 2013
Radio Globo Honduras: “We didn't lie during the coup. We won't lie to you now. Xiomara Castro is winning around the country.”
Why LIBRE thinks it won in #Honduras: totals from each polling place transmitted to parties as well as TSE; Radio Globo broadcasting them
— Honduras Cult Politi (@HondurasCultPol) November 25, 2013
Hard to describe what's happening. RadioGlobo refusing to accept preliminary results, calling everyone 2 defend LIBRE victory.
— Karen Spring (@springkj) November 25, 2013
Meanwhile, US ambassador in Honduras, Lisa Kubiske, declared:
Ha sido un “proceso transparente y un proceso regular” dice la embajadora de los estados Unidos en tegucigalpa para las #eleccioneshonduras
— albertoarce (@alberarce) November 25, 2013
It has been a “transparent and regular process” the ambassador of the United States in Tegucigalpa declared regarding the Honduran elections.
Laura Raymond from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) questioned the ambassador's statements:
What business does the US Ambassador have evaluating such a contested election right now? What criteria did she use? What process? #Shame
— Laura Raymond (@laurajraymond) November 25, 2013
CCR released a statement on Monday:
Yesterday’s election in Honduras and subsequent statements by the U.S. Ambassador characterizing the election as “transparent” and accompanied by only few acts of violence are reminiscent of the 2009 election, where the U.S. rushed to validate and help push forward a process as it was being contested by Honduran civil society. There must be an opportunity to do a full and accurate count and fully investigate reports of irregularities and intimidation and threats by authorities.
Meanwhile, on Twitter some are talking about electoral fraud:
Huele a fraude #EleccionesHonduras2013. Crisis política c 2 candidat@s auto proclamad@s y tercer candidato no reconoce resultado #TSE
— Freya Rojo (@FreyaRojo) November 25, 2013
It smells like fraud. Political crisis with 2 self-proclaimed candidates and a third candidate not recognizing TSE results.
And user Horacio Torres referred to the coup that overthrew Zelaya:
Si dieron con total impunidad un golpe de estado, por qué no iban a ser capaces de organizar un fraude #NoAlFraudeEnHonduras
— Horacio Torres ✌ (@Horacio246) November 25, 2013
If they carried out a coup with complete impunity, why would they not be able to organize a fraud?
The Americas Blog has been keeping a live blog where they share violations of electoral regulations and other inconsistencies.
Furthermore, the Honduras Solidarity Network released a report by the ‘Council Analyzing Human Rights Violations in the Honduran Electoral Process’ which says that the elections were “taking place in an atmosphere of suspicion.”
The report lists the information the Council shared with human rights lawyer Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas and Judge Baltazar Garzon, including reports of “intimidation against members of the voting tables […] the buying and selling of votes and credentials” and “irregularities in the electoral registry.”
The Council added:
We remind the people of Honduras that we are not alone, for we are being accompanied by hundreds of international defenders of human rights here in our country, who are taking note of the injustices and violations of basic rights, so that they can submit timely reports to their respective countries.
To conclude, we reaffirm our demand that human rights are respected, in particular the right to life , integrity, and freedom, rights which are systematically violated in this country.
Boz from Bloggings by boz posted “Five points on the Honduran elections“, where, among other things, he discusses the slow vote count:
4) Could the vote count be any slower? While I think the TSE vote counting process will eventually deliver an accurate result, it's also way too slow for the age of Twitter. The delay in counting the vote is partially why both leading candidates jumped the gun in declaring themselves president. It's why two of the candidates are now claiming fraud and manipulation. This is something that must be fixed by the next election. There is no reason that at 7AM the morning after the election, only about half the votes have been counted.
Boz concludes:
5) It's clear the presidential winner will obtain less than 40% of the vote and potentially under 33%. The Congress is going to be far more plural and more divided. No candidate or party has a significant mandate. Honduras's institutions should try to reflect that divided country, yet should also focus on being productive, not continuing to fight the political battles of the election. That's idealistic of me. It's much more likely that Honduras is going to see some protests.
Stay tuned for more updates on this contested election.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Global Voices Meetup in Skopje, Macedonia · Global Voices
Елена Игнатова

Global Voices in Macedonian is thrilled to invite you to a meeting of the members and supporters of the community, happening on Saturday, November 30, 2013 from 12:00 to 15:00 at the GEM Club in Skopje, Macedonia.
During the event, we'll introduce the possibilities for becoming part of the Global Voices community, but also the opportunities for micro-grants by Rising Voices. The event will be used to strengthen the Global Voices community in Macedonia, by mixing old and new members to define the future of the team together.
Some of the topics of the event are:
If you want to attend, and we know you do, please fill out the following form, so we have a better picture of the number of participants: http://0.mk/GVMeetup
See you on Saturday!

author: Елена Игнатова


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Hong Kong Slutwalk 2013 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Women wearing pyjamas rallied in city center for the 2013 Slutwalk. Hong Wrong has taken many photos.
Evan Fowler from the Housenews explained the significance of slutwalk in Hong Kong.
The recent comments of Security Chief Lai Tung Kwok, who suggested women should not “drink too much” in order to avoid being raped, and the pro-China Executive Councillor Cheng Yiu Tong who argued that Hong Kong candidates standing for election should be screened by China, as, in his words, “a porn star was elected to parliament in the West without a screening process. Is that what we want to see?”, are clear indications that Hong Kong needs SlutWalk.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Iran: Jailed Blogger Needs Urgent Medical Care · Global Voices
Farid

Jailed blogger,Hossein Ronaghi Maleki needs urgent medical care.He was sentenced to 15 years of prison. Laleh  tweeted
Jailed activist Hossein Ronaghi in very poor health w/ swollen kidneys-(one non-functioning), bladder & prostate disease #Iran #Iranelection
— Lalehلاله (@Lalehsr) November 25, 2013


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‘Las Patronas’ Receive Human Rights Award for Work Feeding Migrants · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

