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Cuba: Where’s the (Press) Freedom?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Today is World Press Freedom Day – but in the Caribbean blogosphere, a handful of Cuban diaspora bloggers are the only ones talking about it.
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter provides some background on the day itself, explaining:
The United Nations declared May 3 World Press Freedom Day on December 20, 1993 to raise awareness on the importance of a free press and to remind governments of their obligation to respect and uphold the right of freedom of expression recognized under Article 19 of the Universal Declarationof Human Rights. The date of May 3 was selected to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles agreed on by African journalists  at a UNESCO seminar, “Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press,” held in Windhoek, Namibia, from April 29 to May 3, 1991; it was later endorsed by the UNESCO General Conference.
The Coalition of Cuban-American Women posted a link on its blog to this report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which lists Cuba as one of the most censored countries.  In a later post, it draws attention to Cuban blogger and independent journalist, Luis Felipe Rojas, who is featured in an Amnesty International article.
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter also takes note of the report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, saying:
The dictatorship in Cuba came in ninth place, but also at least three out of the  four worse (sic) are close allies of the Castro brothers.
babalu, meanwhile, notes that:
340 politically motivated arrests in Cuba were documented by the Cuban independent news agency CIHPRESS during the month of April. This brings the total number of political arrests on the island documented by the agency this year to 1,915. At this current pace, the Castro dictatorship is set to carry out almost 6,000 arrests by the end of year, almost double the number of the arrests that took place in 2011.
And in a “toast to freedom on World Press Freedom Day”, Notes from the Exile Quarter posts a video in honour of all imprisoned journalists, and blogs about some of Cuba's prisoners of conscience:
Fifty years ago, on May 28, 1961 Amnesty International was formed because two Portuguese students were imprisoned for seven years for raising a toast to freedom. Today, in Cuba men and women are locked away for speaking up for freedom and marching for it. Journalists are harassed, detained and imprisoned for attempting to exercise their fundamental right to free speech, one of them is Luis Felipe Rojas. Others are found in the ‘Hablemos Press’ Information Centre. In honor of them, on World Press Freedom Day this…is dedicated to them: A Toast to Freedom.


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Guatemala: Community Leader Dies in Clashes in Santa Cruz Barillas  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The blog Asamblea Departamental por la Defensa del Territorio- Huehuetenango [es] published an urgent statement about the death of Santa Cruz Barillas community leader Andrés Francisco Miguel and attacks on other community leaders who oppose the construction of a hydroelectric dam. Today, May 3, the BBC reports: “The Guatemalan government has declared a state of siege in the town of Santa Cruz Barillas following clashes over the death of a community leader.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Silvia Viñas


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India: Photo Essay On Working Mothers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pattabi Raman’s photo essay on working mothers in parts of rural India is up at the International Museum for women. The photo essay highlights issues that are specific to women in parts of rural India, such as the threat of displacement due to industrialization.

author: Rezwan


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Liberia: Will Social Media Increase Civic Engagement? · Global Voices
Counselor Track

Counselor Track (CT): Shelby, you are welcome to this interview. Can you please give us a brief introduction of yourself and your career background?
Shelby Grossman (SG): Before starting graduate school, I worked with human rights organizations in Liberia and Nigeria, and with a foundation in the US. Additionally, for more than 6 years I have maintained a blog on West African politics.
CT: The growing usage of the internet and social media in Liberia is certainly a progressive trend. Having worked in Liberia, can you briefly tell us how the internet and social media are viewed by the cross sections of the Liberia population?
Shelby Grossman. Image used with permission.
SG: My sense is that Liberians who use social media use it mostly to connect with people outside of Liberia. They might use email and Facebook to communicate with the large Liberian community in the United States, and share and view pictures about life on both sides of the Atlantic. A friend of mine who started an internet cafe made most of his money by offering internet phone calls to the US. More and more, however, Liberians in Liberia seem to be using Facebook to share photos and life events among themselves as well.
CT: Liberia is a post war nation which currently lacks reliable electricity and sufficient human resource in the IT related careers. How does this state of affair affect the overall impact and growth of social media as well as Internet access?
SG: Poor infrastructure is a huge obstacle for social media use. My friend who started the internet cafe had to shut it down after several months, as the costs of running a generator to power the cafe were prohibitively high. Smart phones are an increasingly popular way to access social media sites, but they are not conducive to creating and maintaining blogs. I think this can partly explain the dearth of active blogs by Liberians in Liberia.
CT: Are social media platforms a significant public sphere in Liberia?
SG: Social media in Liberia is a significant public sphere for a certain Liberians – namely urban, educated Liberians.
CT: Can social media in the long run increase civic engagement in Liberia?
SG: There are competing predictions about the ways in which social media could affect civic engagement. On the one hand, Twitter can spread information about where a protest is taking place and encourage more people to participate. On the other hand, if an incentive for civic engagement is to obtain information (e.g. I go out to the protest because I want to see how bigit is, and hear what the protest leaders have to say, and then tell all my friends about what I saw) social media might decrease civic engagement as this information can be accessed without leaving your home.
CT: 2011 pre-electoral activities and violence created an ‘unfavorable’ and fragile electoral environment, in what ways did social media help improve the situation following the relatively peaceful 2012 General Elections?
SG: Ushahidi-powered platforms allowed Liberians and foreigners to text in incidences of ballot fraud and hate speech and violence, facilitating more rapid responses to these incidences. It is possible that this made the elections more peaceful.
Ushahidi-powered map of election-related incidents from the 2011 Elections in Liberia:
CT: On Thursday 26 April 2012, the former Liberian president Charles Taylor was convicted by the the Sierra Leone Special Court in The Hague on 11 counts of crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone, in what significant manners did social media usage among Liberians affect discussions and coverage of trial?
SG: I doubt social media affected the trial, but social media certainly affected the degree to which Liberians could obtain information about the trial and engage with trial controversies.The Trial of Charles Taylor blog, run by the Open Society Justice Initiative, provided daily summaries of trial events for six years, along with analysis of legal issues and occasional commentaries from international law experts. Posts on this blog frequently sparked 40 or more comments and technical legal questions, which OSJI staff responded to promptly. It is difficult to determine what percent of the comments came from Liberians and Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora or at home, but there was certainly a good share of both. Further, Liberian newspapers frequently reprinted these blog posts, making them accessible to Liberians without internet access. The Trial of Charles Taylor blog deserves a huge amount of credit for what engagement there was with the trial.
CT: You followed and sampled the reactions of Liberians on Taylor’s verdict, what are your key findings?
SG: Liberians seemed largely disengaged with the trial over the past six years. The Taylor trial received far less local media coverage than the Truth and Reconciliation Commission proceedings. It’s not completely clear why. One possibility is that the lack of media coverage prevented Liberians from engaging further in the trial, but this seems unlikely.My sense is that the lack of coverage reflected the lack of interest. The Taylor trial was in The Hague, while the TRC hearings were in Liberia, so that’s one possible explanation. The Taylor trial was about one big fish, whereas the TRC hearings took testimony from hundreds, so that’s another possible explanation.But the lack of engagement remains a puzzle to me. If a former US head of state was tried for war crimes Americans would be glued to their TVs watching the trial.
CT: What are the major challenges social media and the internet growth that Liberia faces?
SG: Liberia needs reliable, accessible, and affordable electricity throughout the country. This would make internet cafes cheaper and more accessible to a larger percent of Liberians.
CT: Finally, what message do you have for Liberia’s netizens and other friends of Liberia?
SG: Start a blog ! It is shockingly difficult to find original, reliable reporting about domestic Liberian politics. If a Liberian were to start a good blog about politics and update it regularly it would quickly aquire hundreds of readers.
CT: Shelby, it was really nice having you share your resourceful experience and insights with us. I wish you all the best in your endeavors. Thanks.

author: Counselor Track


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Madagascar: Two Journalists in Jail on World Press Freedom Day  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy et Fidèle Razarapiera, two radio journalists of Free FM Radio in Madagascar are held at the police station [fr] of Betongolo, Antananarivo for libel and diffusing political news [fr] that do not conform with the original radio programming agreement. Blogger Teraka Randriatsoa explains the context of the conflict [fr] between Free FM Radio station, the CEO of Sodiat Group M. Ravatomanga and the ministry of communication.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Russia: Crowdsourcing to Solve Local Urban Problems  · Global Voices
Teplitsa

Solving problems at the local level, the kind encountered by inhabitants of big cities and regional centers, is becoming more and more feasible thanks to projects based on crowdsourcing technology. Crowdsourcing is getting groups of people involved in the discussion and resolution of all sorts of different problems, ranging from firefighting to election-monitoring.
Map of Moscow and the Moscow Region
In theory, there are already various government agencies and institutions working to manage local life so that citizens can live in comfort and security. But in practice the results are not always satisfactory: the illegal cutting down of trees, broken lifts, and burnt-out light streetlights are still problems people encounter on a daily basis. To solve these and similar problems “clouds” have been created — virtual projects, in which anyone with an Internet connection and a desire to improve things can take part.
StreetJournal.org  [ru] is a project launched in the city of Perm, now operating in several major cities across Russia. The site has publicized nearly 8,000 problems, of which more than a third have been resolved. In addition to ordinary citizens, the platform is also being using by local authorities, who can use it to monitor the work of their contractors and to react to serious reports efficiently and directly.
The third group of people using the platform are nonprofit organizations, which can get access to up-to-date information and use it to monitor a situation and direct volunteers towards solving it.
ДайСигнал [DaiSignal] [ru] is an alternative project concerned with the eternal problems of roads and urban infrastructure and services. The portal receives information from more than 220 cities and towns.
The problem-solving process becomes itself the biggest problem.
In a majority of our encounters with life's daily problems (which we are individually incapable of fixing ourselves), the “problem-solving process becomes itself the biggest problem.” While the complaints submitted to DaiSignal are from individuals without any connection to one another (and are resolved privately, as well), the platform is a tool that allows people to view a situation holistically.
In cases where the number of reports in a given region is “off the scale,” one can conclude that specific services there are ineffective, and take the necessary measures, not by informing the authorities but instead informing those competent to fix things.
How effective such a system can be is demonstrated by the British analog FixMyStreet, which has accumulated more than 1,600 reports a week, including photographic and video evidence, of overflowing trash-bins, broken footpaths, and illegal graffiti.
Original [ru]

author: Teplitsa


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Sudan/South Sudan: Voicing Hope for #newSUDANS · Global Voices
Maha El-Sanosi

