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A Win for Citizen Activism After UNESCO Asks Macedonia to Stop All Construction Projects on Lake Ohrid · Global Voices
Elena Nikolovska

Ohrid Lake swans. Photo by Elena Nikolovska, CC-BY.
The latest UNESCO mission to the Ohrid region in Macedonia discovered a Natural and Cultural Heritage site threatened by increased traffic and tourism pressure, inappropriate infrastructure projects and uncoordinated urban developments. It immediately released a report requesting the Macedonian government to halt construction projects in the area.
Existing for over 3 million years, Lake Ohrid in Macedonia is the oldest lake in the European continent holding valuable information on evolution aside from being the home of unique and rare species. In 2016, this lake was put in danger when the Macedonian government started plans to urbanize the lake shore and Galichica mountain and turn both biodiversity hotspots into mega resorts.
Citizen activists, civil society organizations, and scientists warned about the possible catastrophic impact of these projects on Lake Ohrid and demanded a moratorium on all construction activities in the Ohrid region.
In March this year, the UNESCO mission to the Ohrid region validated the concerns of citizens and experts about the projects around the lake. It asked the government to halt the projects to protect Lake Ohrid and instead develop alternative ecotourism programs in the area:
The mission strongly recommended to completely abandon the Galičica ski centre project, keep the internal national park zoning as is, and consider developing ecotourism options that would not negatively impact the property. Therefore, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to halt the construction projects of the Galičica ski resort, as well as the sub-sections (a) and (e) of the A3 road. – says latest decision by UNESCO World Heritage Committee
The Ohrid SOS group has been on the frontlines fighting to save Lake Ohrid from the very beginning. It published the UNESCO decision urging the Macedonian government and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to stop the further destruction of Lake Ohrid.
.@UNESCO #recommends “to completely abandon the #Galičica ski centre project, keep the internal national park zoning as it is”. #UNESCOSays pic.twitter.com/YmrehT5SQJ
— OhridSOS (@OhridSOS) June 9, 2017
Meanwhile, the Center for Environmental Research and Information Eko-svest from Skopje worked on alternatives to the planned infrastructure project that will not destroy precious nature. A feasibility study for a sustainable transport solution is scheduled to be presented in the Ohrid municipality this year.
Ние сакаме да го одбележиме #ДенотНаЕзерото со нашата визија за велосипедска патека која ќе кружи околу Охридското Езеро. Преубаво! pic.twitter.com/0eY7hvkCKO
— Eko-svest (@Eko_svest) June 21, 2017
We want to mark #TheDayOfTheLake by sharing our vision for a bike trail that would encircle the Ohrid Lake. Beautiful!
Instead of a new highway that would cut through the national park forests and block access to the water, the group is proposing a combination of transport alternatives that would not interfere with the ecosystem.
Photo shows Smart Ohrid transport solution with routes for cycling, solar boats and solar buses arround the lake. Photo by Stefan Bouzharovski, used with permission.
To commemorate 21 June, Lake Ohrid day, the newly elected Macedonian government opened its doors to civil society and held an event in parliament where the president of the Assembly addressed the guests.
I am especially glad that today in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia there is an event related to the initiative of the civil sector for the protection of the Ohrid region as the only region in the Republic of Macedonia protected by UNESCO. – said The President of the Assembly, Mr. Talat Xhaferi
The parliament speaker stressed the readiness of the government to discuss and support citizen initiatives for the protection of the environment. An informal group of Members of Parliament from different parties was also formed named “Friends of UNESCO.”
#Macedonia CSOs present parliament speaker, minister with citizen request to preserve #Ohrid lake and region. Parliament opens to citizens. pic.twitter.com/QFqYZgCQ3r
— HristijanGjorgievski (@HGjorgievski) June 21, 2017
This has been a long and difficult fight but civil society groups continue to hope that the initial victory will be sustained to preserve and protect the biodiversity of Lake Ohrid.

author: Elena Nikolovska


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At Thailand’s Request, YouTube Blocks Video Clip of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’ · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

This video clip was banned in Thailand. This part with Thai subtitles features a speech of Charlie Chaplin (dictator): “The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.” Screenshot from YouTube
A video clip of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’ has been blocked on YouTube at the behest of the military-backed government of Thailand.
‘The Great Dictator’, a Hollywood film by comedian Chaplin, parodied the rise of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in 1940.
On 11 June 2017, the Thai Academic Network of Civil Rights urged the public to watch a YouTube clip of ‘The Great Dictator’ in which Chaplin exhorts the people to take back power from the dictator.
Thailand’s army grabbed power in 2014 but it vowed to restore civilian rule once political and electoral reforms have been implemented. The constitution passed in 2016 was intended to pave the way for holding elections, but critics argue that it has reinforced military rule within the country's bureaucracy.
Internet users reported on June 24 that the video clip with Thai subtitles was inaccessible on YouTube. The page for the video instead displayed the standard message: “This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government.”
June 24 is the day when Thailand commemorates the 1932 revolution which ended the country’s absolute monarchy.
The group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said the request to block the video clip was probably made by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.
Veteran journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk wrote on Twitter that the junta's order is “hilariously insane and dictatorial.”
Juntaland's dictator blocking Charlie Chaplin's satirical film mocking dictator is hilariously insane & dictatorial. #Thailand #censorship pic.twitter.com/yhMY9jPJ2R
— Pravit Rojanaphruk (@PravitR) June 25, 2017
Some activists wanted to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the revolution by highlighting the struggle to end the military dictatorship in the country. They accused the junta of suppressing the rights of the people by using the Lese Majeste (law against ‘royal insult’) law to detain and persecute government critics.
On June 27, the video was re-instated, but the story of its blocking remains a hot topic in Thai media.
The Bangkok Post newspaper published an editorial describing the order to block the video clip as the ‘worst decision’ of the government in preventing the people from commemorating the 1932 revolution:
Once again, by its aggressive censorship, the regime has only succeeded in making material more popular.
This regime seized power on a single promise to bring reconciliation. It is not just failing at the task. Actions such as the weekend attacks on sense and sensibility only drive more wedges between factions and groups.
The Post also reported that since YouTube re-instated the video, its views have spiked from a few hundred to several thousand.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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China’s Great Firewall Grows Ever-Stronger As Virtual Private Networks Disappear · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Images remixed by Oiwan Lam.
China's notorious Great Firewall makes it difficult — but not impossible — for Chinese netizens to access sites like Twitter, Facebook, western news outlets like the New York Times, and thousands of other websites, not to mention Global Voices.
For years, netizens in China (and other countries with heavy restrictions on Internet content) have used virtual private networks (VPNs) that allow them to circumvent censorship by creating a secure and well-hidden connection to another network in a different geographic location.
But their days using VPNs may be numbered.
Netizens are anticipating that the majority of VPN apps serving individuals’ needs will be taken down from Apple and Android App markets by 1 July 2017.
Whisperings of a state ban on unauthorized VPNs spread widely on Twitter and Weibo after the popular VPN service provider Green announced that the company would cease operations by 1 July. Below is the company’s letter to its customers, dated 22 June:
尊敬的Green用户
接上级监管部门通知，我们必须很遗憾地告诉大家：Green将于2017年7月1日起停止服务。由此给各位造成的不便，我们深表歉意！
服务停止后，我们将开始处理需要退款的用户申请（金额根据剩余的服务天数计算）。如需退款，请务必于2017年8月31日前提交退款信息，超过该时间将无法受理。由于登记、核对、转账的工作量较大，退款到账时间暂无法承诺。预计于8月31日统计核对工作完毕后，Green将开始处理退款，敬请您能耐心地等待退款到账。
是您的每一次点赞与肯定，鼓励我们一直坚持到了今天，我们始终心存感激。此后，Green团队将进行转型，期待有缘与您再次相会。
Dear respected Green customers,
We have received notice from the higher authorities. We regret to inform you that Green will cease our service on July 1st, 2017. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
We will start processing our users’ refund request after service stopped (the amount will be calculated based on the remaining days in your plan). If you need a refund, please make sure to submit your refund request by August 31, 2017. We won’t be able to process any refund request submitted after that date. Since the workload of processing the requests, information verification and money transfer would be huge, we won’t be able to set an exact date for the refund. We plan to process the refund soon after August 31, please wait patiently.
Your praise and affirmation have encouraged us to last as long as we have. We will always be grateful for this. In the future, the Green team will transform the business. We look forward to meeting you again.
Green is just one of the VPNs that appears to be facing a mandatory shutdown. VPN providers including Netfits, VPN Master Pro, Ponhon, Snap VPN, SkyX, among others have disappeared from Apple and Android app stores over the past few months.
While some companies offering these services are banned or disrupted in China, others are fully licensed to operate. It has been estimated that 1-3% of China's internet users use circumvention tool to visit overseas websites.
People who follow the news closely might have anticipated the coming of a full VPN ban. In January 2017, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that it would ban “illegal services” that carry out cross-border operations, including unauthorized virtual private networks (VPNs), until March 2018.
Yet July 2017 is eight months ahead of March 2018, and state authorities have made no official announcement of the ban being expedited.
Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia believes that the ban is related to the upcoming 20th anniversary of Hong Kong being handed from British to Chinese power, which falls on July 1. A few months later, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will meet in November. He said on Twitter:
#七一 香港自由法治20周年沦陷日和下半年中共 #十九大，会是两个筑墙锋锁网络的高潮。#习近平 本人主抓网络安全，投入力度和效率远较过去加大了。#习特勒 https://t.co/dsFMVeWuVI
— Hu Jia 胡佳 (@hu_jia) June 23, 2017
#July 1 the 20th anniversary of the doomsday of Hong Kong's rule of law and freedom and the CCP #19 Congress around end of the year would be the heyday of the Great Fire Wall. #Xi Jinping is responsible for cybersecurity and he is more heavy-handed and effective in controlling the net. #Xitler.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting Hong Kong for the July 1 ceremony and the city will be under high security control in this week. As for the 19th National CCP Congress, a majority of the Politburo Standing Committee (top decision-making body) is expected to retire and new members will be replaced. It is a critical moment for the party, which has been experiencing internal political struggle in recent years.
Some Chinese Twitter users are worried that they won't be able to climb over the wall again soon:
随着封杀升级，很多翻墙软件被停，翻墙随时都会成为历史，珍惜能翻墙上推特的每一天。如果有一天，我不能翻墙了，你们会想我吗？
— 秀才江湖 (@xiucai1911) June 22, 2017
As censorship measures escalate, many circumvention tools have been forced to stop. Climbing over the wall may become history. We have to treasure the days when we can still access Twitter. If one day I cannot climb over the wall, will you miss me?
Others believe that the move is related to Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui’s corruption allegations against top Chinese official Wang Qishan, the secretary of Chinese Communist Party's anti-corruption agency. Guo Wengui himself believes this too. In a reply to Mr. Sun's comment about the VPN ban, he said:
孙先生好：封禁VPN是又一次的美国之音的断播事件．这是上天赐给我们的又一个大礼物……他们有多猖狂．多恐惧．我们就会有多强大！他们的任何愚蠢行动都会让我们大陆的同胞会从沉默中醒来！墙一定会被推翻的！我们的国际上的朋友从来没有像今天一样愿意与我们共同一起战斗！一切都是刚刚开始！ https://t.co/tt1nYkHH8Y
— 郭文贵Guo Wengui ✊✊✊ (@KwokMiles) June 23, 2017
Dear Mr. Sun: The ban on VPNs is another incident similar to the ban on Voice of America. It is another gift from the heaven… The more furious and mad they become, the stronger we become. All the stupid acts that they have done will only help our fellows in mainland China to wake up. The wall will fall. Friends from the international society are now more willing to fight with us. Everything has just begun.
In a June 16 interview with Mingjing magazine, Guo showed the US passport and social security number of the wife of Wang Qishan, indicating Wang's wife has long been a US citizen. The exposé rebuffs the party's claim that it is cracking down on “naked officials”, cadres of prominent party members whose wives or children live overseas.
Guo also showed the addresses of multiple luxury houses owned by alleged relatives of Wang. Since the allegations were so explosive, many from mainland China have climbed over the Great Firewall to watch Guo’s video streaming on YouTube.
Netizens believe that some domestic VPN providers will still be operating after July 1, but there is no guarantee that communication via authorized networks will be safe from surveillance. For now, netizens on Weibo, Twitter and WeChat are anxiously sharing tips and strategies for climbing over the wall.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Colombians Send Love Letters to Guerrilla Fighters to Welcome Them Back Into Society · Global Voices
Tea After Twelve

