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El Salvador: Human Chain in San Salvador to Demand Dignified Housing · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

On Saturday, July 16, “a human chain stretched more than 2 kilometers through San Salvador to emphasize the type of human solidarity needed to resolve the tragedy of marginalized housing conditions. Residents of marginalized communities are locking hands with university students, middle class activists, youths and others in a chain stretching from the Salvador del Mundo monument to the monument to the Constitution”: Tim reports at Tim's El Salvador Blog.


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Estonia: Party Merger in Peril · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Axel Reetz of Estland blog discusses [GER] the consequences of the 2006 merger of Estonia's conservative parties, Pro Patria and Respublica, and how this union is now increasingly questioned, but also sees that unity within other parties in the country is dwindling.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Germany: Stasi and its Informers · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

David Cook at The View East writes about the East German security police, Stasi, during the Cold War, and its system of informers.


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Ghana: Creativity at Chale Wote Street Festival · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nana blogs about the Chale Wote Street Festival in James Town in Ghana: “Creativity is gradually finding its voice again in Ghana. Yesterday was proof. Poets, Musicians, Artists, performers, cyclists and all sorts of creatives stormed this ancient part of Accra and breathed fresh life into it.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Hungary: Military Training on School Curriculum · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum reports that from the schoolyear 2012/2013, Hungarian high school students will be able to study basic military science as a subject to be included in their highschool degree, and goes on to present other critical views on what she feels is a militarization of Hungary.


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Iran: Mehdi Khazali, a publisher and blogger was arrested  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mehdi Khazali, a publisher and blogger was arrested. He is son of a leading right-wing cleric and former Counsel of Guardians member, Ayatollah Khazali.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Plight of seven detained netizens  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Exactly one year after seven young netizens were arrested in a series of raids by intelligence ministry agents, Reporters Without Borders is reiterating the call for their release.


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Iran: Summer Heat Gives Way to Crackdowns on “Improper” Clothing · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A photo from the semi-official Iranian news agency FARS of a woman being reprimanded for her attire.
In many places, summer means sun, sea and holidays. In Iran, summer means at least one more thing: crackdowns on improper or “un-Islamic” clothing.
This year, traffic police in Iran have been helping to enforce the dress code, and the crackdown is not limited to giving warnings or fines. Sometimes women are arrested by force because of what they are wearing. Several citizen videos from different parts of the country help show the true “heat” of summer in Iran.
A woman runs and resists arrest in Hamadan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHYbDF4ia38
Citizens protest, as girl is arrested in Tabriz
A mother screams as 13-year old daughter is arrested
Discrimination?
Iranian blogger Irane Azad republishes several photos of women arrested for their attire, and questions [fa] why the laws only seem to be enforced on ordinary citizens and not on the Islamic Republic's famous actresses.


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Jamaica: Rivers & Mountains  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One of my favourite Caribbean proverbs comes from Haiti…‘Deye mon genmon’. Translated: behind the mountains there are mountains. It is such a fantastic description of the landscapes of both Jamaica and Haiti…Our hills roll on forever. Our mountains never end”: Under the Saltire Flag reflects on music, landscapes and the human condition.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Kuwait: Bloggers Fight Internet Companies · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

