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Students illustrate injustice and human rights abuses in the Philippines through the arts · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

This sketch features the shooting of an unarmed teenager by a person depicted as a pig. It reflects the extrajudicial killing of thousands of individuals, including teenagers, by masked individuals who are allegedly linked to the police and other state forces. Source: UGATLahi Artist Collective, used with permission
A group of Filipino high school students has reacted to the Philippines’ deteriorating human rights situation through the creation of powerful visual imagery.
The students attend Batasan Hills National High School (BHNHS), located in Batasan Hills, Quezon City, an urban poor community considered to be one of the bloodiest corners of President Rodrigo Duterte’s notorious campaign “Oplan Tokhang” (Tagalog for “war against drugs”).
The death toll in Duterte's anti-drug war reached 20,000 according to a December 2017 government report on the campaign's perceived success. Yet, they later retracted this number for a more conservative official figure of over 4,251 casualties as of April 2018.
Critics of Oplan Tokhang accuse Duterte's government of allowing state forces to arrest and kill drug suspects with impunity.
Batasan Hills has borne the brunt of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs with officers from the Batasan Station killing 108 individuals in anti-drug operations between July 2016 and June 2017, accounting for 39 percent of all killings in Quezon City during this period.
The students attended an art workshop organized by the activist group Sining Bugkos on August 28, 2018, with the aim of promoting a progressive and pro-people culture that raises the awareness of youth's rights to a peaceful future. The workshop is part of an art caravan themed Kultura Karapatan Kapayapaan (Culture, Rights, Peace).
Attended by 190 students, the workshop featured sessions on visual art, theatre, music, spoken word poetry, photography, and dancing.
Max Santiago, one of the workshop organizers and a member of the UGATLahi Artist Collective who participated in the workshop said:
Aware ang kabataan sa mga nangyayari sa lipunan. Makikita sa mga larawan ang EJK, Charter change,digmaan at ang agwat sa pagitan ng mahirap at mayaman sa lipunan.
The youth are aware of what's happening in society. On the images you can see extrajudicial killings, charter change, war, and the gap between the poor and rich in society.
Here are some of the digital images made by the students and shared by the UgatLahi Artist Collective:
This digital image calls for an end to drug-related extrajudicial killings. It collates images of some of the Oplan Tokhang operations in urban poor communities. Source: UGATLahi Artist Collective, used with permission.
This digital image depicts the killing of students and young people in the so-called ‘war on drugs’, and the public protests it generated. Source: UGATLahi Artist Collective, used with permission.
This digital image is headlined with the word ‘karapatan’ (right) and illustrates the eviction of poor families in many communities targeted by the government for commercial development. Source: UGATLahi Artist Collective, used with permission.
This digital image reflects the struggle of many students whose dream of finishing a degree is made difficult because of poverty. Source: UGATLahi Artist Collective, used with permission.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Google caves in to Russian demands, censors videos promoting a protest rally · Global Voices
RuNet Echo

Alexey Navalny, whose Anti-Corruption Foundation's videos were taken off YouTube by Google following a complaint by the Russian government, is currently serving a 30-day jail term for organizing a protest rally // Mitya Aleshkovsky, CC3.0
One day before a major rally against an unpopular pension reform was planned in Russia, Google informed the rally organizers, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, that it was taking down their YouTube videos promoting the rally, citing violation of Russia’s laws.
Russia’s administrative code imposes a “day of silence” on the day before an election, and all political campaigning is prohibited. The rally coincides with mayoral elections in Moscow on Sunday, September 9, as well as polling in other regions. Ads for several videos promoting the rallies in the 80 Russian cities where they were scheduled to take place were rejected, and the videos themselves were taken down by YouTube.
Earlier this week, Russia’s Central Elections Commission (CEC) and the Attorney General’s office sent a formal complaint to Google accusing the tech giant of election meddling. According to CEC member Alexander Klyukin, who spoke before the temporary commission to protect state sovereignty and prevent foreign interference into Russia's internal affairs, the Russian authorities took issue with Google’s promotion of Anti-Corruption Foundation founder Alexey Navalny’s political agenda. The temporary commission was established at Russia’s Council of the Federation (the upper chamber of parliament) last year. Navalny is a prominent opposition activist and is currently serving a 30-day sentence for attempting to organize an allegedly unsanctioned rally in January 2018.
Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s ally and former campaign manager when the activist ran for mayor of Moscow in 2013, said in a Facebook post that the Anti-Corruption Foundation had filed a formal complaint to Google and warned against the company's unquestioning compliance with every censorship demand from repressive governments:
Why is that so important.
This is not the first time when Russian authorities abuse their power to issue unlawful requests to the western IT-corporations. This is the first time, though, when Google decides to comply with such a request.
This sad precedent has to be given high priority and to be reverted. We realise how legal compliance works in large corporations: the lawyers would always advise just to follow local rules to avoid problems with the local authorities. This is a good practice in the countries where the rule of law is well established.
The corporations — including Google — should face the reality. In authoritarian regimes these are the governments who most frequently abuse the law. Not every request signed by a government authority should be automatically considered as a lawful one. Good portion of criticism is necessary to protect the users and their rights.
This latest scandal is unfolding as Google finds itself in the middle of an existential crisis of sorts, with employees revolting against what they see as as their company's embrace of censorship.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: RuNet Echo


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Jordanian health survey sparks online debate about family planning · Global Voices
Maram Alkayed

Jordanian mothers of non-citizen children in Amman on March 9, 2018. Photo by 2018 Amanda Bailly / Human Rights Watch. Used with permission.
The results of a survey carried out in 2017 by the department of statistics have generated mixed and conflicting opinions from Jordanians on social media. The study's findings sparked an online debate about family planning and women's choice, creating conversations about traditions and culture, feminist thought in Jordan, and the economic situation affecting the country.
The study was published in June 2018 but had not been popularized until a non-profit organization working to support and promote women's rights in Jordan published it on their Facebook page. Subsequently, news outlets picked it up and individuals shared it on their personal pages.
The study, whose objective was “to facilitate important government policies and programs that promote maternal and child health”, is the seventh Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to be conducted in Jordan.
Covering more than 19 thousand households, the department hoped to provide comprehensive data on fertility and mortality, family planning, maternal and child health, and nutrition.
For the first time in a Jordan DHS survey, a request was made of all respondents to self-declare their nationalities. Among women, 87 percent identified themselves as Jordanians, 9 percent as Syrians, and 5 percent as other 9 nationalities, which include Egyptians, Iraqis, and other Arab and non-Arab nationalities. Among men, 89 percent are Jordanians, 6 percent are Syrians, and another 6 percent are other nationalities.
When it comes to the choices made by Jordanian women and women of other nationalities residing in Jordan, several factors come in to play. Age, nationality, level of education, and wealth are all deciding factors when it comes to limiting and spacing childbirth, using family planning methods, teenage childbearing, and postnatal care.
Overall, the study revealed that 49 percent of married women in Jordan do not want to have any more children at any time in the future, and an additional 18 percent of married women want to delay having another child for at least 2 years.
When the study was shared on Facebook by news outlets, most mothers expressed that it was in line with their intentions regarding childbirth.
“I am one of these women”, commented Amal Ezzeh, a mother of two. “Count me in!” commented another mother under a pseudonym.
The study stated that summing these two figures implies that 67 percent of married women in Jordan may have a potential need for family planning services for either limiting or spacing births.
According to the study’s standards, women are considered to have “an unmet need for limiting” if they are: at risk of becoming pregnant while not using contraception and at the same time do not want more children, or are pregnant with an unwanted pregnancy.
Among women in Jordan, 14 percent have an unmet need for family planning services, while 52 percent are currently using a contraceptive method; that is, they have a met need for family planning.
Maysoon Alzoubi, spokesperson for the Higher Population Council in Jordan, told Global Voices that:
We have noticed that the demand for family planning methods is in decrease compared to last year, although the birth rate has dropped. That is quite odd, but the only possible explanation is that women are seeking traditional methods rather than modern ones.
When it comes to the ages of the mothers being surveyed, the results are in line with the recent changes in society that have led women in Jordan to get married and give birth at a later age than before. Women in Jordan are now getting married around the age of 24, in contrast to early traditions that considered women at this age to be “spinsters”.
The study caused a series of online debates, most of which were between people who supported a woman’s right to her body, and others who thought the findings (especially those of the limiting and spacing of birth) were offensive and against Jordanian values.
Awwad Abu Zied said in a Facebook comment on a post that shared the study:
Real Jordanian women love giving birth and raising a family. Women nowadays want to work and stay outside the house. What a world!
Ayman Abbadi made a similar point on the same post by saying:
Are you sure? The other half are spinsters and are dying for a any piece of man to give them some attention. Give my regard to your idiotic survey.
These men, however, were a few in contrast to the many more women and men who stood behind the study’s findings. Moreover, they were fiercely attacked, getting called “sexist” and “a disgrace to Jordanian men's reputation”.
In a post about the study shared by a news outlet's page, the comments from numerous supporters of women's rights read: “Jordanian women, you are doing amazing, sweeties!”, “Really? That's amazing!”, “I completely understand”.
Although the ongoing debates revolve around evolving Feminist thought in Jordan, another issue seemed to also dominate the debate — the economic situation.
With the economy reaching an all-time low in June, resulting in protests that overthrew the old government, it can no longer be denied that Jordan’s economy is in trouble.
When it came to the purpose of the study, one side had ardent supporters that said that the findings are what is to be expected in this situation.
Mohammad Alseifi, an Algerian living in Jordan, commented on a post about the study:
Because living in Jordan is horribly costly, who in their right mind would want another child when they can't even afford living for themselves? These numbers are saying something and the government should regard them!
Morale Tal, a Jordanian citizen, said in a comment on the same post, “with the low salaries and the cost of living? It's understandable.”
However, it is known that Jordan has very little resources other than its people. Therefore, people raised concerns that if the birth rate goes down (which it did this year), then Jordan is in even more trouble.
Moreover, there is the issue of an opinion that seems to be popular among some Jordanians: that Syrians are “trying to take over the country”. One step, it seems to some Jordanians, towards achieving that goal is when Syrians give more birth than Jordanians.
But Sarah Dandan told Global Voices her intentions of having “a big family”.
Unlike my family, I want a huge family. I want my kids to grow up like old times, with lots of brothers and sisters to play with. I don't care how I'm going to support them, I'll figure that out later.
With the debates coming to an end after a few days of the study's publication, the core issue remains that women in Jordan still cannot make decisions without them being “discussed”. Thus, Jordanian women are still on the path to being granted full rights without the boundaries society throws at them.