Las Patronas mural. Photo taken by Dawn Paley in the house of Las Patronas, Amántlan, Veracruz. Image under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Norma Vázquez Romero, a working-class woman who has lived a very simple life in the coastal state of Veracruz in Mexico, was given the 2013 Mexican Human Rights Award for dedicating the last 15 years of her life to feeding migrants from Central America and Southern Mexico who pass by her town on the train known as “La Bestia” (“The Beast”) with the goal of reaching the United States.
The area where Norma works with her family and other women to feed migrants is called La Patrona – which means “the female boss”. This group of women and Norma's family adopted that name for their group, and now they are locally known as “Las Patronas” (meaning “the female bosses”).
This short film released in 2009 shows the work of Las Patronas:
On Alterinfos Blog [es], Karolina Caicedo Flórez wrote about how the world came to know what Las Patronas do to help migrants in their arduous journey:
Durante más de diez años su labor estuvo casi que en el total anonimato, hasta que en 2005, gracias a un documental que narraba su labor diaria en defensa de los y las migrantes, el proyecto de Las Patronas comenzó a llenar las páginas de internet, los períodicos, revistas, festivales de cine documental y hasta los museos. Comenzaron a recibir por lo menos una visita a la semana, de periodistas, defensores de derechos humanos y curiosxs que deseaban conocer y apoyar personalmente su labor.
Over the last ten years, their work was almost done in total anonymity until 2005, thanks to a documentary chronicling their daily work in defense of the migrants, the project of Las Patronas started being featured on websites, newspapers, magazines, documentary film festivals and even museums. They began to receive at least one visit a week from journalists, human rights defenders and curious people that wanted to know and support their work.
Every day, Norma and her family prepare rice and distribute it in plastic bags for the migrants. Usually, these people have not eaten for long periods of time and they have not had water for entire days. Norma and her family also prepare black beans, bread and fill bottles with water in order to toss the supplies to the migrants on the train, which does not stop for one second.
A single ration. Photo taken by Dawn Paley in the house of Las Patronas, Amántlan, Veracruz. Image under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Karolina Caicedo explained in a blog post more about the stigma [es] that Las Patronas have faced when people know that they are helping migrants:
La estigmatización hacia Las Patronas también se ha hecho sentir: “locas, no saben ni a quien ayudan” son algunas de las palabras que utilizan desde los más católicos comprometidos con la iglesia (que va desde el padre hasta los feligreses de La Patrona) hasta los maridos de las mujeres que alguna vez quisieron apoyar este proyecto.
The stigmatization of Las Patronas has also been described as “crazy women who don't know who they're helping” – these are some of the words used from the most committed Catholics (from the priest to the parishioners of La Patrona town) to the husbands of the women who have wanted to support this project.
All over the web many celebrated their humanitarian work.
Frida Lopez described what these women do every day of the year:
#LasPatronas son mujeres que a diario al paso del tren “La Bestia” en Ver. regalan comiida a los migrantes que buscan el Sueño Americano.
— Frida Lopez (@FridaloRuiz) November 21, 2013
Las Patronas are women who give food daily to migrants seeking the American Dream who are passing by on “The Beast” train.
Hibrain Vega expressed his desire to bring down international borders:
¡Abajo las fronteras! Con amor fraterno #LasPatronas
— Hibrain Vega (@HIBRAIN) November 23, 2013
Down with the borders! With fraternal love #LasPatronas
Deena, from the same state as Las Patronas, Veracruz, stated how their case brings her hope in people:
#LasPatronas… Este tipo de noticias me devuelven la esperanza! Aun hay buenas personas…
— Deena (@DinaVez) November 22, 2013
Las Patronas…this type of news give me hope! There are good people in this world…
Ekhtaí Baruck Serran expressed his support by stating that Las Patronas are international role models:
El mundo necesita más personas como: Norma Romero Vásquez, encabeza el grupo “#laspatronas” Premio Nacional de Derechos Humanos 2013
— Ekhtaí Baruck Serran (@EBaruck) November 23, 2013
The world needs more people like Norma Romero Vásquez, head of the group Las Patronas. National Human Rights Award 2013
Finally, Karolina shared what it feels like to be with Las Patronas and give out food to the passing migrants:
El momento preciso en el que el tren de La Bestia pasa por La Patrona, marca una serie de sentimientos a cualquiera que tenga un lonche en su mano para entregar a los migrantes: nervios (si es la primera vez que lo hace), estrés (al escuchar el fuerte ruido del tren y al percibir su alta velocidad), emoción (al ver las manos de los migrantes estirarse para agarrar uno de los lonches), alegría (al escuchar las palabras de agradecimiento) y en algunas ocasiones rabia, al darse cuenta que no todos los migrantes pudieron tomar la comida.
That moment when the La Bestia train passes by La Patrona town, brings with it many feelings for anyone with food to give out: jitters (if it is the first time that he or she does it), stress (to hear the loud noise of the train and to feel the high speed of its movement), emotion (to see the hands of all of the migrants stretching out to grab one of the lunches), joy (when you hear them saying thank you) and sometimes anger, to know that not all migrants were able to take the food.
After receiving so many tweets and comments in support of their work, Las Patronas thanked netizens for their words:
Agradecemos a todas y todos sus menciones y felicitaciones. Todo esto es por la resistencia de los #migrantes y su derecho a la vida. Abrazo
— Las Patronas (@LasPatronas_dh) November 17, 2013
We thank everyone for your words and for your congratulations. We do everything to support the resistance of the migrants and their right to life. Hugs

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Love Doesn’t Kill: Campaign Against Femicide in Colombia · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Nataly Palacios is the woman being eulogized by the campaign: Love Doesn't Kill. Photo by Cati Restrepo.
[Editor’s note: The author of this post is part of the ‘Love Doesn't Kill’ campaign and was a classmate of Nataly Palacios Córdoba]
[Links are to Spanish-language pages unless otherwise indicated.]
The death of Nataly Palacios Córdoba, a 23-year-old social worker who was murdered at the hands of her boyfriend, caused such shock among her friends and classmates that they decided to create the campaign ‘El amor no mata’ [Love doesn't kill].
Nataly was killed on August 18, 2013, having just completed her university degree the previous March in the city of Medellín [en] in Colombia.
On August 20, the campaign was officially launch on Facebook, and from then on the page's administrators and followers began working on three fronts:
1. Selfies with the caption “Love doesn't kill”: Every contributor sent their picture with a message to the site, and the administrators published it.
2. Person of the week: the administrators selected and publicized a different woman's story every week.
3. Public action: campaign followers have participated in different demonstrations repudiating femicides.
To date the Facebook page has received more than 1,400 likes, and more than 200 faces bearing the tagline “Love doesn't kill” have been uploaded.
“I am Isa and I say, “Love doesn't kill.” An example of the images the online community has sent to Facebook. Photo by Sara López Carmona.
I am Sara and I say, “Love doesn't kill.” Photo by Sara López Carmona shared on Facebook.
The group is also allied with two particular public demonstrations: Plantón Movimiento Mujeres de negro [a sit-in by Women In Black] and Plantón: Mujeres, que los hombres no nos maten en nombre del amor, [a women's sit-in against men who kill in the name of love].
More recently, the El amor no mata campaign joined forces with the ‘International butterfly migration Fluturi’, which aims at generating awareness about the topic of femicides.
Image of the Fluturi event that took place in the town of La Ceja outside Medellín. Photo by Sara López Carmona.
As a final note, we share the lyrics of what has become a hymn for women's movements in Colombia. [It is based on a popular children's song that begins with the words “rice pudding” and urges women to be dutiful wives.]
“We don't want any more rice pudding;
no more murdered women in this city.
Whoever killed them, whoever raped them,
these are hate crimes and nobody was looking.”
Today, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women [en]. Rest in peace, Nataly.
Not one more death, nor one woman less.

author: Cati Restrepo


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Story of a Democratic Blackout: Valencia’s Public Television Shuts Down (Part 2) · Global Voices
Lidia Ucher

This is the second and last part of a report on the RTVV shutdown. The first part can be found here.
The shutdown of public Valencian Radio and Television (RTVV) was a drastic decision on behalf of the Valencian government to silence the critical voices raised against the public entity's management since its inception almost 24 years ago. What provoked the announcement of the shutdown was that on the same day, November 5, the Layoff (ERE) that left a thousand public television workers out of a job was declared void.
In this context, RTVV journalists also talked about another time when they were silenced: in their coverage of the victims of the worst metro accident in the history of Spain.
Asking the victims for forgiveness
One of the most shocking and controversial pieces that Canal 9 Televisió issued following the announcement of the shutdown denounced the “forced media silence imposed by the People's Party [the governing Partido Popular]” and asked the victims for forgiveness for the worst metro accident [es] in Spain's history, which occurred on Line 1 of the Valencia metro on July 3, 2006, resulting in 43 casualties and 47 injuries.
The media and social networks reopened the debate on the treatment of information and Canal Nou's censorship in cases like this metro accident, which coincided with a profuse media and institutional display for the Pope's visit to Valencia in 2006.
Hemos incorporado la noticia de @RTVV sobre la manipulación http://t.co/seQqdQBmkg Necesitamos más testimonios, nombres y apellidos.
— 0responsables (@0responsables) noviembre 16, 2013
We have incorporated @RTVV's news on manipulation. We need more testimonials and names.
This very year, Salvados [es], a program on la Sexta TV, revealed the content of the documentary 0 responsables (0 responsible) about the judicial treatment of the entire case, and Canal Nou's media censorship in the chapter entitled “The strategy of silence” [es] reported by Frederic Ferri, the same professional that appeared on Canal 9's screen on November 5 to announce the RTVV shutdown, a journalist that has publicly been very critical of the entity's management [es] and the manipulation of information from the political sphere.
Social networks [es] were also reignited, as they had been after the Salvados broadcast, prompting a collective rejection, rallies in support of the victims of the metro accident [es], and demanding that the prosecution request the case be reopened [es].
Reactions and consequences
For its “grand finale,” people took to the streets in defense of “a public Valencian Television Radio, in valenciano and of quality” with the slogan: “RTVV does not shut down. It is yours” and cries of “Resign, Fabra!” (referring to the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Albert Fabra).
The demonstration  massive, festive, and demanding  was held on Saturday, November 9 in the three cities (Valencia, Castelló, and Alacant), following four days of Valencians organizing daily “mascletà” displays: a void ERE, the RTVV shutdown announcement, the layoff of the RTVV management team for “lack of confidence in the Consell” after “having not told the truth” [es], the rebellion of the channel's workers, which triples the audience [es] with an independent and uncensored program, and like a wick that quickly ignites on social networks, the final announcement that the Fabra Government will shut down the public television shutdown via an urgent ruling by decree [es], “to control RTVV” and not prolong the agony of a television that at times leaves Fabra and the Consell in the buff.
The demonstration made opening headlines [es] in the media. Euronews also echoed the events. It was followed by editorials [es], cartoons, and opinion pieces[es] in all of the national newspapers.
The protest could not be followed on RTVV's website, but Canal Nou did great live coverage of the entire event in the three cities:
#RTVVnoestanca held strong, though after the appointment of the new board, it disappeared from the station's social media account. People using social networks protested, and the @RTVVnoestanca account was created, to continue revealing data about the corrupt conspiracy, and Nou RTVV‘s Twitter account went back to “normal” after its incessant coverage of the stormy days.
RTVV's union continue to fight to resolve this conflict, which began at least two years ago in a “less serious” [es] way for workers, the public entity, and Valencian society. But the Valencian government spoke of a nonnegotiable closure and, most recently, the predecessors in Radio Televisión Valenciana's management put into question the very democratic mechanisms which, if any, have failed to prevent such use of what is a public service and a media that should ensure the right to information for all citizens:
Con el fundido a negro de la radiotelevisión valenciana “se cierra un ente público con una Ley de Urgencia que vulnera los derechos de los valencianos a la información, reconocidos en el Estatuto de Autonomía, la Constitución española y la ley de 20 de julio de 2012 del Estatuto de RTVV
With the radiotelevisión valenciana's breakdown “a public entity is shut down by an urgent ruling by decree, which violates Valencians’ rights to information, recognized in the Statute of Autonomy, the Spanish Constitution, and the law of July 20, 2012 in the Statute of RTVV