Photo: Valentina Monsalve. Used with permission.
The following is an edited version of the piece “Love Letters to Guerrilla Fighters” that was originally published on Tea After Twelve. It is republished here as part of a partnership with Global Voices.
Why do we only send love letters to people we know? Isn’t it much more important to show affection for those who feel rejected? This idea haunted Colombian youth activists Leonardo Párraga from the BogotArt Foundation and Cristian Palacios from the Young Youth Foundation, and served as their inspiration in founding Cartas por la Reconciliación (Letters for Reconciliation), a campaign that encourages young people to send letters to guerrilla fighters.
A historic event had recently taken place in their country, and they wanted to do their part: After years of negotiations, the Colombian government had reached a peace agreement with the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), thus ending Latin America’s longest-running armed conflict.
Internationally, the signing of the peace accord was considered such an important step that President José Manuel Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. But there is still a long way to go before true reconciliation and peace have been achieved. Guerrilla fighters — people who have lived in illegal camps for years, who have been exposed to the rhetoric of war and have kept their weapons by their sides 24/7 — will now somehow have to integrate into civilian life. And Colombian society, accustomed to an abiding fear and, in some cases, a deep hatred for the guerrilla fighters, will have to accept them back and support them in setting up new lives.
Leonardo and Cristian were convinced that Colombia’s youth had to come together and help the reintegration process along. And they have: So far, thousands of young people have written letters – love letters to ex-guerrilla combatants, welcoming them back into society. Their aim is to write 6,900 messages, one for each former guerrillero, and hand them over personally.
The idea to found Cartas de Reconciliación was born at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Bogotá in February 2017, when Leonardo and Cristian had an opportunity to briefly talk with 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi. The laureate mentioned that we write tons of love letters to those we love on Valentine's Day, while forgetting the people most in need. His plan this year, he added, was to share love with those who needed encouragement most.
Leonardo and Cristian adapted the idea to the Colombian context, and came up with the plan to send letters of hope and support to the ex-combatants of the FARC now struggling to find their place and establish a new way of life. “The letters will show that Colombian society is ready to change the discourse from a narrative of war to a collective story of peace,” they say.
So far, the campaign has collected more than 2,000 messages, and the first 765 have been delivered. The initiative is active in all of Colombia’s biggest cities including Cali, Manizales, Medellín, Barranquilla and Bogotá.
The first 500 letters were delivered on March 19 at one of the UN camps in the Caldono-Cauca area. A group of 40 students from Javeriana University of Cali, two members of the Cali mayor’s office and Leonardo of the BogotArt Foundation travelled to the camp to personally hand over the letters.
The members of the FARC lined up the way they once did to receive orders from their leaders, but this time it was to receive letters of support from people all over the country. It was a highly emotional, moving moment for all involved. “It is incredible how many feelings you can go through in just a few hours, from fear to happiness and everything in between,” political science student Manuela Jiménez Avila stated afterwards.
Sandra Parra from the office of the governor of Valle del Cauca recounted the unforgettable experience:
After we delivered the letters, an ex-combatant showed me around in the guerrilla camp. When I looked at one of the ‘cambuches’ (basically a shack the guerrilla members are living in), I saw a guerrilla member writing something. I was afraid to enter because there was an MGL grenade launcher resting on the bed by his side like a lethal sleeping beauty. I spoke to him anyway, and asked ‘Hello, what are you doing?’ He replied, ‘I am answering a letter that someone wrote to me; it is very beautiful and hopeful. Nobody has ever written something so beautiful to me in my life, so that is why I am responding.’ Tears began running down my face. I hugged him tightly and sat down next to the grenade launcher. Perhaps it was tired of war too, of being his faithful companion for years, and wanted to help him write the letter. He told me more about his life, that he had never expected more from life than war, and that joining the FARC was the only way to keep him and his six brothers from starving. ‘I never thought there was anyone willing to forgive me for my mistakes, but now I know that there is a society waiting for us with open arms. So far, I have only known how to care for and hold weapons. But for peace, I can learn to do many things and work with dignity.
To open the event, students and some FARC leaders sat down for a discussion round. The students had grown up during the war when the FARC was already a clandestine organisation. So the FARC leaders explained their organisation’s history, their ideals and their point of view regarding the process of peace: “After years and years in which we have seen how the social injustice caused by the state has affected the entire Colombian people, we believe that this opportunity to move towards a political party will allow us to transform the country into a more equitable society. It is worth overcoming all the obstacles for an objective of this magnitude,” one of them said.
Manuela was impressed:
Hearing the reality of those voices who have never had a voice or a vote, and realizing that those that I often considered monsters, and even came to hate, were also actually human beings with beautiful feelings that were distorted by the environment in which they had to live and by the conditions that created them. That was deeply painful. The reality of the country hurts, but it is comforting to realize that all human beings, including those who have killed so many and caused so much damage, have something to teach us, plus a smile and a hug to give away.
Many ex-combatants have replied to the letters. Gustavo González, commander of the encampment in Caldono-Cauca, for instance, wrote the following lines to Cali’s Archbishop Darío de Jesús Monsalve:
Colombians had been led to believe that peace would arrive with disarmament. This is not the case. While we have inequality, hunger, and a lack of education, health, and job opportunities, there will always be someone who is ready to take up arms, to revolt and protest to reclaim their rights, and that is completely valid (…) Nowadays, in the FARC we are betting on peace, on politics without weapons. That is why we call on all the defenders of peace – regardless of race, religion or ideology – to rise above those who dream of a country at war. We give you our word, contribution, and sacrifice because we know first hand that nothing is easy, that there are many challenges for those of us who defend life as the cornerstone of existence. We will experience many obstacles, but we will succeed together.