author: Maram Alkayed


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Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Shawkan to be released soon after five years in prison · Global Voices
Salma Essam

Egyptian photo journalist Shawkan is set to be released after spending five years in prison. Widely shared photo by Ayman Aref.
Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Shawkan was sentenced by a Cairo Criminal Court to five years in prison for covering the 2013 clashes of Rab'aa El Adaweya sit-in dispersal. But since he has been in detention for more than five years already, his lawyer said he will be able to walk free in the next few days.
Shawkan's verdict was part of a mass trial that included 739 people charged after the violent dispersal of a protest camp in support of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. During the same trial, 75 prominent members and affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood were sentenced to death.
Shawkan, 31, was accused of murder and being affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood which has been designated as a terrorist group by several governments in the region.
President Morsi was toppled from power after mass demonstrations took place against the latter in late June of 2013. Morsi's ouster, which was led by incumbent President Abdelfattah el Sisi, was followed by one of the most violent crackdowns on Islamists and dissents, leaving a vacuum in the opposition scene in Egypt.
Shawkan's detention has been prolonged because of postponed trials without having ratified official charges. Both charges and trial postponements have been criticized by the public and led to global campaigns calling for Shawkan's release. Some of the groups which campaigned for his freedom include Press Behind Bars, Press Uncuffed, Freedom for Shawkan, and Shawkan Photo Awards – a contest that aims to distinguish photojournalism in Egypt.
Torah prison, one of the most famous jails across Egypt known for harboring political prisoners, was where Shawkan has been detained. In March 2015, Shawkan wrote a letter published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), describing Torah prison as a cemetery:
It is a place where dreams come to die. A five-star paradise by Egyptian prison standards, I sleep on a cold tiled floor, I hang my bags of belongings on nails over my thin mattress. There is a tiny “kitchenette” where we prepare our food. We have a single element electric cooker, which we also use for warmth in the winter months. The “kitchenette” is adjacent to a squat-down drop toilet, which is basically a hole in the concrete floor. Both areas are separated by a hanging blanket to try and provide an element of privacy. Our dignity was left at the prison gates.
In April 2018, Shawkan was the first Egyptian to be awarded the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize after being selected by an independent jury of international media professionals, an honor that was denounced by Egypt's foreign ministry and the parliament.
The impending release of Shawkan was celebrated by rights groups and social media activists. Former political prisoner Mohamed Soltan asserted that the freelance journalist should not have been detained in the first place:
Shawkan, an award winning journalist, was sentenced to 5 years in prison (which he already served).
Shawkan will be released. Thats very good news he’ll finally be free. BUT he shouldn’t have been in prison for being a photojournalist in the 1st place. https://t.co/i5AmFEDjes
— Mohamed Soltan | محمد سلطان (@soltanlife) September 8, 2018
Journalist Bel Trew reiterated Soltan's tweet, saying:
Fantastic news that Shawkan will soon and finally be free. But only because he has already served 5 years in jail – the sentence he was handed today. He never should have been behind bars. He was arrested while doing his job as a photographer. #Egypt https://t.co/Ot8Ht74Pg2
— Bel Trew (@Beltrew) September 8, 2018
TV Presenter Osama Gawish criticized the sentencing of victims of the Raba'a massacre:
مبروك ل #شوكان وكل الأبطال اللي هيخرجوا بعد انتهاء مدة الحبس خمس سنين
والعار كل العار لقاضي باع ضميره وشرفه ودنس منصة العدالة وحكم بالإعدام على ضحايا مجزرة رابعة العدوية
— أسامة جاويش (@osgaweesh) September 8, 2018
Congratulations for Shawkan and all heroes who will be released. All shame on every judge who has no conscience and stained justice and sentenced other victims of Raba'a massacre.”
Activist Mostafa Hegazy is happy for Shawkan's family:
شوكان خلاص هيخرج، صحيح فرحة خروجه مطفية وسط بقية الأخبار السيئة بس على الأقل أسرة واحدة هتبات سعيدة النهارده لأول مرة من خمس سنين.. مبروك حريتك يا شوكان pic.twitter.com/baCCWys4BN
— .مُصْطفى (@iHegazy_) September 8, 2018
Despite one good news among many other bad ones, at least a family is happy today for the first time since five years. Congrats on your freedom, Shawkan”
Although Shawkan's release is a win for defenders of human rights, his verdict was part of a mass trial that saw 75 individuals receiving the death penalty.
The court's sentence is in line with President Abdelfattah el Sisi's systematic approach to arrest Muslim Brotherhood members following a second victory in the presidential elections this year in which his only challenger was a supporter of his campaign, placing greater political power in the hands of the military.
Whether by mass arrests or political prosecution or systematically forced disappearances, Sisi has been doing everything possible to finish off the Muslim Brotherhood since he became president in 2014.

author: Salma Essam


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Jamaica finds new appreciation for beloved cultural icon and language activist, ‘Miss Lou’ · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

A screengrab of an official photo from Jamaica's Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, capturing the unveiling of the statue honouring poet Louise Bennett-Coverley, posted on Twitter by Robert Nesta Morgan. Present at the ceremony were Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his wife, who is the Member of Parliament for the area, as well as Miss Lou's son.
Gordon Town, small, picturesque, and unpretentious, is nestled on the Hope River just outside Kingston, tucked between steeply sloping foothills. Travellers, who often pass through the town square on their way to the Blue Mountains, now have a reason to stop and take a look: Gordon Town was also the home of Louise Bennett-Coverley — fondly called “Miss Lou” — poet, folklorist, comedian, and above all, defender of the Jamaican language. On September 7, 2018, on what would have been her 99th birthday, residents, cultural activists, and government officials alike were proud to witness the unveiling of a statue in her honour in the town square.
Unlike other depictions of respected national figures, the statue won the approval of the Jamaican public; there are now plans to build a small museum and rename the square Miss Lou Square.
Diaspora writer Geoffrey Philp tweeted his reaction to the statue in Jamaican Patois:
Now das wha statue fi look like! Not no likkle fenke fenke mash mouth smaddy whe look like dem couldn’ mash ants
— Geoffrey Philp (@GeoffreyPhilp) September 8, 2018
Now that is what a statue is supposed to look like! Not a little weak, ineffectual, toothless person who looks as if he/she couldn't squash an ant.
While government officials waxed lyrical about the unveiling of the statue on social media, university researcher Deborah Gordon Hickling asked about the availability of Bennett-Coverley's work locally, even though a Deed of Gift was signed earlier in the week, handing over a collection of her work to the National Library of Jamaica:
I gotta ask, where in Jamaica has her work been curated in a place that Jamaicans can readily walk into and see and hear everything Miss Lou? Where can the documentary testament to her life’s work be seen? […] Where are audio tapes, the interviews to be publicly heard and celebrated? In Canada, McMaster University has a room of her work. Where can we see curated work about her groundbreaking, foundational, identity-forming work in Jamaica Welfare? Her social interventions that built pride and awareness of who we are.
Miss Lou always was much more than a lovable exponent of Jamaican culture. Her cheerful personality and comedic performances belied the serious intent of her work, which was to promote and popularise Jamaican Patois, a language that had been scorned throughout the colonial era:
Louise Bennett-Coverley (7 September 1919 – 26 July 2006) Jamaican poet, folklorist, and educator, born 99 years ago today. She wrote and performed her poems and folk songs in patois, preserving and popularising our nation's language. Miss Lou paved the way for all who came after. pic.twitter.com/3aZGcoOV8V
— Wayne Chen (@wcchen) September 7, 2018
Bennett-Coverley emerged at a time when it was particularly important for Jamaica to establish its national identity; however, more than fifty years after Jamaica's independence from Great Britain, Jamaica is still reluctant to fully embrace Patois. Broadcaster and educator Fae Ellington, a lively exponent of the language, recorded her thoughts on Miss Lou's birthday on both YouTube and Facebook:
It's September 7, Dr. The Honourable Louise Bennett Coverley would have been 99 today.
#Patriot
#Nationalist
#SocialCommentator
#Actress
#Poet
She reminded me that, ‘Yuh haffi tek kin teet suh kibba ‘eart bun’. True wud.
It's September 7, Dr. The Honourable Louise Bennett Coverley would have been 99 today.
#Patriot
#Nationalist
#SocialCommentator
#Actress
#Poet
She reminded me that, ‘You have to laugh to cover your heartburn (pain). True words.’
In Jamaican parlance, Miss Lou was skilled in the Jamaican art of “tek serious ting mek joke” — creating humour in a serious situation. As writer Claude Mills put it:
Underneath her wily […] comedic style, she forced the society to face unpleasant truths about itself through the multi-hued, multiracial colours in her verbal palette. But it is the bold, proud, unapologetic championing of the use of the Jamaican language internationally that so endeared her to many Jamaicans.
But Bennett-Coverley was not dogmatic in her approach. In a 2016 presentation at the National Library, Professor Mervyn Morris pointed out:
Miss Lou was trying to redress cultural imbalance by enhancing respect for Creole. She did not favour ‘so-so English’ [‘only English’]. […] She did not hesitate to speak and write in English as well as in Jamaican Creole. She was comfortable in both.
Miss Lou's work resonated far beyond Jamaican shores. One of her best-known poems, “Colonisation in Reverse”, was a wry commentary on the influx of Caribbean immigrants to the United Kingdom in the 1950s and '60s. A member of the diaspora herself, Bennett-Coverley introduced Canada — where she lived for a number of years — to Jamaican Patois, and her influence in her adopted country was considerable.
Miss Lou has received numerous honours and awards, of which the statue in Gordon Town is the latest tribute. However, some Jamaicans believe this is not nearly enough to honour her. Cultural activist Professor Carolyn Cooper is among those who believe Miss Lou should be made a national hero. During a heated debate last year, sparked by a young dancehall star's comments that were widely perceived to disrespect Miss Lou's legacy, she observed:
Louise Bennett's mission was essentially about black power. She said, ‘When I was a child, nearly everything about us was bad, yuh know; they would tell yuh seh yuh have bad hair, that black people bad, and that the language yuh talk was bad. And I know that a lot of people I knew were not bad at all — they were nice people and they talked this language.’
The lasting insult to Miss Lou is […] our continuing refusal to acknowledge the power of our Jamaican language. At home and in school! The Ministry of Education must ensure that every child is able to learn in his or her home language. It's a human right. That's one of the ways in which we will continue to honour Louise Bennett for generations to come. And while we're at it, we should just officially recognise the fact that Miss Lou is a national heroine.
Whether Miss Lou does acquire official status, or is simply regarded as a cultural legend, it appears that Jamaicans are acquiring a deeper appreciation of the significance of her work and the importance of language as the most fundamental expression of culture.