author: Lidia Ucher


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Tiananmen Student Activist Asks Hong Kong Government to Arrest Him · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Tiananmen student activist, Wu’er Kaixi, was landed in Hong Kong International airport today (November 25), initially for flight transit. However, he refused to get onto the plane and asked the Hong Kong government to arrest him as he is a most-wanted fugitive since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. He explained in his statement to Hong Kong citizens:
As someone who is wanted by the Chinese government, why am I attempting turning myself in to the Chinese government, and why am I doing it in Hong Kong, which has its own laws, according to the constitutional principle of “One Country, Two Systems?” Moreover, why am I doing this in transit at Hong Kong International Airport? The reason is because it is my last resort. Since 2009, I have made similar attempts in Macau, Japan, and the United States to either enter China or Chinese embassies to face the Chinese government’s charges directly, but I have been denied every time. What I’m doing today is a result of the Chinese government’s absurd act of ordering my arrest, while at the same time refusing to allow me to return.


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Two Brazilian Women Kill Themselves After Sex Tape, Nude Photos Leaked · Global Voices
Mariana Parra

Within a short time span, two young women killed themselves in Brazil after men disclosed intimate videos and photos of them on social networks, thrusting the issue of revenge porn and leaked sex tapes back into the spotlight.
Messages left by Júlia Rebeca on her Twitter profile (@coejuju). Translation:
“I am afraid but I think is goodbye forever”
“I love you, I'm sorry because I'm not the perfect daughter, but I tried. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you so much…”
“Soon it all be over”
One of the cases occurred in the city of Parnaíba, Piauí on 10 November. Julia Rebeca, 17 years old, recorded a video in which she participated in a sex scene with a boy and another girl, and it was later released via mobile messaging application WhatsApp– a tool that is increasingly being used in Brazil to disseminate intimate videos. The video eventually began to be shared on the Internet. Rebeca even announced on Twitter her own suicide, and ended up strangling herself with the cord of her hair straightener. The girl was found dead in her bedroom.
The other girl who participated in the video also tried to commit suicide by poisoning herself, but was rescued in time and survived.
Another similar case occurred just four days later, this time with Giana Laura Fabi from Veranopolis in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The young woman hanged herself at home, and was later found by her family. She had showed her breasts to a boy during a conversation on Skype, and he confirmed to police that he took a screenshot and released the image among friends. A friend of Fabi received the photo and warned her about what happened. She reported to police that Fabi was upset about what was happening.
The issue of leaking intimate material on the Internet made headlines in Brazilian media last month with the #ForçaFran case, in which an intimate video of a young woman was shared through WhatsApp without her consent, awaking the debate around sexism and the society's control over the female body.
But this time the consequences were even more tragic.
Sexism that kills
Some posts reflecting on episodes involving the leakage of intimate materials focused on sexism and on the lack of character of the men who disclose this kind of material, often as a form of vengeance or revenge, or simply as a way to gain status among their peers.
Slut Walk – São Paulo, 4 July 2011. One of the posters says: “Meu corpo, minhas regras” (My body, my rules). Photo by Andre M. Chang. Copyright Demotix.
Blogger Camila Pavanelli highlighted that these tragic cases are the consequence of society's sexism:
O problema não é que ela transou. O problema não é que ela tirou foto enquanto transou. O problema não é que o ex-namorado é louco e/ou mau-caráter e ELA deveria ter arrumado homem melhor. Em suma, o problema não é que ela estava usando minissaia, como costumam dizer em caso de estupro.
O problema mesmo é o machismo.
The problem is not that she had sex. The problem is not that she took a photo while having sex. The problem is not that the ex-boyfriend is crazy and / or an evil character and SHE should have chosen a better man. In sum, the problem is not that she was wearing miniskirt, as people use to say in the case of rape. The problem is sexism.
Pavanelli also reflected:
O que as pessoas não entendem é que sempre se dá um jeito de botar a culpa na mulher. Se transou, é porque deu, então é puta; se não transou, é porque não quis dar, então é histérica. De qualquer forma, é culpada.
What people don’t understand is that one always find a way to blame the woman. If she had sex, it is because she had sex, then she is a slut, and if she doesn’t, it is because she doesn’t want to give it, then she is hysteric. Whatever the case, she is guilty.
Lawyer Flavia Penido on her blog Lady Rasta also discussed the issue, questioning the recommendations for girls to choose their company better:
Em uma semana, continuamos a ler e ouvir a mesma cantilena de sempre: que como os homens não mudam e a sociedade “é assim mesmo”, nós temos que ensinar as meninas a não se deixar filmar; que como “os homens (vocês sabem, esses menininhos grandes inimputáveis que não sabem o que é certo é errado, tadinhos deles) dividem mulher em pra casar e pra zoar, nós temos que ensinar nossas filhas a se comportar” (não sei bem o que é se comportar – pra mim ainda é não roubar o lanche do amiguinho, mas enfim, sou moça antiga).
Tá errado, gente. Não é assim que as coisas vão mudar.
In one week, we continue to read and hear the same old chatter: that men don't change and society “is like this anyway”, so we need to teach girls that they shouldn't let themselves be filmed: that since “men (you know, these big and unimputable boys who don't know what is wrong and right, poor them) are the ones who divide women up between those who are for marrying and those who are just for fun, we need to teach our girls to behave well” (I don’t know what it is to behave well – for me it is still don't steal your friend's snack, but anyway, I’m an old girl). This is wrong, people. This is not how things will change.
This perspective is evident by how the men involved in these leaks of intimate photos and videos are seen as prodigious and remain unscathed, while women involved have their lives devastated and are blamed and condemned, even in the most tragic of consequences.
On social networks, unfortunate comments that profess contradictory morals are often found, many from women repeating the lines that “if she filmed, it’s because she wanted to”, or that the video “is not from an innocent girl. It was from a person experienced in sex”, as can be seen on the article Caso Júlia: Localizado novo vídeo de sexo e amiga tenta suicídio com veneno (Case Júlia: New sex video surfaces and friend tries to commit suicide with poison).
Revenge porn
The revenge porn problem needs to be addressed quickly by society in order to prevent tragic events like these from happening again. Bills to provide legal penalties have been discussed worldwide. In Brazil, congressman and former football star Romario de Souza Faria introduced a bill to criminalize the improper disclosure of intimate material.
But debate over the root of the problem why women are placed in this situation in the first place is urgently needed, as journalist Lino Bocchini wrote in his post “Quem é culpado pelo suicídio da garota de Veranópolis?” (“Who is guilty for the suicide of the girl from Veranopolis?”):
Vivemos numa sociedade que cobra a cada instante que você tenha sucesso. E, no caso das mulheres, por sucesso entenda-se uma cruel e impossível equação na qual você tem que ser magra, bonita e gostosa mas, por outro lado, não pode ser “fácil”, tem que “se dar o respeito”. Tem que ser bem sucedida profissionalmente. E tem que assistir o exemplo de uma mocinha da novela das oito que, aos 17 anos, usa shorts minúsculos e rebola para milhões de pessoas toda noite mas, fora das telas, assume o papel de futura esposa respeitosa do namorado jogador de futebol famoso.
We live in a society that demands that you succeed every time. And, for women, “success” means a cruel and impossible equation in which you have to be thin, beautiful and voluptuous, but on the other hand, you cannot be “easy”, you need to be “respectful”. Women have to be professionally successful. And have to follow the example of the soap opera's young lady who at 17, wears tiny shorts and shakes her ass for millions of people every night, but in real life, takes on the role of respectful future wife of her famous football player boyfriend.
Brazilian women face this difficult dichotomy between placing value on sensuality and looking down on sexuality, and, as stated by Flavia Penido at Lady Rasta blog, are divided in two categories:
A mulher tem que ser precavida, se guardar, ser ciosa do seu “tesouro” (em que século estamos estamos mesmo?), que não deve ser visto a despeito de todas as câmeras existentes no mundo. Ela, ELA deve ser responsável, já que os homens, esses irresponsáveis, não entendem que todas as mulheres são iguais e “eles” decidiram que “tem mulher pra casar e mulher pra zoar”.
Women need to be cautious, save themselves, be jealous of their “treasure” (in what century are we really?) which shouldn’t be seen despite all the cameras in the world. She, SHE should be responsible, since men, these irresponsible men, do not understand that all women are equal and “they”, men, have decided that there are “women to get married to and women to have fun with.”
In a country where people deal in contradictory ways with sexuality and even with the woman's body, it seems to be fundamental to go beyond perspectives that reinforce gender inequalities and repression, in order to overcome this and other forms of violence against women.