In the past two months, Kuwaiti bloggers have campaigned against Internet companies in Kuwait which are enforcing a policy of limited bandwidth, steeply raising prices in the past year by agreeing between each other on the same prices, and killing the competition in the Internet market.
Blogger Hornet wrote a statement which was republished by others, signed by 154 bloggers, forums’ admins and even Al-Watan newspaper. This eventually triggered Kuwaiti Parliament members into questioning what Internet companies are doing without being monitored and controlled by the Ministry of Communication.
The Ministry has recently decided to force companies into lowering the prices by 15% and take off the Internet cap policy beginning next month, but this has not yet fulfilled demands.
The campaign's logo, as posted by blogger Hornet.
In the statement he published, blogger Hornet [ar] wrote saying:
قررنا انا و الاخوه والأخوات المدونين الكويتيين القيام بحملة ضد الانترنت المحدود , وبما انه زمن الثورات قررنا القيام بثورة انترنتية ضد الانترنت المحدود تحت حجة “الاستخدام العادل ” فنحن المدونين نرفض رفضا تاما القيام بمثل هذه الممارسات اللتي تسلب من المشترك او المستخدم حرية استخدام للانترنت بالشكل المتعارف عليه في كل دول العالم , نحن ندفع في الكويت اسعار خيالية من اجل توفير خدمة انترنت ذات استخدام عادل بكل ماتحمله الكلمة من معنى
Hornet adds in another post [ar] the demands of this campaign saying:
حملتنا ضد هذي الشركات المزودة للإنترنت مستمرة ولن تتوقف إلا بتنفيذ هذي المطالبات:
١- الإستعجال بإقامة هيئة لتنظيم الإتصالات وسن قوانينها.
٢- فتح باب التراخيص للشركات الأجنبية بعد أن أثبتت شركاتنا الوطنية فشلها في خدمة عملائها.
٣- استكمال مشروع كيبلات الفايبر التي بدأت فيها الحكومة ثم توقفت عنها لأسباب لا نعلمها
Another blogger nicknamed Abu Flan republished the statement and made a final comment [ar] saying:
من المحزن أن نكون في دولة تعتبر من أغنى دول العالم ولا تستطيع الحكومة تقديم خدمة الإنترنت لشعب قليل بالنسبة للدول الأخرى كالسعودية ومصر بصورة ممتازه وجودة عاليه، الناس تتطور وتبحث توفير خدمة الإنترنت حتى في الطرق والشوارع ونحن نرجع للخلف !!
Lebanese blogger Mark, based in Kuwait, tried explaining the Internet problem in his post “The story behind the internet download caps” saying:
the problem from what I understood is that because the Ministry of Communication hasn’t upgraded their infrastructure the ISP’s can’t get more lines and bandwidth into Kuwait. At the same time the amount of internet users in Kuwait is increasing.
Two months ago a blog came out under the name “Kuwait Anti Bandwidth Cap Alliance” and in its page of Goals, are listed the following demands:
1- The illegal cap be removed.
2- A clause in contracts says “The contract an be amended at any time without prior notice.” This violates any customer’s rights and we demand its permanent removal.
3- The ISPs be fined for their illegal price fixing.
4- The ISPs be fined for hiking the prices 70%+.
5- The ISPs extend the subscription period of all its affected customers, with a period equal to that from the beginning of the cap (June 1st, 2011) till the day it’s removed, to compensate them for the lost value that they have paid for.
The campaign was not limited to blogs and in fact was more effective when it spread on twitter through the hash tag #q8cap. Twitter user @FalconFiery [ar] suggested boycotting internet companies:
المقاطعه هو سر النكهه ، طيبة المذاق ، لا يستطيع التاجر الا تجرعه في النهاية راضخا لمطالب عادله
Nasser Alkhudhari (@Alkhudhari1) wrote the following tweet:
@Alkhudhari1: lowering the price %15 WTF !!. we want good service, faster, stable, & dedicated DSL internet. The future is all about bandwidth
Hamad AlJudai (@hamadmj) wrote a tweet critical of Internet performance in Kuwait saying:
@hamadmj: After the internet cap policy, I feel like I was sent back to year 2000. Now looking for a download manager with a resume option.

author: Mona Kareem


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Laos: Vientiane Career Fair · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Photos of the Vientiane Career Fair in Laos which took place this month have been uploaded on Facebook.

author: Mong Palatino


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Malaysia’s first yoga festival · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysia's first yoga festival was held last weekend in Sepang along the Straits of Malacca. It was attended by more than 250 participants.


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Nigeria: Challenges of Shopping Online · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

David explains the challenges of shopping online in Nigeria: “Trust is a very rare commodity, especially in Nigeria. There are multitudes of stories about scams and betrayals. Since trust is in short supply, many find it impossible to sit behind a computer to buy online by sending money to a strange company or person.”