author: Emma Lewis


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More Afghan journalists killed as militants ramp up attacks on Shiites · Global Voices
Khojasta Sameyee

Kabul panorama by Masoud Akbari. CC 3.0.
A recent double suicide bombing that killed nearly two dozen people near a sports club in the Dasht-e-Barchi suburb of Kabul, has highlighted the plight faced by two of Afghanistan's most threatened groups: journalists and Shia Muslims.
Dasht-e-Barchi is a Shia-dominated part of Kabul. The first blast on September 5 targeted a crowd gathered outside a wrestling club. Witnesses said the bomber killed the club's security guard before self-detonating. A second bomber drove a car full of explosives into the area where police and journalists had gathered.
Among those that died in the second explosion were a reporter and a cameraman from Tolonews, the country's leading private broadcaster.
He was live moments ago on tv without knowing he himself will be making the headlines moments later. RIP dear friend ? condolences @TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/klpSUud5Ix
— Rateb Noori (@RatebNoori) September 5, 2018
Dear @saadmohseni @LNajafizada & @TOLOnews family. We share your grief & salute your resilience & strength. You are an integral part of the Afg phoenix. U hv brought smile & joy to million and continue to do so.These fallen heroes stand as two more pillars of your proud history. https://t.co/fnw810bKi4
— Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) September 6, 2018
Their deaths mean that at least eleven journalists have been killed in suicide bombing attacks since the beginning of the year. On April 30, nine journalists died during an attack in central Kabul.
The Dasht-e-Barchi district is still reeling from another horrendous attack last month when a bomber killed nearly 50 students taking classes in preparation for entering university.
Both attacks were claimed by ISIS, which views Muslims from the Shia branch as heretics.
The Afghanistan Arg (presidential administration) condemned the attack as a crime against humanity.
Notably, the Taliban also issued a condemnation of the attacks and attacks against civilians in general shortly after the twin blasts.
While the militant group has targeted Shias from the Hazara minority in the past, it seems to have scaled back sectarianism as it battles to retain authority over its fighters, who are prone to defecting to other militant groups.
As far back as 2015, Reuters reported that Hazara elders were actively reaching out to the Taliban for protection against ISIS, whose foothold in the country has reportedly grown with an influx of foreign fighters displaced from the Syrian conflict.
That fact was extraordinary, the news agency noted, because during the Taliban's reign Hazaras suffered mass killings at the hands of the Taliban.

author: Khojasta Sameyee


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Three years on, Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ movement finds fresh reasons to protest · Global Voices
Christophe Maroun

Protesters march against incinerators in Beirut. August 29, 2018. Photo by Hassan Chamoun, used with permission.
New protests by Lebanon's “You Stink” movement erupted in Beirut after authorities announced they will move ahead with incinerator plants in order to solve the city's chronic trash crisis.
Protesters marched towards Lebanon's parliament and the environment ministry offices on August 29, the day of the third year anniversary of the Beirut-born, youth-led movement. In 2015, “You Stink” mobilized thousands of people against the government's waste mismanagement in what turned out to be Lebanon's largest non-partisan street demonstrations since the end of the civil war in 1991.
Beirut officials first revealed the incinerator plans in October 2016 following a consultation with their counterparts in Copenhagen, which is considered to be the cleanest European capital. The Danish reportedly recommended waste-to-energy plants to deal with the crisis.
However, several Lebanese scientists and civil society organizations are unhappy with this solution. They argue that ash by-products pose serious environmental risks whose management are difficult and costly.
The residents of Karantina, an industrial district in Beirut that already accommodates two open-air disposal sites, were among the waste-to-energy plant's most vocal opponents. Back in 1997, with the help of Greenpeace, they've raged a relentless, and ultimately successful campaign against authorities’ plans to build an incinerator in the area.
Twenty years later, on August 30, 2017, they took to the streets again following rumors that the area had been picked for the new waste-to-energy plant. Beirut's mayor Jamal Itani, however, has said that a location has not yet been chosen.
One other vocal critic of Beirut's incinerator solution is the Waste Management Coalition, who advocates for sustainable solutions for the trash problem. They argue that while incinerators have been successfully deployed in Europe, Lebanon does not have the necessary infrastructure to ensure their safe use.
The group launched a petition in February 2018 demanding that authorities develop policies to reduce waste generation, implement recycling programs and adopt disposal methods in compliance with national and international environmental regulations. The petition gathered 727 supporters from the 50,000 goal that was set.
Additionally, a group of academics from the American University of Beirut held a conference in March 2017 and presented scientific evidence against the adoption of incinerators.
In early 2018, Ziad Abichaker, a prominent environmental activist and waste entrepreneur, released a documentary analyzing all threats that come with incineration and why Beirut residents should worry about its impact on the environment and people's health.

author: Christophe Maroun


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What an attack on a far-right presidential candidate means for Brazil politics · Global Voices
Fernanda Canofre

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is stabbed during a campaign activity | Image: Screenshot/TV Globo
Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing presidential candidate who is leading the polls in Brazil, was attacked on September 6, 2018 during a campaign event at downtown Juiz de Fora in the state of Minas Gerais.
Bolsonaro was in the middle of his act of being carried by supporters when he was suddenly stabbed in the stomach. Videos recorded at the place show Bolsonaro crunching, screaming and being carried into a car.
The attacker was beaten by the candidate's supporters.
Bolsonaro lost of a lot of blood and underwent surgery. The injuries – a pierced intestine and other lesions – are enough to put him out of campaigning in the streets for at least a week. Elections in Brazil are scheduled for October 7.
#eleições2018 | O candidato Jair Bolsonaro (PSL-RJ) foi vítima de um ataque enquanto fazia campanha pela presidência da República em Juiz de Fora (MG) https://t.co/JBeC8iqArk pic.twitter.com/TSWTw1aPrO
— EL PAÍS Brasil (@elpais_brasil) September 6, 2018
Candidate Jair Bolsonaro (PSL – Social Liberal Party) was attacked while campaigning for the Presidency in Juiz de Fora (MG)
Adelio Bispo de Oliveira, who admitted to committing the crime, said he was following “God’s orders”. According to a Buzzfeed profile, he had been a missionary to some evangelical church and lost touch with his family in the past three to four years.
Adelio’s Facebook page showed pictures of him with signs claiming “politicians are useless” and asking President Michel Temer to resign. Another photo showed support to the call for the release of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who was arrested in April for corruption and money laundering charges, but remains the frontrunner in this year’s elections – even though his candidacy is not legally possible.
News outlets also found out that Adelio was previously affiliated with a left-wing party – PSOL – for seven years. The party quickly repudiated the act as did the majority of other candidates who canceled their campaign schedules, and rejected “violence as a political language” and demanded the punishment of those responsible for the attack.
According to Adelio's lawyer, he attacked Bolsonaro because he felt offended by the candidate’s speech. The 40-year-old Adelio, who is currently unemployed, claimed that God sent him because Bolsonaro stands for “the extermination of homosexuals, black, poor and indigenous people, which he strongly disagrees with”.
Adelio is now facing up to 20 years in prison.
Who is Bolsonaro?
Bolsonaro during one of his recent campaign events | Image: @jairbolsonaro
Bolsonaro was a military captain who was put on trial for “acts of indiscipline and disloyalty” in the 1980s before his election to Rio de Janeiro’s City Council in 1988. A year later he was elected in Congress representing the “military class”.
Over the years, he made several controversial statements such as defending the military coup of 1964 that put Brazil under a two-decade dictatorship by calling it a revolution, claiming that former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso should have been fusilladed, defending the use of torture or that women should have lower wages because they can become pregnant, linking homosexuality to pedophilia and using false news about a “gay kit” allegedly distributed in public schools.
In a frustrated society that has 63,000 homicides per year, with only 6 percent of them being solved by the police, and growing rates of armed robberies, Bolsonaro pressed for the relaxation of gun control laws so that “good citizens can defend themselves”.
The president of Bolsonaro’s party declared ‘war’ against leftist candidates who are blamed as partially responsible for the attack. However, Bolsonaro appealed for a more “moderate tone” in reacting to what happened to him.
Bolsonaro's sons and other political allies have been using his hospital bed as an opportunity to campaign. One day after the attack, Flávio Bolsonaro, the congressman’s eldest son who is running for senate, posted a picture of his father after surgery saying:
Jair Bolsonaro está mais forte do que nunca e pronto para ser eleito Presidente do Brasil no 1° TURNO!
Deus acaba de nos dar mais um sinal de que o bem vencerá o mal!
Obrigado a todos que nos deram força nesse momento muito difícil!
Brasil acima de tudo, Deus acima de todos! pic.twitter.com/iijlCFBhE1
— Flavio Bolsonaro 177 Senador_RJ (@FlavioBolsonaro) September 7, 2018
Jair Bolsonaro is stronger than ever and ready to be elected Brazil's president in the FIRST RUN! God just gave us another sign that good will win over evil! Thanks to everyone who supported us at this very difficult time! Brazil above everything, God above everyone!
The following day, in another picture posted by Flavio, Bolsonaro appears at a hospital bed flashing his trademark gun shooting sign. He also thanked the people and his supporters for their prayers.
Meu pai segue evoluindo e começou agora a fisioterapia.
Muito obrigado a todos pela força e pelas orações!
Pessoal do Rio de Janeiro, amanhã (domingo), às 11:00, no posto 6, tem ato pela vida de Bolsonaro, em Copacabana.
Em breve mais detalhes, tá ok?! pic.twitter.com/BMexyACPCo
— Flavio Bolsonaro 177 Senador_RJ (@FlavioBolsonaro) September 8, 2018
My father keeps recovering and began physical therapy. Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers! Rio de Janeiro people, Sunday, 11 am, at Posto 6, we will have an activity for Bolsonaro in Copacabana. I'll send more details soon, ok?
The attack on Bolsonaro generated 3.2 million social media mentions in 16 hours. But according to a study by Getulio Vargas Foundation, 40.5 percent of social media users initially doubted the veracity of the attack.
Fabio Malini, one of the professors who conducted the study, cautioned that Bolsonaro's campaign may lose more than gain from the event since he will be out of the streets, where he was actually gaining strength.
Mas a polidez é impossível. É uma eleição da revanche (pra qualquer lado). Bolsonaro não terá compaixão vinda de alguma das redes que ele sempre se opôs, ao contrário elas ficarão ainda mais atentas ao uso político do seu atentado. Será marcação cerrada.
— Fabio Malini (@fabiomalini) September 7, 2018
To be polite is impossible. This is an election of revenge (to any side). Bolsonaro will not have compassion coming from the networks which he always opposed, on the contrary, they will be even more alert to his political use of the attack. It'll be a strong watch upon him.
Meanwhile, some specialists interviewed by the BBC believe the attack can favor Bolsonaro’s odds through a “tragedy effect”, but it may also lose power on election day.
Whatever the outcome may be, as social scientist and journalist  Leonardo Sakamoto writes, “the attack opened a new era in the country’s political violence”:
Torço por uma rápida e total recuperação do candidato e pela punição do responsável por esse crime. Mas torço também para que o país não transforme o ataque em gatilho para aprofundar a guerra que trava contra si mesmo. Porque, se assim for, não sobrará muita coisa após outubro.
I hope for a quick and full recovery for the candidate and the punishment for the person responsible for the crime. But I also hope for the country not to transform this attack into a trigger that will make the war against itself even deeper. Because, if that happens, we will not have much left after October.
The attack against Bolsonaro was only the most recent in a political environment plagued by violence and impunity. During the municipal elections in 2016, a candidate for mayor was shot dead while campaigning in the state of Goiás. In Rio, militias took over control of the local politics  threatening adversaries for years. In March this year, Councilwoman Marielle Franco was killed inside her car with her driver. Before his arrest, Lula’s campaign bus was shot in what the police described as a “planned attack”.
The attack was condemned by the NGO Human Rights Watch, saying “political or ideological differences should only be resolved through democratic processes, and never through violence”; and the UN Human Rights Office, asking for “a quick investigation and punishment of the culprits”.