author: Tea After Twelve


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In China, an Antagonistic Anti-Refugee Stance Finds Support Online · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Yao Chen shared her experience in visiting refugee shelters on June 20. Image from UNHRC's Weibo.
In early June, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged China to play a more prominent role in solving the refugee crises around the world. While the Chinese government has yet to give an official response, nationalistic netizens have offered theirs, calling the agency’s Goodwill Ambassador from China, Yao Chen, “Saint Mary Bitch” and the idea of taking in refugees “brainless.”
On June 20, World Refugee Day, Yao Chen, a famous Chinese actress who is the UNHCR’s first Goodwill Ambassador in China, was featured on major news outlets sharing her experience visiting refugee shelters. She urged Chinese society to give more support to refugees (via UNHCR’s account on Weibo) :
难民是和我们一样的普通人，战争和灾难让他们沦为难民。希望有一天，他们能够再次成为普通人，享有一个普通人应当享有的权利。
Refugees are ordinary people like us. They became refugees because of wars and disasters. I hope one day, they can become ordinary people again and enjoy the rights that an ordinary person enjoys.
The media event resulted in a backlash online. Many Chinese netizens read the news as a sign of the Chinese government’s willingness to accept more refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, and their fear has turned into hate directed at Yao Chen. Below are the most popular comments under the UNHRC account's post on the World Refugee Day on Weibo:
姚晨唯恐中国不乱么，头发长见识短，还是收了钱了？连微博都禁止评论，怕被骂吧
Yao Chen wants more chaos in China? Long hair but short of knowledge, or is she paid to speak up? She even disables comments on her Weibo. Scared of criticism?
不要难民！！计划生育30年就是为了给难民腾地方么？姚晨你欢迎的话，就去你家住好了，吃你的喝你的用你的！
No to refugees!! 30 years of the one-child policy is to give space to refugees? If Yao Chen welcomes refugees, ask them to live in your house and feed them yourself.
先辈告诉我们山河只能靠自己守护，这些离弃自己国家的是难民还是懦夫？
Our ancestors taught us to protect our own country. These people have given up their own country, they are refugees or cowards?
Underlying the negative reactions are antagonism toward “political and moral correctness”, the feeling of being victim of population control (single child policy in China), and nationalistic sentiments.
The above online opinions, although written by different writers, appeared to be inspired by a viral piece titled “Saint Mary Bitch goes to the refugee camps. China won’t welcome you!” (圣母婊滚到难民营去，中国不欢迎！), which was circulated via Maoist leftist think tank Chawang's account on the Sohu blog platform.
The post calls Yao “Saint Mary Bitch” (mother of Jesus Christ) accusing her of being hypocritical. Then it criticizes a number of public intellectuals who have urged China to take up the responsibility of refugees:
这些人能提出如此无脑的主张，非蠢即坏。依照这些人的学识来看，很显然不可能是蠢，那就是坏了。不是收了野心家的钱，就是被西方白左思想洗脑了。
These people who advocate for such brainless ideas are either stupid or bad. But from their intellectual background, they are not stupid, obviously, they are bad. Either they have taken money from political schemers or they have been brainwashed by white-leftism.
The term “white left” — the opposite of “red” or nationalistic leftist positions — has been used in China to to criticize those who believe in universal values (including human right, democracy and individual freedom) and cultural diversity.
The article then stresses that the one-child policy, which resulted in so much pain among Chinese for many years, is to create space for Chinese people, not refugees. It argues that the government has yet to provide enough welfare for the poor and hence should not support the refugees; it also says it isn't China's responsibility to take in refugees from the Middle East and North Africa because it hasn't started any wars in the region. At the end, the writer praised China's war history:
抗日战争时，穷凶极恶的日寇在中华大地上肆虐，烧杀抢掠无恶不作，可是四万万五千万的炎黄子孙没想着当难民跑到别国去，而是拿起了武器，哪怕技不如人，也要和侵略者以死相拼。这才为后世子孙保住了祖先留下的土地。如果中国人也像这些难民一样，恐怕中国早就亡国了。
During the anti-Japanese War [the Second Sino-Japanese War], the atrocious Japanese soldiers were killing and robbing on Chinese land, but the 450 million Yan Huang Zisun didn't become refugees, they took up weapons and fought with their lives against the invaders. They protected their ancestors’ land for their descendants. If Chinese were like these refugees, China would not be a country anymore.
And then the writer degraded the morality of the refugees coming from the Middle East and North Africa:
各位读者可以自己看看那些难民在欧洲干了些什么事儿。要救济、不干活，拒绝融入当地社会接受社会主流文化。[…]
这尼玛是难民？整个就是一群大爷啊。来了就要福利、要待遇，心安理得地做寄生虫，还可以动辄利用政治正确的大棒来逼着欧洲政府和白左给钱给住处，如此有恃无恐。
Readers can check out what the refugees have done in Europe. They want subsidies and refuse to work, refuse to integrate into the mainstream culture […]
What the hell are these refugees, they act like a bunch of masters, want to enjoy social benefits and care upon arrival. They are parasites at ease. They make use of political correctness to force the European government and “white left” to give money and accommodation, with such a strong sense of righteousness.
There's no evidence that supports that refugees as a whole in Europe are “refusing to work.” Integration is a complicated process, and in Europe's case authorities have made missteps since the crisis began, as Judith Sunderland of Human Rights Watch writes.
In any case, the UNHCR warns against viewing refugees as a homogeneous group, as the Chawang writer does, and emphasizes their individuality.
Cawang has published a dozen more opinion pieces on refugees on its website since June 20, depicting the issue as a western conspiracy against China.
For all the uproar online, China does not host many refugees. Currently, there are 20 refugee shelters around the country; most of the refugees are in the shelters for transit and the monthly subsidy of about RMB 3,000 yuan (approximately US$440 dollars) that they receive is covered by the UNHCR. In 2015, there were about 138 refugees in China and 410 asylum claimants being processed.
The above information was presented by a “fact-check” piece published by Chinese Communist Party-affiliated Global Times, which also stressed that China joined the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2016 merely to help improve internal migration:
中国加入这个组织是为了提升中国管理自己内部的移民治理问题，比如农民工进城，人口迁移等等。
China joined this organization to improve China’s governance of internal migration, such as peasant workers in urban areas and domestic population flow.
Such a claim sounds a bit odd, as the Chinese government has been stressing that foreign powers should not intervene in domestic affairs. And as an international organization, IOM's areas of intervention are:
the promotion of international migration law, policy debate and guidance, protection of migrants’ rights, migration health and the gender dimension of migration.
On the past few years, China has faced much criticism from international society for the forced expatriation of North Korean defectors and the lack of migration and naturalization policies that makes it quite difficult for non-Chinese to migrate to the country, among other things.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, more than 7,300 foreigners obtained green cards by 2013, but more than 600,000 foreigners live in China. That same year, almost a million Chinese became permanent residents in the US (see more from Foreign Policy: “Why China isn’t hosting Syrian refugees”).
As indicated above, the global flow of people is highly imbalanced. In early June, during his first visit to China, UNHRC chief Filippo Grandi urged China to play a greater role in solving the world’s refugee crisis. He explained:
UNHCR and China have been cooperating for 40 years. During that time China has become a major actor on the international stage…The global refugee issue has also grown bigger and more complicated as factors causing people to flee are increasingly mixed.
He also expressed hope that China’s Belt and Road initiatives, which cover developmental projects in some 60 countries, could include resources for hosting more refugees and displaced people:
The Belt and Road initiative is about peace, prosperity and inclusion…We hope that China can invest some of those resources directly in countries hosting large numbers of refugees and displaced people. In doing so, it can empower refugees and their host communities in a win-win situation for all…Through its many development projects, China can help to stabilize areas in conflict and address the root causes of displacement.
Beijing has yet to officially response to UNHRC’s call. But the country’s “red leftist” and nationalistic netizens have given their answer.


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Salvador Adame Is the Seventh Journalist Murdered in Mexico in 2017 · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Salvador Adame. Image widely circulated on Twitter.
The burned body of Salvador Adame, a journalist and founder of local news channel 6TV, was discovered in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, authorities announced on June 26:
Después de realizar la toma y cotejo de muestras que marca la ley en estos procedimientos, por parte de especialistas de la Dirección de Genética, las pruebas de ADN permitieron comprobar que estos restos corresponden a quien en vida se llamó a Salvador Adame Pardo.
After taking and comparing the fingerprint samples required by the law in these proceedings by specialists from the Genetics Direction, the DNA tests let us conclude that these remains belong to Salvador Adame Pardo, as he was called when he was alive.
Adame had been kidnapped by an armed group almost a month before, according to reports in the national newspaper La Jornada.
The region where his body was found is popularly known as Tierra Caliente (Hot Land), and is one of the most violent in Michoacán, a state that in the last few years has seen a disproportionate growth in criminality and accusations of collusion between the local government and organized crime.
Independent news outlet Animal Político reported that before his death Adame had received threats on several occasions, warning him to stop his work as a journalist. His wife Frida Urtiz said she felt enormous pressure as well because of the work she did with Adame:
Mi esposo y yo somos los dueños del canal, teníamos convenios de publicidad con el municipio de Múgica de difundir la labor que todas las administraciones tienen la obligación de hacerle saber a la ciudadanía y desistimos de ello ante la presión que recibíamos.
My husband and I are the owners of the news channel. We had publicity contracts with the municipality of Múgica to do the job that all administrations must do: inform citizens. We desisted because of the pressure we received.
A note published by 6TV itself described Adame this way:
El periodista, quien hace pocos más de un año fue sujeto de vejaciones policiales, mantuvo una directriz activa, crítica, sagaz, atrevida, desafiante, al escenario delictivo que prevalece en la zona, también conocida como Cuatro Caminos, corazón de la entidad y epicentro de interminables disputas gansteriles.
The journalist, who was subject of police harassment over a year ago, maintained an active, critic, astute, bold and brave leadership against the criminal atmosphere that prevailed in the area, also known as Cuatro Caminos, the heart of the state and the center of endless gang battles.
Adame is the seventh journalist murdered in Mexico in 2017, as human rights defender Cencos pointed out. They tweeted a GIF that explains how Adame was found, demands justice and concludes with the statement, “Truth is not killed when a journalist is killed”:
#SalvadorAdame es el séptimo periodista asesinado en lo que va del año. Exigimos esclarecimiento y un alto a las agresiones. #NoAlSilencio pic.twitter.com/LCaRiJmrkx
— Cencos (@cencos) June 26, 2017
#SalvadorAdame is the seventh journalist that has been killed since the beginning of the year. We demand clarity and a stop to all aggression. #NoToSilence.
The impact of these attacks against journalists in Mexico goes beyond the reporters themselves. Frida Urtiz, for example, suffered grave health problems after the abduction of her husband.
Recently, a high representative of the Secretariat of the Interior, Roberto Campa, appeared to downplay the gravity of the situation when he said that compared to past administrations, this is not the the worst period of violence against reporters in Mexico.
It is true, however, that violence against those who practice journalism in Mexico is not something new. In 2015, journalist Isabel Uribe wrote:
En el periodismo mexicano la tinta segrega un constante olor a muerte, nueve periodistas asesinados en lo que va de 2015 confirman que México es uno de los lugares más peligrosos en todo el planeta para ejercer la profesión, una caja de pandora que esconde las más terribles atrocidades: agresiones, intimidaciones, tortura, desaparición, autocensura y muerte.
In Mexican journalism, the ink constantly smells of death. The assassination of nine journalists since the beginning of 2015 confirm how Mexico is one of the most dangerous places on the planet to practice this profession, a Pandora's box that hides the most horrific atrocities: aggression, intimidation, torture, forced disappearances, self-censorship and death.
After news of Adame's death broke, Luis De Tlacuilo, a Twitter user, made the following comment:
Triste es saber que ejerciendo su profesión alguien sea arrebatado de su vida. #SalvadorAdame ?
— Luis De Tlacuilo (@LuisDtlacuilo) June 27, 2017
It's sad to realize that someone could be killed while practicing his profession. #SalvadorAdame
Journalist Jenaro Villamil condemned the local government:
Un periodista asesinado más: #SalvadorAdame, después de Semanas desaparecido y de la indolencia del gobierno de Michoacan. https://t.co/0obyfSBovz
— Jenaro Villamil (@jenarovillamil) June 26, 2017
Another journalist killed. #SalvadorAdame. After weeks of being [forcefully] disappeared under Michoacan government's indolence.
The office in charge of protecting human rights in Mexico pressed other government institutions to act:
CNDH llama a las autoridades de los 3 niveles de Gobierno a investigar y esclarecer el homicidio de #SalvadorAdame.? https://t.co/ViPUg2gDbF pic.twitter.com/8LxMmqy28q
— CNDH en México (@CNDH) June 26, 2017
CDNH calls on authorities at all three levels of government to investigate and solve the murder of #SalvadorAdame.
Salvador Adame joins the list of journalists who have been assassinated in 2017, a list that includes Miroslava Breach and Javier Valdez.

