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Chile: Transsexuals Demand a Place in Postponed Anti-Discrimination Law · Global Voices
Katie Manning

A  few weeks ago Valentina Verbal, 40, tucked into a tidy lacquered table  next to her three laughing friends. No one threw her a sideways glance  in the chatty diner near the center of Santiago, Chile. She wore relaxed  jeans, unlabeled white sneakers and a soft layer of makeup. On the  average day, she said, she sticks to what she knows such as this lunch  spot. But when she steps out of her routine, like when she’s penning  through a job application, the fact that her I.D. says “hombre,” but her  fuschia lipstick says lady, can be a hurdle.
This  might soon change. An anti-discrimination law – six years in the making  – was up for vote in the Senate this week. Much to the chagrin of the  LGBT community, a low turnout among the senators pushed back the vote to  November 8. As it stands now, the legislation forbids any  discrimination based on: race, age, sex, gender, religion, belief,  political or other opinion, birth, national origin, cultural or  socioeconomic standing, language, marital status, sexual orientation,  illness, disability, genetic structure or any other status. Verbal and  others who switched their outward gender identity didn’t make the  original list. Now, they are fighting to be included.
Verbal,  who harnesses social media to win trans supporters, wants Chileans to  freely choose their legal sexual identity without facing discrimination  or having surgery. “Most of us have internal problems caused by our  society. Society is what complicates things,” she said.
Even  though her place in the anti-discrimination law hangs in the air, she  tweeted [es] that she shares the frustration popping up on social networks.  Citizen reactions to the delay are still swimming through twitter under  the hashtag #LeyAntidiscriminación.
Rodrigo Guendelman (@guendelman) tweeted:
Más de 6 años lleva empantanada la #LeyAntidiscriminación y hoy el Senado vuelve a suspender la votación. Qué verguenza!!!
Andres  Soffia Vega, a spokesperson for a pro-sexual diversity organization  called Iguales, sees this as an opportunity to reinforce their efforts.  He tweeted under @ahsoffia:
Sumemos fuerza para el 8 de noviembre y sigamos trabajando.
Gay Pride March. Photo by Katie Manning
The  LGBT community recently crossed a major bridge.  Last month, the  government passed a bill legalizing civil unions for gay and lesbian  couples. Transsexuals also are legally allowed to change their gender  in Chile. Verbal aims to step past the status quo. “We should have the  same rights under the same name,” she said. This means gay marriage,  which Chile’s neighbor, Argentina, just approved last year.
In 2009, the Chilean government signed [es] a  United Nations declaration against discrimination based on gender identity. The  trans community says this anti-discrimination law offers the government  the ideal opportunity to make good on their pledge.
Even  if trans people make it into the new legislation, Verbal said that Chile still drags  miles behind international standards. Same sex couples are still not  allowed to adopt in Chile, which in turn applies to many transgendered  couples. The legal age of sexual consent is 14 for straight couples, while  it’s 18 for same sex couples.
Alongside interviews across a medley of media outlets, Verbal blogs [es] to tell Chile why inclusion matters. She wrote in El Dinamo [es]:
Sufren  una serie de barreras sociales que les impide llevar una vida  digna. La   primera de estas barreras es la laboral. Mucha de ellas, no  obstante  sus capacidades y sin tener una apariencia llamativa (como  muchas veces  se cree), no tienen acceso a trabajos dignos, precisamente  por no  corresponder su identidad legal con la de género.
Chile’s  right-wing President Sebastian Piñera, whose approval rating remains in the  gutter at 33 percent, has a surprising ally among many transsexuals.  Piñera supported the civil-union bill. In Chile, LGBT rights aren’t  strictly part of the left or right side of politics, but some  transsexuals worry that politicians posing for pictures at gay pride  marches won’t translate into results on the Senate floor.
Andres  Rivera, 47, began sporting a deep voice and a goatee in a very  public way nine years ago when he documented his sex change in a  television report. Now, he pours his energy into working as a trans  activist. He founded the Organization of Transsexuals for Dignity and Diversity [es], the first Chilean NGO fighting for trans rights, and tweets under @andresrivera. He said, “I believe that Piñera is opening his mind to transsexuals.”
At the same time, the former University of Rancagua professor [es] questions the authenticity  of most politicians’ commitment. He said, “They use us. The right and  the left sell us like meat to make political agreements amongst  themselves.”
When  Rivera overhauled his outward appearance, he said, he suffered major  social snubbing in his hometown of Rancagua, a dusty ranching and mining  city just south of Santiago.
“This  decision lost me my job. My employers fought me on this. It severed me  from my family… Everything went to waste. I wandered around eating  things off the street. It was a terrible situation,” he said. He patched  things up with his Roman-Catholic family, and now he’s determined to  ensure that other transsexuals can transform their physical appearance  in a less traumatic way.
Rivera  noted a distinction between the struggle of transsexuals and the gay  community. “We don’t have the same opportunities as heterosexuals or  even gays. We’re punished from infancy” for not conforming to gender  norms, according to Rivera.
Verbal  hasn’t gone under the knife or taken female hormones. “I’ve always felt  like a woman,” she said, but when she adjusted her outward appearance  at 37, “I was really afraid of what my family would think, what society  would think.”  Verbal said that Chile needs to understand “there is no  difference between normal and abnormal or healthy and unhealthy.”

author: Katie Manning


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China: Children Wearing Badge of Shame · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Some elementary schools in China force children who under-perform to wear a green scarf. (via Ministry of Tofu)

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: More Tributes to Pollan  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

More tributes to the late Laura Pollan, here, here, here and here.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: Pollan’s Death & the State Health Care System  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers report that some Cuban dissidents do not trust state hospitals after the death of Laura Pollan; babalu translates a blog post claiming that Pollan's hair and skin samples were collected before her cremation with the intention of sending them to an independent lab “in the hopes of determining her true cause of death”; The Cuban Triangle counters by saying: “Laura Pollan’s daughter told the Herald that her mother received ‘very good attention’ in the hospital in the week leading up to her death, and that doctors even seemed to attempt ‘the impossible’ as if to avoid later accusations of lackadaisical care.”


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Cuba: Upcoming Census · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba will soon be having a new population census, but Generation Y wonders whether those who will be asking the questions are “census takers — or censors”, saying: “Tearing down the wall of distrust is not so easy, especially in a society where privacy in the home has been greatly invaded by official institutions.”


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France: Blue Fingers and Tears of Joy as Tunisian Diaspora Vote · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisian Revolution 2011.
Tunisians living in France went to the polls today, ahead of the October 23 election in their country. Voters are giddy with joy and pride to vote freely and democratically, for the first time in 50 years and just nine months after the first of the Arab revolutions.
France is home to an estimated 600,000 Tunisians who have been exercising their right to make their voices heard in the make up of their new assembly, which will rewrite the country's constitution. Nearly 11,000 candidates, some amongst them Tunisian bloggers, are to contest 218 seats.
A good luck card published by Aly Ben J on Facebook to Tunisians voting abroad ahead of Tunisia
On the night before elections started in France, Myriam (@yezzyoufay) retweeted the hashtags that made history: the names of the Tunisian towns where the uprisings started earlier this year:
@yezzyoufay: Demain je vote. Merci #SidiBouzid #Thala #Rgueb #Kasserine #Kef #Gabes #Gafsa #Sfax #Bizerte La #Tunisie entière, les Tunisiens tous Unis.
A total of 20,000 voters are expected to vote in the Tunisian Consulate in Paris from Thursday 20 to Saturday 22, October. Fears of a low turnout evaporated early this morning, when huge queues started forming in front of poll stations.
The crowd in front of the Tunisian consulate in Paris this morning. Image by @__imen on Twitter
Rabaa Youssef [fr] commented on Facebook:
Ca n'arrive pas tous les jours de se dire: “magnifique cette file d'attente” :D
Imen, a Phd candidate and herself a candidate on independent electoral list Saw Moskatel in France, had confessed in her electoral pledge [fr] a very common situation for Tunisians in the land of rigged votes:
Jusqu’à il y a quelques mois je pouvais me présenter en disant : “Bonjour je m’appelle Imen, j’ai 28 ans et je n’ai jamais voté en Tunisie ” Dur à admettre, mais c’est une réalité.”
Today, as many first-time Tunisian voters, she posted a souvenir picture of herself and her ink-stained finger, the procedure chosen by the Tunisian electoral commission to avoid multiple votes and frauds.
"I've voted! I've voted!" Image by @imen_ on Twitter
Tunisian Twitter timelines in France  are now dotted with many more blue fingers.
"I've voted!" Image by @selim_ on  on Twitter
Maher (@mahertekaya) a union-trade delegate in France, just cannot wait:
I want to have my blue finger and I want it now :-( #tnelec
In Toulouse, scientist @mimouna [fr] is close to tears:
Jamais on aura été plus heureux et fiers de voir des doigts bleus :)
Emotions are running even higher in  poll stations. Ness (@nessryne) [fr] confessed on Twitter, after casting her ballot:
J'ai commencé à pleurer, le président du bureau de vote, directeur régional d'une agence onusienne, a commencé à pleurer aussi ! #TneElec
Amal (@AmalHaouet) a volunteer manning a polling station, has seen many more tears as voting proceeds:
Il faut prévoir des mouchoirs aux sorties des bureaux de vote :) #tnelec
Tunisian tweeps watching from Tunisia are enthralled:
@zeineb_ak: les photos prises devant le consulat de Paris me donnent la chair de poule !!! vivement le #23Octobre :))#TnElec
@HFadhel, a computer engineer fresh out of the polling station, paid hommage:
Une journee memorable .. Et une grande pensee a ceux qui ont donne leurs vies pour nous faire vivre ce moment historique #tnelec #tunisie
Tunisians voters in France and abroad will continue to vote until Saturday, October 22.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisian Revolution 2011.

author: Claire Ulrich


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Ghana: Blogger Assaulted · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A female blogger was assaulted in Accra this morning: “This morning, at about 7.38 am, I was physically assaulted in my car, on the Mallam-Weija Highway by a man of about mid-thirties, about 5'11 tall, toughly built … dressed in balck office shirt and tucked into black denim trousers, black belt, black office shoes, holding a black briefcase.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Haiti: Cholera, One Year Later  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dying in Haiti marks the one year anniversary of Haiti's cholera outbreak, saying: “Conservative numbers say that cholera has infected 500,000 Haitians and killed 6,500 of them. This is more than any place in the world.”