author: Fernanda Canofre


text:
Cubans can now join public debates on new Constitution through digital platforms · Global Voices
Sandra Abd'Allah-Alvarez Ramírez

Young people using the public Wi-Fi service in a plaza in Havana. Photograph by ‘Kaldari’. Shared under license of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Cuba’s new Constitution is now the subject of government-backed public debates across the country. To encourage greater public participation several online tools were developed enjoining Cubans from all walks of life, including those living outside the country, to share their views and ideas about the proposed constitutional reforms.
Debates started on August 13 and will continue until November 15 of this year, after which the changes considered pertinent will be made and placed for a vote.
One of the most common takeaways brought to this project is the elimination of communism as the main basis of the state ideology, and also Article 68, which posits that marriage is the union between two people with the legal capacity to do so. This last one, in particular, assumes the legal union between people of the same gender, which has been understood by many as a green light for marriage equality.
One of the tools in place is a space inside the web portal “Nation and Emigration”, put together by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba.
Screenshot of the online space to share opinions and observations through the government's platform. The page contains the project for the new constitution and the application seen in the image has a link to a help document guiding the user to submit his data and his opinion.
The digital platform started functioning in early September. The site contains articles and documents guiding the users through the process and an online template in which users are able to send their comments and observations. However, civil society couldn't wait until the section was opened and turned to social networks to begin the debate on pages hosted on Facebook or under articles from online media sources such as Granma or Cubadebate, both managed by the Cuban government.
But in order for these informal exchanges to have a common space, university professor and Doctor of Science, Yudivian Almeida, who was once a blogger and participant in the Bloggers Cuba project, developed an online tool to be able to comment in an organized way on the articles of the proposal.
This tool is part of the website of the Postdata Club project, directed by Almeida, and it functions through Disqus, a tool to host and manage comments on blogs and online communities.
Interviewed by journalist Milena Recio for Oncuba Magazine, Almeida explains that the main content available on the site is supported by technologies that use web-based hosting services, which means that people can still have access to it in their digital devices, even when disconnected from the internet. This, he says, is very useful to Cubans who have limited internet access inside the island and is also what makes this project so unique, as it allows access to the text of the new Constiution to compare it with the current one.
Screenshot of PostData devoted to the debate on the project for the new Constitution. On the left, users can access the different articles that they can read in the middle of the page. The debate, powered by Disqus, can be seen at the bottom of the image. Each article displays a different space for discussion, similar to the comment spaces in blogs and other Web 2.0 tools.
In addition, the tool can be used equally by those within the national territory as well as those who reside outside the island. For many people who are involved in the exchanges that are already taking place online, participation in the consultation process with Cubans living abroad may lead to consideration for them to be able to vote.
Almeida also explained that it is a simple tool that does not seek to substitute the exchanges encouraged by the government, and that it will continue to develop as participants use it:
En un espacio como este no hay que pedir la palabra, no existe un horario para debatir. Se puede ir argumentando en la medida en que se le ocurran respuestas, interrogantes, o planteamientos. Se sale de las condiciones físicas y temporales que tiene la consulta popular.
In a space like this no one has to ask to speak up, there is no schedule for debate. Everyone can engage in the debate right when they think of solutions, questions, or approaches. It is beyond the conditions of place and time held by a public consultation.
The proposed new constitution has been in the works since 2013. A commission designated by the National Assembly of People's Power, during the current legislature, presented the version to be discussed by the parliament members in the regular session of the National Assembly on July 21 and 22 of 2018.

author: Sandra Abd'Allah-Alvarez Ramírez


text:
Strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years largely forgotten following massive earthquake · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Captions: “Live from Kansai International Airport: flooding causes damage, when will runway, access bridge be repaired?” Screencap from ANN official YouTube channel.
In the summer of 2018, Japan experienced a succession of natural disasters that left government and local authorities scrambling to provide support. The media has also struggled to cover them, leaving many people feeling that some calamities are eclipsing others in the public consciousness.
The series of disasters began in July, when much of western Japan experienced torrential and unprecedented rainfall, leading to flooding and landslides that killed hundreds of people. Next, a sustained heat wave resulted in more than a hundred deaths and tens of thousands of hospitalizations.
Then, on September 4, Typhoon Jebi became the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years. But the disaster, which primarily affected Osaka and the surrounding region, was eclipsed by a massive earthquake that struck Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, on the next day. So far, 39 people have been reported dead as a result of the quake and much of the island was left with no electricity.
The succession of massive natural disasters left some puzzled over all the images flooding the internet:
I'm getting confused. Thought this was a photo of post-earthquake power outage in Hokkaido but it is actually typhoon damage in Osaka. https://t.co/wKHn7A7cWE pic.twitter.com/sc6HPyRIkf
— Mulboyne (@Mulboyne) September 6, 2018
Others lamented the fact that attention quickly moved on from Typhoon Jebi despite it leaving widespread damage around Osaka in a region known as Kansai, which is home to 22 million people and Japan's third-biggest economy after Tokyo and the Kanto region.
Nearly two million people were evacuated in the face of Typhoon Jebi, but the storm still left 11 dead and hundreds injured in its wake. Ten thousand households are in still the dark a week after the end of the storm.
先日の台風で大阪泉州はこんな有様らしい。メディアはもう北海道の地震のことばかり、泉州の真実ももっと取り上げて欲しい。電気や水道の無い生活の大変さをもっと伝えて…どう手を差し伸べていいのかさえ思いつかない。 pic.twitter.com/7raJnbzEZg
— ELK (@BLACKELK1222) September 6, 2018
Here's the aftermath of the typhoon in Senshu (southwestern Osaka prefecture). While the media is now focusing on the Hokkaido quake, I wish there was more discussion of what's happening in Senshu. I want people to know how impossible it is to try to get by with no electricity or running water. I just wish there was a way to help out.
Kansai International Airport, which serves twenty million passengers a year, was left with no electricity, air conditioning, cellular service, or even an escape route. While a storm surge has flooded the airport's buildings, all access was cut off after powerful typhoon winds pushed a drifting freighter into the only bridge that connects the mainland to the artificial island where the airport is located.
An estimated 5,000 travelers had to spend a hot, sleepless night at the airport. When speaking with television journalists, stranded passengers reported a total lack of information from the outside world. Travelers lining up for food and water outside the airport the day after the storm.
Eventually, authorities in Japan began to organize a response.
[Note: It was originally reported in this article, and on social media, that the Chinese consulate arranged this rescue. However it has been reported that this is misinformation. The Kansai Airport authority in fact arranged the transportation captured in the Twitter video here. This story has been updated to reflect that.]
関西空港に取り残されている中国人を救うべく、中国の在大阪大使館手配の下、大型バス１５台が手配され、中国人のみを対象に救出作戦が行われたようです。バスに乗った人々は「偉大な中国を実感しました」「中国愛してます」など賞賛の声が上がりました、と、中国では結構大々的に伝えられてます。 pic.twitter.com/0YNx3oedhL
— 九寨溝飯館 (@eggtokyo) September 6, 2018
The Chinese consulate in Osaka had to charter 15 buses in order to evacuate Chinese travelers stranded at Kansai airport. Apparently, passengers on the buses could be heard praising China, saying, “We now realize China really is a grand country” and “I love China,” a great PR win for that country.
While media reports helped publicize the plight of those stuck in Kansai airport, not everyone was appreciative of the coverage's emphasis on the government's inaction. Blogger and media critic Fujiwara Kazue's was one of those critics:
Check out this TV Asahi reporter taking heat for suggesting 24+ hours after Typhoon Jebi has passed maybe there shouldn't still be queues of people stranded, waiting for buses that haven't come with no information about what's going on at Kansai's biggest international airport. https://t.co/cfwU4Ly7Qm
— Tokyo Outsider ? (@tokyo_0) September 7, 2018
(Translation of Fujiwara Kazue's embedded tweet above) As airport staff desperately do their best in the midst of a catastrophic crisis, this reporter decides to come to Kansai airport to complain and stir up trouble. Perhaps he could please tell us what he would actually do to fix the situation?
Fujiwara's tweet was shared 25,000 times and the conversation about media coverage of Kansai airport resulted in at least 500 comments that were also largely critical of journalists.
今朝おは朝、関空の問題で行政が～とか自衛隊ださないとか、お年寄りや小さい子供も同じように待たされたとか～現場は必死に頑張っておられるのに、自分達はテレビ局のスタジオから勝手な事ばかり言ってる❗
— keiko (@keiko291fuku) September 5, 2018
All morning the news programs have been saying how the government isn't doing this, or the Self-Defense Force (Japanese armed forces) have been doing that, and that children and the elderly are being kept waiting… but even as others are working hard on the ground, (the media) just says whatever it wants back in the television studio.
The earthquake in Hokkaido that followed on the heels of Typhoon Jebi has also shut down another major air hub. Once again, thousands of travelers were stranded in Chitose airport, which serves as the gateway to the city of Sapporo. A journalist writing for the daily newspaper the Mainichi Shimbun observed:
外国人観光客は右肩上がりで増えていましたが、関空、千歳の閉鎖がその流れを止めるのではと心配です。突然帰れなくなるかも知れない国。そんなイメージが膨らむと、訪日をためらう人が広がるのではと懸念します。 https://t.co/QuBC3HH0lX
— 小川一 (@pinpinkiri) September 7, 2018
While the number of foreign tourists to Japan has been increasing, I wonder if the complete shutdown of both Kansai and Chitose airports will affect that rising trend. Japan has become the sort of country that you travel to without knowing if you'll actually be able to make it back home again. It would be unfortunate if such a perception of Japan starts to spread, and people stop coming here.
While Chitose airport was able to quickly reopen following the earthquake, many homes in Hokkaido will remain without electricity until early October. Due to the damaged bridge and widespread flooding, it will take even more time to restore full operations at Kansai airport.
For some people, post-disaster life can feel very surreal. A breakdown in logistics has made it tough for supermarkets to keep their shelves stocked. There are many reports of convenience stores and other shops offering little variety. This tweet of a convenience store in Sapporo selling nothing but bananas has been shared more than 70,000 times.
近くのローソンがバナナ屋さんになってた pic.twitter.com/Tp89FCClT7
— あお (@takutin99) September 9, 2018
The (Lawson) convenience store near my house has turned into a banana stand.
Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the convenience store selling bananas is in Sapporo, and is not in the Kansai region.