In the wake of the secession of South Sudan from Sudan in July 2011 and the recent clashes between the two countries over the oil-rich region of Heglig, citizens of both Sudans found themselves in the middle of an ugly upheaval.
On April 29, 2012, the Twitterverse was filled with an atmosphere of union and solidarity between Twitter users from both countries. Inspired by late Dr. John Garang’s vision for a “New Sudan”, they initiated the hashtag #newSUDANS and voiced their opinions, perceptions and hopes for two new democratic Sudans.
Aguil Lual (@AguilB) called on Sudanese and South Sudanese on Twitter to revive the momentum of Garang’s “New Sudan” speech and join the dialogue, saying:
@AguilB: What are your dreams 4 peaceful co-existence of the Sudans? Thoughts on CPA? What our leaders should do? #join the conversation #newSUDANS
Former South Sudan leader John Garang. Photo source: usaid.gov.
Aguil also called for freedoms and pride:
@AguilB: Freedom to report on politics, politicians, corruption, & rights abuses w/out being detained/beaten/silenced, impoverished #newSUDANS
And added:
@AguilB: Pride in our Sudaness. One day the news reports & int'l com will showcase South Sudan & Sudan as a model 4 peaceful transition #newSUDANS
Ali (@kashiff111) noted his vision for #newSUDANS:
@kashiff111: #newSUDANS powerful with it's individualism, colorful with its diversity, tolerant with it's unity, peaceful with it's faith.
Raian Gibrel (@bro0ownsugar) envisioned women empowerment, recognition of freedoms and an end to corruption:
@bro0ownsugar: empower women in order to get the other half of the society active and productive #newSUDANS
@bro0ownsugar: freedom of speech, religion, political practice #newSUDANS
@bro0ownsugar: “Eliminate corruption and all its resources #newSudans”
Muhanad Rabie (@Neo0rabie) called on peaceful conflict resolution:
@Neo0rabie: #newSUDANS Every one Must put his gun down. lets talk it out. Money you spend in War can be better spend in development, Health & Education
Muhanad also voiced his hope for the return of Sudanese in the Diaspora:
@Neo0rabie: People in #Diaspora have got to come back one day. #newSudans
Asmara Adanis (@AsmaraAdanis) cited good healthcare:
@AsmaraAdanis: Human life is valued. Unjustified death of Sudanese citizens not simply labelled destiny. Existence of #HealthCare #newSUDANS
Omer Abdellatif (@OmerAbdellatif) called against using religion to manipulate people:
@OmerAbdellatif: Do NOT use religion as a tool to manipulate people & laws! Treat people fairly regardless of religious backgrounds! #newSUDANS
On the other hand, Ahmed K (@SkinyTestaverde) preached secularism in #newSUDANS:
@SkinyTestaverde: Were we take advantage of our incredible diversity, eliminate tribalism, and realize that secularism is GOOD for religion #newSUDANS
Moez Ali (@his_moezness) used #newSUDANS to express that Sudanese people from all tribes and ethnicities should be identified as one:
@his_moezness: I'm from Shendi, El Fasher, Juba, El Damazin. I'm a Northerner, a
Southerner, a Nuba, a Zaghawi, a Fur and a Hadandawi #newSUDANS
Muhammad Osman (@Meltilib) promoted the elimination of racism, economic equality and freedom from intellectual materialism:
@Meltilib: #NewSudans where diseases of racism, ethno-centersim & religious bigotry are no more.
@Meltilib: #NewSudans with less economic inequality
@Meltilib: #NewSudans should be free of all forms of intellectual materialism.
Ahmad Mohamed (@AhmadMohamed10) tweeted his aspirations for #newSUDANS:
@AhmadMohamed10: I dream of the day when the #newSUDANS form a EU style federation with all the freedoms & economic cooperation that entails.
@AhmadMohamed10: Sudan and South Sudan – living side by side in peace with close economic, cultural & social cooperation/exchange. #NewSUDANS
And finally, Osman Musa (@OsmanBMusa) hoped:
@OsmanBMusa: No more trouble #newSUDANS.
The hashtag #newSUDANS continues.

author: Maha El-Sanosi


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Tunisia: TV Station Chief Sued for Broadcasting ‘Persepolis’ · Global Voices
Salah Almhamdi

On May 3, 2012, Tunisian courts will announce the verdict in the trial of Nabil Karoui, owner of the private channel Nessma TV, who has been prosecuted for broadcasting the animated film Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
Scenes in the film depict God visiting in a dream and appearing in human form. The broadcast created a lot of anger, and a complaint was filed by 144 lawyers and others. The trial was delayed many times, but the verdict will be announced on May 3 – which is World Press Freedom Day. If convicted, Karoui faces up to three years in prison.
Persepolis was broadcast at around the same time that Ennahda won a majority of seats in parliament, and some saw it as a political statement associating Tunisia with Iran, and a warning for Tunisians to “stay moderate and vigilant”.
Nabil Karoui talking to journalists in front of the courthouse in Tunis. Photo by machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
In a blog post entitled “Nessma Trial: Luckily the Ridiculous Doesn't Kill” [fr], blogger and activist Lina Ben Mhenni commented on the trial proceedings:
Maître Raja Haj Mansour a été la première avocate de la partie civile à donner un plaidoyer comique dans lequel elle a expliqué que son fils a fait trois nuits blanches successives après avoir regardé le film “Persepolis” et que c'est lui qui lui a demandé de porter plainte contre Nabil Karoui. Par la suite d'autres avocats ont donné des plaidoyers dignes du Moyen-Age.
Myriam Meziou joked:
@myriammeziou: le fils de Raja mansour a eu une crise car il a vu persepolis!!!! que va-t-il lui arriver qd il regardera son 1er Porno? #nessma
Doctor and politician Zeineb Turki wrote:
@ZeinebTurki: Il est utile de rappeler qu'il ne s'agit pas du procès de #nessma ni de celui de #Persepolis mais celui de la liberté d'expression
From Paris, Anissa B. tweeted:
@beautifultango7: Verdict due today in #Persepolis trial. Key test of freedom of speech in #Tunisia. #NessmaTV
The following video from Nawaat features protests against the broadcast of Persepolis:
UPDATE: Nabil Karoui has been fined [fr] 2,400 dinars (1200 euros). His lawyer will appeal.
Some reactions:
@HouyemTN: Condamner le film #Persepolis en taxant Nabil Karoui, quelle décision honteuse. Vive la #liberteDexpression. #Nessma #Tunisie
@Artkore_: 2400 DT… C'est le prix de la Libérté d'expression ? Faites Des Réserves #Nessma #freepress
@FelFel_: Bref, je pense que le verdict est “un joli” compromis. #NessmaTrial
@Out__rage: Dans l'affaire #Nessma, tout le monde s'en sort. Sauf la liberté d'expression. C'est seulement le début de l'agonie chers compatriotes.

author: Salah Almhamdi


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Yemen: Anger at Expansion of US Drone War · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
The United States has recently expanded its campaign of drone strikes in Yemen, to widespread anger and concern.
Drone strikes against suspected Al Qaeda operatives have been launched under expanded authority allowing the CIA and military to fire based only on the targets’ intelligence “signatures” or patterns of behaviour, without knowing their identity.
Yemeni-American Summer Nasser tweeted:
@SummerNasser: #Yemen: Basically, the CIA & military can fire drones even when the identity of those who are killed is not known. Approved by Pres. Obama.
US Air Force General Atomics MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Image by Flickr user james_gordon_los_angeles (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Ibrahim Mothana, a Yemeni writer and activist, commented on the drone policy:
@imothanaYemen: Expanding drones program is not in the interest of #Yemen nor the US. It will only expand an ongoing Talibanization process for tribal areas
Jeb Boone, an American journalist and former managing editor of the Yemen Times, said:
@JebBoone: Drones not only inflame anti-US and pro-AQAP sentiment, they delegitimize the #Yemen government. Troubling.
The drones have been striking targets in the south of Yemen, and researcher Atiaf Alwazir commented:
@WomanfromYemen: it's sad that too many ppl from the #North disregard/ignore the issue of the drones b/c it doesn't “affect” them. it's too far. #yemen
Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning American investigative journalist, has argued against the use of drones in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. He recently made a documentary for Al Jazeera English entitled “America's Dangerous Game”, which asks if the US is creating more enemies than it can capture or kill.
According to the organizers of the recent “Drone Summit” held in Washington on April 28-29, as many as 3,000 people, including hundreds of noncombatants, have been killed in drone strikes. This Storify collects some of the tweets from the summit regarding drone strikes and US policy in Yemen. Jeremy Scahill's speech at the summit can be seen here.
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism based at City University, London, has published figures for US covert action in Yemen:
US Covert Action in Yemen 2001-2012
Total US strikes: 41 – 132
Total US drone strikes: 31 – 68
Total reported killed: 294 – 673
Civilians reported killed: 55 – 105
Children reported killed: 24
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has also collated detailed data on reported US covert actions in Yemen since 2001.
On April 30 John Brennan, chief counterterrorism advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, gave a speech entitled “The Ethics and Efficacy of the President’s Counterterrorism Strategy” in which he defended the use of drones. Activist Medea Benjamin challenged him and spoke up against drone killings in Pakistan, Yemen and other countries, as shown in this video:
In a post entitled “A brave lady Speaks out about the CIA Drone Strikes”, Yemeni blogger Afrah Nasser commended Medea Benjamin's courage and quoted her words:
“What about of the hundreds innocent people killing with our drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia? I speak out on behave of those innocent victims. They deserve an apology from you, Brennan. How many people are you willing to sacrifice? Why are you lying to the American people and not saying how many people have been killed? …. Shame on you!”
As I said in a recent blog post,“The Failed US Policy in Yemen”:
The use of drones on Yemeni soil to kill “suspected” al Qaeda leaders, the unjustified killing of a teenager and many other innocent civilians commonly referred to as “collateral damage” and the illegal detention of a journalist, has fostered more animosity towards the US. […] The US clearly needs to re-evaluate its counter-terrorism policy in Yemen by addressing the socio-economic underlying causes that produce terror, rather than focusing its aid solely in the fight against al “Qaeda” and continuing with the drone attacks which kills innocent people, alienates, angers and aggravates the general Yemeni public, giving extremists a motive to join militant groups.
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

author: Noon Arabia


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Africa: Is Faint Medal the next Osibisa?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bismarck wonders whether the band Faint Medal is the next Osibisa: “After the great Osibisa band which told the African story across the world, people have been searching for the next band to continue with the legacy.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Angola: Loss of a Human Rights Advocate · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Megan Eardley, from Africa is a Country, published a translation of the condolences statement from Angolan human rights group OMUNGA [pt], on the assassination of one of their volunteers, Júlio Kussema. Eardley writes about OMUNGA's work and adds that “protesters (…) face police intimidation and alarming levels of state violence this spring”.

author: Sara Moreira


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Biggest Rally in Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Anil Netto describes the recent Bersih 3.0 protest in Malaysia as the biggest display of people power in the country. Bersih is an electoral reform movement.

author: Mong Palatino


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Brazil: Blogging Carnival on the New Forestry Code  · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Global Voices in Portuguese launched today, May 4, a blogging carnival [pt] about the new Forestry Code, recently approved by the Brazilian Senate. While some claim that agribusiness is hindered by the existing Code and Brazil is missing out on opportunities for economic development, environmental activists demand for a “zero deforestation” bill.