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Iran: Be Scared, Dictator – Gaddafi is Dead · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
Khamenei with Gaddafi in more youthful times, from Iraniangreenvoice blog – original source unknown
Several Iranian bloggers joined Libyans in celebration on Thursday, after longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi was killed. Some bloggers longed for the end of dictatorship in Iran, as they shared in Libyan joy for a liberated country.
Iraniangreenvoice said [fa]:
… A message to Iranian Leader, Ayatollah Alik Khamenei, “Gaddafi was killed, be scared dictator… you who place yourself in God's place, look there is nothing left of Gaddafi except two photos: one the last bloody photo, and another one with you… he [Gaddafi] also did not see his people, he killed them in the streets, considered his people insignificant and without any value… think about the bad reputation that you will leave behind.
Neoliberal writes [fa]:
History accelerates and dictators fell, one after one. We heard the news, we see the images. I hope Khamenei has seen Gaddafi's photos… Khamenei do you know Gaddafi was younger and more proud than you?… Did he consider this fate a few months ago, did he watch Saddam Hussein's execution?… I hope you [Khamenei] think about Gaddafi's fate.
Vision has published [fa] a copy of Gaddafi's photo and  says, “A dictator says hello to the end.”
Khakestar has published [fa] several photos of “Gaddafi's hiding place” and wonders why dictators hide in a rat hole after committing their crimes.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Israel: Joy and Anger Continue Over Shalit Deal  · Global Voices
Elizabeth Tsurkov

Gilad Shalit's return has been one of the biggest events in recent Israeli history. IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was released from Hamas captivity after being held for 1,941 days, in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
The deal was supported by the majority of Israelis, as Shalom Boguslavsky explained in his blog Put Down the Scissors and Let's Talk About It [he]:
The news of Shalit's release was almost the only thing discussed in the Israeli twittersphere and blogosphere since the deal was announced. Supermodel Bar Refaeli reflected the popular mood with her tweet [he]:
Liron Teeny described the mood in the streets [he]:
Before returning to Israel, Shalit was forced to undergo an interview on Egyptian state television (Nile TV). Israelis on Twitter were furious about the interview, which was conducted in the presence of Hamas operatives and Egyptian intelligence. The translation of the interview from Hebrew misrepresented Shalit's words in Hebrew when he said he was not feeling well, and that he would only support the release of Palestinian prisoners if they do not return to terrorist activity. Some Israelis even opened a Facebook page about the Egyptian journalist who interviewed Shalit, titled Shahira Amin is a shame to journalism in response.
Musician Noy Alooshe (who was behind the “Zenga Zenga” remix) reflected the Israeli mood about the interview when he created this poster about Shahira Amin.
Following the interview, Shalit was flown to the Tel Nof military base where he finally met his parents. Prime Minister Netanyahu made sure to exploit the opportunity for a photo-op and a self-congratulatory speech and was harshly and humorously criticized for it by Israelis online.
Tamar described the mixed feelings about the way Shalit's return was handled [he]:
Others criticized the heavy price of the deal [he]:
Blogger Yossi Gurevitz expounded on his blog, Orwell's Friends [he]:
Blogger Haim Har Zahav, who served in the platoon with Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, the soldiers whose kidnapping sparked the 2006 war with Hizbollah, wrote in his blog [he]:
It wouldn't be the Israeli Twittersphere without some sarcastic comments. Rotem Biton described the scene where Shalit, who was kidnapped before the launch of the iPhone, is introduced to Angry Birds on the chopper ride from Egypt:

author: Elizabeth Tsurkov


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Libya: Celebrations as Gaddafi Confirmed Dead  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
Libyan strongman Muammar Al Gaddafi is finally dead. After hundreds of thousands of tweets and guess work between news of him being captured, wounded, killed, or all three together, we finally have a confirmation from the Libyan ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) that he really is dead.
Both Sultan Al Qassemi, from the UAE, and NPR's Andy Carvin joke:
@acarvin: And re-animate it. RT @SultanAlQassemi: especially with the NTC's poor track record, they may need to bring his corpse on stage
Wall painting showing Muammar al Gaddafi, France. Image by Flickr user Abode of Chaos (CC BY 2.0).
With news of Gaddafi's death, the NTC decided to be cautious with an announcement until it made sure he really was dead. It had previously announced the capture of other members of Gaddafi's family, for them to appear on news channels to dispute NTC's claims.
Over all, the year 2011 seems to be a bad year for Arab dictators and a good one for their people. Palestinian Ahmed Shihab-Eldin remarks:
@ASE: #Gaddafi was killed. So that means, 1 dead, 1 fleed, 1 hospitalized, 1 burned and 1 batshit crazy…among others.
And Al Qassemi warns:
@SultanAlQassemi: Are you watching Bashar? Are you watching Saleh? #Gaddafi
The reference is to the Syrian and Yemeni dictators Bashar Al Assad and Ali Abdullah Saleh who have been killing their own people for months.
Meanwhile, celebrations continue across Libya. Moez from Tripoli reports:
@libyanrevolt: razy scenes of jubilation on every road in #Tripoli right now – unbelieveable! #libya #feb17
And Ali Tweel confirms:
@AliTweel: no I'm in Tripoli. it's like a war here because of the celebratory firing. I can't explain.
And the jokes continue.
The different spellings of Gaddafi's name continue to spin jokes. DJ Xpect quips:
@djxpect: So apparently Gaddafi is still alive…captured. It's Qaddafi who has been killed. Khaddafi is still releasing audio broadcasts from Sirte
Naser Weddady jokes:
@weddady: Botox spilled? RT @SultanAlQassemi: BREAKING photo of Gaddafi killed http://mun.do/p5pzgA via @Suanzes
And Tom Gara concludes:
@tomgara: Gaddafi being hunted down like an animal after promising to hunt his opposition like animals is one of 2011's finest developments.
Gaddafi called his people animals and rodents in long rambling speeches.
The fall of Sirte, Gaddafi's last stronghold, was reported a few hours ago. Tripoli, the Libyan capital, fell in the revolutionary hands two months ago, and the Libyan revolution started on February 16, one day ahead of its scheduled start date February 17.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Libya: The Truth About Gaddafi’s Death  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
For 42 years, Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya with an iron first. Over the years, he crushed opposition, obliterated dissent at home and ruled from Tripoli as the uncontested King of Kings of Africa.
On February 16, 2011, Libyans started revolting against his dictatorship. Two months ago, the capital Tripoli was freed, and today, Libya breaks out in celebration as Gaddafi's stronghold Sirte falls and the man himself is either captured and killed or killed and captured. The circumstances surrounding his death are still dubious, the details contradictory and the information sketchy.
On Twitter, journalists and pundits try to reconstruct his death circumstances.
Free Misrata posts this video on YouTube, showing a living Gaddafi, surrounded by many excited freedom fighters:
Al Jazeera's Evan Hill asks:
@evanchill: So if NTC fighters killed Gaddafi after capturing him alive, what is your reaction?
And also questions Gaddafi's injuries later paraded on our television screens:
@evanchill: The Gaddafi head wound may have been blunt trauma from getting struck, and not a gunshot. Very hard to tell.
Foreign Policy's Blake Hounshell also has a lot of questions. Here, he asks:
@blakehounshell: Execution? RT @halibrahim: A better image of #Gadhafi's body which shows the bullet in his head #Libya
And then explains:
@blakehounshell: That new video I just posted clearly shows an ambulance nearby; doesn't show execution if there was one
And he asks again:
@blakehounshell: So, is there any footage out there of Qaddafi being shot in the head?
CNN's Hala Gorani also has questions, among them:
@HalaGorani: Was Gaddafi captured wounded and alive and then executed or did he die of his wounds? Unclear based on videos we've seen so far. #Libya
On Twitter, many have also reacted to parading Gaddafi's dead body across television screens.
iRevolt or Roqayah notes:
@iRevolt: It's one thing to feel elated at the ousting, removal, etc. of a dictator; turning death into a corpse-whoring party is another.
And Egyptian Mosa'ab Elshamy comments:
@mosaaberizing: Idealistic people, especially Arabs, who can't bear to see the corpse of one of the region's most despised tyrants, snap the **** out of it.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.


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Libya: Unconfirmed News of Gaddafi’s Capture · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
Happy news has been coming out of Libya in the last few minutes, leaving Libyan and Arab tweeps rejoicing, with caution, at the new developments. Rumour has it that Libyan dictator Muammar Al Gaddafi has been captured. Here are the first reactions.
Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros tweets:
@SherineT: Libyan TV reporting Muammar Gaddafi has been captured. Still UNCONFIRMED #libya
Libyan Jeel Ghathub reacts:
@Libyan4life: Reuters says NTC official says Colonel Gaddafi captured and wounded in both legs. F Reuters. Always misreporting shit.
Iyad El Baghdadi notes:
@iyad_elbaghdadi: Reports that Gaddafi is captured, not clear if he's dead or alive. #Libya
Egyptian Ahmed Sabry congratulates Libya:
For Yemeni Al3ini, the world's largest rodent has been captured. Gaddafi has referred to protesters as rodents in his rambling speeches. He tweets:
الجرذ الكبير في ليبيا تم القبض عليه لم يتبقى الا جرذ اليمن عليه ان يسلم نفسه الى اقرب مركز شرطة
And, like many, Old Holborn jokes:
@Old_Holborn: Gadaffi to claim full mobility allowance shocker
Egyptian Adel Abdel Ghafar adds:
@dooolism: If Rumors are true and #Qadaffi is captured, I wonder if he has grown a bad-ass Sadam style I am on the run beard?
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.


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Nicaragua: Night life in Nueva Guinea · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ronald Hill blogs about Nicaragua's Caribbean coast in Sueños del Caribe (“Dreams from the Caribbean”). In his latest post [es] he describes night life in Nueva Guinea.

author: Silvia Viñas


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North Koreans in Mongolia Working Under Miserable Conditions · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korean Economy Watch blog posted about North Koreans working under miserable conditions in Mongolia. Hundred of North Koreans were placed across Mongolia to help the country to meet its  financial targets.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Russia: 7 Temporarily Detained During the President’s Meeting with Journalism Students · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

7 journalism students (among others @kichanova, @rise_rebel and @ave_katerina) were detained during the meeting of the president Medvedev at the Journalism department of the Moscow State University,Vitaliy Shushkevich tweets [ru] (also see photo [ru]). They were temporarily detained for contemplating a political action and were released only after Medvedev had left the department. BestToday collects [ru] reactions of outraged bloggers.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Saudi Arabia: Men Arrested Over Poverty Video · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Two Saudi men were arrested last Sunday October 16th in what seems to be a reaction to a video posted on their YouTube channel showing poverty in Riyadh. Through microblogging platforms, people have shown their support for the two videographers. A subtitled version of  the video can be viewed here. (via BoingBoing)

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Tanzania: Priorities for Open Government in Tanzania · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Daraja discusses the decision by the Tanzanian government to joining the Open Government Partnership: “So, an open-data platform for Tanzanian government data is option 1.  But with only around 2% of Tanzanians online, this option could be described as elitist. It would help researchers, academics, journalists, students and activists, but the vast majority of Tanzanians would be left out.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Urban Development’s Bill  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch expresses his disgust at “the corruption that is rampant in Trinidad and Tobago.”


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Uganda: LRA Survivor Bears Witness · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Lord's Resistance Army survivor in Uganda bears witness: “Evelyn Apoko survived the Lords Resistance Army [LRA]. Here she responds to those who are stupidly misinformed and who have criticised President Obama’s decision to deploy 100 US troops to try to end the LRA’s war and capture Joseph Kony.”