author: Nevin Thompson


text:
Pakistan government’s pro-minority stance questioned as Ahmadi economist’s appointment is revoked · Global Voices
R Umaima Ahmed

Economist Dr. Atif R. Mian, a professor at Princeton University, is a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect. Screenshot from a video interview via YouTube
Pakistan's newly elected Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government asked  Pakistani-American economist Dr. Atif R. Mian to step down from the newly created Economic Advisory Council (EAC). This controversial move occurred on September 7, just a few days after Dr. Mian's appointment to the Council and under mounting pressure from right-wing religious parties, who objected to the appointment on religious grounds.
Dr. Atif Mian, a professor at Princeton University in the US, belongs to the Ahmadiyya sect, which was declared non-Muslim by the second amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan in 1974. A 1984 ordinance promulgated by the government of General Zia ul Haq imposed further prohibitions against Ahmadi Muslims, including making the public practice of Islam and the use of Islamic symbols and titles a punishable crime.
After Mian's appointment, a smear campaign ensued in social media against him and the government. Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Maulana Fazal ur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) threatened nationwide protests, and a notice signed by a number of members of Pakistan National Assembly was served to Parliament.
The EAC is headed by Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan, and Dr. Mian was one of 18 nationally and internationally renowned members appointed to the Council. Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Information Minister and government spokesperson, initially defended the government's decision, reminding critics that “it is an economic council, not Islamic Ideology Council.” Minister Chaudhry also declared that “Pakistan belongs as much to minorities as it does to the majority.” These statements were received with optimism, a ray of hope for ‘Naya Pakistan’ (New Pakistan), which turned out to be short-lived.
Writing on Indian news portal The Print, columnist Gul Bukhari noted that:
On Pakistani social media, the attack came from two fronts. The first attack came from the religious bigots who jump onto bandwagons to flay Ahmedis all the time and cannot see them in any office of public importance or authority. This class seeks vengeful persecution of Ahmedis.
The second category is what I would call ‘fake bigots’, who are merely seeking to score a political point against Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its putrid campaign in the election. This lot wants to drive home the hypocrisy of the government, but its invective is pouring out as apparent religious hatred.
On the day Dr. Mian's appointment was revoked, Senator Faisal Javed Khan confirmed the action on Twitter:
Atif Mian was asked to step down from the Advisory Council and he has agreed. A replacement would be announced later.
— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) September 7, 2018
Backtracking on his earlier statements, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Minister Fawad Chaudhry noted that the decision was taken to avoid division in the country:
حکومت نے فیصلہ کیا ہے کہ عاطف میاں کی اقتصادی مشاورتی کمیٹی سے نامزدگی واپس لے لی جائے،حکومت علماء اور تمام معاشرتی طبقات کو ساتھ لے کر ہی آگے بڑھنا چاہتی ہے اور اگر ایک نامزدگی سے مختلف تاثر پیدا ہوتا ہے تو یہ مناسب نہیں۔
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) September 7, 2018
The government wants to move forward alongside scholars and all social groups, and it is inappropriate if a single nomination creates an impression to the contrary.
The minister added that:
عمران خان کا آئیڈیل ریاست مدینہ ہے، اور وزیر اعظم اور ان کی کابینہ کے اراکین عاشقان رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم ہیں۔ ختم نبوت ہمارے ایمان کا حصہ ہے اور حال ہی میں گستاخانہ خاکوں کے معاملے پر حکومت نے جو کامیابی حاصل کی وہ بھی اسی نسبت کا اظہار ہے۔
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) September 7, 2018
Khatm-i-Nabuwwat [belief in the finality of the prophethood] is a part of our faith and the recent success achieved by the government in the matter of blasphemous sketches is reflective of the same connection.
Dr. Atif Mian tweeted his reasons for complying with the request:
1/ For the sake of the stability of the Government of Pakistan, I have resigned from the Economic Advisory Council, as the Government was facing a lot of adverse pressure regarding my appointment from the Mullahs (Muslim clerics) and their supporters.
— Atif Mian (@AtifRMian) September 7, 2018
Many have condemned the government's revoking of the appointment and expressed support for Dr. Mian.
Blogger Sehar Tariq from Islamabad tweeted:
Drew a portrait of @AtifRMian to remind myself that long after the bigots and all of us have perished ; brilliant people like Atif Mian will continue to live on through their scholarship and ideas. The bigots and zealots will not even be footnotes. Power on #AtifMian pic.twitter.com/1Nwz5qIojd
— Sehar Tariq (@sehartariq) September 7, 2018
Lahore-based feminist journalist Sabahat Zakariya expressed her disappointment with the system:
Time and again social justice warriors like me are confronted with the haunting question: what’s the point? This country doesn’t give a fuck for being good or just, it’s only interest is in capitulation to religious gangsters. https://t.co/aLhEyP6mPS
— Sabahat Zakariya (@sabizak) September 7, 2018
Two other members of the EAC—London-based economist Dr. Imran Rasul, and Harvard University’s Evidence for Policy Design unit co-director Asim Ijaz Khwaja—resigned from the Council in solidarity with their colleague, citing moral and religious principles:
With a heavy heart, I have resigned from the EAC this morning. The circumstances in which Atif was asked to step down are ones I profoundly disagree with. Basing decisions on religious affiliation goes against my principles, or the values I am trying to teach my children. (1/5)
— Imran Rasul (@ImranRasul3) September 8, 2018
Have resigned from EAC. Painful, deeply sad decision. Grateful for chance to aid analytical reasoning but not when such values compromised. Personally as a Muslim I can't justify this. May Allah forgive/guide me&us all.Ever ready to help.Pakistan Paindabadhttps://t.co/j80LHEhfRK
— Asim Ijaz Khwaja (@aikhwaja) September 7, 2018
The removal of Dr. Mian has also started a new debate in Pakistan over the rights of minorities. Young Pakistanis who voted for the PTI thinking it was a liberal, pro-minority party expressed disappointment. Advertising creative Bismah Mehmood, expressed satisfaction that PTI followers—known for their brash behaviour and trolling on Twitter—were at least taking a nuanced view of the situation:
Kudos to the PTI fans opposing and wholeheartedly criticizing this step by the govt. That's the only positive
— Bissmah Mehmud (@bissmahmehmud) September 7, 2018

author: R Umaima Ahmed


text:
Under Austria’s right-wing government, ‘ethical’ principles for journalists could hijack media rights · Global Voices
Guest Contributor