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No Typos or Errors in North Korean Newspapers · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Hanguk Story wrote about North Korean newspaper's strict proof-reading  system and the government's harsh punishment for those who made errors. When made a mistake regarding a story about its leader, Kim Jong-il, one would be sent to a labor camp.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Owls of Singapore · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

According to the blog of Celebrating Singapore's Biodiversity 2010, ten species of owl have been recorded in Singapore. Unfortunately for Harry Potter fans, all but one of the owl species featured in the Harry Potter movies are not found in Singapore


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Pakistan: Pictures Of The Alleged MQM-ISI Joint Death-squad · Global Voices
Rezwan

Habib R. Sulemani at the Terrorland posts two photographs as proofs of the alleged MQM-ISI joint death-squad working in Karachi to execute targeted political killings.

author: Rezwan


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Russia/Belarus: Two More ‘Revolutionary’ Initiatives Appear Online · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Ukraine-based Looo.ch launches [ru] street-art initiative called “Belarus Front of Street Art,” which idea is to spray word “Скоро” (“Soon”) on the streets of Belarus thus inspiring people to oppose the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. In Russia, the community “Crayon Revolution” [ru] calls people to draw “This government should resign” slogans on concrete of the city streets.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Serbia: Disgruntled Community Vs. Disgruntled Politician on Twitter  · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