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Videos: Central America Under Water · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The tropical depression 12-E over Central America has brought torrential downpours and rains for days on end, causing flooding, closing roads and highways and displacing people.  Through this post we'll see the effects of the rainfall through several Central American countries.
Flooded roads in El Salvador
Inversiones Digitales shows us the state of the roads in the southern region of  Malcovia Choluteca in  Honduras, as he requests the President's presence in the south, insisting he should send a force to build levees and dredge the river properly.
These next videos show us the flooded countryside, the water covered roads and  raging rivers that threaten the people of Nicaragua:
http://youtu.be/_lezA1zw1So
http://youtu.be/pXvAMa6Ze7A
In Guatemala alone, flooding and landslides have killed more than a dozen people. On the video  description of the raging Los Esclavos river, Diario La Hora GT explains:
Guatemala presenta los mayores daños con 15 víctimas mortales y más de  52.000 afectados, puentes derribados, vías colapsadas y un paso  fronterizo incomunicado con El Salvador, según registros oficiales.
“Tenemos  15 personas fallecidas, cuatro desaparecidas, 938 albergadas, 1.570  evacuadas, 8.716 damnificadas y 43.538 afectadas. Además, hay 50 tramos  carreteros y ocho puentes afectados”, precisó en rueda de prensa el  vicepresidente Rafael Espada.
Guatemala presents the greatest damages with 15 mortal victims and more than 52000 people affected, collapsed bridges, closed roads and an interrupted border crossing with El Salvador according to official records.
“We have 15 people dead, four missing, 938 in shelters, 1570 evacuated, 8716 affected people. Also, there are 50 stretches of roads and eight bridges affected”,  Vice President Rafael Espada declared in a press conference.
The community of Garita Palmera in El Salvador has made a call to the authorities to send help not only to the shelters, but to all the community, since many people don't make it to the shelters, and aid doesn't get evenly distributed. A woman in the community also makes the point that the rains have affected people's ability to earn a living, so the effects of the rains and floods will be felt by all in the coming months, not just those who had to leave their homes.
http://youtu.be/xRgQzgatqHY
Also from the Garita Palmera community, these next two videos show the damage to the roads. In the first video, the road is under water and people wade through, in the next, the waters have receded and the damage to the structure can be clearly seen.
http://youtu.be/SRF1hcOnA3Q
http://youtu.be/9eo79sxt4tA
The blog Voices from El Salvador have been closely following the disaster and they are raising funds to help the victims of the rains.
This next video shows images of the rescue efforts taking place in the flooded communities of El Salvador, where rescue workers are seen taking people out of the dangerous areas and into safety.
Gringa in El Salvador stands out in the rain to explain how it's been raining for a week straight. In her blog, she's posting information and updates on the effects of the storm in El Salvador.


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Bahamas: Same Old Politics  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“If our leaders would choose the high road we might begin to see some badly needed change in our public policy. But as long as they want to beat each other up with personal insults…oh well”: Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe says that the current state of the country's politics is the same old, same old.


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Bangladesh: Protest Against A New Law For Homeless People · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faustina Pereira at BRAC Blog protests against a newly promulgated law in Bangladesh which permits forcibly instituting the poor, the shelterless and beggars into “shelter homes” through arrests, and attempts to leave the shelter homes would be a punishable offence. An online petition has also been put up and more than 8,000 people from all over the world have already signed it.

author: Rezwan


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Bolivia: President Says Road Will Not Go Through TIPNIS · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Dario Kenner reports form La Paz: “In a press conference this morning President Evo Morales said the road project his government has been determined to build will not go through the TIPNIS national park and indigenous territory. This is a dramatic change in policy. It comes after a two month long march by indigenous movements against the planned road that arrived in La Paz two days ago.”


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Brazil: Belo Monte Dam Case Comes to Court · Global Voices
João Miguel Lima

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.
[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted]
The Brazilian justice system has provided new fuel to the protests against the Belo  Monte hydroelectric power plant, after its construction begun in June  2011 [en]. A lawsuit filed in 2006 by the Federal Public Ministry of the state of Pará (MPF/PA) was brought to court on October 17 at the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region, in capital Brasília.
The lawsuit questions Act 788/2005 by the National Congress, which authorized the construction of the dam without previously consulting the indigenous peoples of the municipality of Altamira and neighboring areas. Consultation for this kind of construction is a constitutional right expressed in Article 231.
This video produced by Movement Xingu Vivo Sempre with the indigenous peoples of the Xingu river shows their dissatisfaction with the Belo  Monte project and their demand for the protection of their lifestyles [pt]:
MPF/PA has published a website ‘Belo Monte – problems with the project and the MPF’s actions‘, on which one may follow news articles, lawsuits and evaluations concerning the dam. One of the links is to the blog Belo Monte de Violências [word play with Belo Monte which translates to ‘Beautiful Mountain of Violence’], edited by MPF/PA prosecutor Felício Pontes Jr.
The  blog has trigged controversy; on the page, Pontes Jr published the judicial  background of the case and articles he wrote to criticize the project and  public civil actions. On top of that, he aggregated the link to a  petition against the dam, a banner of Movimento Xingu Vivo Sempre and the video ‘Defending the Rivers of the Amazon‘, which exposes the project’s impact.
In early September, Norte Energia S.A. (NESA), the company responsible for the construction of the dam, filed a lawsuit against Pontes Jr, requesting him to be kept away from the case and the link to his blog to be removed from MPF/PA’s website.
Lawsuits pending
Minister of Mines and Energy, Edson Lobão, and President Dilma Rousseff make a toast as the forest destroyed by Belo Monte suffers. Cartoon by Ju Borges (@peledaterra), of blog Pele da Terra, used with permission.
There are several lawsuits currently filed in the justice system requesting the interruption of the power  plant’s construction. One of these was filed by Altamira City Hall, together with the MPF/PA. At first, the Mayor of Altamira supported the project, but  now she argues the conditions of the agreements have not been respected and the city has faced several problems since the dam was approved.
In late September, the Federal Public Ministry of Pará declared on its Twitter profile:
@MPF_PA: Íntegra do ofício da prefeitura de Altamira, da câmara e de mais de 40 associações pedindo suspensão de Belo Monte: http://bit.ly/r35c37
The City Hall argues:
Os  estudos preliminares ao empreendimento criaram um sonho de uma Altamira  de primeiro mundo, com uma infraestrutura urbana e saneamento nunca  antes imaginada por nossa sociedade. Não pode agora a nossa população  ver transformado este sonho em pesadelo, e passar a acreditar que essa  obra só veio para agredir o meio ambiente e trazer miséria para a já  sofrida população de Altamira.
Teachers,  students and the church of the neighboring city of Vitória do Xingu are  also dissatisfied with the disrespect of condictions to license the  project and have demanded a public audience to discuss this, according to the Xingu Vivo website.
The 12th Public Civil Action against Belo Monte comes from local farmers, as Twitter user Verena Glass declared on October 4:
@VerenaGlass: 12a Ação Civil Publica Belo Monte: MPF quer obrigar NESA a respeitar direitos dos agricultores atingidos http://bit.ly/oauebT
The most effective legal action against Belo Monte was the prelminary injuction of September 27, which interrupted the works on the Xingu river. The  action came from the Altamira Association of Breeders and Exporters of  Ornamental Fish (Acepoat). As the Brazilian Institute of Environment and  Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) had previously authorized the  Acepoat to perform fishing on the Xingu river, the license for the dam  is thus incompatible, as it limits access to the river and will alter  the region’s fauna.
Belo Monte, human rights and indigenous people
The dam’s initial impact has mainly been felt among the indigenous of the Xingu region; according to Xingu Vivo, malaria and child mortality have increased among them, as this  population receives a poor service. Illegal deforestation has also  been more frequent.
For all these reasons, journalist and blogger Leonardo Sakamoto has said Belo Monte is the “stone on the speech” of President Dilma Rousseff, regarding her historical speech on the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, in late September (reported [en] by Global Voices). Sakamoto stresses the government's need to give an answer to the appeal issued in early April by the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights concerning the protection of indigenous communities, and other groups.
On  September 30, Kayopó “Cacique” Raoni, a resident of the Xingu river, was  at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where he  declared in a video that he “will never accept Belo Monte”. The video has been translated into Portuguese in audio, and has subtitles in English:
The last great protest against the power plant took place in August and reached international proportions [en].  The movement Xingu Vivo Sempre, one of the most active voices against Belo Monte, made an incitement via Twitter on October 11, linking the protest  against the plant to the global protest of October 15.
In Brazil, the protest for real democracy took place in many cities. The Twitter profile @xinguvivo declared:
Porque Belo Monte é um projeto que vai na contramão do desenvolvimento que respeita a vida.#reasons15o
Youtube user rodrigoguim1 published a video [pt] of the “Acampada Indígena” (Indigenous Camp) of October 15, in São Paulo:
A new campaign aims at pressuring the Federal Regional Court (TRF1) to bring to trial the 12 lawsuits against Belo Monte. The campaign’s website ‘TRF1, the responsability to prevent crimes in the Xingu is  yours!’ points out email addresses of the three judges who are  analyzing the MPF/PA's case. The trial has been postponed, and remains to be rescheduled; it will be resumed   at the most optimistic analysis [pt], after a period of 15 days.
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: João Miguel Lima


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China: Disease of indifference · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Annie Lee from China Hush translated an article that examines the cause of moral deficiency in mainland Chinese society.


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China: Independent documentary and film · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

If you want to know more about citizen videos, independent documentaries and films from mainland China, you can take a look at the recently website acopy.net. The website also sells independent productions and shares their profit with the independent film makers.


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Colombia: Businessman Julio Mario Santo Domingo Dies · Global Voices
Lully

On October 7, Colombian businessman Julio Mario Santo Domingo Pumarejo, considered one of the richest men in the world by Forbes, died in New York at the age of 87.
Through his business group Bavaria and his firm Valores he directed more than 100 companies, among which he developed the brewing, radio, aviation, and television industries in Colombia, as well as businesses in other sectors (like customs and warehousing).
His work was accompanied by social programs. With his foundation in partnership with the Bogota government he introduced the School of Arts and Crafts  “Santo Domingo” [es] and founded the Cultural Center and Library Julio Mario Santo Domingo. [es]
While most media [es] outlets [es] in Colombia had positive commentaries on his life, Dinero magazine listed five hits and five great errors of his business career in an article titled “Lime and Sand” [es].
Cultural Center and Library Julio Mario Santo Domingo, photo by Colombia Travel on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Netizens also reacted in different ways.
The blog Soy Periodista [es], after reviewing his biography and several interesting facts, concludes with this sentence:
Paz en el panteón al gran Julio Mario Santo Domingo Pumarejo, benefactor social y económico de Colombia y otros países.
The Blog Radal Económico Internacional [es] also paid tribute to the businessman:
Murió siendo el segundo accionista de la segunda cervecera más grande del orbe, la surafricana SAB Miller, con la que negoció en 2005.
Daniela Gómez (@dgomezvittorino) shares what many other users tweeted regarding an article by Portafolio [es] which mentions [es] Steve Jobs’ 110 spot on Forbes, two spots after Julio Mario:
Julio Mario Santodomingo era incluso más rico que Steve Jobs!
Julian Velasco (@Julianchov) questions [es] Santo Domingo for selling his companies after they started growing in Colombia:
No creo que Julio Mario Santo Domingo sea alguien al que le debamos nada, antes el robo el país y después se fue vendiendo todo a extranjeros.
Pieranghela Riaño (@Pieranghela), tweeting with satire, casts doubts on the philanthropist label many have used to describe Santo Domingo:
Julio Mario SantoDomingo Filántropo??? Filántropos mis codos!!! Tanta caridad fue por beneficios tributarios.
The blog Restauración Nacional posts an analysis titled “The King of Fraud”, and at the end quotes  [es] from a book by journalist Gerardo Reyes [es], who criticizes the businessman:
Don Julio Mario, es una historia del capitalismo salvaje de este magnate, que describe la trayectoria empresarial y política de JM Santo Domingo, con varias de sus prácticas fraudulentas, respaldado con fuentes, que han costado algunos millones al bolsillo público del pueblo colombiano.
Héctor Abad Facio Lince writes [es] in newspaper El Espectador [es] recalling the time Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Márquez invited him to Santo Domingo's home in the United States. He adds:
[…] Resolvió salvar a El Espectador de una quiebra inminente. Y no sólo salvó esta empresa, que es un orgullo del periodismo colombiano, sino que (al menos en lo que a mí me consta como miembro del Consejo Editorial), nunca metió la mano para decir lo que debía pensarse o publicarse y lo que no.

author: Lully


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Colombia: Indigenous Peoples Speak Out Against Hotel Project in Sacred Territory · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“The Elder ‘Mamos’ or Spiritual leaders of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, have expressed profound concern over plans to build a new seven-star hotel on their ancestral territory within the Tayrona National Park in northern Colombia” –Ahni reports in Intercontinental Cry.