An ORF journalist interviews lawyer and politician Rudolf Vouk. Photo by Eino81 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Written by Eliška Pírková.
When members of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and radical right Freedom Party (FPÖ) were elected into power in 2017, there was little response. There were  almost no protests, except for a few gatherings in the Austrian capital, Vienna.
The now majority right-wing populist government has since tightened asylum laws, put migration on hold, and set its sights on restricting press freedom.
Just few months after the government’s inauguration, Norbert Steger, a member of the board of trustees at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), accused ORF of being biased in its recent reporting on the parliamentary elections in Hungary. Steger is a former chairman of the Freedom Party and maintains close ties with its leadership.
Steger demanded that the public broadcaster take “steps towards more objective reporting” and threatened that failure to do so could result in one third of foreign correspondents losing their jobs. Steger does not have the authority to make this happen, but he does have significant (if soft) political power.
As the Freedom Party (FPÖ) keeps friendly ties with Hungarian right-wing Fidesz party, led by Viktor Orbán, one can imagine why FPÖ party members might have thought ORF’s coverage to be too critical. Steger also stated in the same interview that journalists who violate the newly drafted “Social Media Guidelines on Journalists’ Behaviour” will receive a warning but could also risk losing their jobs.
But at the time of the interview, in April 2018, ORF employees and other journalists had not even been told about the guidelines. They had been written, but not communicated to journalists or the public.
After months of tensions between FPÖ and ÖRF staff, and numerous personal attacks against journalists, the draft Social Media Guidelines were officially released in June 2018.
They immediately raised concern among many media workers. They present troubling example of how such “self-regulatory” codes of conduct can be abused by those who wish to establish stricter control over the media in the country.
Ethical guidelines are common practice in media regulatory frameworks across Europe. Their general purpose is in the name: it is to guide. ORF itself has had social media guidelines in place since 2012, which followed the example of BBC Social Media Guidance for Staff. Their general role is to articulate ethical principles for journalism and are traditionally meant to serve as as the voice of reason, underlining and protecting the professional integrity of journalism.
But the newly drafted ORF Guidelines (still yet to be approved), threaten precisely what their proponents claim to protect: independence and objectivity.
The draft Guidelines stipulate:
…öffentliche Äußerungen und Kommentare in sozialen Medien, die als Zustimmung, Ablehnung oder Wertung von Äußerungen, Sympathie, Kritik und “Polemik” gegenüber politischen Institutionen, deren Vertreter/innen oder Mitgliedern zu interpretieren sind.
…public statements and comments in social media should be avoided, which are to be interpreted as approval, rejection or evaluation of utterances, sympathy, antipathy, criticism and ‘polemics’ towards political institutions, their representatives or members.
Every single term used in the aforementioned sentence, whether it is “antipathy” or “polemics,” is extremely vague at its core. Such vagueness could allow authorities to use these guidelines as ammunition against any critical statement aimed at the current government, no matter of how objective, balanced or well-intended the critique may be.
Second, the Guidelines ask journalists to refrain from the following:
…öffentliche Äußerungen und Kommentare in sozialen Medien, die eine voreingenommene, einseitige oder parteiische Haltung zum Ausdruck bringen, die Unterstützung derartiger Aussagen und Initiativen Dritter sowie die Teilnahme an derartigen Gruppen, sofern damit Objektivität, Unparteilichkeit und Unabhängigkeit des ORF konterkariert würde. Die entsprechenden Meinungsbekundungen können dabei sowohl durch direkte Äußerungen erfolgen als auch indirekt durch Zeichen der Unterstützung/Ablehnung wie Likes, Dislikes, Recommends, Retweets oder Shares.
…public statements and comments in social media that express a biased, one-sided or partisan attitude, or a support for such statements and initiatives promoted by third parties, and participation in such groups, provided that objectivity, impartiality and independence of the ORF may be compromised. The corresponding statements of opinion can be made both by direct statements and indirectly by signs of support / rejection such as likes, dislikes, recommendations, retweets or shares.
Here again, terms such as “partisan opinions” are very problematic. Would criticism of human rights violations or fact-based coverage of groups fighting climate change qualify as biased? With this wording, the chilling effect on the right to freedom of expression is inevitable, and may lead journalists to censor themselves, in order to avoid difficulties and further insecurities in their workplace.
At the same time, if the main public broadcaster in the country seeks to achieve relative neutrality — in an effort to best serve the public interest — it must  showcase a diverse range of opinions. This commitment to impartiality and neutrality is intended to prevent the misuse of media for propaganda and other forms of manipulation.
Finally, the new guidelines also employ language suggesting that they represent a mandate, rather than recommendations, as was stipulated in the original wording of the Guidelines from 2012. The June 2018 draft uses a very different tone. The document creates a shadow of hierarchy by forcing every ORF journalist to think twice before they share anything on their social media.
The primary duty of the Austrian press is to monitor and to inform whether the rule of law is intact and fully respected by the elected government. Due to its great importance in preserving democracy, the protection of the free press is enshrined within national constitutions and enforced by domestic media laws. Freedom of expression not only guarantees the rights of citizens to write or to say whatever they want, but it also protects and promotes the right of the public to access important information of consequence.
Although not legally binding document, the Guidelines still pose a real threat to democracy. The non-binding nature of the Guidelines serves as an excuse for policymakers who defend its provisions as ethical principles for journalists’ conduct and not the legal obligations per se, enforced by a state agent. But in practice, the independent and impartial work of journalists may be increasingly jeopardised, as every statement, whether in their personal or professional capacity, is subject to much stricter self-censorship in order to avoid further obstacles to their work or even an imposition of “ethical” liability for their conduct.
If the current draft is adopted as it stands, it will provide for an extra layer of strict control that aims to silence the critique and dissent.
When in 2000, FPÖ and ÖVP formed their first ruling coalition, the Austrian government was shunned by European countries and threatened with EU sanctions. But today’s atmosphere in Europe is very different. Authoritative and populist regimes openly undermining democratic governance are a new normal. Under such circumstances, human rights of all are in danger due to a widespread democratic backsliding present in the western countries as much as in the eastern corner of the EU.
Without a doubt, journalists and media outlets have a huge responsibility to impartially inform the public on these and other matters of public interest. Ethical codes of conduct can play a crucial role in journalistic work, acknowledging a great responsibility to report accurately, while avoiding prejudice or any potential harm to others.
However, when journalists’ freedom of expression is being violated, the right to receive and impart information of all of us is in danger, and so is democracy. Human rights and ethics are two different things. One cannot be misused to unjustifiably restrict the other.
Eliška Pírková is a research fellow at the Privacy and Sustainable Computing Lab in Vienna who specializes inn freedom of expression and protection of digital rights. She is originally from Slovakia.

author: Guest Contributor


text:
As online spaces for sexual harassment proliferate, Hong Kong authorities struggle to keep up · Global Voices
Hong Kong Free Press

Photo from Hong Kong Free Press. Used with permission.
This article is originally written by Jennifer Creery and published on Hong Kong Free Press on September 8, 2018. The version below is republished on Global Voices according to a content partnership agreement.
It was a slew of messages on a Telegram group of 10,000 users, which shared explicit images of women without their consent, that led activist Emilia Wong to take action.
Wong is an online activist who runs a “Gender blog,” where she publishes essays on bodily autonomy. After six months of quietly watching the Telegram group, she put up a series of damning screenshots on her platform. What resulted was a media furore that triggered an intense debate over the legal protections afforded to victims of smartphone-related sex crimes.
The Telegram group, “Street Shooting Valley @callginhk”, had been operating on the messaging app for over a year, and had amassed a loyal following of voyeurs who posted over 100 new explicit photos a day. Their name is a reference to the practice of taking surreptitious upskirt photos of women in the street and sharing them online. But their images also include leaked nudes and some, Wong thinks, of underage girls. She said:
Their values are really twisted…They treat women as extremely sexual objects. They think that a woman’s worth is solely invested in her sexuality and how appealing she is to men.
Under Section 161 of the Crimes Ordinance, a person who is convicted of “access to a computer with criminal or dishonest intent,” (smartphones included) is liable to five years’ imprisonment. However, prosecutions have been put on hold until the court of final appeal clarifies the law over a disputed case next year.
The delay was applauded by users of @callginhk, according to Amy (not her real name), who joined the group after being upskirted in July. She explained:
I was on the MTR and a man tried to follow me, like a detective…He was obviously taking photos of me, because his phone was at his stomach or knee area, in quite a low position… I was frightened and thought he might have mental problems.
Afterwards, Amy’s friend told her that the images might be on a rumoured group for voyeurs on Telegram — an app that had become popular in the community for its secure encryption. Amy got the name of the group from her friend and joined in:
When I entered, there were so many members…I was shocked and afraid because I thought Hong Kong was a safe space, but now I doubt its safety.
A representative from women’s rights social media platform, The Asian Feminist, told HKFP that poor legal protection of women in the city leaves them vulnerable:
Hong Kong generally has lagged behind in tackling violence against women, from domestic violence to upskirting. There is currently no law specifically to tackle upskirting, and from what we read from media reports about the crime, the punishment tends to be light, like the 18-month probation given to a doctor who took upskirting photos of hospital patients.
Those found taking indecent photos are currently prosecuted under a range of laws, including “Disorder in Public Places” and “Loitering.” However, a representative from the anti-sexual violence support group Rainlily told HKFP that these laws fail to criminalise the sexual nature of the offence.
The @callginhk screenshots paint an unforgiving portrait of the users — narcissistic, entitled and crass. Wong shared her observation:
They think they are heroes…If a woman is not physically attractive to them, then she is basically worthless. They only treat them as pieces of meat, It’s quite degrading.
She said users will proclaim that it is a woman’s honour to have their pictures taken by them as it shows their appreciation of her.
Wong herself is a bodily autonomy advocate, posting non-explicit nudes to a small group online:
I would post more revealing pictures and say that women have the right to wear what they want and still be respected.
But in a world of ubiquitous communication, word (or images) travels fast, and soon her pictures found their way to the Telegram group, where users lambasted her appearance: “Let’s all report the fat c**t’s posts,” user Thomas Chan urged, while another, Kit Hey, declared “There are probably thousands of people who hate the fat c**t.” One user on Facebook speculated that she was a part-time prostitute.
Her activism has led to a torrent of online abuse, including death threats and emails to her teachers and employers. This hasn’t shaken her resolve. She said that she plans on setting up an online system to report abuse and offending users:
It’s like a balancing strategy, to make them feel like they are not as safe in those groups.
On Taobao, a popular Alibaba-owned shopping website, spy cameras disguised as pens and car keys sell for as little as HK$160. There are no restrictions on who can buy them, making them an easy tool for upskirting offenders. Wong said:
In [@callginhk] they have discussed how to take these pictures better. They talk about the cameras that are hidden in glasses, in your specs, in zippers, in shoes…They ask whether anyone has bought these cameras, and are these cameras usable…From some of the pictures, you can see that the angle is really weird, as if there’s a camera in someone’s shoes, because it’s impossible for the angle to be that low if you’re holding a normal camera or your phone – so I think someone has bought it and is using it in Hong Kong now
One issue facing authorities tackling online sexual harassment is the rapid turnover of groups like @callginhk. As soon as one is discovered, it’s quickly deleted and replaced by another under a different name. “Telegram is the most severe platform right now because of how safe the perpetrator feels,” Wong said.
Wong said that her efforts to report the group to police were swept aside:
I have contacted the police, but I think their actions are rather slow… only after these things were exposed to the media that they really did their follow-up. Before, they didn’t really reply [to] me…I don’t think the police can really adjust to the fast-changing environment of social media and the internet era.
In a statement to HKFP, the police have said that they are investigating the incident:
The Police remind the public that the cyber world of the internet is not a virtual space beyond the law. Under the laws of Hong Kong, most of the ordinances stipulated in the real world may also apply for the cyber world.
Telegram has not responded to multiple requests for comment from HKFP. @callginhk no longer operates as it did before – administrators have now banned nude content and upskirt photos, but users can still access dozens of links to groups for pornography and prostitutes. With a wealth of other groups to browse from, there appears to be no clear end in sight.