While social media is becoming ever more popular in politics worldwide, the Balkan states and their officials seem to be struggling with the very notion of social networking. Just weeks after an event promoting local blogs and citizen journalism, organized by bloggers and attended by a few rare officials, Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vuk Jeremić, instigated a situation that may very well seriously damage any relations that local citizen media and some politicians have been building in recent years.
Minister Jeremic not only noticed a satirical, “fake” Twitter account partially bearing his name and image, @vookjeremic, but decided to report the matter of this account to Serbian police and influenced authorities to contact Twitter's administrators and have the account removed from the network. He then proceeded to take legal action against the creator of said account. Jeremic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claim that said account and what was being tweeted from it was insulting and damaging to Minister Jeremic and his foreign colleagues.
‘Stuck in the age of unilateral media’
Twitter accounts (mis)representing politicians and celebrities, usually in a satirical, sarcastic and often comedic fashion, have been popular on Twitter and other social networking sites for a while, which is logical as these are channels that allow individuals and groups of citizens to freely state their opinions. While a few rare southeastern European political figures have taken to social networks and learned to use them to their benefit, both personal and professional, Vuk Jeremic seems to be stuck in the age of unilateral media.
It is true that insults and defamation should be sanctioned and are illegal. Dragan Pleskonjic, a b92.net blogger emphasizes that “Twitter Rules” clearly state that users “may not impersonate others through the Twitter service in a manner that does or is intended to mislead, confuse, or deceive others.” In this blog post [sr], this blogger goes on to say:
I would rather not place myself on the side of the Twitterer Vuk or Vook, real or fake Twitter account, or analyze the humoristic, social (un)reasoning, nor the action and reaction to the writings there and closing of the account. However, what I would like to say with this text is: if a company on the Web offers its services under certain terms, then it would be advised to read those terms well, before using their service. In the end, by the very registration of an account, you have agreed to the terms of service…
This brings about another question and one that is elementary in proving whether or not Mr. Jeremic and those like him have an adequate comprehention of social networks or the way people use and understand them. Are such “fake” accounts intended to mislead, confuse or deceive others? Or are they another tool that citizens use to demonstrate lack of satisfaction with their government officials?
In February, the New York Times, published an article on the very same subject, regarding fake accounts of United States politicians. The article says that “Twitter allows parody accounts as long as they are labeled as such…”.
Would the blatantly obvious misspelling of the Minister’s name, Vook instead of Vuk, and ridiculous tweets exchanged between the @vookjeremic account and the @FakeQaddafi account be obvious enough?
Weltschmerz, a Croatian living in Serbia, commented on this matter on his blog [hr]:
I don’t understand how many permilles (aproximately) of reasonable people can’t tell the difference between ‘Vook Jeremic’ and ‘Vuk Jeremic’. Nor how that can be defined as identity theft.
The aforementioned New York Times article also carries an interesting quote from a GOP consultant, Matt Mackowiak, for whom a fake and mocking account has been created on Twitter. Mr. Mackowiak, obviously undisturbed and even a little flattered by the account and what its authors tweet, stated:
The one thing everyone in Washington can use is a check on their own ego.
From the Sisala Vesla blog
The same would apply in this case. Serbia’s government can use a check on its own ego, and Vuk Jeremic may be first in line. Mr. Jeremic is getting that check these days as Serbian bloggers are in an uproar about his reaction and the actions taken by the authorities in this matter. According to Alo.rs [sr], the portal of the local mainstream print edition of the same name:
After the request of the Minister of Diplomacy, Vuk Jeremic, to remove the profile ‘@vookjeremic’ from the social network ‘Twitter’, Twitterers have been more active than before, opening accounts with the names of almost all the leading politicians [in Serbia].
Active participation solution
In that same article, Jasna Matic, former Minister of Telecommunications and Internet Society and current Secretary of Digital Agenda of the Republic of Serbia, also a very active member of the local Twitter community, recommended that active participation on social networks is a solution, rather than closing profiles and implementing bans:
The general attitude of people who are in the business of digital communication is that the proactive system is better than banning, but it is also as important to allow less room for misinformation. Worldwide, a high level of informedness is expected, in particular of government officials. Whenever that isn’t the case, a window for manipulation is opened.
Vladimir Stankovic, an elementary school principal and one of Serbia’s most popular bloggers, wrote a post ranting, within reason, about this case. DedaBor, as he is more commonly known in the regional blogosphere, concludes in a blog post of his own [sr]:
My advice, and the advice of the larger portion of people who regularly use social networks and know anything about crisis PR, crises in communications, is for Vuk Jeremic himself to tune in and begin using social networks.
If he [Vuk Jeremic] can sit and watch Novak Djokovic [at Wimbledon], then he can ask him to explain how to tweet. [Novak Djokovic, currently world no. 1 tennis player, is an avid Twitterer with over 230 thousand followers on his official and personal @DjokerNole account]. Should Nole refuse, he has several political colleagues that are more than solid examples: @jasnamatic [Secretary of Digital Agenda], @gordanacom [Deputy Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly], @cistacica [Oliver Dulic, Serbian Minister] and a few others….
Other social media users and leaders of the local online community have similar things to say, like Zoran Torbica, co-founder and vice president of the Center for Internet Development and a formidable regional Twitter evangelist among politicians, local celebrities and high-level corporate executives, who recently gave a statement to Moja portal [sr], saying:
It [the reaction of the online community] isn’t a war against Jeremic, but simply the fact that he irritated people by the way he requested that the account [@vookjeremic] be shut down…
I don’t deny that they had the right to shut it down, it may have been better if Vuk Jeremic had been taught to run a Twitter account of his own and, in that case, all other accounts that resemble his own wouldn’t be less followed and would close with time.
Another favorite local blogger, the highly opinionated Mahlat, often uses vernacular to depict any situation and puts things into a “people’s” perspective in this case as well [sr]:
Now I wonder, how much of an optimist does a politician in Serbia need to be to think that noone will mock what they say, when they know that they say nothing. We’ve all learned the tune, we’re bored with it. And he [Vuk Jeremic] complains that someone is dragging his image and work through mud. Politician commrades, you can only ask for the respect of your image and work, whatever it is that you do, from your immediate families, those who share a bed and coalition partners with you. Those with whom you have deceived all of us.
You’re just lucky that most Serbs are still offline, were it different you wouldn’t be doing as well… Every love has a price, consider yourselves lucky that you are paying merely with mockery, it could be worse, history has already proven that.
And in regards to that, were it not sad, it might be funny. All that has been written.
Concluding with ‘Vuk Jeremic the Target of Fraud on Twitter’…
It seems that the issue of freedom of speech in the online community will remain a subject of debate in the days and weeks to come in Serbia and the region. What is clear so far is that politics, with disgruntled citizens on the one end and seemingly equally disgruntled politicians on the other, is still a hot issue in the Balkans.
One of the initial reasons that the Internet quickly became popular in the late 1990s in Serbia, was the political state in the country. Rectifying the image the world had of us, getting information out and getting information in, criticizing the regime of the time and having our voices heard outside of the walls of a damaged country and society – those were the driving forces behind the expansion of Internet usage more than a decade ago.
The current regime should know that, as many of its members were actively participating in the online conversations of the time. Many of those in power in Serbia today, employed the Web to their and our collective benefit. It may be high time they learned to cope with Web 2.0.

author: Danica Radisic


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Thailand: Final Vote Count · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The final vote count in Thailand's July 3 elections has been uploaded. The opposition won in the elections.