author: Mariana Parra


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Ukrainian pro-EU Protest Pleases the Russian Opposition · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Nationalist Ukrainian politician Oleg Tiagnibok speaking at a pro-EU accession rally in Kiev, Ukraine. YouTube screenshot.
A formerly influential LiveJournal blogger, Alexey Trankov, wrote [ru] the other day that judging by the amount of people protesting on the streets in Ukraine, as compared with the number of people discussing the protests on the Russian Internet, Russians seemingly care more about what happens in Kiev than Ukrainians themselves. Although a bit of a hyperbole (estimates of Sunday's march and rally in Kiev are as high as 100,000 [ru]), Russians do care about what happens to their next door neighbor quite a bit.
Not that there is any consensus in Russia on whether Ukraine should continue the long process of EU accession — the demand made by the protesters — or whether it should forge yet closer ties with Russia. The situation is complicated by the regional subdivisions of Ukraine itself, illustrated on this map posted by Pavel Pryanikov of ttolk.ru:
The three regions, Ukrainian-speaking west, Russian speaking East, and the Russo-Ukrainian creole center, generally coincide with the preferences of the inhabitants — the East is pro-Russia, the west is pro-West.
In Russia the divisions are ideological rather than geographic. Leftist writer and politician Eduard Limonov noted that Russia's liberals vicariously support Ukrainian protesters:
Ультра-либералы РФ возбудились майданом больше украинцев.Свой майдан передвинули, предали и профукали,а от чужого готовы в пляс пуститься.
— Эдуард Лимонов (@edvlimonov) November 24, 2013
Russian ultra-liberals are more excited by Maidan than the Ukrainians. They've moved, betrayed and wasted their own Maidan, but when they see a foreign one, they are ready to dance.
Some of these liberal activists, like Roman Dobrokhotov, fondly remembered the Orange Revolution:
Как и в 2004-м, украинцы дарят праздник моему сердцу. На фоне средневекового гнилья, которое взбаламутилось в РФ- это глоток свежего воздуха — Roman Dobrokhotov (@Dobrokhotov) November 24, 2013
As in 2004 Ukrainians have gladdened my heart. Compared to the medieval rot that has been stirred up in Russia, this is a breath of fresh air
Others, like journalist Arkadiy Babchenko, made comparisons [ru] to Russian Bolotnaya Square protests, which some contend were sabotaged by collaboration with the government:
[…] не повторяйте наших ошибок. Никаких согласованных митингов. […] У нас не получилось – может, у вас получится.
[…] don't repeat our mistakes. Don't have any sanctioned rallies. […] We couldn't do it, maybe you will.
Other liberals were more ambivalent, like Oleg Kozyrev, usually a protest cheerleader, who wrote:
Сейчас в Киеве решается, за чей счет будет жить Украина – за счет пенсий российских стариков или за счет пенсий немецких стариков
— Олег Козырев (@oleg_kozyrev) November 25, 2013
What's being decided in Kiev right now is who will pay for Ukraine — Russian pensioners or German pensioners.
Conservative publicist Dmitry Bavyrin, on the other hand, took a realpolitik view [ru] of Ukrainian unrest. According to him, there is no reason that any Russians should support Ukraine's joining the EU, since it would be a geopolitical and economic loss for Russia. He also criticized those members of the opposition that support Ukrainian protesters and thus discredit the Russian democratic movement:
с обывательской точки зрения, нет ни одной причины для того, чтобы российские политики поддерживали украинскую евробучу. Ни одной, ни малейшей. Только если не предположить, что за это платят условные “хозяева из Госдепа”. И эту мысль госпропаганда до обывателя очень скоро донесет.
from the point of view of the man on the street, there isn't a single reason for Russian politicians to support the Ukrainian euro-fight. Not one, not the slightest. Only if you conjecture that it's being paid for by abstract “bosses from the State Dept.” And this thought will be brought home to the man on the street by the state propaganda machine very soon.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian blogger writing in Russian, Aleksandr Volodarsky, thinks [ru] that the entire situation is likely much ado about nothing:
Возможный сценарий — Янукович заигрывает с Россией до 2015-го года, а потом внезапно сближается с ЕС перед выборами. […] Если провести ассоциацию сейчас, то за два года люди успеют понять, что никаких бонусов от этого они не получили: небо не стало голубее, воздух не стал чище, границы закрыты, в европейских посольствах хамят как и раньше. И возропщут.
One possible scenario — [President] Yanukovich flirts with Russia until 2015, and then suddenly gets close to the EU before elections. […] If they put the association through right now, then in two years people will become aware that they didn't get any bonuses from this: the sky isn't bluer, the air isn't cleaner, borders are closed, the European embassies are as rude as ever. And then there'll be unrest.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Will Yemen’s Romeo and Saudi’s Juliet Have a Happy Ending? · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Yemen's twittersphere, which is usually filled with disturbing news of assassinations, drone strike attacks or political turmoil, has been overtaken lately with a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet's love story. But the story is more complex and has an international twist. Juliet is Huda Abdullah Al Niran, a 22-year-old Saudi, who fell in love with her Romeo, 25-year-old Yemeni migrant worker, Arafat Mohammed Taher Al-Qadhi.
Huda met Arafat for the first time when she went to purchase a mobile from the shop in her village where he worked. They fell in love and after several attempts to officially ask for her hand in marriage were refused by her family, Huda decided to escape a forced arranged marriage. She eloped to Yemen last month to get married to her Yemeni sweetheart Arafat. However, she was arrested at the border and put in jail. Today, she faces charges for entering the country illegally and so does Arafat, who is charged with assisting her do so, although he crossed the border nine hours after her.
In an audio interview posted on YouTube by Saudi Okaz Alyoumon on November 3 , 2013, Huda recounts how she met Arafat, fell in love with him and decided to elope after her family had refused his request to take her hand in marriage – just because he is Yemeni.
Belkis Wille, researcher at Human Rights Watch, tweeted:
Yemen deporting Huda could well lead to her death, UNHCR must do all in its power to interview her before too late- http://t.co/JtIXgsUhbA
— Belkis Wille (@belkiswille) November 21, 2013
Today the UNHCR agreed to grant asylum to Huda, who risks facing victimization by her family should she be deported back to Saudi Arabia and returned home. A Yemeni court postponed issuing a ruling in her case on Sunday (Nov. 24) until December 1.
Yemeni journalist Nasser Arrabyee tweeted:
The Saudi woman Huda, is now under the UN protection, no one can harm her from family or gov, said the lawyer Jamal Jubi.
— Nasser Arrabyee (@narrabyee) November 24, 2013
Journalist Saed al-Batati gives us an update:
#Yemeni Romeo was released from prison,but his Saudi Juliet is still behind bars. http://t.co/uZum5wlbGh #فتاة_بحر_ابو_سكينه
— Saeed Al-Batati (@saeedalBatati) November 24, 2013
There are many sympathizers and supporters following the couple's ordeal in Yemen, including cartoonist Carlos Lattuf who showed his support:
My solidarity with Huda and Arafat, the Saudi-version of Romeo and Juliet. #Yemen @theyementimes pic.twitter.com/Oel6z980bM
— Carlos Latuff (@LatuffCartoons) November 24, 2013
Meanwhile, on the ground, hundreds of people gathered outside the courtroom chanting: “Love before borders and citizenship.”
Yemeni supporters of the couple gather in front of the court room to show their solidarity
The crowds demonstrated demanding the judge to dismiss the case and wed the couple. A Facebook page, entitled “We are all Huda and Arafat”, has been created to lobby their case. It has more than 12,000 likes so far. It has also been reported that a Sheikh from Yemen has offered them a home and another one some furniture.
There are also those who oppose what Huda did; crossing so many lines, that of her family, society and country in order to be reunited with whom her heart chose.
Some even wondered what would the Yemeni reaction be should the circumstances be reversed.
.@hayaatq @BenGhalib I just want to ask? Would we be feeling the same way if it was a Yemeni girl that did the same with a Saudi?? Just a Q
— ameera (@ameeraymnia) November 22, 2013
One reply was:
@ameeraymnia if the situation was exactly same where marriage was denied based on nationality Id feel the same way @hayaatq
— محمد (@BenGhalib) November 22, 2013
Another reply was:
@ameeraymnia I'd say the same thing if she were a Yemeni woman with a Saudi man. It's about humanity not nationality. @BenGhalib
— Hayaat – حيــاة (@hayaatq) November 22, 2013
So will we witness a happy ending to the Yemeni-Romeo and Saudi-Juliet love story? Or will it be another sad and tragic ending?