author: J. Tadeo


text:
Satirical Cartoonists Take Aim at Bulgaria’s Media Distribution ‘Monopoly’ · Global Voices
Nadezhda Yankulska

Prass-Press copies on display next to the cash register in a bookshop in Sofia, Bulgaria. Photo by GV, CC-BY.
A version of this post was originally published on the author's blog in March. It has been edited and updated for Global Voices.
The biweekly satirical newspaper Prass-Press was supposed to have its first issue released across Bulgaria on March 1, but the cartoonists behind it allege that influential figures who were angered by its content hindered the paper's distribution ahead the volatile parliamentary elections later that month.
So, the cartoonists pieced together an alternative distribution network to get their irreverent publication to readers. Nearly four months and seven issues later, Prass-Press is still at it.
The biweekly is often compared to Charlie Hebdo. It's run by Chavdar Nikolov, Chavdar Georgiev, and Christo Komarnitski, who call themselves the three “mischievous cartoonists” in the newspaper masthead. Together with journalist Ivan Bakalov, they have been contradicting and ridiculing political leaders in Bulgaria for years.
In 2016, Nikolov was fired from the Sofia-based broadcasting company NOVA TV, because of his cartoon with the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who is depicted as a leader of criminal groups that hunt down migrants along the border. Shortly after, the cartoons were removed from NOVA TV’s official website, and so was Nikolov from his position.
“We are at war with the monopoly, with stupidity, with hypocrisy, and sadly with most of the Bulgarian institutions which keep quiet,” said Nikolov in an interview for bTV in March 2017.
Despite readers’ enormous interest, only a small portion of the 10,000 printed copies were available on March 1, with major newsstands in Sofia near universities, bus stops and shopping malls receiving a maximum of five issues. Other cities in Bulgaria received even fewer or no copies at all.
Когато държането на този вестник се превърне в повод за завиждане. Слово има, свобода не. #праспресpic.twitter.com/tlFbuRuKEx
— Simona Yordanova (@SasiYordanova) March 11, 2017
When holding this newspaper is a reason for jealousy. There is expression, but no freedom. #Prass-Press
“According to our calculations, less than 1,000 copies are distributed in the country. The rest are left somewhere unseen,” wrote Bakalov in his article in e-vestnik.bg.
A report on the low level of media freedom in Bulgaria by Deutsche Welle in Serbian notes that the national distribution company Bulgarpress advised owners of small kiosks not to ask about issues of Prass-Press. The Prass-Press team believe that the company is in some way owned or influenced by Delyan Peevski, a former member of parliament and a media magnate.
Delyan Peevski. Photo by the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Peevski owns more than 50 percent of shares in companies like Technomarket Bulgaria, Balkan Media Group (which owns five news agencies) and Lafka newsstands chains, among others. In many of these companies, Peevski has stake alongside his mother, Irena Krusteva, and together they are the majority shareholders, as is the case of the recently privatized state-owned print agency Rodina.
Peevski is also known for previously serving as chair of the State Agency for National Security (DANS), from which he was removed in 2013 because of public protests.
Together, Bulgarpress and Lafka control the supply of newspapers to nearly all the newsstands in the vital positions in the big cities, including those which are not part of their franchises. Peevski hasn't publicly responded to the accusation that he was behind Prass-Press's distribution troubles. His involvement in both politics and media, however, has been noted by Reporters Without Borders:
Bulgaria is ranked lower in the World Press Freedom Index than any other European Union member. This is due to an environment dominated by corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs including Deylan Peevski, a former head of Bulgaria’s main intelligence agency and owner of the New Bulgarian Media Group. His group has six newspapers and controls nearly 80% of print media distribution.
After officials from Bulgarpress failed to respond to the situation, the journalists decided to distribute the newspapers on their own, at Slaveykov square in Sofia, the permanent print market in Sofia.
“We will fight for the trust of our readers with honest and open position. We believe there is a huge niche for a newspaper like ours,” Komarnitski told mediapool.com.
For the second issue, which was released on March 15, Prass-Press worked mainly with smaller distribution companies and private owners of newsstands. This time, the authors stood in front of the Parliament to sell the symbolic 113 copies, which was the position of Bulgaria in the 2016 Press Freedom Ranking of Reporters Without Borders (in the 2017 edition, Bulgaria stands at 109).
Selling the second issue: Prass-Press team with Christo Komarnitski, Chavdar Nikolov and Chavdar Georgiev with the artist Alla Georgieva in front of the office of Bulgarian President. Photo used with permission.
The “mischievous” journalists also alerted the Commission for Protection of Competition, the Bulgarian antitrust commission, and have reached out to other European institutions for what they call human rights violations.
Months after the first issue was released, none of these institutions recognized any violations in the distribution process, and therefore did not react to the case.
Prass-Press published part of an official letter they received from the Commission for Protection of Competition on their Facebook page, which stated that out of 10,000 copies circulated, Bulgarpress confirmed that more than 6,337 copies were sold, and the rest was returned to the publisher. The Prass-Press team questions that figure, which to them seems much higher than the actual number of papers they observed in readers’ hands.
The second part of the Facebook post contains a caricature of the Commission head giving Peevski a massage and asking him, “Are you a monopolist?” In the cartoon, Peevski responds “Oh, no, no, you're tickling me!”
A screenshot of Prass-Press Google Map of distribution locations, mainly bookstores.
In spite of all the obstacles, the Prass-Press team succeeded in finding ways to keep the publication going. Online copies can easily be ordered and received within minutes in a .pdf format for the price of one euro through the website https://prass.press/. For print-lovers, they maintain a distribution map showing all the locations in Bulgaria where the newspaper is available, as well as the exact bookstores that distribute it.
Thanks to the public interest and support, Prass-Press managed to keep the same level of circulation with the alternative network as the first issue. “Now we rely on small distributors and booksellers, who fearlessly sell our newspaper, and of course on those who buy it,” Nikolov said about the eighth issue.

author: Nadezhda Yankulska


text:
A Czech Nuclear Plant Held a Swimsuit Contest to Choose Its Next Female Intern · Global Voices
Marko Angelov

A collage made of the cover photo from the Facebook page of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant Info Center and a screenshot of the removed photo album about the competition for intern.
Czech Temelín Nuclear Power Plant became the target of worldwide backlash over a publicity stunt that saw several young women posing in swimsuits and hard hats as part of a supposed competition to win an internship.
The largest nuclear power station in Czech Republic invited Facebook users to select their next intern by “liking” their photo, but accusations of sexism soon followed. After Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle published an article about Temelín's competition, it was picked up by numerous international media. While posting photos of the girls, the UK's The Sun newspaper also reported on the international outrage, while American tech news site CNET used the case to show that “sexism has become quite the topic in the tech industry.”
The plant eventually removed the photos of the high-school graduates, declared that all participants had won the internship, and apologized: “The purpose of the competition was to promote technical education. But if the original vision raised doubts or concerns, we are very sorry.”
Czech experimental blog rychlofky, which documents social media content, took a screenshot of the apology post and commented:
Temelín je slavný, jeho poněkud sexistická soutěž dívek v plavkách zaujala Time i CNN…
Z jejich Facebookové Stránky (@ICTemelin) se mezitím soutěž poněkud ztratila a místo toho je tam něco jako polovičatá omluva. Která navíc nevypadá, že by pochopili, jak ubohé je „kvalifikační kritérium“ stážistek v podobě „vypadá dobře v plavkách“.
Temelín become famous! Their somewhat sexist competition of girls in swimsuits was featured on Time and CNN…
On their Facebook page (@ICTemelin), they somehow misplaced the competition, and instead there is something like a halfhearted apology. Moreover, they do not seem to understand that “looking good in a swimsuit” is a poor “qualifying criterion” for internships.
The plant's decision to take down the album not only removed the photos from Facebook, but also from media coverage that had embedded the album in their article instead of relying on screenshots.
Local TV channel Jihoceske had also published a video report on the models touring the power station during the competition's photoshoot. After Deutsche Welle embedded it in their article and the backlash began, Jihoceske made the YouTube video unavailable.
Not all reactions to the controversial competition have been negative. A German company which is a supplier to Temelín power plant tweeted out one of the photos that also shows some of their products:
So beautiful, nice construction, perfect skin. I talk about the #IBS penstocks on the left! Part of foto shot in Czech power plant Temelin pic.twitter.com/kwd73Hp9Dx
— IBS Technics (@ibs_technics) June 27, 2017
While the swimsuit competition put Temelín in the global spotlight, the plant has relied on the beauty of young women as part of its promotional strategy before.
They are one of the main partners of the competition “Female High School Graduate of the Year“. As part of the preparations for this beauty pageant, the teen finalists get to visit the power plant, as shown in the following video:
This year's internship competition was done in cooperation with the “Female High School Graduate of the Year,” as shown in the byline and title of the Facebook photo album. It is, in fact, a version of a similar competition from 2016, although it's not immediately clear who the winner of that contest was (if there was a winner at all).
A screenshot of the Facebook page for Female High School Graduate of the Year 2016 – Temelin Nuclear Power Plant Intern Competition. (Click to enlarge)
There are some major differences however. Even though they are shot in modeling poses, the girls of 2016 did not wear swimsuits. The 2016 album has 40 likes and 3 comments.
Compare that to the much-criticized 2017 album, which generated 901 likes and 697 comments by the time it was removed.
And while the comments on the 2016 photo album are quite favorable, ranging from “there are many beautiful girls in our high schools” to “will you publish more competitors?” Google Cache shows that the comments on the erased 2017 album were mostly disapproving, like the following from a Facebook user named Martine Jenah:
What a joke! Do we make men pose in swim suits to get hired as interns? Still the same sexist bullshit in 2017!!!!! Your company is a joke! Women are not bodies to be leered at. They have brains and knowledge, you morons!!!
Some international media have noted that the origin of the name of the bikini swimsuit actually comes from Bikini Atoll, a nuclear bomb testing site. They attempted to draw some sort of meaningful connection between this bit of trivia and Temelín as part of the nuclear energy industry. Others have drawn comparisons with a 2015 contest for flight attendants in China, which required the candidates to pose in swimsuits too.