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Cambodia Inventions · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Angkor Car, The Peacehammer, Recycled Biodiesel, Affordable Water Pumps, Moonlight. These are some of the unique inventions from Cambodia and Asia Life Guide was able to interview the inventors.


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Cameroon: Open Collaboration for African Techies · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

ActiveSpaces blog is a resource for news, project updates, member profiles and community events at ActivSpaces, an open collaboration space, innovation hub and startup incubator for African techies. Based in Buea, Cameroon.


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Colombia: Telework Law or Microsoft Law? · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

lncognito wonders what is behind [es] the ‘telework law’ (Decreto 884 de 2012 [es], which regulates the Ley 1228 de 2008 [es]), signed by President Juan Manuel Santos at the headquarters of Microsoft Colombia [es], and whose official website [es] seems to be sponsored by the Labour Ministry and the American company: “Interestingly, while most developing countries bet on free software, in this colony, sorry, Colombia,  and labour laws are signed by Microsoft.”

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Georgia: World Press Freedom Day Protest Demonstration · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Young Georgians posts photos and video of a protest demonstration held by journalists, bloggers and activists to mark World Press Freedom Day in Tbilisi, Georgia.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Global Voices in Bulgarian Lauded on World Press Freedom Day · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Global Voices in Bulgarian was lauded by the Bulgarian section of the Association of European Journalists as the April 2012 winners of “Excellence in Citizen Journalism” for bringing unheard international news to Bulgaria, and proving that citizen journalism also exists at a highly professional level. The announcement (in Bulgarian) was made on World Press Freedom Day, on May 3.

author: Solana Larsen


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Indonesia: Documenting HIV/AIDS in Papua · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Against All Odds is a Tumblr blog of Andri Tambunan who has been documenting the HIV/AIDS epidemic among indigenous Papuans in Indonesia.


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Mauritania: Opposition Sit-in Attacked by Security Forces · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

A sit-in in Nouakchott by opposition groups was violently dispersed by security forces in the early hours of May 3. It was the latest of a series of protests that have taken place in Mauritania.
Protestors, who were calling for the downfall of the military government, had erected tents and brought supplies and a water truck, intending to stay. This was the first mass sit-in organised by all opposition parties and activist and community groups.
Mauritanians have been protesting for political and economic reforms, and the end to military rule, for more than a year. The country has been described as being at boiling point.
Opposition sit-in in Nouakchott on May 2. Image by Twitter user @ahmedj85.
Online activist Anita Hunt described what happened on the morning of May 3:
After cutting off electricity and barricading the area around the sit-in with road blocks and a convoy of about 30 vehicles, a barrage of tear gas, sound grenades and water cannon rained down on the camp. Police then attacked and beat protesters as they tried to escape. Scores of people were injured and dozens arrested in clashes that continued for over two hours. The injured included the leader of one of the opposition parties; the director of another opposition leader, Ould Daddah’s office; independent radio journalists;  a pregnant woman who was overcome by tear gas and developed severe breathing diffculties; and a youth with internal bleeding. The police confiscated bedding, electronics, and provisions from the camp site, and were later seen dividing up the food and drink between themselves. Whatever police couldn’t remove easily – such as tables, chairs and toilet facilities – they destroyed. There are reports that president Aziz and a security detail of the presidential guard were spotted in the vicinity while the attacks were in progress, indicating that he was personally supervising the raid. The Council of Ministers met at the presidential palace later that morning, while police launched a fresh attack on the university, arresting several students. After the Council meeting, there was no mention in the official statement regarding the massive protest or the attack.
Mauritanian blogger Ahmed Jedou wrote:
US-based Mauritanian activist Nasser Weddady commented:
He added:
@weddady: Now, we will see how the opposition will react to the mass beating. As usual, don't expect much on any of this in world media.
This video [ar], uploaded by ahmedj85, shows the sit-in on May 2:
The following video [ar], uploaded by alaakhbarinfo, shows the sit-in being attacked in the early morning of May 3:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Mexico: Netizens and Journalists React to the Murder of Regina Martínez · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

[All links lead to sites in Spanish, unless otherwise stated.]
The body of journalist and correspondent Regina Martínez, from the weekly investigative news magazine Proceso, was found in her home in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, on April 28. According to an initial statement released by the local government, her body showed signs of heavy blows to the face and body, with the apparent cause of death being asphyxiation by strangulation.
Later the Governor of Veracruz issued a statement including instructions to the Attorney General's Office and offering his condolences to the Martínez family:
Desde que tuvo conocimiento de este penoso suceso, el Gobernador del estado ha estado en contacto permanente con el procurador General de Justicia, Felipe Amadeo Flores Espinosa, a quien instruyó integrar un grupo especial de investigadores para aclarar la muerte de la periodista.
El mandatario veracruzano expresó sus condolencias a la familia de la comunicadora, a quienes dará todo el apoyo y respaldo que requieran en este momento tan difícil por el que atraviesan.
The Governor of Veracruz expressed his condolences to the journalist's family, who will have the government's full support through this difficult period.
The violence that has claimed the life of the journalist has been at the root of numerous reactions of condemnation and protest from the journalists’ union and the general public.
Katya Albiter from Vivir México said the following regarding Regina Martínez's death:
Una muesca más en la vergonzosa pared de periodistas caídos. Una voz más que se calla con violencia. Más reclamo, más repudio, más indignación, más rabia, más impotencia. Porque los queremos vivos, ¡vivos, carajo! Porque informar no debe ser una condena de muerte. Porque dar la vida es dar mucho, muchísimo, ante un país que no mejora y pronto olvida.
The text in which the journalist Lydia Cacho described her late colleague was posted on the blog Mujeres por la Democracia:
Regina Martínez era más bien tímida, siempre cargaba su grabadora, una libreta con pluma negra y de vez en vez se acomodaba los lentes como un tic cuando estaba muy concentrada en entrevista. Durante años fue corresponsal de La Jornada en Veracruz y como todas las reporteras y reporteros del País trabajaba también para medios locales para poder subsistir. La última década, hasta antier, fue corresponsal de la Revista Proceso. Hasta antier que apareció asesinada en su casa, severamente golpeada. No quiero imaginarme cómo murió, espero que podamos averiguarlo para conocer a los culpables. Regina no hubiera imaginado nada, hubiese buscado la evidencia, las pistas, perseguido a todas las fuentes para contrastar la información. Con discreción y ética hubiese trabajado hasta hallar las piezas del rompecabezas que llevan a la verdad. Así debemos hacerlo sus compañeras, sus compañeros indignados frente a este asesinato.
"Not one more lie. Regina Mártinez. Justice." Photo by Adri Lagunes on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Desde Abajo, meanwhile, posted a comment from Soledad Jarquin, in which she suggests that the journalist's murder threatens freedom of speech, while also linking it to the war [en] against organised crime that has been taken up by the administration:
El pasado fin de semana volvió a pasar lo que no queremos que pase en este país ni en ninguna otra parte del mundo. El asesinato de la periodista Regina Martínez, corresponsal de la revista Proceso en la ciudad de Xalapa, Veracruz, es otro intento por amordazar la libertad de expresión y por callar la verdad que trastoca casi siempre intereses económicos y políticos relacionados o no con la delincuencia.
En un estado de guerra como el que vivimos en México, ejercer la profesión del periodismo se ha convertido en una de las actividades más peligrosas y el asesinato de Regina Martínez nos ha vuelto a recordar ese terreno nada seguro sobre el que se está parado y nos recuerda también lo que se advirtió desde hace casi cinco años cuando Felipe Calderón decidió iniciar una guerra que se advertía peligrosa para la ciudadanía y en especial para aquellas y aquellos periodistas que investigan y descubren verdades incómodas para los grupos o mafias en el poder.
A state of war like the one in which we live in Mexico makes journalism one of the most dangerous professions, and the murder of Regina Martínez has once again reminded us all that even those things that are standing are not certain. It is also a reminder of the warning from almost five years ago when Felipe Calderón decided to wage a war that was dangerous for the people, and especially dangerous for those journalists who investigate and discover uncomfortable truths about the groups or mafias in power.
On Twitter, Jenaro Villamil (@jenarovillamil) condemned the killing and took advantage of the opportunity to refer to Roger Waters’ concert in Mexico City:
#ReginaMartínez. No a los cerdos asesinos, como canto Roger Waters ayer. Derrumbemos El Muro. http://yfrog.com/hsh2auej
Regina Martínez's fellow journalist Álvaro Delgado (@alvaro_delgado) expressed the demands of his publishing house to the authorities:
Los miembros de la @revistaproceso exigimos a @FelipeCalderon y a @Javier_Duarte que el brutal crimen de #ReginaMartinez no quede impune.
Criminal lawyer Ulrich Richter (@UlrichRichterM) showed his support for this demand:
@alvaro_delgado @revistaproceso @felipecalderon @javier_duarte y también los ciudadanos exigimos No mas asesinatos a periodistas.
Meanwhile Darío Ramírez (@expresate33) provided statistical data on deaths of jounalists during the current presidential term:
El promedio de asesinatos de periodistas en México desde el 2006 es de 9 al año. En ningún país “en paz” existe algo semejante.
There is a consensus in the condemnation of the murder of journalist Regina Martínez, and the community is looking to the authorities not only in search of answers but also results, which will prevent journalistic voices being silenced in a violent and definitive way, thus damaging freedom of speech, the right to inform, the right to investigate and the individual's right to receive information.