author: Noon Arabia


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Chinese Local Media Silent on Deadly Qingdao Explosion  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

An oil pipeline explosion in Qingdao, one of China’s eastern cities, killed at least 52 people and injured more than 100 on November 22, 2013. The pipeline belongs to the state-owned Sinopec Corp, one of China’s largest oil companies. After the incident, the chairman of Sinopec Fu Chengyu made a public apology on China's state broadcaster CCTV.
Local media in Qingdao, however, took little note of the explosion, running no coverage whatsoever of the disaster in the next day’s editions. With photos of the explosion widely circulating on Chinese social media, a chorus of critical Chinese netizens rose in the face of the state-controlled media’s silence.
“Baigu Lunjin” posted Qingdao’s Morning newspaper on Weibo and criticized [zh]:
The tragic oil pipeline explosion killed at least 52 people. Screenshot from youku
要有多么大的毅力才能够面对47条鲜活的生命，几十户家庭的悲剧——选择性失声！作为媒体人，你们对得起流血的青岛吗？对得起那些无辜的亡灵吗？
How much perseverance does it take to choose to be silent when faced with 47 lives, a tragic loss for dozens of families! As a media person, are you worthy of the bloodshed, Qingdao? Worthy of those innocent lives?
Instead of reporting about the truth behind the incident, Qingdao’s official Weibo account became a platform to flatter the “top officials”. On November 24, it published [zh]:
今天下午，习近平总书记在青大附属医院黄岛分院，亲切会见参与“11·22”中石化输油管线泄漏引发爆燃事故伤员救治的医护人员，对参与救治的全体医护人员致以衷心感谢和亲切问候。总书记对他们发扬救死扶伤的崇高职业精神给予充分肯定，叮嘱他们劳逸结合，科学调度，再接再厉，夺取最后胜利。
This afternoon, General Secretary Xi Jinping cordially met with hospital staff treating those injured in the Sinopec explosion. Jinping expressed sincere thanks and kind regards to the doctors and nurses and praised their efforts.
Netizens ridiculed the report, with one particular user, “CE sir”, writing [zh]:
一起青岛爆燃事件，死伤这么多人，竟被搞成了喜事！！
Such a tragic incident, many people died and injured, but the report sounds like it’s a great cause!
Sources outside of Qingdao are responding to the tragedy, with Beijing News raising questions [zh] about the explosion:
1 漏油为何轻易进入市政网络？ 2、输油管道为何紧邻居民区？ 3、#漏油至爆燃，地方政府为何7小时未疏散民众，避免悲剧发生？# 4、漏油发生后，中石化为何未第一时间报告海事部门？ 5、中石化10月“安全大检查”，为何未能消除输油管线隐患？
1. How did this oil spill happen so easily in the municipal network? 2. Why was the pipeline so close to a residential area? 3. During the seven hours from oil spill to explosion, why wasn't the local government able to evacuate people to potentially save lives? 4. After the oil spill, why didn't Sinopec report the incident to the maritime sector in time? 5. Sinopec had conducted a “safety inspection” a month before in October, so why weren't they able to prevent this tragedy?
Online personality “Pretendtobein NY” wrote [zh]:
这两天许多媒体忙着把灾难事故写成正面报道，让我想起动车事故后第七天，媒体收到禁令不许报道。当天新京报的头条是“七日雨未绝，一天两预警”，前一句暗示头七，后一句暗讽禁令；东方体育日报更是借国足直指“封口封博封不住哀思”。限制会一直存在，但真正有风骨的媒体总能找到办法亮出勇气和良知。
Many in the media are busy these days writing positive reports about disasters, which reminds me of the Wenzhou train collision. Seven days after the incident, all media reporting on it were banned. Beijing News’ headline on that day was “Seven days of constant rainy days, one day of two warnings”. The first “seven” hints at seven days of dead people, the latter hints at the warnings of a media ban. Oriental Sports Daily wrote: “You can seal the mouth, but you can’t seal the grief.” Censorship will always exist, but the media's real strength of character can always find a way to show its courage and conscience.
Writer Tianyou suggested [zh]:
建议在青岛爆燃遇难者头七的时候，将此日定为全国哀悼日，全国下半旗致哀。不仅是要向遇难者致哀，同时提醒全国的央企要注意生产安全。
I recommend that the flags be lowered to half-staff in a national day of mourning for those who died. Not only it is a way to mourn the victims, it is also a way to remind state enterprises to pay attention to production safety.
In response to the suggestion, many responded [zh] sarcastically:
开了此例，旗杆上半截基本就没用了。
If we start lowering the flags after this case, I guess the top part of the flagpole will be useless.