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Cuba: One Week After Pollan’s Death  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter examines the new reality of the Ladies in White one week after Laura Pollan's death.


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Czech Republic: Reactions to Qaddafi’s Death; Trade Relations With Libya · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word writes about the potential of the foreign trade relations between the Czech Republic and Libya, and reports on the Czech Foreign Ministry's reaction to the death of Qaddafi.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Hong Kong: Why Occupy Central? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.
A group of activists in Hong Kong have occupied the ground floor of the iconic HSBC building in Central District for almost one week since October 15, 2011, in response to the global call for solidarity with the Wall Street Occupation.
Although some people find the slogan “Down Down Capitalism” too ideological, the occupation does provide a reflective space for people to look into the problem of the existing economic system which has marginalized the majority.
A group of activists are camping on the ground floor of HSBC. Photo from Occupy Central Hong Kong.
Below is a short video showing the initial solidarity protest on October 15, in Exchange Square in Hong Kong, uploaded by RishiWei to YouTube.
The Chinese University Left Wing Study Group has written a statement [zh] that sums up the problems in Hong Kong:
香港的社會問題簡直數之不盡，譬如說香港的堅尼系數在全球數一數二與非洲國家睇齊，貧富極度懸殊，有錢人把社會財富通通都搜刮到自己的口袋裡，窮人就只管賺那僅僅足夠維持生活的微薄薪金；地產霸權主宰人民生活，瘋狂炒樓讓樓價攀升到一個前所未有的水平，後生的就要供死一世樓，永遠做著地產商的奴隸，官員還視之理所當然。
關鍵的是：這些問題從何而來？讓我不厭其煩地重申左翼學會的立場－－這些問題的根源就是資本主義的經濟結構。當各大資本必須不斷賺取最大利潤以滿足自身累積的需要，它就必須剝削勞動者… 我們認為，要真正根治這些社會問題，就只有推翻整個資本主義制度一途。
或者我們都被獅子山精神洗腦得太多，或者我們都視而不見，或者我們根本就不知道這些問題的根源──亦因此在香港這幾十年之間，反對資本主義的聲音幾近絕跡，連一次打著「反資」旗號的社會運動也未見出現。
就著這一個反資聲音極度薄弱的處境，這次佔領中環(Occupy Central)的運動便是一次絕好的時機。
There are so many social problems in Hong Kong. The Gini index is similar to African countries, income disparity is so extreme. The rich take all the wealth in their own pockets while the income of the poor can barely sustain their lives. The property developers control people's life, the property prices have increased to such a crazy level that people have to spend their whole lives working like slaves for the developers and the government officials take it for granted.
The issue at stake is where do all these problem stem from? Let us reinstate our study group's stand. All these problems come from the very structure of capitalism. The capitalists have to exploit the workers for capital accumulation… A radical solution of the problems is to abolish the capitalist system.
Perhaps we have been brainwashed by the spirit of the Lion Rock [a symbol of Hong Kong] for too long or perhaps we don't understand the root cause of the problems. That's why we never have heard any anti-capitalist statement nor have witnessed any anti-capitalist social movement.
The anti-capitalist circle is thus very weak and this Occupy Central movement is a great opportunity.
Protest Banner on October 15, 2011, Hong Kong. By inmediahk.net CC: NC-SA
It is difficult for mainstream Hong Kong society to stand by the side of the occupants. Blogger Birdlw's questions [zh] reflect common people's doubts:
歐美經濟差, 赤字債務高, 失業率高, 民怨高, 有此行動, 我可以理解。
但是, 香港經濟穩定, 失業率只有3%, 為何要發起「佔領中環」這種活動？
我真的不明白。
示威者想表達什麼, 或爭取什麼?
給他們佔領中環之後, 又會做什麼? 大肆改革香港的金融體系?
如何改變? 朝哪一個方向改變? 哪個方向是香港市民會接受的?
如果, 示威者沒想過要改革金融業。那麼, 「佔領中環」這項行動的意義何在?是為了示威而示威? 玩完, 吵完, 再找別的活動來示威?
金融業是香港一項十分重要的行業, 有很多人賴以為生, 一旦被動搖了, 將會有很多人失業, 政府從金融業方面的稅收減少, 社會福利開支定必縮減, 影響之大, 「佔領中環」的示威者有沒有想過?
Anthony Chung believes that [zh] income disparity is inevitable because people are greedy:
假如…現在政府宣佈，所有人的財富要拿出來均分！
假如…李嘉誠的身家也要分，每人 100 萬、1 個物業。
不出 10 年…大部份財富又會回到現在的有錢人手裡！
當大部份小市民，高高興興的拿著這些資產享受人生…
中環的金融高手，還是會用花碌碌的金融產品，引發散戶貪念，將財富塞進自己口袋。旺角、銅鑼灣的生意高手，還是會引進人人趨之若鶩的時尚商品，毫不留情大賺一筆。各區各地的物業投資高手，還是會運用眼光與財技，一層樓變兩層樓、四層樓。
他們贏的…是洞悉遊戲規則，有理財智慧、執行力而己！
貧富懸殊？…政府救不到我們，只有我們自己能自救。
Chiu08112003 however, points out that the rules of the game are not fair in the first place, in particular after the handover of Hong Kong to China. He describes the situation in a sarcastic tone [zh]:
八十後和另類窮光蛋不甘血汗被榨盡變成肉餅，懷念毛澤東打土豪分田地蠢蠢欲動，屁言要罷工造反打劫鬧革命，分光財主高樓大廈與身家，讓股市崩塌，鈔票天女散花任人拾撿；財主針鋒相對不屑一顧，如妖龍一樣仰頭要挾中央，屁言若閉上血盆大口棄葷食素，自己就會腰挾金銀財寶遠走他鄉，到時香港就豈不風雨交加黑運當頭？
回歸後的政府變成木偶，操桿拉線的卻是中央政府和財團富豪，他們一方面口口聲聲保護香港的經濟自由，實際上這個說辭只是保護壟斷盤剝利益的遮羞布。他們一方面卻拖慢開放市場的步伐，強化財閥主導或壟斷市場；或以名目繁多的藉口向他們提供土地發展權或其他特殊優惠，令他們在屁民視野以外獲得巨大的商業及經濟利益。資本在地產壟斷中和政府勾肩搭背，以高地價和高准入門檻排擠中小地產商，手中牢牢掌控大部分香港的地產資源，絕對掌握地產的利潤空間；資本若橫向轉移到其他銷售行業，則以壓迫供應商的手法拒絕供貨予其他競爭對手，從而使自己成為行業的不倒翁。香港大型企業壟斷市場的趨勢日益明顯，超級市場的寡頭壟斷、鐵路公司以及巴士公司的合併都顯示著在某些市場裏已沒有中小企業容身之地。
政府睜一隻眼閉一隻眼，任壟斷在香港各類市場上下其手。壟斷本質上是經濟自由的羈絆，最後導致經濟的極端不自由，特別是體現在對經營自由和屁民消費自由的侵害上，經濟自由度實際上成了自由壟斷的藉口。大亨們和小企業商販玩的競爭遊戲，如同一個端着一挺資本機關槍的壯漢和一個小屁孩對決，有人看不過眼給小孩一條破竹棍，貪婪的壟斷階層大為不滿，發動吹鼓手長舌婦侈談『公平』，責怪社會偏幫這個小屁孩。這些巧舌如簧者真有些『信口放屁，何患無味』的蠻橫。香港多年在資本壟斷的干擾下無法建立起反壟斷法，這樣的市場算自由嗎？
The post 1980s generation and alternative poor guys do not want to be squeezed into a meat roll. They miss Chairman Mao's redistribution of the landlord's land, and talk bullshit about strikes, revolts, robbing and revolution. They want to share the landlords’ apartments and wealth, want the stock market to collapse, want the money to fall from the sky; the rich fight back. Like dragons, they strangle the central government, talk bullshit that if the government let them go veggie and stop eating meat with their shark-mouths, they would take all their money and migrate elsewhere. Hong Kong will be struck by thunder.
Since the handover of Hong Kong to China, the government has become a puppet controlled by the central government and the tycoons. They claim that they are protecting economic freedom in Hong Kong, but that's a cover-up of their monopoly and exploitative measures. They are foot-dragging in opening up the market to reinforce their monopoly status; or they use all kind of pretexts to get special favors for land development rights. The losers would never know how they make their profit. The capitalists are working hand in hand with the government in this monopoly system. The high land price has squeezed small developers from the market and the giant developers have controlled all the land resources and profit rate. They extend their influence to other areas such as the sales industry, by forcing the suppliers to give them monopolized rights to sell their products. The trend for big corporates to monopolize the market is getting obvious. The monopoly of supermarkets, the merging of railway companies and bus companies have excluded SMEs from the market.
The government ignore the monopoly and let the giant corporates control the market. The essence of monopoly is against economic freedom and harms the business environment and consumer rights. The so-called liberal economy is just a pretext to monopoly. The competition between giant corporates and small business is like a fight between an armed man and a kid, however when someone hands the kid a rod to defend itself the monopoly class feels unhappy and order their drummers and loquacious women to give lectures about “fairness”, blaming society for helping out the kid. Their bullshit is so stinky. Hong Kong is yet to pass its anti-monopoly law under the influence of monopolized capital, can we still say it is a free economy?
Hui Yuk believes that [zh] the greatest achievement of the occupation is the reflective space it has generated:
當人們能接受不需要確切的目標的時候，想像就真正開始﹕無限的訴求(infinitively demanding)。佔領中斷了我們固有的操作手法，並開拓了一個新的思考空間。我想許多人並未能真正領會這樣的驚嘆﹕「佔領竟然可以在香港發生！」。要留意「佔領」並不是一個純粹的反抗行動，例如駐地留守 、保衛家園。傳媒的鏡頭永遠只會將「佔領」視為抗爭，而無法理解「佔領」實踐上的多層意義。最基本的，是它嘗試顛覆空間既定的符號（symbol)，例如將一個辦公室當成了住所，將那裡工作的人當成客人或者入侵者，於是人們重新建立空間的秩序，行動者重新去論釋空間、物件的使用，使他們從一個使用者、消費者的被動身分，重奪（re-claim)他們的主權。
This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.