author: J. Tadeo


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North Korea Says More Satellite Launches Are Coming  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea Tech blog wrote about North Korean state media's claim that its satellite launch was part of a “peaceful, civilian space program” and they will launch even more into space.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Pakistan: Public Reaction on PM’s Contempt Verdict · Global Voices
Kumail Ahmed

The contempt case against Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has finally come to an end. The court's verdict gave the Prime Minister a symbolic punishment of 37 seconds, ending the three month long judicial process. Analysts say that the decision would not end the prevalent constitutional confusion, rather, only have increased it.
Furthermore, it has started a new public process in which people are divided either in support of the Prime Minister or against him. People came on the road in support of the democratic process in the country. On the other hand, some say that the supreme court has the right to elucidate the constitution.
Supporters of ruling Pakistan People Party shout in the protest. Image by Rajput Yasir. Copyright Demotix.
Many people have commented that the Supreme court has not played a democratic role in pursuing justice.
Nazar M. Chohan comments:
CJ and his Supreme Court judges loves polarising the society beyond repair…keep it up!!!
Imran calls this a redundant activity. The Supreme Court had always played a role in belittling democracy and always supported dictatorship. He comments:
Not surprised…. SC is just keeping up to its reputation.
1. Okayed Ayub’s martial law
2. Okayed Zia’s martial law
3. Hanged a prime minister
4. Dismissed Benazir’s government twice
5. Approved Musharraf’s martial law
6. Allowed Musharraf to amend constitution
7. Allowed Musharraf to run for president while serving in army
Yesmeen Ali tweets:
@yasmeen_9: You know the law.Civil Contempt does not disqualify the PM.
Ahsan Riaz Chaudhary tweets:
@chahsanriaz: My lord #CJ is all set for “adhocism” in his zeal to send PM #Gilani home! #SupremeCourt #Pakistan
Some people call this decision a triumph of justice. People say that PM Gilani should resign from his premiership and implement the order of the higher judiciary.
@hamza101: Gilani is not just in contempt of court, but now has committed high disloyalty with #Pakistan..!#PPPFail
@alihzinsaf: #Gilani has been convicted. A convict cannot be#PM. A #PM should have ethics and high moral ground and shd be a role model citizen of the state
@malikakissxkhan: #Gilani You integrity and self respect is 0. Your loyalty to Pakistan is 0. Your right to appeal is a joke. Im not laughing. Resign
The bias either in support of Prime Minister or against him  can be easily observed. The opposition parties, PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz) and PTI (Pakistan Tahreek Insaf) are asking the Prime Minster to resign as soon as possible.
“Will the PM resign” is a million dollar question. The aftermath of this verdict are still premature, but the ruling party wants to complete its constitutional tenure.

author: Kumail Ahmed


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Philippines: Discussion About K-12 Education Reform · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Angel de Dios compiles articles and commentaries on the proposed K-12 education reform in the Philippines. The government plans to add two more years in the basic education cycle aside from revamping the curriculum


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Russia: Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ Legacy Today · Global Voices
Donna Welles

RuNet Echo continues its series examining the 200th anniversary of Tsarist Russia's Victory over Napoleon by examining Leo Tolstoy's novel ‘War and Peace’ and the role it plays today online. Although the book was initially published in 1869, its story begins in July 1805 and progresses through the 1812 French invasion, the Battle of Borodino, and the occupation of Moscow, all the way to the French retreat and rebuilding of Russia.
A recent survey of over 100 respected British and American authors revealed that ‘War and Peace’ is considered to be one of the greatest works of the past two centuries. Russian blogger paradise-apple enthusiastically reported these results in a post titled, “Anna Karenina Won!”
These works were listed as the nineteenth century's best:
‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy, ‘Madam Bovary’ by Gustave Flaubert, ‘War and Peace’ by Tolstoy, ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain, Anton Chechov's short stories, ‘Middlemarch’ by George Eliot, ‘Moby Dick’ by Herman Melville, ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens; ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and ‘Emma’ by Jane Austin.
Additionally, TheRussianAmerica.com reviewed the authors whom the British and American judges selected as the greatest writers of all time. Again, Tolstoy was listed at the top, followed by William Shakespeare, James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Kramskoy's portrait of Leo Tolstoy (1873), public domain.
On the RuNet today, discussions about ‘War and Peace’ and Tolstoy's literary style are common, often addressing a variety of issues such as the proper translation of the title, the length and depth of the work, and Tolstoy's use of the French language.
Translation of the Title
The title ‘War and Peace’ is written in Russian as ‘Вoйнá и мир’ (Voina i mir). ‘Voina’ is the Russian word for ‘war.’ In the context of Tolstoy's novel, ‘mir’ is traditionally translated as ‘peace,’ although an alternate translation of ‘mir’ in a variety of contexts is ‘the world.’
Recently, two RuNet Twitter users debated whether or not the common translation, ‘War and Peace,’ is what Tolstoy intended, rather than ‘War and the World.’
Evgeny:
Вчера узнал, что слово “мир” в “Война и мир” Толстого имеет значение “сообщество”, а не “перемирие”.
Sergei:
А я не согласен. Я считаю, что он сравнивал их. Ведь у него через том описывается то война, то мир (перемирие).
Evgeny:
Влияние войны на общество.
Sergei:
Ты так говоришь, как-будто сам Толстой встал из гроба и тебе об этом рассказал :) Это же не математика!
Evgeny:
Добавь к моему мессаджу “мне кажется”))
Length and Depth of the Novel
Famous for being one of the longest books ever written in either the Cyrillic or Latin alphabets, ‘War and Peace’ is divided into four volumes. The novel is unique for its detailed and realistic discussion of the nature of war. Tolstoy combined his own Crimean War experiences with interviews he conducted with survivors of the French invasion to write something that resembles Thucydides’ ‘History of the Peloponesian War’ as much as it does a traditional novel.
On Twitter, RuNet users often focus on the magnitude of the work in terms of both its size and gravity, frequently referencing other Russian authors like Pushkin, Dostoevsky, and Bulgakov.
Lira:
Школьники, которым предстоит прочитать 4 тома «Войны и мира» очень жалеют, что на дуэли убили не Толстого, а Пушкина!
Ruslan Tomatov:
Читал войну и мир, только позже, когда проникся мировоззрением толстого. у булгакова до сих пор люблю только записки юного врача
Tolstoy's Use of French in the Novel
The French language was effectively the language of Russia's nobility, when Napoleon's army invaded in 1812. Tolstoy underscored the elite's relationship to this foreign language by writing parts of ‘War and Peace,’ including the opening paragraph, in French.
In comments following an April 2012 post, Russian LiveJournal blogger dohlik_nemruchi discussed the practice of creating art in a foreign language, comparing ‘War and Peace’ to Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov's award-winning 2011 film ‘Faust,’ which was made in German. LJ user menelik3 reminded readers that some of Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace’ had been written in French, arguing that Sokurov had likely used German simply to incite controversy. dohlik_nemruchi responded that Tolstoy's use of French was a tool to show progression in the novel — that ‘War and Peace’ is initially in both Russian and French, with the latter fading as the plot develops and anti-French sentiments grow.
Some Russian bloggers prefer not to analyze Tolstoy's literary style, instead simply posting notable and perhaps timeless lines from ‘War and Peace’ to their journals as status updates:
**Lovely Girl**:
Обратите все ваше внимание на самого себя, наложите цепи на свои чувства и ищите блаженства не в страстях, а в своем сердце. источник блаженства не вне, а внутри нас…