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Trinidad & Tobago: LGBT Community  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Some people automatically assume that the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community is full of immorality, promiscuity, sin, parties, drug users, AIDS and STD carriers, and criminals”: Outlish investigates what the local LGBT community is really like.


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Colman Comission · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tattoo is following the Sir Anthony Colman Commission of Inquiry into the Clico/HCU collapse and notices that in many ways, history is repeating itself, adding: “As the wheels of time turn, the vulnerable, no doubt, will continue to pay.”


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Azerbaijan: Culinary Competition · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Scary Azeri comments on the tendency for her fellow Azerbaijanis living in England to outdo each other when it comes to preparing meals for get-togethers. The blog says that this inherent competition ultimately leads to less such meetings.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bhutan: Tribute to the King · Global Voices
Rezwan

I Am Drukpa pays tribute to the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (the Fourth Druk Gyalpo) on the occasion of the third anniversary of the enactment of the constitution.


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Brazil: Improvising Recycled Electronic Art by Gambiologia · Global Voices
Debora Baldelli

Gambiologia is a collective of artists from Belo Horizonte inspired by the “Science of Gambiarra” – a Brazilian “trend” of adapting, improvising and finding simple and creative solutions to all kinds of everyday problems – in the context of electronic art.

author: Debora Baldelli


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Cambodia: Prison overcrowding · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Licadho reports about the prison overcrowding in Cambodia. It added that Cambodia's prison system is among the 25 most overcrowded in the world.


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Caribbean: Carnival in Toronto  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Caribbean Camera posts a photo album of the 2011 Kiddies Carnival Toronto Parade, here.


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Chile: Teen Warns About Earthquakes via Twitter (@AlarmaSismos) · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

TNW Latin America features the work of 14-year-old Sebastian Alegria (@sebasak), a Chilean teen sending earthquake warnings on Twitter through @AlarmaSismos: “The way it works is ingenious: Sebastian bought a domestic earthquake detector for only $75. He then replaced the internal circuit with an Arduino board which interprets the signal. He proceeded to connect the device to his server. Job done: instead of ringing, the hacked detector was now tweeting!”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Costa Rica: Student Murdered in High School in Orotina · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Julio Córdoba, in his blog Ciencia Ficción (Science Fiction), reflects [es] on the complex subject of violence after a student was murdered in a High School in Orotina on Monday, July 18.