author: Abby Liu


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Collection of Articles on the Sacking of Popular Tanzanian Opposition MP · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ben Taylor shares a collection of articles on the sacking of Zitto Kabwe, a popular young Member of Parliament with the main Tanzanian opposition party, Chadema. Zitto was:
[…] was stripped of his official positions by party leaders in the early hours of Friday morning. He will no longer be the party’s deputy secretary, nor deputy leader of the opposition in parliament.
The reason? Party Chairman, Freeman Mbowe, explained that Zitto had been discovered to be part of a plot to overthrow the party leader and take over the position of party chair (and likely Presidential candidate), along with other related transgressions.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Fashion Show in Japan Takes on Violence Against Women · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Image from last year's fashion show. The couple looks happy in their relationship on surface ,but the woman's hand is chained to the man's. In his left hand, he has a toy gun. Photo publicly shared on AWA's Facebook page.
The Asian Women’s Association, a non-profit women's right organization, is holding a fashion show [ja] on December 1, 2013 under the title “Fashion Resistance to Militarism” to call attention to the issue of violence against women. The full show from last year can be viewed here.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Global Voices Partners With Fundación MEPI · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Global Voices has launched a new partnership with Fundación MEPI, an organization that promotes regional investigative projects in the Americas.
MEPI was founded in 2010 in Mexico, where news outlets’ lack of financial resources and attacks against journalists have stifled investigative reporting. In response to these challenges, MEPI seeks to promote freedom of the press and support “the development of the next generation of reporters in Mexico and Central America.”
The MEPI website further explains:
The contemporary reader needs to understand how governments, public actors and agencies really work. It is these explanations that provide citizens of a democracy with the insight required to make informed decisions and procure a free and fair government. But the cost of producing quality information is rising and with the use of technology, so too is competition. With the help of donors, supporters and partners, Fundaciòn MEPI is committed to producing regional and cross-national investigations that use technology to illuminate corrupt practices, sleight of hand and impunity.
As part of their mission, MEPI aims to “link stories between the United States, Mexico and Central America and help explain transnational movements to readers across the globe.” MEPI's vision matches Global Voices’ mission to “build bridges across the gulfs that divide people, so as to understand each other more fully.”
Global Voices and Fundación MEPI will exchange content regularly. Sometimes we will break down their long-form investigations into series. We kick off this partnership with the article Machismo and Old Prejudices Keep Mexican Rape Victims Silent, which is also available in Spanish.


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Honduras: Over 600 Femicides in 2012 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

A woman is killed in Honduras an average of once every fourteen and a half hours according to the Violence Observatory of the National Autonomous University of Honduras. The group concluded that 2851 women were killed in Honduras between 2005 and 2012 and there has been a steady increase in femicides over the past eight years.  (175 women were killed in 2005 while 606 died last year).
Erin in The Latin Americanist writes about femicides in Honduras. She adds:
In recent years the government has taken some steps to combat gender-based violence including the creation of Special Prosecutor for Women in 2008 and the approval this year of a law incorporating femicides into the penal code.  Yet Honduran judge Ramón Enrique Barrios highlighted how a small proportion of crimes against women actually go to trial and an even smaller number end in convictions.  He deemed the lack of proper investigation and impunity as the “major Achilles tendon of the Honduran judicial system.”
She also shares this video of a national campaign against femicides in Honduras:


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Indonesia-Australia Diplomatic Tension Escalates Over Wiretapping · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

A diplomatic row erupted between Australia and Indonesia after a document leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that Australia's Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) has been monitoring the mobile phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his proxies for at least 15 days in 2009.
Indonesian activists hold a demonstration denouncing the alleged wiretapping conducted by Australia in Indonesia. Photo by Akbar Gumay, Copyright @Demotix (11/21/2013)
In response, Indonesia is ceasing military and intelligence cooperation starting next year aside from planning to recall its ambassador to Australia. Other affected diplomatic cooperation includes the interceptions of Australia-bound illegal immigrants and parole for Schapelle Corby, an Australian convicted for drug smuggling in Bali.
For the past few days the Australian Embassy in Jakarta has been targeted by protesters who have condemned the Australian government's surveillance as an act which undermined Indonesia's sovereignty. The protesters have been burning the Australian flag and photos of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Islamist mass organizations have also used the issue to intensify their criticism against Western powers. For example, many Indonesian Path users have been circulating a photo collage to illustrate the protesters’ antics.
Photo collage of an imaginary phone conversation between US President Barrack Obama and Australian PM Tony Abbot regarding the flag burning in front of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. From Path user Wasis Gunarto.
A group of hackers called Anonymous Indonesia also attacked several websites of the Australian government last week which included the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Australian Reserve Bank (ARB).
Meanwhile, a Blackberry Broadcast Message is circulating in Jakarta where motorists are urged to honk three times in protest whenever they're passing in front of the Australian Embassy:
“Untuk menujukan Protes terhadap Australia yang telah melakukan penyadapan kepada Pemerintahan Indonesia mari kita lakukan protes kepada mereka dengan MEMBUNYIKAN Klakson Mobil atau Motor anda 3 X jika melintas di depan KEDUTAAN BESAR AUSTRALIA …”
To show our protest against Australia which has been conducting wiretapping against our government, let them know by honking your car or motorbike's klaxon three times whenever you're passing in front of the Australian Embassy.
Below are some Twitter reactions over the wiretapping scandal:
Bukan hanya telepon SBY dilindungi dari penyadapan. Semua orang berhak akan privacy dlm komunikasi. Kita semua tak mau disadap bukan?
— Andreas Harsono (@andreasharsono) November 21, 2013
Not only Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)'s phone needs to be protected from surveillance. Everyone deserves communication privacy. None of us would like to be tapped, right?
#penyadapan Bukan tidak mungkin kehebohan dg Australia adalah SANDIWARA utk angkat HARGA pemerintahan SBY jelang lengser @Metro_TV
— Dukun Politik (@wibag) November 19, 2013
It is not impossible that the wiretapping frenzy with Australia is a form of play to raise the value of SBY's administration before his end of tenure.
Ini Mengindikasikan ketakutan dan kepanikan SBY secara pribadi, krn yg disadap salah satunya adalah Ibu Negara, Ani Yudhoyono.#penyadapan
— Pencerahan (@Pencerahan_RI) November 20, 2013
This (scandal) indicates SBY's personal fear and panic, because the First Lady Ani Yudhoyono is among the people under surveillance.
Kita hrs yakin, kebenaran pasti akan menang. Kuncinya, waktu. “WikiLeaks: SBY Menyalahgunakan Kekuasaan http://t.co/97KGWPI0JL” #Penyadapan
— – ‘KRITIKAN CINTA’ – (@bobbytriadi) November 20, 2013
We have to believe that truth will prevail. Time is the key. WikiLeaks: SBY Abusing His Powerhttp://t.co/97KGWPI0JL
Meanwhile, Mark Textor, Tony Abbot's campaign strategist and adviser, tweeted a demeaning comment comparing Indonesian Foreign Minister, Martin Natalegawa, to a 1970s Filipino porn star. Textor has offered an apology for his offensive tweet and deactivated his Twitter account.
Following Textor's remark, a Filipino-owned website Interaksyon launched a poll asking the public which 1970s Filipino adult star resembled Mr. Natalegawa.

author: Juke Carolina


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Jamaica: Not Quite All Right  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Active Voice isn't so sure that the new Jamaica tourist board slogan is actually “all right”.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Machismo and Old Prejudices Keep Mexican Rape Victims Silent · Global Voices
Fundacion MEPI