author: Hong Kong Free Press


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‘Bien Chabacano’ blog preserves and promotes Asia’s only Spanish-based creole language · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Zamboanga City Hall in the Philippines. Flickr photo by JC Tuclaud (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
Chabacano, one of the Philippines’ 170 languages, is widely spoken in the southernmost city of Zamboanga and stands out as Asia's only Spanish-based creole language. To preserve and promote Chabacano, ‘Bien Chabacano’ blog was created as an online resource for Filipinos and non-Filipinos interested in learning the language:
It's all about the Chabacano de Zamboanga. Bien Chabacano is the first and only blog designed for Chabacano language enthusiasts which discusses and analyzes Chabacano word origins, Chabacano grammar, and vocabulary, and so much more!
Jerome Herrera, the ‘Bien Chabacano’ blog creator, explains his inspiration for initiating the project:
Bien Chabacano seeks to instill pride and improve proficiency in the Chabacano language among the young Chabacano speakers by talking about its rich and colorful history and demystifying its grammar's many intricacies and nuances.
As a creole language, Chabanaco is a mixture of Spanish and indigenous languages that evolved from a history of colonial interactions between Spain and the Philippines. It is estimated that there are more than 600,000 Chabacano speakers in the country today.
The Philippines was a colony of Spain for more than three centuries from 1565 to 1898. But unlike other former colonies of Spain, the Spanish language was not taught in the Philippines. Instead, Spanish friars and officials introduced Christianity and ruled the country by studying the Phillippines’ indigenous languages.
Spain subjugated the entire Philippine archipelago but encountered fierce resistance among some indigenous groups. In the southern island of Mindanao which used to have a Muslim-majority population, Spanish troops established a garrison in nearby Zamboanga that was subsequently used as a base to attack Mindanao's Muslim settlements. However, Spain never completely established control over Mindanao throughout its colonial occupation of the Philippines.
The city of Zamboanga health office featuring its slogan: “Nuestro deseo un ciudad sin enfermedad” (Our desire is a city free of illnesses). Photo and caption from Bien Chabacano, used with permission.
Professor John M. Lipski of Pennsylvania State University in the United States studied the colorful history of Chabacano and its origins in Zamboanga:
Chabacano is the product of a rich cross-fertilization that could only have occurred in a region in which both great linguistic diversity and considerable overlapping areal features predominated. Chabacano is a manifestation of linguistic and cultural resilience, a language which continues to grow in number of speakers and sociopolitical impact.
The blog ‘Bien Chabacano’ teaches readers basic words and phrases in Chabacano. It features popular songs and short stories, and even a Chabacano translation of the Little Prince book. Here is the Chabacano translation of the first paragraph of the Little Prince. Notice its similarity with the Spanish language:
Una vez, cuando seis años lang yo, tiene yo un libro acerca del vida de maga animal na monte cuando no hay pa alla tanto gente. Maga Experiencia De Mio el nombre del libro y ya puede yo alla mira un bien bonito retrato. Un retrato aquel de un grande culebra quien ta traga un animal. Taqui el copia de aquel retrato.
Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book called True Stories from Nature about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.
Image of a Zamboanga City bookstore advert written in Chabacano which roughly translates to: “The perfect place for you is appearing soon.” Photo and caption from Bien Chabacano, used with permission.
The blog directs readers to websites and social media pages where Chabacano is being used such as radio programs, television news reports, and government announcements.
The blog provides a brief background on the history of Chabacano, its different accents across the Zamboanga province, and the impact of migration and a modernizing economy on its development. It also laments a lack of concerted efforts to promote Chabacano:
The state of Chabacano today is lamentable. Let me sound the alarm bells as early as now! Unless more aggressive preservation efforts will be implemented, the day will come when Chabacano will only be spoken inside the home. This prediction is bleak but it is not without merit.
Through online platforms like ‘Bien Chabacano’, it is hoped that it will spark more enthusiasm in the Philippines and inspire students and netizens to learn, embrace, and continue to develop the Chabacano language.

author: Mong Palatino


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Japan’s vending machines strike again—this time with pizza and crepes · Global Voices
N'Donna Russell

Vending machines in Honmachi entertainment district, Tsuruga, Japan. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
Japanese vending machines have long been famous for selling the most curious things, like flowers, umbrellas, and ties. But even with one vending machine for every 23 people and annual sales that exceed $60 billion, one can still be surprised at what comes out of their take-out port.
User senegirl on Japanese curation site Naver Matome tells the story of three unique food vending machines found in three separate cities that have captived Twitter.
日本初?!らしいけど…
pizzaが焼きたてで買える自動販売機(笑)
中でおじさんが焼いてるわけではなさそうでした。 pic.twitter.com/MnNCiDpDZH
— ケロちゃん@グラブル初心者 (@Lee_sakura1210) September 1, 2018
A first in Japan? Seems that way… It's a fresh-baked pizza vending Machine! (ha ha) I bet there's an old guy inside making them.
In the city of Hiroshima, residents have been abuzz over the appearance of a pizza vending machine located near local hangout TSUTAYA, part of a national chain of bookstores in Japan. The vending machine serves up two kinds of pizza: margherita (basil, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce) for about US$ 10 and four-cheese for about US$ 13 with a cooking time of just three minutes. TSUTAYA's parent company, which is behind the vending machines, hopes to eventually have other such machines at bookstores across Japan.
In the meantime, locals are pleasantly surprised by just how tasty machine-baked pizza can be.
日本初！話題のピザ自販機！
会社の近くなので行ってみました(^^)
ピザにはレモスコですね?
今日は時間がなく購入はできなかったので、また後日チャレンジします(*'▽'*)#レモスコ #ピザ pic.twitter.com/5RxFNY5ge7
— レモスコ(ヤマトフーズ) 公式 (@_lemosco) August 22, 2018
The first of its kind in Japan! A fresh baked pizza vending machine. (^^)
It's near my job so I thought I'd go and try it. Here it is with my Lemonsco. I didn't have time to get it, but next time I'll give it a go! (*'▽'*)
Meanwhile, in Inashiki, a city located in the Ibaraki prefecture, about an hour by train northeast of Tokyo, one restaurant was found to have fully-functioning antique vending machines from the 1960s.
国道沿いにたたずむあらいやオートコーナーでは、なつかしのレトロ自販機でお弁当が買えるよ。１個300円のお弁当は近くのお店で作られた手作り。多いときは１日100個も売れる人気商品です?https://t.co/W329qK7ItI pic.twitter.com/E161A1MTXK
— ＢＱ B-spot explore (@B_spot_explore) March 30, 2018
Along side the national highway at an old auto stop stands an old, nostalgic vending machine where you can buy bento boxes. For 300 yen (US$3.00), you can purchase a bento made by nearby store.
For 300 yen, travelers can purchase a simple meat-and-rice bento box with chopsticks. There are three types to choose from: fried chicken, pork cutlet, and grilled meat, with the last being the most popular choice.
テレビで有名になった弁当自販機の焼肉弁当。
#これを見た人はフォルダの食べ物を晒す pic.twitter.com/Q70VuhAHVY
— ちが (@citrus_spp) August 31, 2018
The famous grilled meat bento machine featured on TV.
Finally, hidden in the city of Kagoshima, on the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, lies a fresh crepe vending machine. It's located in Kagoshima's Tenmonkan shopping district, hidden near a bus stop and reportedly difficult to find.
Those lucky enough to find this most unusual of vending machines are treated to tasty crepes at the cost of 200 yen (about US$ 2).
鹿児島の隠れた名物クレープの自販機！ pic.twitter.com/eBocQVwotU
— やきとり弁当 (@kirakira2nd) August 24, 2018
Kagoshima's hidden gem: a crepe vending machine!
The vending machine serves a variety of flavors of crepe, including chocolate cream, caramel, strawberry cream, and cheese. The crepes are delivered in a glass bottle, which customers are asked to return after they are done.
With this machine being a one-of-a-kind favorite, some users are wondering if other cities also have one of their own:
ないです･･･
いいなぁ！！
— 林檎ソーダ@†AtRたまアリ2days超余韻† (@apple_soda1810) August 26, 2018
“This crepe vending machine is in Kagoshima, but does anyone else have one in their prefecture?”
“No, we don't. You're so lucky…”