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Jamaica: I Think, Therefore I Am  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Long Bench responds to a newspaper editorial suggesting that the “silent middle class must assert itself”, saying: “The term ‘well-thinking Jamaicans'…smacks of an elitism that is based in the editors’ sense of the moral superiority of some groups over others.   Is ‘thinking’ supposed to allude to education level and capacity to engage with ideas in a complex way? Then say that.  Just be aware that you can’t critique political engagement in Jamaica based on this vague sense of who’s ‘thinking’ versus not.”


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Mozambique: Rare photo of President dancing  · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

A photo of President Guebuza dancing has gone “viral” by Mozambican standards on Facebook, with over 500 likes and 440 comments. @ Verdade newspaper photographer Miguel Mangueze captured the rare moment.

author: Janet Gunter


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Nepal: Prime Ministers India Visit Draws Attention · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bhumika Ghimire summarizes Twitter reactions on the Nepali Prime Minister Babu Ram Bhattarai's recent visit to India.


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Oman: Statute of State Amended Following Shura Council Elections · Global Voices
Riyadh Al Balushi

Two nights ago a Royal Decree by the Sultan of Oman Qaboos announced amendments to the Basic Statute of the State – the closest legal document the country has to a constitution – giving the Shura (Consultative) and State councils a say in the way the country is run. The new laws give both houses new legislative and monitoring powers.
The Sultanate of Oman has had its share of protests and public outcry earlier in the year pushed the Sultan to do a major reshuffle of the Cabinet of Ministers, increase salaries, and grant thousands of scholarships to send Omanis to study abroad, amongst other reforms. However, the biggest change the Sultan promised, in March 2011, was issuing an amendment to the Basic Statute of the State to empower the Shura Council and the State Council with legislative and monitoring powers. This amendment finally came out on Wednesday 19 October, 2011.
This biggest amendment to the Basic State allows the Shura Council (an 84-member elected council) and the State Council (an appointed council) to have a more significant role in the legislative procedure. The collective capacity of the two councils forms the Council of Oman, which now has the exclusive authority for submitting draft laws to the Sultan after receiving proposals for these from the Cabinet of Ministers.
Previously the Cabinet of Ministers was the body responsible for this procedure, but according to the new text of the Basic Statute of the State the Cabinet of Ministers must pass draft laws to the Council of Oman who can review it and amend it before submitting it to the Sultan. The Cabinet of Ministers cannot bypass the Council of Oman even when it comes to laws that require expedite treatment as the Council of Oman will still have to see it but will have a limited time frame to review the document before submitting it to the Sultan.
The amendment to the Basic Statute of the State also added new authorities to the Council of Oman to review draft development plans and the annual budget, and the Cabinet of Ministers is required to look into the comments made by the Shura Council on the entry into any international treaty that has an economic or cultural impact before signature.
There are many other amendments such as a minimum qualification requirement for members of the Shura Council and further authorities on questioning Ministers, but a major amendment involves the appointment of the next Sultan; prior to the amendments the Basic Statute of the State required the Defence Council to enforce the secret will of the Sultan on who should rule next if the Ruling Family fails to agree within the period of three days after the death of the Sultan on that matter. The new amendment makes the Defence Council work with the Head of the State Council, the Head of the Shura Council, and the Head of the Supreme Court along with two of his deputies to enforce that will.
The reaction to the amendments of the Basic Statute of the State has been somewhat mixed, a great number of people are optimistic about the new changes as it seems to them the Shura Council will finally be able to have an influence in the decision making process, while some people on the other hand are disappointed that the opinions of the Shura Council are still not truly binding on the government and the Sultan still has the authority to reject the opinion of the Shura Council and take that of the Cabinet instead.
A discussion board commentator going under the name of Firas Al Riyami [ar] posted the following:
Another commentator on the same discussion board going by the name ‘Ibrawi Omani’ didn't share the same optimistic view saying [ar]:
It will be very hard to predict what approach the Sultan will take when dealing directly with changes requested by the Shura Council and there are still other significant issues about the elected members of the Shura Council as many still believe that tribal pressures force people to vote for their tribal leaders instead of voting for capable people who they can really trust and support.
The Shura Council in its current form is also still not well equipped for reviewing legislation or international treaties as the members of the Council do not have staff members or even an office to go to and study the legal documents they are expected to comment on.
The majority of Omanis do not seem to be bothered with the fact that the exact scope of the authorities of the Shura and State Council were unknown, as the country was alive with excitement about the recent elections for the membership of the Shura Council, probably due to the assumption of many people that the future government will be selected from among members of the Shura Council. The result was that the country was swept with billboards of candidates and advertisements filled the newspapers and the Internet, and on Sunday the results came out with the names of the 84 members of the new Shura Council of Oman.
To me personally, the results seemed somewhat anti-climatic as it seems that the majority of people who got elected were tribal leaders who have always been elected to the Shura Council due to the tribe influence in many regions in Oman. Only one women made it to the council, and as we do not know what the authorities of this council will be yet, we really cannot expect much of them yet.
Blogger Mohammed Al Shahri wrote about the elections in a positive [ar] light saying:
Blogger Mahfif [ar] from Dhofar, on the other hand, believed that tribal influence was very significant in these results:
The elections took place before the people got to know the exact scope of authority the Shura Council now has, and the new amendments require the members now to have at least a high school certificate as a minimum qualification requirement – this could mean that a number of of elected members who are old tribal leads with no educational qualification might have to be removed, but that it is still not confirmed.
We are going through interesting times in the Sultanate of Oman as it tries to draw a balance between its gradual approach in making political and cultural change and the public's desire to have a change right here and right now.

author: Riyadh Al Balushi


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Pakistan: Twitter Stories · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakistani blogger Awais Aftab has started contributing to 140-character stories on Twitter according to a prompt which is circulated every day.


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Slovenia: OccupyLjubljana Evolves Into “Boj Za” (“Fight For”) · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

This week, PIRAN CAFÉ has been posting updates, photos and video from the OccupyLjubljana protest, which is taking place in front of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, Borza: “BORZA is Slovenian for bourse, or stock exchange. At yesterday’s demonstration, the R was knocked off the archway. Today it was replaced with a J. BOJ ZA translates to, ‘Fight For’.” BORUT PETERLIN in a rabbit hole of photography posts a 5AM photo from the Ljubljana Boj za camp (“For eleven years I’m working on a 5am project where I take pictures around 5am in different places of Europe and hopefully once it’ll be a book.”)


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South Asia: Reactions on the New Beginning of Libya · Global Voices
Jehan Naseem

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
The death of Muammar Gaddafi marked the end of more than four decades of autocratic rule in Libya. People from all over the world are expressing their views on  his reign, the way he died and the new beginning it promises to Libya. South Asian bloggers were also quick to express their opinions.
Shiv Aroor, a journalist from Indian news channel Headlines Today, described his account of a day in Bin Jawwad, Libya. He was only a kilometer from Gaddafi's forces with his colleagues, trying his best to survive:
It was bitterly cold that night. While rebel ack-acks continued to fire sporadically through the night, the whipping Mediterranean wind would make it one of our more uncomfortable nights. We drove back to the hospital, and asked Dr Altarash if he was sure he could accommodate us, since we didn't want to stay at the hotel. “Don't even think of staying at the hotel. That's the most dangerous place around here. Stay the night here with us. You can eat what we eat, sleep where we sleep. If we have to die, we die together. We are family,” he said. And he really meant it.
Indrajit Samarajiva from Sri Lanka writes:
Ah, Muammar. One of an older breed of amusing psychopaths, something like the Mervyn Silva of the international stage. If you can ignore the torture, the murder, the corruption, the terrorism and the general FAIL, he was a funny guy. Zenga Zenga. Now he’s dead.
Tunisians and Libyans celebrate the demise of Gaddafi in front of the Libyan Embassy in Tunis with the Libyan flag. Image by Hamideddine Bouali. Copyright Demotix (20/10/2011)
In my own blog, I highlighted my family's experience of living in Libya in the beginning of Gaddafi's rule:
Libya would never be the same under General Gaddafi’s rule. The Libyan Constitution ceased to exist. Whatever words he would utter, with immediate effect, become the law. No one had the choice to refute it, what he said, was as good as done. Since he had severe ambivalence towards any “western” foreign influences, all foreign languages were removed from the local schools. This was exceptionally difficult for my eldest sister’s education.
Pakistani blogger Kashif Aziz at Chowrangi wonders where the recent revolutions in Arab world will lead to:
I take this recent wave of revolution in Arab lands, labelled as the Arab Spring, as another phase of the New Middle East proposal floated during Bush regime. The wave that toppled the governments of Tunisia and Egypt, shook Bahrain and Yemen and spread anarchy in Syria while Iraq has already disintegrated, Libya has recently fallen down and Pakistan is in the crosshairs.
So what’s next? and to what this chaos and mayhem will lead to?
Indrajit concludes his post with:
From Prabhakaran to Bin Laden, terrorists are being found and killed. While I take no particular pleasure in this, it is probably a net good. War is never good, but wars that end and enable a better future can be. I wish creatures like Gaddafi would never emerge in the first place, but here’s hoping that we’re entering an era where such obvious douchebaggery is either weeded out or never takes root. Good luck Libya. You’re gonna need it.
As the world prays for the Libyans so they can have a start, they battle for their daily lives; hoping that their future generations can have a new beginning with ease.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

author: Jehan Naseem


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Sri Lanka: Education Policy Requires Change · Global Voices
Rezwan

Serendipity opines that the present Sri Lankan Education Policy requires a complete overhaul.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Tweeting for Anya  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Globewriter attended the Project Runway party yesterday evening, which Trinidadian designer and finalist Anya Ayoung-Chee attended via Skype.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Armenia: An Azerbaijani car in Yerevan · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Fresh from his recent journey through Turkey, Areg Harutyunyan posts a photograph of a Mercedes with an Azerbaijani number plate driving on the roads of Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on his Google+ page. Although likely a foreign resident of the oil-rich country, the photo has initiated an interesting discussion as to who might be driving it given that Armenia and Azerbaijan are still technically at war over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh: Occupy Dhaka, Joining the Movement Against the 1% · Global Voices
Rezwan