author: Donna Welles


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Russia: Varlamov’s Failure in Omsk · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Ilya Varlamov, the Moscow photographer and popular blogger whom an online primary nominated last month to run for mayor of Omsk, has ended his election campaign. On May 2, Varlamov's campaign chief, fellow blogger Maksim Kats, announced the decision, claiming that it was impossible to collect the necessary 10,000 signatures to officially register Varlamov for the election. Kats lashed out at Omsk's other candidates, writing:
Мы закрыли кампанию. […] Совершенно ясно, что все подписи за всех остальных кандидатов рисованые — все платные сборщики, к которым мы сегодня обратились (к нам в штаб житель Омска принес 40,000 рублей и предложил заплатить волонтерам за сбор подписей), все платные сборщики сообщали, что “ну вы же понимаете как это делается? У нас тут база…”. Именно так собираются 10,000 подписей за 6 дней.
In his own blog, Varlamov defended the choice to quit the election, saying:
Начинать кампанию с жульничества – это первый шаг к грязной политике, к которой мы все привыкли. Потом нужно будет платить за компромат, нужно платить журналистам на правильные статьи, нужно платить судам, полиции и так далее. Эта не та игра, в которую мы хотим играть.
When Varlamov entered Omsk's mayoral race, he provoked a serious rift between the Russian opposition's supporters and opponents of ‘blogger politicians.’ Now that he's abandoned the race, the debate has only grown more heated.
Alexey Navalny wearing a Guy Fawkes mask during a protest march against Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, Russia. (25 Feb 2012) Photo by ROMA YANDOLIN, copyright © Demotix.
Before Varlamov ended his campaign, a schism [ru] broke out between oppositionists when Vladislav Inozemtsev ignored his promise to stay out of the Omsk race, after failing to win the nomination in the online primary. Anti-Kremlin blogger and longtime primaries-supporter Aleksei Navalny sided with Varlamov. Vladimir Milov's group DemVybory, on the other hand, backed Inozemtsev, who belongs to the organization.
Varlamov's decision to cancel his campaign — particularly that he did so with still nearly a week left to collect signatures — has dealt a significant blow to Navalny and those who have championed the real-world political potential of bloggers and online activists. While Navalny has emphasized the campaign's success in drawing a new level of attention to primaries and political life, he criticized Varlamov for his apparent ignorance in beginning something he was unprepared to finish:
Сбор подписей – специальная процедура, которая придумана жуликами из Кремля и ЦИКа, чтобы не пускать на выборы неугодных. Собрать их правильно практически невозможно. Ну так мы все это и раньше знали. Вы же сами решили сыграть в эту игру.
Если в игру играть не хотите, то надо не на выборы мэра Омска идти, а на митинги “За честные выборы”. Потому и митингуем, чтобы отменили весь этот бред и допустили до выборов всех желающих, а ограничения были разумны.
The collection of signatures is a special procedure concocted by the cardsharps in the Kremlin and the Central Elections Commission to bar undesirables from elections. Collecting the necessary quantity truly is a practical impossibility. But we all already knew that. You're the ones who decided to play this game.
If you don't want to play the game, then you needn't enter Omsk's mayoral race. Instead, you belong at a ‘For Honest Elections’ rally. That's exactly why we protest: to end all this crap and all the unreasonable restrictions, and allow into elections anybody who wants to run.
Navalny went on to anticipate correctly that some traditional oppositionists would use Varlamov's half-baked campaign to advocate formal congresses instead of online primaries to nominate the movement's leaders. Finally, Navalny criticized the Omsk primary for a lack of debates, which he believes would have exposed Varlamov's untenable approach to collecting signatures.
Russian blogger Ilya Varlamov in Moscow. Photo by VITALIY RAGULIN, (04/08/11) CC BY-SA 3.0.
Vladimir Milov has also emphasized the need for public debates, ironically arguing roughly the same thing as Navalny, despite their opposite positions on Varlamov's Omsk candidacy:
Необходимо для того, чтобы отсечь “бумажных” (или “интернетных”) кандидатов, которые в интернете Рэмбо, а на публику их выпусти – так сплошная пустопорожняя болтовня и демагогия про “борьбу с коррупцией” и т.п., и шансы выиграть реальные выборы равны нулю. Нужны кандидаты, которые могут убедительно говорить, в том числе не только о жуликах и ворах, но и о том, какую политику проводить в сфере промышленности, сельского хозяйства, ОПК, медицины и т.п.
Milov then further explained why he has such little faith in the Internet:
Поэтому к голосовалкам в интернете я отношусь плохо даже не потому, что они вечно продуцируют конфузные результаты типа побед Тесака, Мавроди или Варламова (объяснение понятно – голосование по клику не предполагает никакой реальной ответственности “кликующего”), но скорее потому, что […] не позволяют определить наиболее сильного кандидата, способного в будущем реально выиграть выборы.
St. Petersburg city assemblyman and Yabloko member Boris Vishnevskii weighed in [ru] on Varlamov's abandoned mayoral run, calling it “an overwhelming defeat” that “once again shows that politics and clownery are fundamentally different.” Like oppositionist blogger Oleg Kozyrev [ru], he rejects Kats’ idea that it is impossible to collect 10,000 signatures honestly. Vishnevskii also laments that Yabloko's candidate in Omsk, Aleksandr Korotkov, has not generated more public interest, saying:
Но о Короткове ничего не сообщают популярные сайты и знаменитые блогеры – их внимание привлечено исключительно к пиар-акции Варламова-Каца и обсуждению причин ее провала. Впрочем, ничего удивительного: обсуждать клоунаду всегда было куда более занимательным занятием, чем обсуждать политические действия…
А у Александра Короткова, – о ужас!, – кажется, вообще нет блога. Но я уверен, что он будет очень хорошим мэром Омска.
Popular websites and famous bloggers aren't publicizing anything about Korotkov. Their attention is fixed on Varlamov's and Kats’ PR scheme, and discussions about why it collapsed. Admittedly, it's no surprise: discussing clownery has always been a far more entertaining experience than looking at political actions…
And, oh dear, it seems that Aleksandr Korotkov doesn't even have a blog! I'm confident, all the same, that he will be a very good mayor for Omsk.
Viktor Korb, one of the activists who founded Citizen Mayor [ru], the group that organized the Omsk virtual primary, penned a particularly shattering response to Navalny's blog post about Varlamov's exit from the mayoral race. As it turns out, Korb explains, the Omsk primary did feature public debates, however Varlamov (and Inozemtsev, for that matter) ignored them entirely. Korb writes:
Прочитал пост Алексея Навального Варламовокацное о “Казусах Иноземцева и Каца” и сначала даже опешил. Ну зачем, зачем честный Навальный так откровенно передергивает и извращает факты, а если говорить прямо, просто врет? Ведь ему не стоило никакого труда узнать фактические обстоятельства и изложить их максимально точно. Чтобы несколькими досадными “мелочами” не смазывать общий пафос своего, в целом, верного рассуждения об ответственности гражданских лидеров.
Firmly planting his tongue in his cheek, Korb then explained how he nearly forgave Navalny for the misrepresentation of the Omsk primary:
Алексей Навальный совсем не случайно стал одним из самых популярных лидеров мнений. И дело вовсе не только в очевидных качествах: честности, неангажированности, решительности и т.п. Лидер, владеющий умами миллионов, обязан владеть особым навыком – формулировать мифологические представления, простые и яркие образы, выстроенные по особенной логике, логике мифа. В этой логике “реальность” обеспечивается не фактическими обстоятельствами, а “очевидностью”, доказательства заменяются “убедительностью” и т.п.
Korb concludes with a warning about the dangers of ill-gotten success, complaining that too many oppositionists seem to share Navalny's defects:
Яркие и убедительные образы вполне можно строить на основе фактов, а не домыслов или откровенного вранья. И это необходимо делать, если есть интерес не в локальном, а в стратегическом и устойчивом успехе. Потому что успех, основанный на лжи, даже кажущейся “незначительной” и “оправданной”, таит в себе серьезную угрозу разрушения главной опоры любой общественной конструкции – доверия. Похоже, Алексей Навальный, как и другие “вожди”, этого пока не понимает. И советы соратников слушать не научился.
The collapse of ‘Mayor Varlamov’ is a black-eye for individuals like Navalny, who rely heavily on the Internet to generate publicity and public support for their political careers and various civic initiatives. That a prominent blogger was nominated in an online primary, but then failed so miserably to run an effective campaign, is undeniably a setback for Russia's digital activists. While the stigma of Varlamov's candidacy can only be temporary, one wonders what effect it will have at this stage in Russian history, as Vladimir Putin returns to the Kremlin, and the country prepares for subtle but significant expansions of democratic rights brought about by recent electoral reforms.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Political Letters  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Vinci Kallaloo wants to know if former New Democratic Party Senator Anesia Baptiste had written a letter to Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace in search of an appointment to Parliament much in the same way she wrote one contesting her recent dismissal.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Syria: Flowers for Peace among All Syrians  · Global Voices
رامي الهامس

As a part of the “Stop the killing, we want to build a country for all Syrians” campaign, four girls started an initiative to distribute flowers in a number of Damascus streets with the slogan “Syria has room for everyone, stop the killing.” Activists shared photographs on Facebook of the campaign: “We collected our flowers and reached out for people's hearts. We shared love and shared our homeland. Syria is a homeland for all, Syria is for all Syrians.”

author: رامي الهامس


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Syria: Yara Shammas Released · Global Voices
رامي الهامس