Men and women march against sexual violence in Mexico. Photo by Say NO – UNiTE on Flickr under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
This article, written by Daniela Guazo for Fundación MEPI, was originally published on February 21, 2013. Rape and other kinds of violence against women continue to be a serious issue in Mexico. According to a recent report [es] by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 47% of women in Mexico suffer from physical and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime.
The rape of six Spanish tourists in the resort city of Acapulco during the first long holiday season in Mexico sounded alarms in the country's tourist sector but it didn't do much to jolt authorities about the rate of assaults against women – with one being raped every four minutes, according to government statistics.
The crime, like violence in Mexico, has become more brutal in the last years, said Laura Martinez Rodriguez, director of one of Mexico City's oldest association for rape victims which is known by its Spanish acronym ADIVAC.
“Previously we didn't see or we didn't realize that there were burns or mutilations. We fortunately found women alive,” she said. “Now these women are killed.”
The Pacific seaside town of Acapulco is now considered the second most violent city in the world with a murder rate of 142 per every hundred thousand residents, according to a Mexican non-governmental organization, Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. And while the level of reported rapes were markedly lower than in other states, with only 351 reported rapes in the Acapulco's home state of Guerrero, the figure likely masks a darker reality.
Experts say the majority of rape victims never report the crime to authorities. A strong culture of machismo discourages women from coming forward and many don't know where else to turn. A 2011 government survey found that an estimated 94 percent of rapes aren't documented.
Click on the image to visit an interactive map showing the rate of reported rapes per one hundred thousand women in Mexico.
“There still exists places where people think that a woman wearing a miniskirt is provoking an assault and that's not the case. These are crimes that have nothing to do with the personality of a person,” said Erika Molina Carranza, who is head of the unit that investigates rape cases in Mexico City.
Further discouraging women, the perpetrator is often a friend or family member, as was the case of Abundio García Guadalupe, the 44-year-old accused of raping his 12 year-old-step daughter in the nearby state of Jalisco. She gave birth this January to his child. He claims that there was never a violation because he did everything with the consent of the child and his wife.
Even when women do report the crimes, they don't want to press charges. Molina said about half the women that file complaints don't follow through because the judicial process is often long and they don't want to confront their violators. It can take a whole day just to provide a police report with victims having to write their whole report, sit with an illustrator to create a sketch of the victim and then meet with a medical doctor who administers the rape kit.
“When they realize the gravity of the charges they don't want to go through with it,” Molina said.
In Mexico City, government and civil agencies that work with rape victims find that the most troubling barrier to confronting rapes is the countries’ own prejudices.
Many women don't even want to tell authorities because they think nobody will believe they were raped or they will consider them sluts, and some families pressure the victim not to bring shame to the family's name. The dismal rate of documented rapes are clear at ADIVAC's offices, where roughly 400 victims come in every month, about 10 percent of them were assaulted by strangers. That number pales to the monthly reported rapes in the city, which averages about 70 per month.
Mexico City registers 18 rapes per 100,000 residents annually, a figure experts call far lower than the actual rate.
Click on image to visit interactive graphs showing number of reported rapes in 2005 and 2012.
What troubles Martinez is that recently she has seen more violent and brazen rapes.
“We have seen it all. One time a woman was attacked at six in the morning on her way to work. The attacker grabbed her from behind as she crossed an overpass,” she said.
But authorities only hear about a fraction of them. In one case, a serial rapist was attacking women for more than one year in a poor zone in the south of the city before they could catch up with him. Molina said it wasn't until three women came forward, that police began to look for the suspect.
Download the data

author: Fundacion MEPI


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Reasons for Power Outages in Benin · Global Voices
Sinatou Saka

[All links lead to French text unless otherwise stated.]
Burning the midnight oil – Photo by the author with permission
Benin has again been experiencing power outages over several days.
Following a long silence, the director of energy production for the Benin Electric Energy Company (SBEE), Saturnin Yèdonou, denied all company responsibility for these latest power cuts on the national television channel.
According to Yèdonou, Nigeria, which provides some of Benin's electricity, is behind these cuts. Technical difficulties with their gas-fired power stations could be the cause:
Selon le directeur, ces difficultés ont fait baisser la puissance d’énergie produite par le géant voisin de l’Est et dont dépend le Bénin. [..] Face à cette situation, le directeur Saturnin YEDONOU a invité les populations à comprendre que les désagréments qu’elles subissent sont une fois encore indépendants de la volonté de la SBEE.
If the energy policy is fragile this is mostly because the country depends to such a large extent on its giant neighbour. This according to the authorities responsible for the provision of energy to the people. The consequences of this dependency affect the economy and slow the activities of the Benin populace. TCN [en] lines from Nigeria and the VRA [en] from Ghana currently provide around 230 MW to Benin, which they have been selling to the country for tens of years.
However, faced with the energy deficiency situation in Benin, questions could be asked about the limits of the economic relationship between Benin and Nigeria. The authorities are therefore urged to enlighten us as to the contents of this agreement. Rodrigue Tokpodounsi from Cotonou wrote the following on Jolome News:
A bien y voir, la sortie tardive Saturnin Yèdonou n'apporte rien de concret. Car ce qui importe pour les Béninois, c'est de savoir jusqu'à quand va durer leur misère et quelles sont les dispositions que prennent les autorités pour les en épargner à l'avenir.
Let us find out a little more about the situation in Nigeria, on which Benin depends. More than 60% of Nigerians, that is around 100 million people, no longer have access to electricity and half of Nigerians living in rural areas have none.
However, an entire country (Benin), depends on the Eastern giant for its energy needs even though Nigeria has obvious difficulty meeting the needs of its own population. This situation has continued for decades.
To refresh our memories, in Nigeria, the largest oil producer in Africa, this situation is explained by the fact that the infrastructure does not allow conveyance of electricity to the entire territory.
Nearly two thirds of the population live below the poverty threshold and those who have access to the electricity network are subject to daily power outages.
In the end, it seems that the energy situation in Benin is far from being sorted out.

author: Sinatou Saka


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Red Square’s Makeover: Goodbye, Lenin. Hello, Louis Vuitton! · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Louis Vuitton's Red Square installation, 26 November 2013, YouTube screenshot.
Lenin’s Mausoleum is no longer the most imposing structure in Moscow’s Red Square. From now until January 19, 2014, that honor belongs to a 20-foot-tall Louis Vuitton advertisement—a recreation of a real trunk [ru] produced a century ago for Russian Prince Wladimir Orlov. According to Louis Vuitton’s North European head, the French fashion house hoped [ru] to “demonstrate the deep emotions that link LV and Russia.”
Russian bloggers are responding with emotions of their own, however, ridiculing the installation as tasteless and joking that Vladimir Putin—who’s been in power in Russia since 1999—is at last “packing his bags” and preparing to abdicate. Questions about ad space revenue [ru] and Red Square’s symbolic role as a gathering place to celebrate New Year’s are also circulating online.
The unusual sight of a gigantic suitcase planted in the middle of Red Square has naturally inspired several pranks. In one popular photoedit, bloggers wallpapered Lenin’s Tomb with the Louis Vuitton logo, decorating the Mausoleum as Prince Orlov’s trunk.
Photoshopped image of Lenin's Mausoleum, decorated as the Louis Vuitton trunk for Prince Wladimir Orlov.
Jokes
Mocking the “tandem” power-sharing arrangement between Putin and Dmitri Medvedev, opposition activist Olga Romanova joked [ru] on Facebook:
Говорят, Владимир Путин строит на Красной площади новый мавзолей, в котором он и Дмитрий Медведев будут лежать по очереди.
They say that Vladimir Putin is building a new mausoleum in Red Square, where he and Dmitri Medvedev are going to take turns.
Others wishfully pretended that the traveling gear indicates Putin’s intention to resign from the presidency.
Огромный чемодан на Красной площади прямо намекает на ближайшие планы обитателей Кремля. pic.twitter.com/PrdO6l0ROt
— Мuд Роисси (@Fake_MIDRF) November 24, 2013
The enormous suitcase in Red Square directly hints at the future plans of the Kremlin’s inhabitants.
Путину начали собирать чемодан. Пока поставили на Красной площади. Потом к вокзалу оттащат
— Никотинка с Бровями (@Yoghikitt) November 26, 2013
They’ve started packing the suitcase for Putin. So far, they’ve put in Red Square. Next, they’ll drag it to the train station.
Many people writing online still remember Petr Pavlensky’s scandalous protest in Red Square earlier this month, when the performance artist nailed his scrotum to the plaza’s cobblestone. In a LiveJournal post, Internet guru Anton Nosik quoted [ru] a crude ditty from the Soviet era, remarking that the Louis Vuitton trunk dwarfs Pavlensky’s spectacle:
Так что, видимо, при решении вопроса о благоустройстве Красной площади размер имеет значение.
So it seems that size does matter, when it comes to Red Square’s beautification.
Writing on Twitter, former Pussy Riot lawyer Mark Feygin accused Russia’s authorities of hypocrisy in their persecution of Pussy Riot and Pavlensky, given the bad taste inherent in the Louis Vuitton installation:
Люди, которые положили чемодан на Красной площади, берутся морализаторствовать насчет плясок в Храме и мошонках на брусчатке…
— МАРК ФЕЙГИН (@mark_feygin) November 26, 2013
The people who put a suitcase in Red Square are the ones who take it upon themselves to moralize about dancing in the Cathedral and testicles on the stone pavement.
Twitter user VRebyata found a way to connect the LV trunk to recent protests in Kiev, where over 100 thousand Ukrainians recently gathered to protest President Viktor Yanukovich’s decision to pull out of an agreement to integrate Ukraine more deeply into the European community. Joking that Putin bullied Ukraine into avoiding the European deal, VRebyata tweeted:
Внутри сундука Louis Vuitton на Красной площади Виктор Янукович по просьбе Владимира Путина уже неделю повторяет акцию художника Павленского
— Веселые ребята (@VRebyata) November 25, 2013
Inside the Louis Vuitton suitcase in Red Square, on Vladimir Putin’s request, Viktor Yanukovich has already spent the last week repeating the act by the artist Pavlensky.
No laughing matter
In the online newspaper Slon.ru, journalist Ekaterina Vinokurova authored a snarky opinion article [ru] about the LV advertisement, but she vented her real anger on Facebook. Complaining that the entire installation was an offering by Kremlin officials to Antoine Arnault, Louis Vuitton's head of communications, Vinokurova wrote [ru]:
[…] Оказывается, что всесильный ГУМ согласовал все с ФСО и управдлами президента. Для чего это надо? Для того, чтобы 29 числа приехал жирный боров Арно из холдинга, к которому LV относится и с 15 другими жирными боровами там поужинал. То есть наша власть разрешила испоганить главную площадь страны на неделю ради 15 жирных боровов, чтобы они с помпой трюфелей пожрали. […]
[…] It turns out that the all-powerful GUM [shopping center] approved everything with the Federal Security Guard Service and the President’s executive officers. What was the need for any of this? It was so, on December 29, that fat hog Arnault from Louis Vuitton would come [to Moscow] and have a fancy dinner with 15 other fat hogs. Meaning, our leaders agreed to defile the country’s main square for a week, for the sake of 15 fat hogs, so they could shove truffles down their throats in style.
For some Muscovites, Louis Vuitton’s installation poses less of a threat to Russian culture than the country’s demographic trends, which in recent years have changed the racial makeup of the traditional New Year’s celebration in Red Square.
Scenes of Central Asians celebrating New Year's Day in Vladivostok, 1 January 2013.
Writing on Facebook, Alexey Prikhodko complained [ru] that Russians have already ‘abandoned’ the nation’s capital to Tajik migrants:
[…] Защитники же детей и исторического облика столицы – лицемеры […]. Какие дети его там могут увидеть в Новый Год? Таджикские разве что. […]
[…] Defenders of children and the historical appearance of the capital are hypocrites […]. What kind of kids could see [the suitcase] on New Year’s Eve? Only Tajiks. […]
Prikhodko is not the first on the RuNet to grumble about the rising number of non-Russians attending New Year’s holiday celebrations. This year, Louis Vuitton’s Red Square installation is already attracting more visitors and attention to the coming festivities in Moscow. Last year, xenophobia directed at Uzbeks and other Central Asians fueled LiveJournal debates about migrants’ holiday presence in cities as far apart as St. Petersburg and Vladivostok [ru].