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.
Occupy Wall Street, the peaceful protest against financial corruption and capitalism that started last month in New York City's financial capital, has already spread in many countries of the world. People have joined under the motto: “We are the 99% who will not tolerate the greed and corruption of the remaining 1%.” And the statement is also being resonated in some streets of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
In a photo essay in Demotix Safin Ahmed reports  about a protest in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street Movement in Dhaka on  October 19, 2011 :
The People Solidarity Movement from Bangladesh gives solidarity to the global occupy Wall Street movement by holding a protest.
Activists chant and wave placards and banners supporting the global movement against the banks, and corruption. Image By Safin Ahmed. Copyright Demotix (19/10/2011)
Blogger Rasel Parvez writes [bn] about the need of such protest and asserts that the movement should be non-violent:
আমাদের জীবনযাপনে রাষ্ট্রের আরও সক্রিয় আন্তরিক অংশগ্রহনের দাবীতে আমাদের একমত হতে হবে। আমরা ৯৯% মানুষ রাষ্ট্রের ক্রমাগত উদাসীনতা, উপেক্ষায় বিক্ষুব্ধ এবং আমাদের ভেতরে এই অভাববোধ বিষয়ে সচেতনতা জন্মেছে এটা নিশ্চিত করতে হবে।
একই সাথে সহিংসতা এড়িয়ে চলতে হবে। অকুপাই ওয়ালস্ট্রীটের অবস্থানে অংশগ্রহনকারীদের সবচেয়ে বড় সম্পদ তাদের শৃঙ্খলাবোধ, গত ১ মাসেও তারা সহিংসতা দেখান নি।
We have to agree on the fact that the government should be more active and earnest in ensuring our livelihoods. We, the 99%, are outraged by the the long negligence and ignorance by the state and we are now building awareness.
We have to avert violence. The greatest asset of the occupy wall street movement is their discipline, they have not resorted to violence in the past month.
Soon more organizations joined the cause and planned a “Occupy Dhaka” [bn] movement on October 22, 2011 at Teacher and Student Center (TSC) square inside Dhaka University Campus which was promulgated using Facebook and Twitter.
The Poster for We Are 99% (Occupy Dhaka)
Renowned teacher, economist and activist Anu Muhammad urged everybody [bn] to join the protests to take back Bangladesh:
Click image to view the leaflet in Bangla
দেশে দেশে একই শ্লোগান দিয়ে মানুষ উঠে আসছে রাস্তায়। শ্লোগানের মূল কথা দুটো; একটি, নিজের পরিচয় ঘোষণা: ‘আমরা ৯৯%’। আরেকটি, আন্দোলনের লক্ষ্য ঘোষণা: ‘দখল কর….’! কি দখল? দখল ক্ষমতার কেন্দ্র, দখল নিজের দেশ, দখল নিজের জীবন। প্রকৃত অর্থে নিজের জীবন, সম্পদ ও দেশ দখল করেছে শতকরা ১ ভাগ লুটেরা, দখলদার, যুদ্ধবাজ সন্ত্রাসী। লক্ষ্য এসব দখলমুক্ত করা। কেননা দেয়ালে পিঠ ঠেকে গেছে।[..]
ক্ষমতার কেন্দ্র অটুট রেখে সরকারের বদলে কিছুই বদল হবে না। এটা যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের শিক্ষা, এটা বাংলাদেশের শিক্ষা। মানুষ এখন তাই দখল করতে চাচ্ছে ক্ষমতার কেন্দ্র। বাংলাদেশেও মানুষকে বাঁচতে হলে, নতুন ভবিষ্যৎ নির্মাণ করতে হলে, দ্বিজোটীয় বিভাজনের ঘোরে লুটেরা, দখলদার সন্ত্রাসী শতকরা ১ ভাগের যে শৃঙ্খল, তা থেকে মুক্ত হতে গেলে এই মেরুকরণকেই নতুন রাজনীতির কেন্দ্রে আনতে হবে। বাংলাদেশে এই লড়াই নতুন নয়, জনগণের শতভাগ মালিকানায় দেশ ও তার সম্পদ প্রতিষ্ঠার চলমান লড়াইয়ের অন্তর্গত শ্লোগানই হল: আমরা ৯৯%, দখলমুক্ত কর বাংলাদেশ।
A placard. Image by Kowshik Ahmed. Used with permission.
In every nation people are coming out in the streets chanting the same words. The slogan has two parts; one, identify ourselves: ‘We are 99%’. The other part; set the goal of the movement: ‘Occupy..’ Occupy what? Occupy the center of power, occupy your own country, occupy your own lives. In reality your lives, natural resources and country are being controlled by 1% looters, acquirers and war mongers.  Our goal is to free those because we are pressed back at the wall.
Changing the government keeping the power centers intact will not change anything. This is the learning from the US, This is the learning from Bangladesh, too. So people want to occupy the center of power. If the Bangladeshis want to live, build a new future, get themselves free from the two feuding, corrupt and occupier political alliances then they have to re-polarize the politics. This struggle in Bangladesh is not new, if the citizens want that their country and the resources will be controlled by them then the slogan of the movement is applicable to them: We are the 99%, free Bangladesh from occupation.
Kowshik Ahmed posts pictures of the protests in BDNews24blog and in a Facebook Album. He also posts a video showing the rally.
Bloggers and online activists expressing solidarity at TSC. Image by Kowshik Ahmed. Used with permission.
An anonymous blogger at Sachalayatan describes about today's protest in Dhaka:
হাজার হাজার মানুষ ওয়ালস্ট্রিটে অবস্থান নিয়েছে কর্পোরেট তন্ত্রের প্রতিবাদে। আজ শনিবার ঢাকায় টিএসসিতে সেই আন্দোলনের সাথে সংহতি জানিয়ে একত্রিত হয়েছিলেন কয়েকশ উচ্চকন্ঠ মানুষ।  [..] আজ বামধারার রাজনীতিকরা এই প্রতিবাদের সামনের সারিতে আছেন। কিন্তু এই জায়গাটা এমনকি তাদেরও না। এই জায়গাটা আমাদের। আমরা যারা বিকল্প ধারার মিডিয়াতে- ব্লগে, ফেসবুকে সচেতন হয়ে উঠছি ক্রমশ, সেই আমাদের। বাম মানুষগুলোর সাথে, তাদের পুরো দৃষ্টিভঙ্গির সাথে সহমত না হবার পরেও, সেই সচেতনতার ছাপ তাদের মধ্যে দেখতে পেয়ে, আজ আমরা ‘অকুপাই বাংলাদেশ’ এর সাথে সংহতি জানাচ্ছি।
এই প্রতিবাদগুলো, এই স্লোগান আর মিছিল সফল হবে কী হবে না আমার জানা নাই। ফেসবুকের ওয়ালপোস্টে আর ব্লগিঙে গতি পেতে থাকা এই নতুন প্রজন্মের আন্দোলন আগামিকাল বা পরশু সাফল্য নিয়ে আসবে কি না জানা নাই। কিন্তু একটা বিশ্বাস আছে। একদিন, ঘুমিয়ে থাকা মানুষেরা জেগে উঠবে। একদিন সবাই রাস্তায় নেমে আসবে। একদিন ১% মানুষের হাতের পুতুল হবার বদলে, ৯৯% মানুষ নিজেদের মতে চলবে। সেই দিন জেগে উঠে তারা দেখবে, তাদের আগে আমরা ছিলাম। আমাদের উপর দায়িত্ব, তারা জেগে ওঠা পর্যন্ত এই প্রতিবাদ সামনে এগিয়ে নিয়ে যাওয়া।
Thousands of people gathered in Wall Street to protest against Corporatism. Today Saturday a few hundreds of vocal Bangladeshi citizens expressed solidarity with that protest. [..] Today the left leaning politicians are in the fore front of this protest. But this place is not even theirs. This place is ours. This place is for those who are becoming aware by sharing the news and expressing themselves using the alternative media – blogs and Facebook. We do not share the ideology of the left, but we see the awareness in them. So we are with them in solidarity with the “Occupy Bangladesh” movement.
We cannot tell whether these protests, these slogans and rallies will be successful. We do not know whether this movement of the new generation generating Godspeed by posting in Facebook or blogs will bring success in the coming days. But we believe in one thing. One day, the sleeping citizens will be awake. One day everybody will be in the streets. One day, instead of being a puppet of the 1%, the 99% will be on their own. That day they will rise and realize that we were before them. Our responsibility is to carry this movement till they wake up.
This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.


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Cameroon Reacts to Presidential Election Results  · Global Voices
George Esunge Fominyen

This post is part of our special coverage Cameroon Elections 2011.
Humour, outrage, allusions to Muammar Gaddafi's demise and calls for peace have dominated online reactions to the official results of the Cameroon presidential election, which was won by the incumbent, Paul Biya.
Barely a few hours after the Supreme Court proclaimed Biya winner with 77.9 percent of the votes cast, some Cameroonians showed how adept they are at deriding the challenges they face.  Tweets inspired by a rap song suggesting that ‘Biya always wins’ quickly made rounds via the #cmr11 hashtag:
@titaleslie: “Paul Biya Feat Dj Khaled : All i do is win, win, win No matter what…”. #cmr11
Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982. The association of Biya with the ‘no matter what’ bling-rapper theme even has a photo-montage in which the long serving leader is made to look like the rapper DJ Khaled.
DJ Khaled “All I Do Is Win” featuring Ludacris, Rick Ross, T-Pain & Snoop Dogg:
In any case, Cameroonians needed all the good humour they could muster to keep them going while waiting for the final results of this poll organized on 9 October.
President Paul Biya is made to look like the rapper DJ Khaled. Image courtesy of camerounmonpays blog
The court session for the proclamation of results was long and tedious. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Alexis Dipanda Mouelle read continuously for nearly nine hours.
Dibussi Tande tweeted saying:
@dibussi: Justice Dipanda's reading is now officially longer than Fidel Castro's longest speech ever which was 7 hrs 10 mins #cmr11 #cameroon
Bate Etah said:
@BateEtah: You could fly from Dakar to Yaounde with Abidjan, Cotonou stopovers b4 Chief Justice is done reading election results #cmr11 @gefsoutlook
But he also had some advice:
@BateEtah: To Cameroon authorities: Reading election results for over 8hrs does NOT make them democratic. It shows the height of incompetence. #cmr11
Here is a video (in French) with excerpts (not the 9 hours!) of Justice Dipanda Mouelle announcing the winner. He said:
First Biya RDPC (CPDM party) 3,772,527 (votes cast) giving 77.989 percent…By consequence of obtaining the majority of votes cast, candidate Paul Biya is declared President of the Republic
Leslie Tita put together on his Diary of an African Designer blog, an infographic depicting the election results and process for those who are interested.
Beyond the results, what have Cameroonians learnt from this electoral process? Dibussi Tande at Scribbles From the Den publishes the address by the United States Ambassador to Cameroon at a civil society post-electoral roundtable organised by his Embassy. Dibussi highlights this excerpt from the Ambassador's statement:
Democracy cannot exist in theory if it does not exist in practice.  It cannot exist on paper if it does not exist on the streets.  As I have said on several occasions, we cannot wait until the conditions for democracy are perfect before we start exercising our democratic rights.  We must create conditions for democracy by exercising our democratic rights.
Further down the script Ambassador Jackson said:
As Americans we believe that as the world as a whole democratizes, the world as a whole prospers and frees itself from poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, hatred, discrimination, and war.  The underlying premise is that we must progress in tandem rather than apart and that the people of every country should have equal opportunity and freedom.  Promoting democracy and civil society around the world is not interfering…it is simply sharing our vision of what we wish for all peoples of the world.
So is there a possibility of an external intervention as seen in Libya?
Some Cameroonian bloggers have connected dots between former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Paul Biya, suggesting that  Gaddafi's death at the hands of revolutionaries a day before the Cameroon  results were published, should be an eye-opener to Biya.
The Chia Report said:
As Kaddafi may testify to Biya from the great beyond, there is no such thing as loyalty to a falling King. Human nature is infallibly treacherous if the price is right. The picture of a bleeding and dying Kaddafi in Sirte, his birth town and now place of death, is yet another reminder to Biya that even his native Mvo Meka will not hide him from the wrath of the people as much as his leaving office will.
But there are those who believe that the election results are an endorsement of Paul Biya's vision for Cameroon. At least, that is the view of a journalist working for the country's state-run television. His analysis (video) could be seen on the Up Station Mount Cameroon blog.
This post is part of our special coverage Cameroon Elections 2011.