Just hours after the release of Yara Shams, daughter of Syrian activist and lawyer Michel Shammas, from prison, many congratulation messages were posted on his Facebook wall. Activists in Syria await the release of all political and intellectual prisoners.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Getting Wired with Online News   · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Lasana Liburd is a veteran journalist, currently based in Trinidad & Tobago, who has worked for the Trinidad Guardian and Trinidad Express newspapers and has contributed to the BBC, Daily Telegraph, Guardian (UK), Voice (UK), Caribbean Beat magazine and several others. In January 2012, Liburd launched Wired868, an online newspaper, which for the time being specializes in football coverage in addition to some news analysis/opinion. In this post, he speaks to Global Voices about this exciting project and the impact of new technology on journalism.
Journalist Lasana Liburd
Global Voices (GV): What exactly is Wired 868?
Lasana Liburd (LL): Wired868 is a smart and fully online newspaper that specializes, at the moment, in football news and features but also provides thoughtful blogs and a satirical news round-up. I say ‘smart’ because Wired868 distinguishes itself by the way it handles and articulates issues rather than by the topics it writes about. We plan to expand soon into other areas and we will cover them with the same professional, comprehensive, honest and sometimes fun way that we deal with sporting issues.
GV:  What was the impetus for starting Wired868?
LL: We believe there is a blind spot in the local information industry and we are here to fill that void. I have been a member of the traditional old media for a long time and have 15 years experience between the Trinidad Express and Guardian Newspapers as well as several British newspapers like the UK Guardian, Telegraph and Voice. The local press has generally done a good job of keeping the nation informed in an unbiased manner and continues to do so.
However, I believe that two particular areas could be improved upon. Wired868 tries to better utilize the power of the Internet in getting news to its readers in a quicker and more efficient manner; so you don’t have to wait for the Sunday paper to discover what happened on Friday night. Also, I think issues are often presented in a superficial and reactionary manner in the old media. John says ‘X’ on Monday but Jeremy insists it is ‘Y’ on Tuesday and this goes on as readers feel increasingly confused rather than informed.
Wired868 tries to get deeper into the respective issues and often we are ahead of the story because we are shining a light into cosy but questionable set-ups that operate outside the media’s gaze. I felt the local public would appreciate if someone could deliver those two main things and I think Wired868 is already showing that it is up to the job.
GV: How was the process of starting up (particularly in terms of building the infrastructure and the user base)?
LL: Wired868 has been in operation for roughly three months and has attracted 1.8 million hits based on a fairly gentle and free drive on Facebook and Twitter. Although we have a clear vision of where we want to go, there are always some limitations that a start-up company faces and patience is a virtue.
We have used our first three months as a testing period and are now upgrading the site to better serve our readers.
It would be easier if we had a few million dollars to immediately grab everyone’s attention but money does not guarantee success and the essence of Wired868, in any case, is be solution-oriented and clever. So, we have to live what we preach and find our own answers.
GV: In what ways has the project evolved since its launching?
LL: The Good Morning Neighbour or G’Mornin’ section is an addition to the site that informs readers with short, funny pieces. Each brief offers a satirical and fresh perspective on a news item carried in the mainstream media and we link to the relevant newspaper too. This section makes the news a bit easier to digest for many young readers who don’t have the same attachment to the old media but it is also a hit with older readers who enjoy having a refreshing, honest view of local affairs. The site responds to its users and there has not been any need for radical change yet but we do plan to grow and introduce new things.
GV:  What future plans/projects do you have in mind (that you can reveal of course)?
LL: For the Spanish football league derby between Barcelona and Real Madrid, David Nakhid and Terry Fenwick blogged on the importance of the match as well as on the eventual outcome. Nakhid is, of course, Trinidad and Tobago’s first international footballer to play in Europe and a former Caribbean Footballer of the Year and national captain, while Fenwick is a former England World Cup player and coached professionally in England and Trinidad.
We since had W Connection coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier also share his insight on local football and we aim to continue to give a voice to experts in various fields for the benefit of our readers. We also plan to expand into other areas like Community News and to make structural additions.
GV: What sort of business model have you adopted?
LL: Wired868 uses the free business model. That is, we give our content away to consumers and ask for nothing but their time and interaction with the site. However, we intend to sell advertising space to companies that wish to make their products and services visible to our professional audience and who identify with our fresh, clever and solution-oriented vision.
Trinidad and Tobago is a small country that has punched above its weight on the global scale due to our talent, flair and personality; Wired868 has those traits too in abundance and we expect to be successful here as a result.
GV: What local/regional online sites do you see serving the same niche as Wire868?
LL: There are other sites that offer valuable information, but none that shares both our analytic approach and our use of the Internet. For this reason, I anticipated that it would take some time before the local public understood our vision. Thus far, the results have been quite encouraging though.
GV: Do you have any thoughts about any past/current online projects (e.g. TNT Times)? Any lessons learnt?
LL: TNT Times maybe overshot the market. I was in charge of the editorial side of that paper and we created a great team with writers like Cedriann Martin, Fazeer Mohammed and Erline Andrews. I think the content was really good. After three months, we had a PAHO award and tens of thousands of visitors. We were all very sad that the finances were not there to keep it going but I think, on the business side of things, too much was expected too soon.
With Wired868, I am in control of the corporate vision; there has been a lot of preparation work. The TNT Times launched with some strong financial backing from its owner and that isn’t here now. But an infinitely smaller budget just encourages Wired868 to be smarter and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Also, the Internet penetration in Trinidad and Tobago stood at 18% when the TNT Times kicked off but it is closer to 50% now. So I expect that our experience, as well as the improved conditions for online projects, will make the difference.
GV:  What are the general observations you have about Internet usage in T&T (available data shows T&T with a usage rate of 48.5%; Barbados is at 70.2% and Antigua & Barbuda at 80%)?
LL: Internet usage has shot up over the last three years in Trinidad and Tobago and should go higher still as confidence returns to the economy. More people all over the world are getting their news online and the Caribbean is ripe for the same media evolution.
There is a difference too, between dumping a couple dozen stories on the Internet at 11 pm every night and being a true online newspaper. The best qualities of the Internet are speed, networking and responsiveness and, over the coming weeks, months and years, Wired868 intends to stake its claim as worthy guardians of the power of the new media.


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Uruguay: Twitter and Politics · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Gabriel Budiño blogs [es] about recent articles that look at how politicians in Uruguay are using Twitter. One article calls Twitter “the next political trench”, while the other says that politics is not compatible with Twitter's 140 characters.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Vietnam: Restrictive New Internet Policy · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Duy Hoang, Angelina Huynh, and Trinh Nguyen summarize Vietnam's new internet policy which is expected to be announced by the government next month. The authors warned that the policy will further expand web censorship in the country


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Armenia: Chaos as Balloons Explode at Election Campaign Rally · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Disaster struck a parliamentary election campaign rally in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on Friday 4 May, when a cigarette apparently caused gas-filled balloons to ignite. Reports indicate that over 140 people were injured in the blast.
Held just days before crucial parliamentary elections are due to be held, the event, which also included a concert, was staged by the ruling Republic Party which hopes to maintain its control over the 131 seats in the country's National Assembly.
@Ripsii: Panic @ pre-election concert in Republic Square #Yerevan #Armenia What's happening?
@nhc_no: Gas balloons explode on Republican party rally in Yerevan-144 injured in the cramped Republic Square on last day of campaigning.#armelection
@onewmphoto: Chaotic scenes in Republic Square after balloons explode at a ruling HHK rally and concert http://bit.ly/J7EVMA #armelection
@ERostomashvili: Terrible… 144 people in hospital with burns after #armelection campaign balloons explode in #Yerevan http://bit.ly/Kw3QFU via @onewmphoto
@thisisladychris: @ERostomashvili @onewmphoto :( Sad to hear that. I really like Yerevan. I hope that they have a swift recovery.
@ERostomashvili: @thisisladychris @onewmphoto Let us hope so. At least we know health minister said there were no severe injuries
@onewmphoto: Jesus, which idiot put what gas in those balloons. Photo shows MASSIVE explosion in Republic Sq. http://bit.ly/Km60y4 #armelection #armenia
@unzippedblog: What on earth these balloons were filled in with? #Sad&Angry #Armenia #armelection
@jason_blosser: Ever dependable @Reuters says blast in Armenia caused by helium-filled balloons…except helium is an inert gas! It doesn't explode, folks!
@Phooto: “@Telegraph: 140 people injured when balloons explode at Armenian concert http://tgr.ph/IMSznD” why did they fill balloons with Hydrogen?
@derekarridge: @Phooto @telegraph Perhaps their a bit behind in their science in Armenia?
The following day, given the severity of the incident, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee tweeted that many were also questioning why the rally and concert continued.
@nhc_no: Yerevan back to normal after yesterday's accident, with more than 100 hospitalised and discussions why the concert went on. #armelection
Unzipped also asks some pertinent questions.
My Question No.1:
What on earth these balloons were filled in with?
Unconfirmed reports suggest that instead of helium they were filled in with cheap gas-like substances. I am inclined to believe this version.
My Question No. 2:
Why after such huge incident “concert” continued? And why after such incident Armenia president went on to deliver his planned pre-election speech as if nothing happened?
No, it is NOT always OK to say: “Show must go on”.
[…]
My verdict:
What a blatant disregard to human lives!!
***
I am extremely sad and angry. My thoughts are with injured people…
Later media reports, however, added that the head of the ruling Republican Party, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, did visit those injured in hospital. But, as the number of those injured reportedly rose to 154, many questions still remain unanswered.


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Best of the Blogs 2012: Winners Announced · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

Image from The BOBs website
After a month of voting and jury discussions, the awards for this year's Best of the Blogs – the BOBs – have been decided. This annual event held by the Deutsche Welle Media Group aims to award bloggers who contribute to their communities and promote freedom of expression.
In addition to User Prizes (selected by popular vote), a jury of bloggers, media experts and activists have curated the best blogs, campaigns and media projects in six multilingual categories.
Best Blog
Iranian journalist Arash Sigarchi (jury winner and user winner) and the Lebanese author of Mowaten Jou3an (user winner) are this year's “Best Blog” winners. Sigarchi, currently based in Washington, is the author of Window of Anguish [fa], where he writes about social and political issues in his homeland. While in Iran, he was arrested several times for the content he published on his blog and was eventually sentenced to 14 years in prison. The unnamed author of Mowaten Jou3an [ar] covers diverse subjects related to several countries including Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.
This year’s other Jury Awards went to:
Best Social Activism Campaign: Free Syrian Blogger & Activist Razan Ghazzawi
This campaign was launched after Syrian activist and former Global Voices contributor Razan Ghazzawi was arrested in December as she was on her way to attend a workshop on press freedom in Jordan. After her release she was taken into custody, released and taken into custody again some months later. This Facebook page calls for her release and that of her colleagues from the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, who have been detained since February 2012.
Special Topic Award Education and Culture: Fasokan
Boukary Konaté is the author of Fasokan, where he promotes his local language and culture in both French and Bambara (the most widespread language of Mali). Konaté is a translator for Global Voices in French and also a Rising Voices grantee representing the Ségou Villages Connection.
Best Use of Technology for Social Good: Harassmap
This Egyptian project, using an Ushahidi map, allows victims of sexual harassment to report and map what happened by type and location. Reports can be made via the website, text message and via Twitter hashtag.
Best Video Channel: Kuang Kuang Kuang
This Chinese cartoon series, whose main character goes by the name Kuang Kuang, is one of animation director Pi San’s satirical works that has provocatively evoked China’s social ills.
Reporters Without Borders Award: Abu Sufian’s Blog
Reporter from Bangladesh Abu Sufian uses his blog to report on crimes that much of the mainstream media ignores, such as the recent killing of the journalists Sagar and Runi. He has been vocal against extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh, which take thousands of lives.
User Awards in all categories and languages
In addition to the Jury's Awards, the users have also chosen their favorite blogs in all the categories and languages of this year's competition. You can see the list here.
Congratulations from the Global Voices community to all the Award winners for their inspiring work. We wish to send special greetings to Boukary Konaté for his outstanding work. When we talked to Boukary about what this award meant for him, he answered:
I got the news in a moment when my country is going through a military and political crisis. I consider this Education and Culture Award as an award for unity and peace for Mali.
According to jury member and Global Voices author, Tarek Amr from Egypt who helped review Arabic language nominees:
The FreeRazan campaign is important on its own, but I also see it as symbol for acknowledging the struggle of the Syrian people and showing solidarity with political detainees in the Arab world, whether  Abdulhadi Alkhawaja in Bahrain, military trials victims in Egypt, and many other examples. Harassmap is also a great platform to help raise awareness about sexual harassment in Egypt, and help victims to speak up, especially when society often tends to blame the victim before blaming the harasser.”