author: Kevin Rothrock


text:
South Africa Doesn’t Want You to See the President’s Lavish House · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

South African netizens have expressed shock and anger following revelations that the 20 million US dollars of taxpayers’ money was used to upgrade the country's president Jacob Zuma's private house in Nkandla, a town in KwaZulu Natal. The house has, among other facilities, a bunker, a swimming pool, a helipad, an amphitheater, a tuck shop, a tennis court, and a football pitch.
Cabinet ministers on 21 November, 2013 said anyone who published images or footage of the estate would face arrest because they would be breaching the National Key Points Act. However, South Africa's media defied the ban, with the Times newspaper publishing the photos with the headline “So, arrest us.”
Apart from media houses publishing the photos and Twitter users sharing them widely, some Facebook users such as Jocelyn Newmarch are using them as a Facebook cover photo.
Zuma's house displayed as a cover photo on Jocelyn Newmarch Facebook page.
Constitutional law expert and blogger Pierre de Vos pointed out on the blog Constitutionally Speaking that there are no laws making it unlawful to publish photos of Zuma's residence:
Minister of state security Siyabonga Cwele today warned that the publication of pictures of Nkandla is unlawful. This is rubbish. There is absolutely nothing in the (unconstitutional) National Key Points Act that prohibits the publication of pictures of a building declared a National Key Point. Otherwise the publication of all pictures of the SABC building would also be unlawful.
Commenting on Pierre's post, one reader, Jablet, wrote:
It [the photo] is now my FB cover image. […] If Min Cwele's [Minister of State Security is Siyabonga Cwele] genius security measures are exposed by an aerial photograph of the grounds, there are probably bigger issues he should be worrying about.
Another reader, Bikoko, expressed his “disappointment” and urged Facebook users to use panoramic view of the house as Facebook background:
I'm disappointed that the above graphic does not show the following:
- The cattle culvert;
- The tuck shop [Zuma's first wife runs a tuck shop at the residence];
- And (leaving the best 'til last) the Chicken Roosting Area. Apparently, it's like an amphitheatre, and I imagine it will double up as such when there is a Chicken Roasting Event – this could be quite soon, since the elections are coming up and the locals need to be bribed to vote for their Overlord (I've heard they're not all that keen on him)…
Like Janet, I will be using a panoramic view of nSkandla as my Facebook background. I urge all SA Facebookers to do the same – show Zuma that we piss on his secrecy and his Security Nut Cluster! It isn't as effective as refusing to pay tax, but it's a start.
Johan Kruger responded to Bikoko's concerns:
Can't show those! They have security cows and highly security trained ninja chickens. The ‘tuck shop’ is actually a majic phone booth where security potions are handed out.
Bomi Shinga posted the photo below of Zuma's impoverished neighbors on her Facebook page with the following message:
A small happy family living in #Nkandla. Please note that this is not a photo of #Zuma's house. Can't help if it's on the background
On Twitter, investment professional Sifiso Skenjana (@KenjieBoi007) wrote:
I couldn't help but notice that there is no swimming pool in the Nkandla Palace…
— Sifiso Skenjana (@KenjieBoi007) November 25, 2013
South African entrepreneur OBED MTOMBENI (@MTOMBENIOBED) joked:
I know that someone in kzn [KwaZulu Natal] already named his/her kid “Nkandla”
— OBED MTOMBENI (@MTOMBENIOBED) November 25, 2013
Sipho Mthiya (@S1pho) remarked:
I guess our president is a shining example of what “charity begins at home” mean. Have you seen that place? #Nkandla
— Sipho Mthiya (@S1pho) November 25, 2013
The cartoon below by Dr. Jack & Curtis tried to humorously connect Zuma's house debate to the the controversial electronic tolling system:
A cartoon shared on Africartoons Facebook page by Dr Jack & Curtis.
Cindy V (@cindos) revealed her Christmas wish:
All I want for Christmas is a place to rest my weary body. Something modest like Nkandla.
— Cindy V (@cindos) November 25, 2013
In a reference to government claim that the house is a national key point, Flying Dutchman (@rulanda76) said:
#Nkandla I have considered my car as a national keypoint. No speed trap is now allowed to take pictures !
— Flying Dutchman (@rulanda76) November 25, 2013
Crime Watch KZN (@CrimeWatchKZN) shared a photo of “security feature” at the house with a warning:
Zoomed in Picture of a Security Feature at Nkandla. Warning! Distribute at your own Risk! pic.twitter.com/0EFf5ItgqG
— Crime Watch KZN (@CrimeWatchKZN) November 25, 2013
A photo of “security feature” posted by @CrimeWatchKZN.
Sentletse (@Sentletse) wondered who buys from Zuma's wife tuck shop as the photos show no immediate neighbors:
From this satellite image, Jacob has no immediate neighbours in Nkandla. Who buys from the tuckshop? pic.twitter.com/RyjTG3MJK9
— Sentletse (@Sentletse) November 25, 2013