author: Marko Angelov


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Caught Between Saudi Coalition and Houthi Rebels, Yemeni Journalists Face Challenges on All Sides · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

An airstrike in the Yemeni capital Sana'a on 11 May 2015. Photo by Ibrahem Qasim (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The conflict in Yemen, which erupted more than two years ago between Houthi rebels and forces backing the government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, has plunged the country into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Thousands of civilians have been killed and injured, millions are at risk of famine and in need of humanitarian aid, and a cholera outbreak is killing one person every hour. The conflict worsened when a Saudi led coalition, fueled by US, UK and French arms sales, launched an airstrike campaign in support of the internationally-recognized government of Hadi in March 2015.
Yet, this conflict has come to be known as the “forgotten war“, and what exacerbates the lack of media coverage are the risks journalists and media in Yemen face. At a time when the voices of Yemeni journalists and media are most needed, they are instead being silenced by the different warring parties.
“In light of the war, journalists have been targeted deliberately and systematically because of their work”, Sweden based Yemeni blogger and journalist Afrah Nasser told Global Voices in an e-mail interview.
Only recently, two journalists were killed while covering fighting between the Saudi coalition backed forces loyal to president Hadi and forces loyal to Houthi rebels and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh on the outskirts of Taiz, a city in southwestern Yemen. Takieddin al-Hudhaifi, was a freelance cameraman, while Wael al-Absi worked for the official Yemen TV channel. On 26 May, while on the frontline covering the fighting in eastern Taiz, the journalists came under attack and took cover in a nearby building. According to a journalist who spoke to CPJ, Houthi fighters fired a shell at the building, killing al-Hudhaifi and al-Absi, and injuring two other journalists. CPJ could not confirm whether the journalists were deliberately targeted by Houthi fighters. However, Houthi rebels have a record of human rights abuse and press freedom violations.
“The armed group of Ansar Allah (Houthis) and the forces of the former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh top the list of violations of press and media freedom in the country,” Taha Yaseen, media and communication officer at the Yemen based Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, told Global Voices. Mwatna documented violations that include arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, raids against media offices, the closure and confiscations of newspapers, unfair trials, and the blocking of websites.
Days after Saudi Arabia began its airstrike campaign against Houthi rebels in March 2015, state-owned Yemen Net, the largest internet service provider in the country, blocked several news and search websites. YemenNet and other government buildings and institutions including the ministry of communication and information have been under the control of Houthi militias since January 2015, making it easy for them to censor and block websites that challenge their narrative.
Blocked websites include online media sites that have been critical of the Houthis and their rights abuses such as Yemen Press and Mareb Press. Later, the Houthis also blocked websites of the Saudi-onwed Al-Arabiya, and the Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera.
A report by the University of Toronto's CitizenLab on information controls in Yemen during the 2015 armed conflict, concluded that Internet filtering products sold by the Canadian company Netsweeper were being used to filter critical political content, independent media websites, and all URLs belonging to the Israeli (.il) top-level domain. According to Mwatna Organization, at least 36 news websites were blocked by YemenNet.
For two years, the Houthis have been arbitrarily detaining nine journalists without charge or trial.
Nine NGOs demand the release of journalists held by Huthi forces for two years https://t.co/k73oXWrOWe pic.twitter.com/m5pxgLJfNb
— Amnesty Gulf (@amnestygulf) June 9, 2017
On 9 June, nine organizations including Amnesty International, Article19 and the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GC4HR), released a joint statement calling for the journalists’ release. According to the statement:
Abdelkhaleq Amran, Hisham Tarmoom, Tawfiq al-Mansouri, Hareth Hamid, Hasan Annab, Akram al-Walidi, Haytham al-Shihab, Hisham al-Yousefi and Essam Balgheeth have been detained since 9 June 2015 when they were arrested by armed men in a room from where they were working in Qasr Al-Ahlam Hotel, Sana’a.
Those who arrested the men were dressed in a mixture of civilian, military and General Security clothing, and some had slogans on their weapons that are associated with the Huthi armed group and its political wing, Ansarullah. According to their families, the men are not aware of the reasons for their continued detention, and have not been formally charged or brought to trial.
In the past, family members told Amnesty International that the detainees told them they overheard guards saying that the nine journalists are being held because they are linked to “terrorism” and “tarnishing the image of the Huthi popular committees”, as well as “working for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, America and Israel.” The journalists work for a variety of news outlets, some of which oppose the Huthi armed group, while others are aligned to the al-Islah opposition political party.
In addition, a tenth journalist Salah al-Qaedi has been in arbitrary detention since 28 August 2015, after Hourthi rebels arrested him at his home. Al-Qaedi worked at Suhayl TV Channel, which is affiliated with Yemen's Muslim Brotherhood, al-Islah party, involved in the fighting against the Houthis. In September 2014, Houthi militias raided the office of Suhay TV before shutting it down in March 2015.
In another disturbing case, a Houthi court in the capital Sana'a, sentenced journalist Yahya al-Jubaihi, in arbitrary detention since September 2016, to death, following what rights groups described as an unfair trial. The prominent 61 year-old writer and journalist was convicted of spying for Saudi Arabia. He contributed to a number of Yemeni and Arabic newspapers, and published articles critical of the Houthi militias.
Yet, Houthis rebels are not the only group responsible for violations against journalists and media. Several journalists were killed by Saudi-coalition airstrikes. On 17 January 2016, freelance journalist Almigdad Mojalli was killed by a Saudi-led coalition airstrike outside the capital Sanaa. Almigdad was on assignment for Voice of America, but he also covered the conflict for The Telegraph and the humanitarian news and analysis agency IRIN. Few days later, 17 year-old cameraman Hashim al-Hamran died in hospital after he was seriously injured by another coalition airstrike. Al-Hamran was reporting for the Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV, in the town of Dahyan, in Saada province.
In areas that are under the control of Hadi and his forces, journalists are also targeted, detained and even tortured, Yaseen said. His organisation also documented the kidnapping of at least two journalists by jihadi groups affiliated with the Popular Resistance, formed to defend Taiz against Houthis’ advances.
These violations and pressures are having a disastrous impact on independent media in Yemen and the coverage of the war.
“There is no independent media covering the reality of the situation in Yemen”, Fatima al-Aghbari, a Yemen based editor at the Yemeni Media Center, who covers politics and human rights, told Global Voices. She adds:
الاعلامي ان وجد في منطقة يصبح مثير للشك ويمكن ان يتعرض للخطر مالم ينقل ما يريده اي طرف من الاطراف
If there is a journalist in one area, he/she raises suspicions and could be at risk unless they report what any party from the [warring] parties would like to see reported
For Nasser, the war's coverage has turned into a “battle-zone”. She says:
Each side in the war portraits only its “truth” [and its] totally incomplete picture of the situation. As a result, you find a great deal of war propaganda. No middle ground for any other type of media; local independent press suffers a great deal and it has collapsed.
In a statement published on the occasion of Word Press Freedom Day, Mwatana warned that press freedom in Yemen is facing “eradication”:
the continuation of systematically violent and repressive practices against journalists and their institutions and means would lead to the extinction of the profession of journalism and the elimination of the remaining margin of freedom of expression that existed in Yemen before the war.
As there is no end in sight to the war in Yemen, journalists will continue to face risks that threaten their safety and freedom. Even if the war ends today, the country will be left to deal with collapsed state institutions, making any investigations into human rights abuse and press violations, a difficult task. This is of course, if whoever is going to seize political power, will be willing to impartially investigate such abuses. If not, violations will very like continue to happen.
However, Yemeni journalists do not have to fight this battle on their own. International organizations working to promote press and media freedoms can offer support, Yemeni activists and journalists told Global Voices. These organizations can “shed light on the distress the Yemeni journalists are facing and make their voices heard to the world”, said Yaseen from Mwatana. “It’s very important to give these journalists the attention while they are alive not when they are killed or arrested”, Afrah Nasser said. She adds:
The attention that these local journalists could get while they are alive could really give them a sort of protection from such violations. More importantly, as Yemen’s economy is collapsing, it’s crucial to financially support these local journalists working on the ground…In simple words, it’s crucial to support Yemeni journalists or media groups morally and financially.
Al-Aghbari also pointed out to the fact that several Yemeni journalists today live in poverty, which has prompted them to abandon the profession. She added that international organizations could, for example, provide Yemeni journalists working on the ground with physical safety kits, and technology tools to allow them to carry on with their reporting, or help them leave the country when needed.

author: Afef Abrougui


text:
Mumbai Locals Transform the Versova Shore With Their ‘World’s Largest Beach Clean-Up’ · Global Voices
Rezwan