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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Brazil Approves Racial Quotas in Higher Education · Global Voices
Fernando Sapelli

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.
[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted]
On April 26, 2012, in a plenary session of the Supreme Court of Brazil, the adoption of racial quota policies in higher education institutions across the country was unanimously approved. With this approval, universities, colleges and educational institutions are legally allowed to devote a specific percentage of places for students of African and/or indigenous origin.
The approval of the policy brings up again the controversial debate [en] on racial discrimination and racial inequality in the country, promoting important reflections and divided opinions.
Commemoration of the judgment of the Supreme Court on affirmative action. Photo of Emily Silberstein (CC BY 2.0).
The measure is a reflection of affirmative action policies being constitutional in the country since democratization in 1988. Diana Costa, on her blog, says that the “discriminatory process [that] affects people negatively are marked by stereotypes that consolidate them as socially inferior, incapable, degenerated, etc., allocating them in situations of sub-citizenship and civil risk.”
She also explains what affirmative actions are:
É um conjunto de políticas que compreendem que, na prática, as pessoas não são tratadas igualmente e, consequentemente, não possuem as mesmas oportunidades, o que impede o acesso destas a locais de produção de conhecimento e de negociação de poder.
The blog Religiões Afro Brasileiras e Política (Afro Brazilian Religions and Policy) says that the result of affirmative action policies in the country through the quota system has already shown results of “a notorious growth in the proportion of graduated blacks and pardos [approximate translation: brown, coloured]”, between 1999-2009, according to IBGE data (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).
The University of Brasilia (UNB) was the first educational institution to adopt the measure when, in 2004, it started reserving 20% of its university places exclusively for blacks, and some other amount for Indians, without the entry requirement of taking the regular university exam. The Democrats Political Party (DEM) started a lawsuit against UNB in 2009 for considering the racial quota system a kind of racial court (to judge people's race by the colour of their skin). But since UNB adopted the measure, several other higher education institutions also started adopting the quota system.
To make the search process easier, the NGO Educafro provides on its website a complete list of institutions offering quotas for public school students, black students, indigenous students or students with disabilities.
#CotasSim vs. #CotasNao (#YesQuotas vs. #NoQuotas)
Many people celebrated the unanimous approval of the adoption of the quota policy. During the vote, the Supreme Court ministers themselves were very positive about the decision. According to Minister Joaquim Barbosa, the only black among those who voted, “these measures are intended not only to combat manifestations of blatant discrimination, but discrimination in fact, that is absolutely rooted in society, and so ingrained, people do not perceive it”, reported G1.
Photo #YesQuotas from @PriscilaPila on Twitter.
Journalist and teacher Jeso Carneiro also celebrated the decision. In his blog, he said that:
O STF (…) honrou sua importante missão de defender a supremacia da Constituição. A decisão da corte máxima do país é uma vitória de toda a sociedade brasileira, especialmente do movimento negro, que, desde a década de 1980, vem defendendo com firmeza a aplicação de ações afirmativas para combater o racismo e a exclusão social dos negros neste país.
On Twitter, through the hashtag #CotasSim, statements of support were intense.
Musician Sany Pitbull (@SanyPitbull) wrote:
A elite Branca brasileira tem uma divida à ser paga aos negros, aos pobres, aos índios e aos nordestinos desse país #cotassim
Blogger and historian Conceição Oliveira  (@maria_fro) added:
Cotas não inventa a racialização bando de hipócritas, a racialização já existe em um país racista que segrega jovens negros #CotasSim
However, not everyone agrees with the decision of the Supreme Court. Videoblogger Daniel Fraga argues in this video that in a country such as Brazil, where racial mixing is very high, it would be difficult to correctly define who really is black or white. This decision would be made based on a “visual criteria,” and mentions UNB's case of two twin brothers, one considered white and the other black, the latter gaining a quota place at the university.
Others argue that the quotas would only be an easy way out for the poor public primary and secondary education system, a claim refuted in an article published by the Federal University of Minas Gerais, which says that “it is a big mistake to think that in the field of democratic public policies, advances are produced by sequential steps: first, improve basic education, and then democratize the university. Both challenges are urgent and need to be taken emphatically and simultaneously.”
The approval also generated racist statements. On April 29, a shop in front of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) had a wall spray-painted with the words: “UFMG will turn black.”
Blog Brasil Escola explains the importance of a better understanding of racism in Brazil for understanding affirmative action policies in the country:
(…) a miscigenação não exclui os preconceitos. Nossa última constituição coloca a discriminação racial como um crime inafiançável. Entre nossas discussões proferimos, ao mesmo tempo, horror ao racismo e admitimos publicamente que o Brasil é um país racista. Tal contradição indica que nosso racismo é velado e, nem por isso, pulsante. Queremos ter um discurso sobre o negro, mas não vemos a urgência de algum tipo de mobilização a favor da resolução desse problema. Ultimamente, os sistemas de cotas e a criação de um ministério voltado para essa única questão demonstram o tamanho do nosso problema. Ainda aceitamos distinguir o negro do moreno, em uma aquarela de tons onde o último ocupa uma situação melhor que a do primeiro. Desta maneira, criamos a estranha situação onde “todos os outros podem ser racistas, menos eu… é claro!”. Isso nos indica que o alcance da democracia é um assunto tão difícil e complexo como a nossa relação com o negro no Brasil.
The discussion will continue in the coming weeks since, besides this action, the Supreme Court is yet to decide the constitutionality of racial quotas when applied to a student who attended public school. It is worth noting that quotas are not mandatory – every educational institution may choose to adopt the policy or not. The University of São Paulo (USP), the largest higher education institution in Brazil, for example, does not use it.
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

author: Fernando Sapelli


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Cuba: National Meeting of Bloggers Ends in Controversy  · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

Several months ago the administrators of La Joven  Cuba [es], one of the blogs with the highest number of followers on the island, declared their intention [es] to organize an event to bring together representatives of the national blogosphere to discuss various subjects.  The silence surrounding the installation of fibre optic cables [es] which were supposed to come into use in 2010, the impact of blogs on the national public sphere, and the regulations which limit Cuban citizens’ access or participation in Web 2.0 spaces are some of the main concerns shared by all members of the national blogging community.
Poster for the Meeting of Cuban Bloggers.
The event was programmed for the 27th and 28th April 2012. More than 60 bloggers from all the provinces in the country spent two days sharing their experiences at the University of Matanzas “Camilo Cienfuegos,” east of the Cuban capital, in an event which tried to create “horizontal mechanisms for coordinating different blogging projects around the country.”
In the event's final statement [es], which has sparked controversy [es] amongst various members [es] of the national blogosphere, the participants note:
Conseguimos así un marco de socialización que nos permitió salir de la ambigüedad y el anonimato que propicia Internet y coordinar estrategias de trabajo que articulen nuestros proyectos ante los desafíos que tenemos los blogueros cubanos.
The event was broadcast in real time by Justin.tv, Twitter and the event's official blog “Blogazo x Cuba” [es]. The final declaration contains 12 points and confirms participants’ support for the Cuban political system while calling for “respect for difference and for open debate.”
The document also demands the release of the five Cubans held prisoner in the United States and the end of the economic and financial sanctions which the United States have held in place against Cuba for over half a century. The participants also requested that the “State's Central Administration Bodies reformulate the regulations which limit connectivity and access to the web by state institutions, in the interest of establishing a greater presence of Cuban citizens in cyberspace.”
The main regulation existing in the country on this issue was passed in 2007 and is known as Resolution 127 of the Ministry of Informatics and Communications (MIC). It bans the publication of information on foreign servers, forcing the majority of national bloggers who blog from their places of work or study into illegality.
Another of the issues currently provoking significant debate on the island is related to the discursive nuances of the reality presented in these spaces: the different critical levels, as well as ambiguity regarding which topics may be dealt with and how the questioning attitude adopted by some bloggers may be considered as “outside the Revolution” or contrary to the current political system. On this note, one of the participants in the event, Carlos Alberto Pérez, author of La Chiringa de Cuba [es] poses the question [es] “how can one be critical in Cuba without being considered a dissident?”
Although the committee organizing the event, composed of five bloggers living in Cuba, stated that “our dream was to organise a meeting which would be national in scale and as inclusive as possible,” members of collectives such as Critical Observatory [es] and Havana Times [es] , two of the main blogging communities on the island and supporters of the Cuban political system, were not invited.
The selection critiera took into account the regular updating of blogs, the diversity of topics dealt with, and representation of each province.
However, the authors of  La Joven Cuba said:
Estamos conscientes que dejamos fuera otros blogueros y quedamos con la insatisfacción de no ser lo suficientemente justos pero un evento de tal magnitud llevaba muchos recursos y esta fue nuestra principal limitación y preocupación. Era un riesgo que tuvimos que asumir y asumiremos todas las críticas que se nos hagan al respecto.
On this topic, the author of the blog “In 2310 and 8225” Yasmín Silvia Portales pointed out later in her post “I failed”:
¿Acaso no es siempre parcial y sesgada la manera en que se decide quiénes son “los protagonistas de la blogosfera del país”, no importa si lo dice El País o… alguien más?
According to the article by the Inter Press Service (IPS) agency:
En el país, se han realizado encuentros de activistas en blogs y en redes sociales en Internet. El 27 de septiembre de 2008, Roger Trabas organizó junto al empresario y bloguero francés David Chapet, el primer Encuentro “Bloggers por Cuenta Propia”, convocado desde el sitio llamado Bloggers Cuba, que se celebró en el gubernamental Palacio de Computación y Electrónica de la capital cubana.

author: Elaine Díaz


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Greece: General Elections on Twitter · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

Under hashtags like #grelections, #electionsgr and #ekloges12, Greek netizens share their opinions, feelings and related media about the forthcoming general elections in Greece on Sunday, May 6, 2012.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Greece: Possible Hacking Attack on Election Day? · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

A video by user BrutalTruthOps on Dailymotion shows reportedly a message by Anonymous #OpGreece, who warn about an online attack on Sunday evening May 6, 2012, implying that their target will be the country's election results system.


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Greece: Public Speech Controversies · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

Before the May 6, 2012, General Election in Greece, Friday 4 was the last day political parties could organize public speeches and rallies. Heavy criticism was levelled at PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos's choice to give a public speech at Syntagma Square in Athens, center of anti-government and anti-austerity mass citizen protests so far. Netizens on Twitter mocked [el, en] the political party for its “audacity to hold a public speech” and the low audience turnout, criticizing also the presence of Pakistani immigrants, reportedly paid or forced to swing green flags in favor of PASOK.