author: George Esunge Fominyen


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Ethiopia: Netizens Shine Spotlight on Trial of Swedish Journalists · Global Voices
Endalkachew Chala

The trial of two Swedish journalists accused of terrorism in Ethiopia after being detained during a battle between government troops and rebels started on Tuesday 18 October, 2011. The story has become a hot topic of discussion in both traditional media and online communities worldwide.
According to the ‘Free the Swedish Journalists Johan Persson & Martin Schibbye’ Facebook page:
The two Swedish journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye were arrested by Ethiopian forces on July 1, 2011 when entering the Ogaden region in Ethiopia as embedded journalists with the ONLF guerrilla. This region is closed for journalists and aid organizations, but Johan and Martin wanted access in order to interview the local population about alleged violation of human rights in the area on a… daily basis. Travelling with the guerrilla was the only way to enter.
In his weekly Amharic feature article titled “Ethiopia – a country that permits public demonstration for animal rights but not for human rights”, Dawit Kebede, managing editor of Awramba Times (one of the few remaining private Amharic weeklies) satirizes the latest interview of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi with Aftenposten as a buy and sell business, since Awramba Times imported the interview and translated it for Amharic readers like an Ethiopian import of a foreign currency.
The two Swedish journalists who are facing terrorism charges in Ethiopia.
With this claim he showed how journalists from the private press have been methodically barred from meeting or interviewing Prime Minster Meles Zenawi for his entire time in power.
In its weekend editorial, Awramba Times appealed for comparable opportunity with state media journalists regarding access to information of government activities. Along with Prime Minster Meles Zenawi’s interview with Aftenposten, Awramba Times has translated an article written by Caelainn Barr and tried to draw attention to current status of journalists and press freedom in Ethiopia with specific reference to the Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye case.
More than 100 opposition activists, journalists and others have been detained under Ethiopia’s broad anti-terror law that can punish someone up to 20 years in prison for simply publishing statements that could indirectly encourage terrorism. The Columbia Journalism Review has reviewed the coverage of Swedish media:
The Swedish press later revealed that Persson and Schibbye were specifically reporting on potential human rights violations committed by Lundin Petroleum, a Swedish-owned energy company with natural-gas operations in Ogaden
BAOBAB has highlighted the status of  press freedom in Ethiopia by epitomizing the case of Eskinder Nega, another prominent Ethiopian  journalist who has been imprisoned on similar accusations for his criticism of the government following the Arab uprisings.
But this did not go down well with Ethiopian blogger Daniel Berhane:
Criticizing Press Freedom in Ethiopia is a good thing. Promoting Eskinder Nega is a disgrace on the Economist. Let quote from my recent article: ‘Terrifying the Press signals Defeatism’
ZenaEthiopia.com reported that Ethiopia does not want the Swedish journalists involved in a sensitive trial and pointed out that Swedish journalists were denied visas to Ethiopia to cover the trial of imprisoned colleagues.
Lawyers representing the Swedish journalists outside the court in Addis Ababa. Photo taken by Endalk.
Mohammed Keita of The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that several members of the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights raised concerns about Ethiopia's detention of journalists:
The government's high-profile imprisonment of Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, two Swedish journalists arrested in eastern Ethiopia while covering the activities of the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front, which the government designated as a terrorist group, drew a lot of questions, particularly from committee member Krister Thelin. After being repeatedly pressed about the fate of the journalists and details of the legal procedures following their arrests, a flustered Ambassador Fisseha Yimer Aboye, head of the Ethiopian delegation, told the committee that no further information would be provided. Rodley pressed the delegation to explain the legal procedures surrounding the arrests of two other journalists, Woubshet Taye and Reeyot Alemu, on suspicions of terrorism.
A Facebook page dedicated to raising awareness and funds for legal support has received more than 2,775 likes. Many participants of the page are focusing on their solidarity with Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson as the government attempts influence the trail process.
On a Facebook page created by Swedish European Member of Parliament, Cecilia Wikström, she has voiced concern that:
Cecilia Wikstrom asked yesterday two written questions to the EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton on how the EU can ensure that John and Martin's trial is true, and follows international standards and what it does to protect journalists from being accused of crimes while carrying out their job. We hope that this can be of any help and send our thoughts to John and Martin families.
An online petition has also been created with over 2,741 signatures.  Most people on the page demanded the government of Ethiopia to release the journalists quickly. Lotta Westerberg, a supporter of the cause, is more vocal of all. She urged the online community to sign on the page:
Please sign the petition. Part of the story is that the journalists were investigating Lundin Petroleum, charged with being involved with war crimes in Sudan. Mr. Carl Bildt, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is a former board member
Endalk looked at how the local press in Ethiopia has been covering the issues just before the beginning of the trial:
A week before the commencement of the trial of the two Swedish journalists- Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye- charged with terrorism much of the global press was already reporting the case following Prime Minster Meles Zenawi’s interview with the Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten. Now, primer’s public allegations against two imprisoned journalists have become a dominant theme on pro-government media of Ethiopia. Interestingly enough, Walta Information Center, a pro-government private news and information service, that had been reporting about the Swedish-Eritrean journalist, Dawit Isaak and its subsequent concern of the Swedish authorities as Dawit remains jailed in the neighboring, Eretria kept shtoom about Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye
The trial of Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye will continue on November 1, 2011.

author: Endalkachew Chala


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Hungary: Oct. 23 Opposition Rally · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum and The Contrarian Hungarian write about the Oct. 23 anti-government rally, organized through a Facebook community called Egymillióan a magyar sajtószabadságért [hu; 88,272 ‘likes’]/One Million for the Freedom of Press in Hungary [en; 720 ‘likes’] – and about a pro-government rally, which was scheduled to take place on the same day some 700 meters away from the opposition rally, but was cancelled on Oct. 17, allegedly due to PM Viktor Orbán's Oct. 23 visit to Brussels.


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India: The Tihar Jail VIP Treatment Law · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lazy Optimist reports that certain criminal inmates with political backings receive VIP treatment in Tihar jail, the prison complex near New Delhi.


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Nepal: Crowd Sourced Fund For A Nepali Movie · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ujjwal Acharya posts an interview with Nepali film director Deepak Rauniyar, who is attempting to crowd-fund the post production of his movie – Highway.


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Spain: The October 15 Protests and Mass Media Coverage · Global Voices
Chris Moya

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
During the global protests in over 1000 cities and 82 countries this October 15, people gathered under the motto “United for global change” to demand their rights and a true democracy.  The Internet was flooded with videos [es] calling upon the thousands of citizens that disagree with the policies of social cuts and the submissiveness of the governments to the market and financial corporations.
@democraciareal: ¿Piensas quedarte en casa y leer lo que ha sucedido en los libros de historia? ¿o quieres ser partícipe y vivirlo? # yosalgo15O #15Oready
In Spain's particular case, the list of meeting spots was quite extensive, as seen in the following image:
#15O meeting points in Spain
In the first cities throughout the country, the influx of people was extremely large, reaching 500,000 in Madrid and 350,000 in Barcelona.  The streets in these called-upon cities filled with posters, ideas and people outraged by neoliberal measures. Both demonstrations took place peacefully and the plazas came to harbor the feeling of union for global change, a change of mentality.
The country's more conservative media, which has been misinforming readers from the moment the #15O movement began, took to the streets with the following front page:
ABC's front page, 16 Oct. 2011 – The indignant demonstrators “celebrate” their global protest.
The front page of El Mundo downplays the demonstrations and depicts protesters as violent.
@MikelSB: Acabo de ver la portada de #ABCbit.ly/nAqieS ¡Lamentable manipulación! Sacan la única manifestación con incidentes del #15o
The head of the newspaper El Mundo [es], Pedro J. Ramírez, conducted a poll on Twitter that suggests the position the conservative media wants to give the global movement for change; they either place 15M in the extreme left, portray them as violent, or completely belittle the thousands of people who took to the streets.
@pedroj_ramirez: Q opináis? a) El 15M generará nuevo partido de izdas. b) El 15M derivará en violencia antiRajoy. c) El 15M seguirá lúdico e irrelevante.
The front page of La Razón did not highlight the massive protests.
As seen on front pages the following day, on October 16 [es], not all newspapers share the same headlines nor partake in informational censorship in the least, unlike some cited previously.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Chris Moya