Plastic waste on a Mumbai beach. Screenshot from YouTube video “How plastic in the Ocean impacts your health” by Sky News. Click the image to watch the report.
Mumbai is situated on the western coast of India and is the most populous city in India. The city is known for its beaches, but piles of trash and sewage contamination have made them unsafe for visitors in recent years.
Some are more polluted than others. In a study of nine Mumbai beaches between November 2015 and May 2016, Juhu, Versova and Aksa were in the worst shape.
Nearly two years ago, residents of Versova, an upmarket neighborhood in Mumbai, decided to take matters into their own hands, inspired by Mumbai-based lawyer and environmentalist Afroze Shah.
Relentless! But so are the volunteers @VersovaBeach @AfrozShah1 @timesofindia pic.twitter.com/ghHlCyPnjJ
— Swati Deshpande (@swatidTOI) June 18, 2017
In October 2015, Shah moved to his new apartment near Versova beach and noticed plastic waste on the beach, reaching 5.5 feet (1.67 meters) high in some portions. He and his 84-year-old neighbor, Harbansh Mathur, began to clean up the trash. Seeing their efforts, dozens of locals joined as volunteers and about 50,000 kilograms of waste was removed during the first clean-up on the 2.5-kilometer shore.
Still tons of waste needed to be removed, so they launched a weekly clean-up drive inviting more volunteers.
By December 2015, the local authorities provided tools such as garbage trucks and excavator machines for the volunteers and the drive transformed into a movement over the next six months. The volunteer base grew to 300 participants a week from all walks of life. Soon, the Versova Resident Volunteers (VRV) group was formed and they updated their progress regularly on Facebook.
In July 2016, VRV’s efforts were recognized internationally as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called it the “world’s largest beach clean-up in history”. By January 2017, the group started cleaning the 52 toilets near the beach to stop sewage from ending up in the sea. By March 2017, VRV had cleared 5 million kilograms (5,000 metric tons) of trash from Versova beach alone.
Hats off to the people who volunteered today for the cleanup drive @PoojaB1972 @AfrozShah1 #SayNoToPlastic #SaveOurOcean #SaveOurPlanetEarth pic.twitter.com/INHb9YyTiO
— Ketan Nardhani (@ketan83) June 4, 2017
@AfrozShah1 is a testimony that it just takes will power and inspiration to bring about change. @LewisPugh @VersovaBeach @UNEP #cleanseas pic.twitter.com/LjEE3MrvFe
— Roxanna Samii (@rsamii) June 6, 2017
This is versova beach an hour back. Week 85 of cleanup.Versova beach is gorgeous and clean now.we have done our bit.We need to maintain it. pic.twitter.com/98q9RD5aAg
— Afroz Shah (@AfrozShah1) May 20, 2017
Complement @AfrozShah1 & his team, BMC for removing 5 MillionKg of Filth in 85 weeks in #VersovaBeach,great initiative,Let it inspire others pic.twitter.com/iaLFe6Wpt8
— M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) May 22, 2017
And that's some view !
Couldn't believe this is exactly the same beach which I visited last year and my friend was like, man, its so dirty. pic.twitter.com/EgFErIirm8
— Blogger Buddy (@beingDJ) June 11, 2017
And the volunteers are still at it:
Week 88 cleanup ends. 300 fully grown coconut trees get their home at versova beach .Wonderful weekend .We go back to our roots. pic.twitter.com/BlI0Pjbz5E
— Afroz Shah (@AfrozShah1) June 11, 2017
Week 90 of the cleanup ends. Saturday and Sunday , we picked up 160 tons of plastic . Lashing rain and lashing temperament of volunteers. pic.twitter.com/KFiZwy0x4Z
— Afroz Shah (@AfrozShah1) June 25, 2017
The UNEP recognized Shah’s achievement by making him a Champion of the Earth, the United Nations’ highest environmental award.
This man's mission to save a beach made him a champion of the #Earth https://t.co/lzfhvu2n1F
via @My_Salaam #Enviornment pic.twitter.com/hza061u4Xy
— Adnan Halawi (@AdnanHalawi) June 12, 2017
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised Shah’s initiative as an “inspiring example” in the fight against pollution:
PM Modi congratulates @AfrozShah1 in #MannKiBaat for his movement of cleaning Versova Beach. Congratulations Afroz!https://t.co/npE9WnlGIf
— ChaitanyaChinchlikar (@filmy_foodie) May 28, 2017
The initiative is spreading. This one is from the Kahn (Khan) river cleanup in Indore, about 600 kilometers from Mumbai:
Mission clean indore , clean kanha , clean india with positive start with sir @AfrozShah1 @advpushyamitra pic.twitter.com/ncVTVBDVaW
— Abhijeet Geete (@geete_abhijeet) June 24, 2017
Started “Clean Khan River Mission” in Indore with @AfrozShah1
“The Lawyer Who Cleaned Mumbai's Versova Beach..”??#CleanIndiaMission pic.twitter.com/QHjNqHCnzA
— Sanyam Jain (@modivanibharat) June 23, 2017
And people are wanting more:
@AfrozShah1 bro I think we need a mass movement across Indian coastal line like Mumbai cleanup,u can make a big change with ur popularity
— vicky (@vicky19624021) June 11, 2017
After Versova, will these beaches in Maharashtra also get a clean-up? @htTweets identifies some of the worst!https://t.co/gdebx6KHmW pic.twitter.com/YXu5gwgQRL
— Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) June 11, 2017
According to the UNEP, 13 million tons of plastic waste end up in the world's oceans every year and the world needs to act now. People now have a successful example in Versova beach, but many more steps are needed to reduce plastic wastes and make waste disposal more efficient.

author: Rezwan


text:
Vietnamese Blogger Phạm Minh Hoàng Detained, Stripped of Citizenship, and Exiled to France · Global Voices
Loa

Phạm Minh Hoàng with a sign declaring “I am Vietnamese.” Source: Facebook
This edited article by Lilly Nguyễn is from Loa, a news website and online radio project of Viet Tan that broadcasts stories about Vietnam. It is republished by Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Professor Phạm Minh Hoàng learned earlier this month that Vietnam’s president had decided to take away his citizenship. The 61-year-old, who holds dual French-Vietnamese citizenship, is a prominent blogger who writes about human rights, social justice, and corruption in Vietnam. He’s a member of the pro-democracy party Việt Tân. Hoàng was interviewed from Saigon by Loa’s contributing reporter Lilly Nguyễn before the professor was arrested and exiled to France.
Lilly Nguyễn: Professor Phạm Minh Hoàng, how will deportation affect your family situation?
Phạm Minh Hoàng: Deportation from this country would mean that my family will be forced to be split up. Since I have French citizenship, my daughter is also a French citizen. If I am deported, she can go to France with me or at a later time. However, my wife, Lê Thị Kiều Oanh, is a Vietnamese citizen. She has to stay back to take care of her older brother, who is a disabled South Vietnamese war veteran. He was wounded during the Tống Lê Chân battle in 1973. My brother's situation is critical, he is almost blind, almost deaf and paralyzed on one side of the body. He needs constant home care assistance. In addition, my wife also has to stay back to take care of her elderly mother who is 80 years old. These are the challenges that sum up the difficult situation I face.
Lilly Nguyễn: Why does the government consider you a national security threat?
Phạm Minh Hoàng: According to Việtnam’s constitution, they charged me with violating national security, but they haven’t actually convicted me of anything at all, and yet, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng still declared that I have violated national security.
Secondly, what exactly is violating national security? What action is that? If you or any of the listeners followed my case in the past, I previously served 17 months imprisonment and three years of house arrest. After that period of time, I'd say my activism fell under the category of “light”. I wrote blogs and articles, I continued to express my views on issues like democracy, corruption, environment, territorial sovereignty. This is something that anybody could do, and to be honest, everybody should do — it’s our responsibility to express those views.
Especially as an educator, even though I am no longer able to teach, I still have these rights, as well as the right to express my perspectives on the state's education system. My actions have been peaceful, and I never use vulgar or inflammatory speech.
So I've shared this information with my friends and family, as well as with current and former activists, and they all agree that the government is targeting Việt Tân, as I was previously convicted as a Việt Tân member. And after I was released, I still continued to write, so they just claim that all of those actions are for Việt Tân. We can call this type of intimidation attempts to deter and punish — that is their language — anybody that has any association with Việt Tân, and of course punishment of the organization itself.
Lilly Nguyễn: You left Việtnam in 1973 and eventually came back in 2000. Why did you decide to stay in Việtnam?
Phạm Minh Hoàng: My decision, I think, is very normal. Every Vietnamese has the wish to live on the land that he was borned and raised. Like everyone, I also wish to live, to work and even to die here, that’s normal. My wish is very strong, and I think it will overcome all obstacles.
Why are there people who want to leave Việtnam? I think they leave reluctantly, because they too, like everyone else, love their homeland. I know many people who want to go live abroad. I also know many people abroad who want to go back to our homeland, but circumstances do not allow them. All are very sad images of our country. My choice is also a painful one.
Lilly Nguyễn: During the past 17 years since you came home, have you been able to fulfill your dream to build your homeland, at least in some measure?
Phạm Minh Hoàng: My dream has definitely not been fulfilled because our country is still facing many problems, from politics to the environment, health, etc. I am under no illusion to solve all of them. My country is in disarray, so I haven’t achieved my dreams. For now, I am proud and at peace with myself. During my ten years teaching at Bách Khoa University, I tried my best to be a professor- sharing with my students the knowledge that I gained abroad and during my own studies.
I am proud of the fact that compared to my colleagues during that time, I tried hard to teach with conscience. I put the students above everything else, and the student’s rights above everything else. I put in a 100 percent effort to impart my knowledge to my students. That is my greatest accomplishment. Even though my career went unfinished, I was arrested and wasn’t allowed to teach, I am still proud. I still thought, as a Vietnamese proverb goes, “Man proposes, God disposes.” I did my best and Heaven decides the rest.
Lilly Nguyễn: Thank you again for spending time and speaking with us on Loa. Do you have any last comments before we close?
Phạm Minh Hoàng: The last thing I want to say is thank you to everyone around the world who has supported me. More than that, some have made efforts to contact diplomats to help me out. Their efforts make me feel like I am not alone in this battle. I won’t feel lonely in following days and I wish everyone good health and we will struggle shoulder to shoulder for democracy in our Việtnam.
Listen to the interview through this podcast:

author: Loa


text:
A Nepali Wildlife Photographer Uses His Camera to Raise Awareness About Conservation · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Wallowing rhino, Chitwan. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Sagar Giri was never satisfied with the photos that he saw around him – blurry, with subjects poorly positioned and washed-out colors. So, he was motivated to carry a camera of his own and try to fix the situation.
That was when he was a child. Today, at the age of 28, Sagar is striving to put Nepal’s wildlife on the international stage. And his hometown, which sits next to Chitwan National Park, offers him the perfect opportunity to shoot photos that call attention to Nepal's animal world. He explained on Facebook how this prime location helps him with his work:
I live on edge of the World Heritage Site Chitwan National Park, what can be better for a wildlife Photographer enthusiast!!
So, today i was resting at my place and suddenly Navaraj (Manager at Chitwan Gaida Lodge) calls me, he got my dad's call that there is the leopard at the bank of Rapti river. The River dam just a few minutes away at the touristic place of Sauraha. I immediately ran with my camera & reached within minutes. My Dad had been watching him, showed me the place across the River a long Distance where Leopard was and immediately my shutter burst began!!
Sagar aspires to work with the government to get Nepal's nature recognized worldwide and wants to create awareness that wild animals are not fearsome as they look. And he should know — he's had encounters with tigers:
A tiger doesn't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep!!
Late evening too low on the light. Home time for all the animals & birds. I was also returning home coz of darkness, then suddenly appears the King from the Bushes, immediately sits when we both see each other & Stares at me through the sal trees!!
Seeing the need to protect wild animals, Sagar puts the logo “i click for conservation” in his pictures. His passion for promoting the nature and wildlife of Nepal, however, isn’t always easy. He has waited for 22 days to shoot photos of otters in Bardia National Park living mostly in a tent, and up to 12 days to capture images of tigers, and six to seven days to get a perfect shot of birds living in nearby lodges.
Take a look at some of his photos below.
Red Naped Ibis, Chitwan National Park. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Wild Water Buffalo, Arna, Chitwan National Park. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Oriental Pied Hornbill, Chitwan. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Himalayan Griffon, Jatayu Restaurant, Pithauli, Nawalparasi. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Smooth-Coated Otters, Bardia National Park. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Common Kingfisher, Sauraha, Chitwan. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Egyptian Vulture, Pokhara. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Osprey, Pithauli, Nawalparasi. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.
Royal Bengal Tiger, Chitwan National Park. Image by Sagar Giri. Used with permission.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


text:
Fall Armyworms Are Ravaging Crops in Many African Countries · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Fall armyworm from the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility – Public Domain
As African economies begin to emerge from the global financial crisis of the last decade, a new threat to the agricultural sector in many countries may slow recovery: the invasion of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda).
Originally from the Americas, the fall armyworm was first detected in west and central Africa at the beginning of 2016 (Sao Tome and Principe, Nigeria, Benin, and Togo). About a year later, it was found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. And the invasion isn't showing signs of stopping anytime soon.
News blog Afrique 7 offers the following description of the creature:
Appelée “chenille légionnaire d’automne” et originaire d’Amérique, cette larve a été récemment introduite en Afrique, et a déjà fait des ravages dans les champs de céréales et particulièrement du maïs en Zambie, au Zimbabwe, en Afrique du Sud et au Ghana. Le Malawi, le Mozambique et la Namibie seraient également affectés, selon l’ONU.
Ces chenilles dévorent le maïs, le blé, le millet et le riz, des aliments de base en Afrique australe, une région déjà frappée par l’une des pires sécheresses de ces dernières années.
Selon le Centre international pour l’agriculture et les biosciences (CABI), ces chenilles [se] “propagent rapidement sur le continent africain”, et c’est la « première fois que cette espèce cause de telles destructions de champs » sur le continent.
The larva of the fall armyworm, originally from the Americas, was recently introduced into Africa and has already wreaked havoc on grain crops. Corn has been especially affected in Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Ghana. According to the UN, Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia have been similarly afflicted.
These caterpillars eat southern African food staples, such as corn, wheat, millet, and rice. Southern Africa has already been hit by one of the worst droughts in recent years.
According to the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), these caterpillars are “spreading rapidly across Mainland Africa.” This is the first time this species has caused such crop destruction in Africa.
The caterpillar invasion has caused terrible damage in the affected countries. As a result, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convened an emergency meeting in Zimbabwe during which experts from 13 countries gathered to adopt a strategy for fighting this disaster. A local journalist, Sally Nyakanyanga, reported on the story for humanitarian crisis news site IRIN:
Spodoptera frugiperda is a formidable foe. Pesticides only work when the larvae are very small and before they have begun to cause visible damage to the crop. After that, there are no quick fixes. The pest can cause crop losses of more than 70 percent.
Sally Nyakanyanga went on to describe a farmer who tried to get rid of the caterpillar with the crop protection products that he had used in the past against native armyworms. But, because the fall armyworm is a different species, these products had no effect:
Vavariro Mashamba, 51, hoped to harvest 10 tonnes of maize from each of the 20 hectares he planted in his farm in the Karoi district, in north-central Zimbabwe. But when he started to see ragged holes on the foliage of his crop and sawdust-like frass near the whorl and upper leaves of the plants, he knew he was in trouble. His best hope now is a yield of six or seven tonnes per hectare.
“At first I thought it was the African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) that was damaging my crops. I bought Carbaryl pesticide and sprayed on the plants. There was no change. Instead, the worms continued to multiply in my field,” Mashamba told IRIN.
Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture visited his farm, but by then it was too late to eradicate the fall armyworm (The “fall” part of the name comes from the caterpillar’s feeding habits: In its native Americas, it does most damage in late summer and early autumn – or “fall” in US English. See here for more details).
As recently as early June 2017, Guinea was not on the FAO's list of affected countries, but fall armyworms have now been found there, too. Journalist Ousmane Koumanthio Tounkara spoke to Abdoulaye Kaloga Diallo, an official in charge of protecting vegetation, for an article on local news site Aminata:
Des chenilles légionnaires particulièrement voraces sévissent dans la préfecture de Mali depuis les derniers jours du mois de mai et auraient touché 21 villages de la commune rurale de Yembering où elles s’en sont prises à la flore sauvage.
Bilan à mi parcours 250 hectares de verdure grignotés par les indésirables visiteuses. Dans la fulgurance de cette catastrophique invasion les services en charge de la protection des végétaux pensent que l’ arrêt des pluies en est pour quelque chose.
La riposte n’est pas en cours car aucun moyen d’y faire face n’est à portée de main,d’où la mise de l’accent sur la sensibilisation.
Some particularly voracious armyworms have been ravaging the Mali prefecture since the end of May and have invaded 21 villages in rural Yembering, attacking the wild plant life.
As of mid-year, 250 hectares of vegetation have been eaten by the unwelcome visitors. Those charged with protecting the vegetation think that the lack of rain has something to do with the catastrophic invasion of so many insects.
As effective resources remain unavailable, no response has been made beyond public awareness campaigns.
Abdourahamane Barry, from the collaborative website Guinéenews, thinks that the situation is even more serious. He reported that the infestation has already killed some regional farmers’ livestock:
Après les préfectures de Mali, Tougué, Labé et Koubia, des chenilles, ces hôtes indésirables atteignent désormais Dondé, un district relevant de la sous-préfecture de Parawol, préfecture de Lélouma. Ces chenilles ravageuses qui grignotent tout ou presque sur leur passage.
Joint au  téléphone par la Rédaction locale de Guinéenews, le chef service régional de protection des végétaux, a confirmé la présence des chenilles.
« Il y a bel et bien des chenilles dans les cinq préfectures de la région administrative de Labé. Ce sont des insectes qui nuisent aux cultures. Il faut souligner qu’elles ont fini de dévaster la végétation spontanée. Actuellement, elles se dirigent vers les villages où il ya encore de la verdure. Donc, elles dévorent tout sur leur passage. Toutes les plantes sont touchées », a expliqué Alpha Oumar Bah.
Dans certaines localités, au-delà de la végétation, des chèvres ont été victimes de ces chenilles à Diogoma, sous-préfecture de Sannoun dans la préfecture de Labé. Onze chèvres sont mortes pour avoir brouté des feuilles sur lesquelles étaient posées des chenilles.
After invading the Mali, Tougue, Labe, and Koubia prefectures, these unwelcome caterpillars have now reached Dondé, a district within the Parawol sub-prefecture in the Lélouma prefecture. The destructive caterpillars are eating nearly everything in their path.
Guinéenews’ local editor spoke to the regional head of vegetation protection, who confirmed the presence of the caterpillars.
“There are, undoubtedly, caterpillars in Labe's five prefectures. These insects are damaging the crops. They've finished eating the wild plants and are now going into the villages where there is more vegetation. They eat everything in their path. All plant life is at risk,” explained Alpha Oumar Bah.
In some areas, goats as well as vegetation, have fallen victim to these caterpillars. Eleven goats in Diogoma, in the Sannoun sub-prefecture in the Labé prefecture, are dead after having grazed on leaves on which the caterpillars were perched.
Clearly, this larva is already an extreme nuisance that eats everything it possibly can. As a moth, it can travel more than 100 kilometers and reproduce quickly. In an area of the world already known for its food insecurity, the devastating consequences of this invasion are difficult to predict.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


text:
Netizen Report: Venezuela’s Conflict Moves From the Streets to the Screen · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