author: N'Donna Russell


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Meet Ujwol Dangol, founder of Kathmandu’s first skate park · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Ktm Skate Park in Kathmandu's Valley. Image from the Skate Park's Facebook page. Used with permission.
Amid the cramped buildings that dot the banks of Bishnumati River, a group of kids gathers to hone their skills at a sport still largely frowned upon by Nepalese society: skate.
It is in this small, concrete-lined plot of land that lies “Ktm Skate Park”, Kathmandu's first-ever skatepark. Running the show is Ujwol Dangol, a local skater who first jumped on the board when he was around 14 and since then has never looked back. In June 2018, he spoke to Global Voices about his projects and plans for the future.
Ujwol first felt inspired to open a skatepark in the Kathmandu Valley in 2014 after returning from a trip to Bangkok, where the skate scene has thrived for much longer. He first opened up a skate shop, then began collecting the ramps and materials for the park as well as working towards securing a location to build it. It all finally came true in 2016.
The First Skate Park !!!
Ktm Skate Park !!!
We struggled really hard to make this happen in real. Finally we have an amazing skate park in capital city which changed the lifestyle of many kids and make them stronger , confident & and more serious on skateboarding.#ktmskatepark pic.twitter.com/P3Kj1vtjpX
— Ujwol Dangol (@ujwol_dangol) March 4, 2018
And here's a photo of Ujwol with his board:
The one and only first skate park of Kathmandu , Ktm Skate Park !!!
People come an visit !! Skate and have fun !!
@ktmskatepark @firstskatepark pic.twitter.com/ZIAMPYTVwK
— Ujwol Dangol (@ujwol_dangol) January 26, 2018
Ujwol is now a central figure in the skateboarding scene in Nepal, where the sport has been slowly taking off. Despite its growing popularity around the world — even set to debut in the summer Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo –, in Nepal, it is still somewhat associated with drugs and criminality.
But Ujwol doesn't let that discourage him: besides organizing classes in schools, he also runs events to help popularize the sport around the country. Eventually, he would like to see skating a widely accepted sport in schools.
In 2016, he took two skaters to compete at the Asian Skateboarding Championship in Shanghai, China, and this year was the manager of the skateboarding team at the Asian Games in Jakarta (unfortunately neither competition produced any medals for Nepal).
Amid the skaters who frequent Ujwol's skatepark is Jitendra, whose disability doesn't get in the way of his passion.
Skater homie Jitendra is really cool guy. I met him 3 years ago and he was like shy guy. Slowly, he became very good and friendly person. He skates good. Happy to support him with this old school deck which he liked a lot.  #skaterhomie #sponsorskater  #helpinghand  #supportingacause  #supportingskaters  #firstskateshopofnepal2015  #hamroskateshop  #worldskate  #worldskatenepal #nepalskateboarding
A post shared by  Hamro Skate Shop (@hamroskateshop) on
Ujwol frequently uses social media to showcase other skaters in the park:
HSS Rider Dhiraj skates hard. After school he shows up to Ktm Skate Park and learns new tricks.  An amazing photos of him captured by  Francine Boer. Many appreciation for such wonderful photos.  Thank you for supporting Nepal Skateboarding Scene.  @francineboer #hssrider #sponsorskaternepal #passionateskater #juniorskater #nepalskateboardingchampion2075 #firstskateshopofnepal2015 #hamroskateshop #internationalsupport #worldskate #worldskatenepal #nepalskateboarding
A post shared by  Hamro Skate Shop (@hamroskateshop) on
Girls Guiding Girls into skateboarding !!
Youths really enjoying the first ever skate park of kathmandu,
People do visit us and support us.#ktmskatepark#firstskateparkofkathmandu#nepalskateboarding pic.twitter.com/vF5tMx0q5C
— Ujwol Dangol (@ujwol_dangol) February 3, 2018
The Ktm Skate Park seems to be fuelling a skateboarding craze in Nepal, with some other skateparks popping up in different parts of the country — the Annapurna Skate Park in Pokhara is the latest addition to the list.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


text:
Indigenous telecommunications network in Mexico to provide telephone and internet services via satellite · Global Voices
Giovanna Salazar

Screenshot of the official Telecomunicaciones Indígenas Comunitarias website (Indigenous Community Telecommunications).
After months of fighting a legal battle that threatened its very existence, Mexico's first indigenous telecommunications network has unveiled plans to provide mobile phone and internet via satellite.
Telecomunicaciones Indígenas Comunitarias A.C (TIC AC) began offering mobile phone and internet services at a mere 2 percent of the average cost of commercial providers to 356 small towns in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz in 2013.
While their service initially relied on community-fundedm land-based towers, the indigenous telco will soon start providing satellite-based services, which will allow it to significantly expand their coverage.
The plans were announced on August 17 by Redes por la Diversidad, Equidad y Sustentabilidad AC (Networks for Diversity, Equity and Sustainability), an organization that is part of TIC AC:
Telecomunicaciones Indígenas Comunitarias (TIC AC) extenderá su cobertura a través de capacidad satelital para ofrecer telefonía e Internet móvil en zonas de difícil acceso. https://t.co/29lRb7KdY4
— Redes AC México (@redesac_mx) 17 de agosto de 2018
Indigenous Community Telecommunications (TIC AC) will expand its coverage via satellite capacity to provide mobile phone and Internet services in difficult to reach areas. https://t.co/29lRb7KdY4
— Redes AC México (@redesac_mx) 17 August 2018
In an interview for the Mexican newspaper Reforma, the Deputy Co-ordinator General of Networks for Diversity, Equity and Sustainability AC, and one of the main legal advisors of TIC, Erick Huerta, indicated that this will be made possible through a soon-to-be signed agreement between TICand the Mexican government:
Firmaremos un convenio con la SCT [Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes] que nos va a permitir hacer una alianza para aprovechar la capacidad satelital del Estado mexicano y con esa capacidad vamos a poder llegar a comunidades donde no había manera de llevar internet. Vamos a llegar a través de satélite y fortalecer la calidad de los servicios actuales.
We will sign an agreement with the SCT [Secretariat of Communications and Transportation], which will allow us to form a partnership to make use of the satellite capacity of the Mexican State and with this capacity we are going to be able to reach communities where there has been no way of having Internet. We are going to reach them via satellite and strengthen the quality of our current services.
Because satellite technology does not rely on the installation of cables or phone lines, as occurs with fixed and mobile broadband, it is a viable and effective alternative when providing network connectivity in remote areas where there is no infrastructure. By simply installing a satellite dish that connects to a satellite, data can then be sent and received.
This is the year's second milestone for TIC AC, who has endured a legal battle against Mexico's telecommunications regulator after it demanded that it pay 50,000 dollars for use of the radio-electric space. The case ended up in court and in May a landmark ruling instructed the regulator to reconsider the fee on the grounds of protection indigenous people’s right to freedom of expression.

author: Giovanna Salazar


text:
Netizen Report: Internet taxes are sweeping sub-Saharan Africa — and silencing citizens · Global Voices
Netizen Report Team

June 2018 Women’s Protest Working Group march in Kampala, Uganda. Photo by Katumba Badru, used with permission.
In the wake of Tanzania’s “blogger tax” and the social media tax recently implemented in Uganda, Zambia’s cabinet approved a similarly-styled tax social media users and internet-based communication platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Viber and the like in mid-August.
The government of Benin also approved a similar tax amendment that targets standard telephony-based mobile messaging and calls, and then puts an additional tax on the use of internet-based communication apps.
The focus on these applications raises a long-standing issue that many governments have taken with internet-based communication applications, such as WhatsApp, which are free of charge for any person with internet access. Government actors have long voiced concern about revenue losses for national telecom operators who were once the primary providers (and cost beneficiaries) of these services.
But at this stage in the development of the telecommunications sector in much of sub-Saharan Africa, tools like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are key platforms for the distribution of community information, news, and public alerts during emergencies. Making them more expensive may drastically reduce citizens’ ability to communicate with one another.
Zambia’s new tax was approved despite opposition from various sectors, including the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who anticipated the tax creating major strains on businesses.
The Media Institute of Southern Africa’s Zambia chapter released a statement of concern on the matter, in collaboration with Blogger of Zambia, a national collective. They wrote:
This is a form of double and punitive taxation and taxing individual users in lieu of the social media companies that actually make money. We are concerned about this proposal because it falls within a pattern of government clampdown on online expression as we have noted of late.
[…]
Why should we make this expensive in the midst of already over-taxed residents, coupled with high poverty levels?
Quartz Africa also pointed out that mobile internet use has dropped in Zambia, from 6.1 million to 5.2 million in 2017, suggesting that the cost of connecting has become too high. With the new tax coming into effect, these numbers may fall once more.
After Facebook banned a total of 18 accounts and 52 pages related to Myanmar's military in late August, in tandem with United Nations findings that the military had promoted ethnic violence against Rohingya people, the office of the Myanmar Military Chief swiftly created a new account on Russian social media site VKontakte (VK), and several other military officers followed suit.
As of September 14, the account had 37,000 followers. Time will tell whether this transition will allow the military to rebuild its online presence on VK. Similar to Facebook, the platform prohibits content that “propagandizes and/or contributes to racial, religious, ethnic hatred or hostility, propagandizes fascism or racial superiority.”
Two WeChat users in China’s Shandong province were arrested on August 25, 2018 for spreading “rumors” about the spread of disease in livestock, triggered by record-level flooding in Shandong. The users had both posted messages warning friends and family to be careful of disease, which has spread due to flooding from Typhoon Rumbia. In China, any piece of information that does not come from official government channels can be considered a rumor.
Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Shawkan, who was sentenced to five years in prison for covering police abuses of protesters in 2013, will soon walk free. Shawkan's verdict was part of a mass trial that included 739 people charged after the violent dispersal of a protest camp in support of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. During the same trial, 75 prominent members and affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood were sentenced to death.
One day before a major rally against an unpopular pension reform was planned in Russia, Google informed the rally organizers, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, that it was taking down their YouTube videos promoting the rally, citing violation of Russian election laws. Legal experts say that this is a questionable interpretation of the law. Leonid Volkov, a former campaign manager of opposition activist and former Moscow mayoral candidate Alexey Navalny, warned against the company's unquestioning compliance with censorship demands from repressive governments.
The European Parliament approved a Copyright Directive that will likely have major implications for online free speech. The directive includes a so-called “link tax” that will allow publishers to collect a fee from major platforms like Google when listing links to their publications or papers. The directive will also require user-generated content platforms like YouTube to assess the ownership of a piece of content — whether it be video, audio, text or image — before a user can successfully upload the file. In a critique of the measures for The Guardian, James Ball argued that rather than taking power away from major internet platforms, they will do the opposite:
“…building these pre-filters will be time-consuming and expensive – meaning that they will serve to entrench existing social networks in their positions of power and make it harder for new competitors – perhaps with better business models not based on data harvesting – to appear.”
India’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a 157-year-old law that criminalized homosexual sex was unconstitutional and struck the law down. The court’s decision could set a strong precedent for defending a variety of privacy rights, especially online. Commenting on the judgement, APC Women’s Program director Jac sm Kee said: “The work of concretising the right to privacy and its critical link to the right to autonomy, life and dignity is an important recognition of this fundamental right in an age of increasing digital surveillance and intrusion into the embodied, private and public lives of individuals by states, corporations and other parties.”
Afef Abrougui, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Mohamed ElGohary, Amanda Lichtenstein, Leila Nachawati and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

author: Netizen Report Team