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Arab World: Cheering on Tunisia’s Elections  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisian Revolution 2011.
Tunisians are receiving positive vibes from netizens across the Arab world as they go to the polls today to elect a 218 member constituent assembly which will rewrite the country's constitution, appoint an interim president and a caretaker government.
The elections are historic in that they are described as the Arab world's first free elections in a people driven revolution wave which was sparked in Tunisia, leading the country's president for 23 years Zeine Al Abideen Ben Ali to flee Tunisia to the refuge of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The revolution has so far toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled for 32 years, and Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed three days ago, two months after his 42 year reign ended.
All eyes are on Tunisia today, as Tunisians reap a fruit from their revolution.
Dima Khatib exclaims:
@Dima_Khatib: Tunisia is the democratic lab of the Arab World. We really count on you Tunisians ! #TnElec
Shadi Hamdi tweets:
@shadihamid: Today, #Tunisia is holding the first real elections of the Arab spring. #TnElec
Egyptian Bassem Sabry notes:
@Bassem_Sabry: Today is both #Libya's official declaration of Liberation, as well as #Tunisia & The Arab World's first free elections. Great day.
Libyan Guma El Gamaty adds:
@Guma_el_gamaty: 8 months since revol. Tunisians hold 1st democratic elections. After 8 months of rev. Libyans r free & will have 1st elections in 8 months!
And Palestinian Lina Al-Sharif laments their own elections which saw Hamas rise to power:
@livefromgaza: I just feel so happy for the #Tunisians! All the best from #Palestine.There was a time when we had an election, but the West didn't like it!
Jordanian Naseem Tarawnah feels pride:
@tarawnah: Today, #Tunisia makes me proud to be an Arab. Thank you.
And fellow Jordanian Nadine Toukan is all smiles:
@nadinetoukan: Bouazizi is smiling today :) #Tunisia #tnelec
Many also fear Islamic party Ennahda win the majority of seats.
Hoda Abdel-Hamid remarks:
@HodaAH: #Tunisia takes the lead again and goes to the poll. friend said half joking ” tomorrow we will know whether we r secular or islamist.”
Foreign Policy‘s Doha based editor Blake Hounshell comments:
@blakehounshell: Tunisia: Ennahda will probably do well today because it focused on jobs, while the liberal parties focused on … Ennahda. #tnelec
And Egyptian Mohammed Kamel brushes off such fears:
@MohHKamel: Don't forget that #Tunisia-ns are more secular than us, and they're way ahead of us when it comes to literacy rates & women's rights. #Egypt
Whatever the outcome of the day, Free Tunisian or Tounsiahourra sums up the sentiments of many on this historic day [ar]:
@tounsiahourra: I have never cried alone. Today we sat and laughed and cried, proud of our belonging to Tunisia. Most of us are voting for the first time. Our prayers for our martyrs and those injured in the revolution. They are the ones who have made our dream possible.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisian Revolution 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Coworking Spaces and Nomad Workers in Japan · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Coworking is a growing worldwide movement, and Japan is no exception. Although known for its culture of long working hours and office-bound work style — traditions ingrained into the psyche of the salaried worker — the shift to coworking is not perhaps as surprising as it may seem.
The phase “nomad worker” hit mainstream consciousness with the publication of  “You don’t need an office to work – The Nomad Workstyle” (仕事するのにオフィスはいらない – ノマドワーキングのすすめ) by popular writer Toshinao Sasaki in July, 2009. The conversation was taken to the next level by the earthquake on March 11th and the events that followed. With Tokyo facing several weeks of severely disrupted work and months of reduced electricity usage, the conversation around alternative methods of working naturally accelerated, from daylight savings time to a renewed interest in freelancing. Coworking was among these.
Journalist/consultant Ken Kato defines it this way:
コワーキング（Coworking）とは一言でいえば、アイディアや情報・ファシリティ・スキルなどをシェアすることにより、オフィス環境を共有する相乗効果を生み出そうとする新しい働き方です。既存のレンタルオフィスのような時間貸しのスペースとは異なり、会議室やイベントスペース等を兼ね備えたオープンな空間になっているのも特徴で、単なる空間ではなく、コミュニティ･スペースであると言えるでしょう。
Here is a shortlist map of coworking spaces in Japan. The green pins stand for spaces that allow both membership and drop ins, light blue is for shared offices (membership only), yellow is for cafe spaces (drop in only), pink is for corporate spaces (drop in only), and blue is for those that are not categorized.
New coworking spaces are popping up like crazy, mostly in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe. One such example is “The Terminal” in Harajuku, Tokyo. Blogger Ayako documents her visit on its opening day this past August with a photo report.
Terminal, photo by Ayako on the Tokyo Nomad Work blog
Tomohiko Yoneda tweeted his impression:
今日オープニングレセプションがあった原宿のコワーキングスペース「ターミナル」は物凄い人で注目の高まりを伺えた。本当にノマドやワークスペースに大きな関心が寄せられていることを日に日に感じる。場所に縛られず仕事をしたり、人と交流する事に人々がどんどん意識的になっている時代。
Tony Bacigalupo, the co-founder of New Work, visited no less than four coworking spaces in Tokyo on a recent trip. He comments about Paxi House, which is partly a restaurant specializing in coriander.
Seeing Paxi House combine restaurant and coworking space was an eye opening experience. To succeed and compete with their franchise chain counterparts, small cafes and restaurants must develop a strong following and a healthy community around their spaces. […] Coworking space owners would do well to pay close attention to how these existing business owners find success, not to mention how they cope with their small scale. Paxi House takes this analogy to the extreme by actually being both a small restaurant and coworking space. I would love to see more places like this popping up and succeeding.
Startup incubator Samurai Incubate just announced that it will open a coworking space for its startups, making it one of the country’s largest facilities of its kind. In an article covering their announcement, tech writer Masaru Ikeda provides a map of other startup-related facilities, saying:
In Tokyo, we now have quite a few incubator-supporting co-working spaces and incubation offices here in Tokyo.
Real estate developer Mori Building has also been in the game for a while, with a membership program for a shared library and coworking space in the skyscrapers of Roppongi Hills. Again, Tony Bacigalupo:
They are the boldest attempt I’ve seen at merging library with coworking. And the location we visited is perched on the 49th floor of a big office tower. And they’re huge.
Existing cafes and restaurants have also started to cater to this segment. @elm200 tweets about a branch of the 45+y.o. mega-chain Renoir Cafe, which offers free wifi and power chargers to customers.
うーむ渋谷桜丘のルノアールの癖に客が多い…つかルノアールって数年前よりずっと流行っている気がするのよね。内装もきれいにしたし、ノマドワーカーを始め、PC を使うビジネス客をうまくつかまえている気がするね。
Because of the nature of the open communication, there is a lot of information online about it. The Facebook group sees active exchange of information about different spaces and events. People are constantly sharing their discoveries on nomad working, as can be seen by @TakuyaKawai‘s tweet:
マクドナルド六本木ヒルズ店1階はノマドワーカーの超穴場。ﾎﾞｿｯ
The affinity with the Internet doesn't end with sharing information. On the Japanese crowdfunding platform Campfire, co-ba recently raised funds to start their space, while Jelly Jelly Cafe procured decent chairs with a project [ja] called “Save Our Ass”.
p_co-ba2 from campfirejp on Vimeo.
The relaunch of the mutli-social media client Crowy was a direct fruit of connections and collaborations:
Today's big refresh happened because of a fortunate encounter this August. Another developer, Yuya Yoshida met designer Yutaka Fujiki at Open Source Cafe Shimokitazawa and became connected. They started collaborating on Crowy together from August, also involving other coworking place participants as beta testers and source of feedback.
Kenji904 recently set up shop in  PAX Coworking, the space adjunct to Paxi House. While coworking spaces are normally associated with freelancers, he opened a Tokyo sales office for his Aichi Prefecture based company that offers printing services for cloth material.
He explains his reasons –
・情報の最先端は東京にあるし、規模が大きい
・ITやWEBの知識がこれからは必ず必須になる
・競合から奪うのではなく、新規事業や新規業界を創る事が大切
・デザイナーやWEB業界などとコラボレーションは重要
– and his take on the idea:
何気なく自分の求めているゆるい人との繋がりを産み出してくれるのがコワーキングスペースなのかなと思っています。リアル版のゆるい繋がりをうむSNS的なイメージです。
そこにはその場所のマスター的なカタリスト（触媒）の人がいて、最初はいろいろ場所を形成してくれています。なので、初めて参加しても、何となくみんなが受け入れてくれるような場所の雰囲気が出来上がっています。
そして何回か行くうちにそこにいる人みんながそれぞれ触媒になっていく感じを最近感じています。

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Egypt: Man Jailed for Three Years for Insulting Islam on Facebook  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Ayman Youssef Mansur has been sentenced for three years with hard labour in Egypt for “insulting Islam” on Facebook, reports Brian Whitaker in Al Bab.


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Egypt: Watching the Tunisian Elections · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage for both the Egypt Revolution 2011 and Tunisian Revolution 2011.
The Tunisian revolution preceded the Egyptian one and since then, the Tunisians pursuit of democracy has been inspiring to the Egyptians. And now the Tunisians – inside and outside Tunisia – are busy with electing members of an assembly that will appoint a new government and then write a new constitution.
The polling station in the Tunisian embassy in Cairo. Photo taken by Nessryne Jelalia
Those outside Tunisia, including those living in Egypt, started the voting process three days earlier than those inside Tunisia.
@SoniaElSakka: 20, 21,22 Oct Tunisian living abroad will vote around the world. 3 days of pride a dream we never believed could happen ta7ya [long live] Tunis #TNelec
Nessryne,  a Tunisian living in Cairo, tweeted her feelings after voting for the first time in her life.
@nessryne: Such an emotional moment!! Cairo voting office is really cool and people are friendly but strict. #Egypt #TneElec
@nessryne: I need to calm down! I have to work today! Completely euphoric and HAPPY!!! #TneElec
Sonia El Sakka, another Tunisian in Egypt, wrote in her blog:
I voted ya Tunis :)
I did it … I finally voted … For the first time in my life what an amazing feeling of pride of happiness and of great hope for you my beautiful country … Praying for you to find the right path, Praying for my amazing Tunisian family, brothers and sisters to find our long awaited country the way we want it to be.
I am very optimistic very happy and no matter what many people think.
…
I Love You Tunisia the country of my birth, the country of my first smile, first word, first VOTE :)
Meanwhile, the Egyptians are watching the elections and expressing their happiness with it.
In both countries the opinion of each people about the other over the past 30 years was mostly based on their football rivalry. It is interesting to see how some Egyptians see Tunisia now, how some others used to have a different opinion earlier, and how visiting each others country has became an inspiring experience.
Being two of the older children of the so-called Arab Spring, many Egyptians have also started comparing how their post-revolution process is going to that in Tunisia.
@mohamedzezo92: كنت أتمني أن مصر تبقي زي تونس وندعو لانتخاب جمعية تأسيسة لسن دستور جديد بس ع كل الأحوال تحية لأهل تونس
@MahmoudAboBakr: الناس اللى بتقول تونس احسن مننا والثورة هناك سبقت ثورة مصر، طيب وهو فيه كتاب او كتالوج بيحدد مراحل الثورة وشكلها
Also it's a good chance to learn from the elections there, with the Egyptian elections around the corner.
@TravellerW: Are #Egypt-ians following the #Tunisia elections closely enough? From campaigning ideas to negative advertising, we must WATCH AND LEARN!!
And finally, despite the fact that they are both Arab-speaking countries, the language barrier sometimes stand in the way of those who want to follow the details of the events in Tunisia.
This post is part of our special coverage for both the Egypt Revolution 2011 and Tunisian Revolution 2011.

author: Tarek Amr


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France: Tunisian Diaspora Open “The Blue Finger Club”  · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisian Revolution 2011.
From October 20 to 22,  during  the three-day vote  for Tunisian living abroad,  Tunisian voters in France have joined the “Blue Fingers Club.”   Facebook and Twitter are flooded with pictures of inked-stained blue fingers, proof that they have – many for the first time in their lifetime- cast their ballots and are now part of the select club of early voters in the historical Tunisian constituent elections that culminates the Tunisian revolution.
One of the club new members, @Sonia_72 [fr], is ecstatic:
A voté, le cœur léger, un ciel bleu d'espoirs au bout du doigt, Youhouuu !
Image by @sonia 72 on Twitter
The ballot boxes are full: Image by @Emnalamine on Twitter
Cell phones were forbidden during the vote. While standing in the queue, Emna Lamine took this picture in her poll station, in the Northern suburb of Paris. It confirms a large turnout for the diaspora:
Les urnes pleines!
As a result, “Blue Fingers” have sprouted as fast as mushrooms on social networks in France. The picture below from Emna Ben Jemaa ‘s Facebook photo gallery “I have voted. And you?” has been published in media around the world. It is worth a thousand words to express the deep emotion Tunisians felt to be able to vote democratically.
A Tunisian in tears after voting in France – image by Emna Ben Jemaa
A Tunisian with his daughter after the vote: A day of pride – image by Emna Ben Jemaa
A young man shows off his vote for Tunisia- image by Emna Ben Jemaa
A Tumblr blog has also been created for new voters to upload the picture of  their blue fingers. Below are a few contributions.
Someone took her blue finger to the Eiffel Tower, to snap her Photo of the Year:
Voting in Paris
V spells victory, and voting:
V for victory
Someone sends a personal message to former president Zeine Al Abedine Ben Ali:
A special message to Ben Ali
The blue-finger set has gained a nickname in France:  “Stroumpfs” (Smurfs). Skydancer is feeling like a kid again.
The Smurfs make a come back
And A Photoshoped promise is sent over the Mediterranean sea to Tunisia, where voting has started today (October 23).
A promise of hope
Meanwhile, two young citizen reporters, Lynda El Awadey and Eléonore Bounhiol have collected video testimonies from voters in Paris [fr and ar]:
http://youtu.be/nmee8jR3Ygo
On Saturday, Zied Mhirsi (@Zizoo) worded this wish:
I hope that everyone in his life, lives days like this one, months like these ones, a revolution like this one #tunisia# tnelec
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisian Revolution 2011.

author: Claire Ulrich