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India: Google Search’s Change in Algorithm and Its Impact · Global Voices
Rezwan

Google Search Engine, the most-used search engine on the World Wide Web, has been successful primarily because of a patented algorithm called ‘PageRank’ that helps rank web pages that match a given search string. The PageRank algorithm analyzes human-generated links assuming that web pages linked from many important pages are themselves likely to be important.
To harness this phenomenon of this popular search engine an industry of professional consultants for search engine optimization have emerged to influence their clients’ websites’ Google rankings. Although Google has published specific guidelines for website owners who use optimization consultants to raise their rankings, some have devised unethical means to generate links to influence the search engine algorithm. And Google has taken these complaints seriously.
Google’s recent algorithm change (called Penguin) affected low quality SEO/link building services, much of which was being outsourced by the US to countries like India. A report claims that this update has impacted employment in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, and internet workers staged protests. However this information has not been verified by other sources.
There are many discussions in the industry on how to recover from the change in algorithm. Experts say that Google's new algorithm has wiped out sites engaging in webspam and black hat SEO tactics.
In a guest post Ajay Verma, co-founder of a price and product comparison portal, writes in Medianama:
Google’s new proposed metrics aren’t changing the platform at large but only the perception. It also helps filter some junk publishers. Even though ‘Clicks on Ad’ is perceived to be a transparent metric, reports suggest a ~20% fraud rate here. One can well imagine the faith of impression based spends. Hence the clean up was required.
Ajay concludes:
This is a welcome move from Google. A small step with the change in metrics will prove to be a giant leap in online advertising.

author: Rezwan


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Spain: Madrid Preparing for “Indignado” Anniversary · Global Voices
Elena Arrontes

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
A year ago, people in Spain awakened to how the devastating crisis they are facing was being managed. The peaceful protest – with no attachment to any political party – against the financial and political powers grew into a solid movement called “indignados” that went out to the streets nationwide to protest and organized a sit-in at the emblematic  and centric Plaza del Sol in Madrid.
Now, after the government shift, the situation keeps worsening and more motives are coming up to keep on protesting. The austerity reforms that affect most Spaniards have strengthened the general discontent. The will for political and social changes towards a bigger democracy is growing. So, as it happened on last October 15, 2011, a global protest is expected to mark the first anniversary of the  15M (May 15).
The anniversary of 15M will be celebrated throughout Spain and promises a May full of citizen initiatives led mainly by neighbors and town assemblies and citizen groups. In an interview with Global Voices, Mari Angela, one of the coordinators and a member of the Las Letras neighbors assembly and of the international political group of Madrid, commented on the preparations for this year.
Since February, they have been gathering and agreeing upon an agenda, this month's program and its organization. The common objective is to achieve the political permanence on the streets of Madrid claiming the right to assembly and free speech.
The organization of such events started on February and is coordinated by an open and wide group composed by several teams, assemblies and commissions. For this occasion, four teams were put together to take the responsibility for communication and awareness, the protests of 12M (May 12), the sit-in at Plaza del Sol (in downtown Madrid) from May 12 to May 15, and the post-15M activities. The meetings take place each week at the Casablanca Social Center [es]. The Wednesday meetings are to align the issues managed by all four groups.
The calendar has various milestone dates. On May 1 a popular meal was organized followed by an economy assembly at the Malasaña neighborhood in Madrid. Various proposals were presented, some initiatives and issues were discussed; among them the rejection of the project to create a European “Las Vegas” in Spain (EuroVegas) and the need to ensure a dignified job.
On May 9, Economy students have the intention to do a sit-in in front of the Health Ministry until May 12 when they will join the rest of the protest. Also, a meeting is planned next to Madrid's Assembly on May 10 to support a popular law proposal that would make water a public good.
12M is the big Protest Day. Replicating last October 15, several protests coming from the 4 cardinal points od the city will converge at Sol. Also several people assemblies, essential in the preparation of the “indignado” anniversary, will meet during the day to arrive at downtown at 21h. At midnight, the people gathered at Sol will raise a white handkerchief as a symbol against violence, wars and economic warfare.
The great novelty this year is the organization of a Social Forum in Madrid on May 19 and 20 that includes lectures, street talks, and a joint assembly together with Sol's. On May 26 the Malasaña Assembly proposes to work on the political celebration of the birth of people assemblies in Madrid.
Sol and its surroundings will host various movements that want to communicate their proposals and initiatives throughout theme plazas: the Green Wave [es] for education will stay at Sol, the blue plaza for the defense of public water will occupy Tirso de Molina Plaza, the white one that claims public quality health will sit-in in Santa Ana. Other issues like economy, housing, unemployment, feminism, environment and culture will also have their space in the capital's downtown.
The great final assembly will take place on May 15 at 7pm at Plaza del Sol. There, every citizen can approach the Information Point stand from May 1 to May 15 to participate in the assemblies.
In the informational blog Madrilonia.org [es]:
El 12M-15M  es mucho más que una jornada de protesta, es la posibilidad de redescubrir una confianza construida en horizontal, de tú a tú. Una confianza que sirva para poner en marcha formas colectivas de protección y sostenibilidad. Todo el mundo es necesario para pensar, proponer, imaginar, crear.
The 12M-15M is more than a protest rally, it is the possibility to rediscover the trust built horizontally, face to face. A trust that can help start colective forms of protection and sustainability. Everybody is necessary to think, propose, imagine and create.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Elena Arrontes


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Bangladesh: How Democracy Works · Global Voices
Rezwan

J. Rahman at Mukti writes about the confrontational politics in Bangladesh and sheds a light into how democracy works in a developing country like Bangladesh.


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France: Reactions to Presidential Election Results in Photos · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

The 2012 French presidential election, the tenth presidential election of the Fifth Republic has delivered its verdict on May 6, 2012. Socialist candidate Francois Hollande collected 51.90% of the votes against 48.10% for incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy in this second round of voting. The presidential election will be followed by parliamentary elections on June 10 and 17.
Awaiting the Results
Nicolas Sarkozy's supporters in Paris gathered at La Mutualité before moving to the Place de la Concorde (a last minute change had canceled the appointment at Place de la Concorde). Here is a picture of the room at La Mutualité at 7 pm:
Room at the Mutualité at 7 pm by @fgerschel on Twitter
Supporters of Francois Hollande gathered at Solferino Street before joining at the Bastille in case of a victory.
Bastille at 7 pm by @Laurent_Berbon on Twitter
The city of Tulle where Francois Hollande used to be the mayor, waited anxiously for the results:
The central square in Tulle by @webarticulista
Announcing the Results
An embargo in France on sharing results until 8pm led internet users to use several tricks to discuss the forecasts published by foreign media. On Twitter, those using the hashtag #radiolondres, were unrivaled in ingenuity.
The Hash tag #radiolondres on Twitter
Joy and Sorrow
After the announcement of results, many activists celebrated:
Celebrations at Bastille @samschech
The disappointment was visible in the camp of outgoing President:
UMP (Sarkozy's party) activist in tears by @Alexsulzer
In front of La Mutualité, the mood was grim at the announcement of results:
In front of La Mutualité, activists learn the results by @eanizon
The end of campaign speeches for each candidate can be found on their respective websites: (François Hollande  [fr] and Nicolas Sarkozy [fr]).

author: Rakotomalala


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Greece: Rise of Neo-Nazi Group ‘Golden Dawn’ · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

Facebook group ‘Leme OCHI sti Chrysi Avgi‘ (We say NO to Golden Dawn) [el] already has more than 11,000 likes. Created on December 2011, the anti-fascist group declares that “Fascism is gangrene, either you rip it off or it kills you”. Group members try to persuade people not to vote for Greek neo-Nazi party Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) in forthcoming May 6, 2012, General Greek elections. Sofia Ignatidou in a Guardian article states that “Greeks shouldn't let their despair drive them to supporting the dangerous and opportunistic far-right party”.


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India: Budget & Corruption · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ramanujapuram analyzes the Union Budget (annual budget of the Republic of India), and opines that the tax payers are paying interest for the scams and corruption of some of the members of the ruling coalition.


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India: Freedom Fast To Save Your Voice · Global Voices
Rezwan

The protests to stop the new IT rules in India (see our previous post on this) are still going on. Today is the fifth day of the hunger strike of Aseem Trivedi and Alok Dixit from Save Your Voice to support annulment motion against IT Rules-2011 in Rajya Sabha. They started this hunger strike on the 2nd of May and vowed to carry on until they get any satisfactory response from the government and the opposition regarding the annulment of IT Rules-2011. Sh. P. Rajeev, the Hon’ble Member of the Rajya sabha has moved an annulment motion to get these rules abolished and the motion has been admitted and is expected to come up in this budget session.
On behalf of Save Your Voice, a Facebook campaign, updates are being published in Aam Janata blog. Some excerpts:
(The) Government has enacted laws that give it a free pass to censor our Facebook posts, listen to every Skype conversation we have, monitor our tweets or blogs oraccess private photographs and documents we store online, or track our location using our mobile phones or surveil all of your online activity. We want to tell our government that they cannot use vaguely defined laws and loopholes to take away our freedom of speech and expression.
It seems that many Indians have not yet realized the perils of the new IT rules and the censorship it threatens – they think “can anyone really censor the Internet?”. Vidyut explains the situation and asserts why activism is needed to stop such dark law.
Indian Law and Technology Blog lists the things an activist should do to get rid of the IT rules 2011.
Freedom Fast Hunger Strike And Sit in at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, India. Image courtesy ‘I Love India’
Arvind Gaur, prominent theatre artist and director of Ashmita Theatre, was at the Freedom Fast at Jantar Mantar, New delhi. In the above photo he is sitting with Alok Dixit and Aseem Trivedi.
Arvind is against the implementation of the IT Act and says that internet, which is a source of expression of the common man, should be provided ‘free’ and not be brought under any rules.
The mainstream media has been silent on these protests. Some lone voices can be seen on Twitter providing updates:
@rahulgaitonde: RT @nixxin: In case you weren't aware, there's a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar against the IT Rules http://t.co/6865MHhb
@saveyourvoice: Fifth day of FREEDOM FAST- Alok Dixit and Aseem Trivedi have been admitted to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, due to health breakdown.


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India: The Best Tea Cafés · Global Voices
Rezwan

There is a new hype in India – the rise of tea cafés (tea lounges or tea bars). Charukeshi lists some of the best tea cafés in different Indian cities which you can explore.