An officer of the Venezuela's Bolivarian National Police watches protesters in Maracaibo, 2014. Photo by Maria Alejandra Mora (CC BY-SA 3.0)
On the night of June 28, Internet users across Venezuela reported that multiple major web and social media sites had gone dark. According to the media organization Venezuela Inteligente:
DNS servers of the State’s Internet Service Provider CANTV were not responding to DNS requests for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Periscope, preventing users from accessing these platforms.
An hour later, users were able to access those sites again. This wave of censorship comes in a moment when Venezuela’s government is facing record levels of public opposition and unrest, and a rapidly escalating economic crisis that has led to widespread hunger and threats to public health countrywide.
Internet access has significantly deteriorated since May 2016 when the government declared a (still ongoing) state of emergency and officially authorized online content filtering. In May 2017, the Index on Censorship published evidence of 41 websites being blocked in the country.
While authorities may see social media censorship as a useful short-term mechanism for limiting speech that sparks public unrest, they too rely on Internet access to communicate with their citizens.
Just last week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered officials to investigate Twitter employees in Venezuela for suspending the accounts of 180 government employees and chavistas, as supporters of former president Hugo Chavez are known. Maduro vowed to “unmask” the identities of the Twitter officials responsible and to create thousands of new accounts to continue the “battle on social media.”
On June 29, well-known Vietnamese human rights blogger and community leader Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (who blogged under the name Mother Mushroom) was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a Khanh Hoa district court convicted her of distorting government policies and defaming the Communist regime on Facebook and in interviews with foreign media outlets.
Vietnamese authorities also forced professor Pham Minh Hoang into exile on June 24. Hoang was stripped of his nationality in May and forcibly removed from his house on June 23. He said he was detained for 24 hours before authorities forced him onto a plane to Paris. He is now separated from his wife and young daughter and unable to take care of his disabled older brother. A blogger and member of Viet Tan, the Vietnamese democratic political movement, Hoang was detained for 17 months beginning in 2010. He has conducted trainings on cybersecurity, human rights and leadership skills since his release. “I still have a little hope, one day, to come back to live and die in Vietnam,” he told Associated Press.
Cuban journalist Manuel Alejandro León Velázquez was arrested by Cuban state security officers in Guantanamo province and detained for two days. Police also confiscated electronic equipment, mobile phones, several hundred dollars worth of US, EU and Cuban currency, and his passport and press card. León Velázquez is a reporter for the independent news website Diario de Cuba and has covered hurricane relief efforts and infrastructure challenges in eastern Cuba. He has been summoned for a meeting with police on July 3, who charge that he has been distributing “false news.”
A video journalist and the director of the news website Rif24 was arrested on June 6 in the Rif region of Morocco, where protests focused on the declining economy, poor infrastructure and government corruption have been taking place since October 2016. Mohamed al-Asrihi is currently in pre-trial detention on charges including practicing journalism without official accreditation and receiving foreign funding from “separatists” abroad. He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement in Casablanca's Oukacha Prison.
A video clip of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’ has been blocked on YouTube at the behest of the military-backed government of Thailand. Internet users reported on June 24 that the video clip with Thai subtitles was inaccessible on YouTube. The page for the video instead displayed the standard message: “This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government.”
“The Great Dictator”, a Hollywood film by comedian Chaplin, parodied the rise of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in 1940. June 24 is the day when Thailand commemorates the 1932 revolution which ended the country’s absolute monarchy.
Internet users are anticipating that the majority of VPN apps for individual use will be inaccessible in mainland China by July 1, 2017. Whisperings of a state ban on unauthorized VPNs spread widely on Twitter and Weibo after the popular VPN service provider Green announced that the company would cease operations by July 1. That date is sensitive because it marks the 20th anniversary of the transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese power. However there is not conclusive evidence of a direct connection. The move may also indicate a forthcoming ban has been expedited. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had announced that it will ban “illegal services”, including unauthorized VPNs, in March 2018.
After Gabon and the Gambia shut down networks during recent elections inquiring minds want to know if Kenya will follow in their footsteps during upcoming elections on August 8. In a press statement, Kenyan ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru affirmed, “We are a digital country and that is not our intention. It is not even a remote fall back position.”
Documents leaked to ProPublica demonstrate how Facebook advises moderators to remove — or preserve — messages that users report as hate speech. Among other directives, the guidance tells moderators to remove hate speech that targets “protected categories” of people who include, in one example, white men, but not black children.
Facebook will not release data about political campaign ads posted on the site, despite requests from researchers who say the information is critical for accountability and preventing fraudulent advertising during elections. US television broadcasters are required to provide details about the cost and schedules of ads, but this information is not easily attainable for online advertising, despite substantial shifts toward digital rather than broadcast ads.
Gmail has long scanned the content of its users emails in order to serve up targeted advertising to them. That practice may be ending by the close of this year, according to an announcement from the company, a decision privacy advocates are cautiously welcoming.
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women is soliciting input for a report on online violence against women and girls. Submissions should be sent by September 30, 2017.
Afef Abrougui, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Marianne Diaz, Don Le, Elizabeth Rivera, Laura Vidal, and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team


text:
Beatles Memorial Day Marks the Anniversary of the Iconic Band’s First Visit to Japan · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

The Beatles arrive in Japan. Screenshot from The Beatles official YouTube channel.
June 29 is observed by some as Beatles Memorial Day in Japan. The date marks the anniversary of the Beatles’ first appearance in Japan in 1966 when they touched down at Haneda Airport in the middle of Japan's monsoon rainy season and played the next day at the Budokan martial arts center in central Tokyo, the first of five concerts they would play on that tour.
This year on June 29 the hashtag ビートルズ記念日 (Beatles Memorial Day) trended on Japanese Twitter, as many fans shared their memories and appreciation of the Beatles.
The 1966 visit by the Beatles to Japan is regarded as a turning point in Japanese postwar culture. Hoshika Rumiko, the first Japanese journalist to carry out an exclusive interview with the Beatles in London in 1964, remarked in 2016 on the 50th anniversary of the first visit:
The Beatles were only in the country for a little under five days, but that short visit was enough to change public opinion totally. People soon realized that they had no choice but to embrace the Beatles.
Many of the giants of Japanese industry today came of age when the Beatles first came to Japan in 1966. As reported by Nikkei Asian Review, according to Ryuichi Isaka, president of retail giant Seven & i Holdings, the Beatles’ music is “more of a universal language than English.”
おはようございます〜♬
今日はビートルズ記念日〜??
51年前東京にやって来た！
#ビートルズ記念日 pic.twitter.com/qUOms08S8I
— paulohkawa (@paulohkawa) June 28, 2017
Good morning! ♬ It's Beatles Memorial Day in Japan. ?? It's been 51 years since they came to Tokyo.
Today, Beatles songs are still sung in karaoke bars in Japan as well as in English class in Japanese middle schools. Beatles kitsch still survives as well.
ビートルズ記念日ということで。我が家のビートルズ。このプーさんが、ジョンなのかジョージなのかは不明。 pic.twitter.com/yJY0deoMbO
— 山奈央（イラストレーター） (@70yama70) June 29, 2017
It's Beatles Memorial Day today. We love the Beatles at our house. I have no idea if this Winnie the Pooh doll is supposed to be John Lennon or not.
And, like any fans, Japanese people make pilgrimages to special spots identified with the band.
??ビートルズ好きなら絶対に訪れたいスポット５選??（F&T）　①アビイ・ロード②マシュー・ストリート③ストロベリーフィールド④ペニー・レイン⑤‥。#ビートルズ記念日https://t.co/bzbslLbY0N
➡英国のホテル：https://t.co/IKDedi6osD pic.twitter.com/TRssth06Q8
— ヨーロッパ旅行✈情報部 (@euro_tour) June 28, 2017
?? If you love the Beatles, there are 5 spots you have to visit ??
1) Abbey Road
2) Mathew Street (in Liverpool)
3) Strawberry Fields
4) Penny Lane
5) (From link) The Beatles Story, Liverpool
The pilgrimages can also be whimsical in nature, too.
皆さん、おはようございます。　今日は『ビートルズ記念日』です。　1966年のこの日、ビートルズが初来日しました。　お友達の中には映画けいおん！の聖地巡礼でロンドンに行かれた方がいますが、何時か自分もアビーロードを歩いてみたいものです。　って、去年も同じ事呟いていたな （＾ ＾； pic.twitter.com/EDmeu4uk0P
— あずにゃんぷ (@azunyanpu) June 28, 2017
Good morning, everyone. Today is Beatles Memorial Day. On this day in 1966 the Beatles first came to Japan. The characters from the movie K-On! made a pilgrimage to London, and walked on Abbey Road. We did the same thing last year.
And, as always, some businesses will try to capitalize on fandom to market themselves, such as this Tokyo ramen shop.
おはようございます中華そばムタヒロ古屋です?
今日はビートルズ記念日です！
一体どんな日？
僕が思うにイエスタデーを聞きながらムタヒロでラーメンを食べる今日。
そんな日だと思うんですよね
ということで本日もお待ちしております♡ pic.twitter.com/meLCTBXyG6
— ムタヒロ 古屋 (@rintarooo15) June 29, 2017
Good morning, it's Mutahiro Koya Ramen! ? Today is Beatles Memorial Day. And what kind of day might that be? Today I'll be listening to “Yesterday” while eating ramen at Mutaro Koya. That's the kind of day it's going to be. So, we hope you'll join us!
Follow the hashtag at ビートルズ記念日 for more on Beatles Memorial Day.

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
Cardinal George Pell, Vatican’s Third Highest-Ranking Official, Charged With Sexual Assault Offences in Australia · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Mass given by Cardinal George Pell at World Youth Day Madrid 2011. Image courtesy of Catholic Church England and Wales Flickr account (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
Australia's Cardinal George Pell has been charged by police with multiple sexual assault offences apparently dating back as far as the 1970s. He is currently prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy at the Vatican and supposedly third in the Church hierarchy. He is a close advisor of Pope Francis.
Global online reactions were swift. Cathy M Helsley, who is from the US state of Ohio and identifies herself as a “child of God”, tweeted:
Very sad this is! It also makes me angry !@⚡ “Cardinal George Pell charged over alleged historical sex offences”https://t.co/ddtTgWqFpg
— Cathy M Helsley (@CathyHelsley) June 29, 2017
Hilly is clearly no fan of Pell:
I am just so happy that the Police are doing the right thing and charging Cardinal George Pell#FuckyouPell
— Hilly (@Hillyhobbit) June 29, 2017
Peter Chambers, a “conservative to the core”, defended the cardinal:
Cardinal George Pell no chance of a fair trial as Catholic hate machine in action. Let due process prevail if guilty then harsh punishment
— Peter Chambers (@Wombatfinance) June 29, 2017
The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney has indicated that he will return home to try to clear his name. They issued a statement that he will return “following advice and approval by his doctors who will also advise on his travel” arrangements.
In February 2016, Pell gave evidence to the Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse via video link from Rome. He was questioned about his knowledge of and response to allegations of child sex abuse within the Church. He had claimed that ill-health prevented him from flying home.
Given that context, the latest news brought out some cynics:
Cardinal George Pell charged with multiple sexual offences https://t.co/OJwIM7P5tD
He's probably making a doctor's appointment now.
— SydneyStew (@weemac47) June 29, 2017
According to a police spokesperson, the charges are based on multiple complainants. There has been a long history of allegations of child abuse against Pell. The case will open in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on July 18. The details of the charges are not yet public.

author: Kevin Rennie