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Cuba: BloggersCuba is back · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The digital project BloggersCuba [es] has made a come back: “BC returns for those inside and outside the digital network, inside and outside Cuba, for those who are part of the island and want to live it with us. BloggersCuba has reborn, again, deeply spontaneous and free.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: Defending “Las Damas”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers continue to update their posts about the most recent attack on Las Damas de Blanco (The Ladies in White), in which members of the group were reportedly “attacked and brutally beaten…by agents of Castro State Security upon exiting a church sanctuary.”
The Coalition of Cuban-American Women has issued a press release denouncing the attack, which even includes an audio clip [es] of one of the Ladies, Tania Montoya Vázquez, relating her experience.  El Cafe Cubano has republished the Coalition's statement in a show of solidarity.
The Ladies in White shout slogans. Image by Flickr user Globovisión (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Babalu comments on the “recording by opposition leader Tania Montoya Vazquez, who called in to Hablalo Sin Miedo while a violent attack against the Ladies in White was taking place yesterday”, saying:
You can hear the desperation and fear in her voice. Even if you do not speak or understand Spanish, the tone of her voice and the screams in the background give a chilling account of the brutality of the Castro dictatorship.
The incident has caused an outcry from other factions as well; see The International Federation of Liberal Youth's statement, here:
Belkis Cantillo Ramirez was shot in the arm, while others were brutally beaten with batons, stones and other objects. In the midst of the violence, Tania Montoya and Rodaisa Corrioso were arrested by the authorities. Aside from these two brave women, thirteen members of this organization, including Belkis Cantillo Ramirez, are receiving medical care at a local hospital.
The International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) condemns these attacks in the strongest terms. Las Damas de Blanco is a strictly peaceful movement. To respond to such non-violent resistance with such brutal repression colours the Castro regime as tyrannical at best. If these attacks were not sanctioned by the authorities, then an investigation must be immediately initiated and given far-reaching jurisdiction.
The statement goes on to demand that “Tania Montoya and Rodaisa Corrioso must be immediately and unconditionally released”, while Babalu writes another post with “more graphic details” (including photos), saying:
A quick review this morning of the websites run by some prominent ‘Cuba Experts’ finds no mention whatsoever of this brutal and violent attack on these defenseless yet courageous women. The narrative put forth by these ‘experts’ mirrors the narrative put forth by the Castro regime…they are not about to shine the light of truth on the atrocities…
Uncommon Sense also weighs in, making the point that:
To its credit, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Santiago de Cuba confirmed the report, and denounced the attack.
This has proven to be an interesting observation, considering Babalu‘s take on a USA Today editorial suggesting that:
Post-Castro Cuba will need someone trusted by all segments of society to help shepherd this nation into a new era, without bloodshed or upheaval. Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana, is that man. The son of a sugar mill worker, Ortega is uniquely equipped to fill any power vacuum.
Babalu strongly disagrees:
In a colossal display of sheer ignorance and contemptuous arrogance, Pinsky nominates for president one of the most corrupted and compromised individuals in Cuba today while ignoring venerable leaders such as Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, who unlike Ortega, has not compromised his principles or allowed himself to be used as a political tool by the dictatorship.
El Cafe Cubano supports this view, saying:
This past Sunday in ‘Santiago de Cuba, a city in the Eastern province of Cuba, women pro democracy activists were savagely beaten and verbally attacked in the streets by Cuban State Security agents after they attended mass in the Basilica of El Cobre, a Catholic shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Charity, where they prayed for the freedom of all Cuban political prisoners and for the freedom of Cuba.’
The Catholic Church silent and looking the other way…
No doubt, the Cuban diaspora will continue to follow developments and provide cyber support for The Ladies in White.


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Cuba: Freedom of Press · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Rogelio Díaz Moreno offers a profound analysis on recente debates [es] on access to information and freedom of press in Cuba.


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Cuba: New Movie “Habanastation” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

El Taburete [es] comments that the US documentary filmmaker Michael Moore will present the new Cuban movie “Habanastation” in Michigan. The movie tells the story of the friendship of two boys from Havana who come from different socioeconomic classes.


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Cuba: Project Rainbow · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Feminist blogger and LGBT activist Yasmín Portales Machado [es] has launched Project Rainbow (Proyecto Arcoiris) focused on LGBT advocacy in the island: “The reason? There is not a single LGBTI group in Cuba that completely satisfies me.”


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Dominican Republic: 93 Women Murdered This Year · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Remolacha.net [es] briefly comments on a news story in which the director of the feminist non-profit Colectiva Mujer y Salud [es], Sergia Galván, denounces that 93 women have been murdered by their partners or ex-partners this year in the Dominican Republic.


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Haiti: Student Murdered in DR  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

BELTIFI INC. republishes a news release about the murder of a Haitian student in the Dominican Republic, saying: “Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the Lindor family.”


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Haiti: The Price of Work · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Haiti Grassroots Watch, along with students from the Journalism Laboratory at the State University of Haiti’s Faculty of Human Sciences, investigates a “Cash for Work” program in the Ravine Pintade slum run by a US “non-profit” organization, and uncovers corruption, sexual abuse and social conflict.


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Indonesia: Demand to open torture trial  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence and the Asian Human Rights Commission urge the Indonesian government to make transparent the torture trial involving members of the Indonesian army. The torture incident which led to the death of Charles Mali took place in East Nusa Tenggara.


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Iran: Rage Against Pre-Islamic Statues · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

It seems that even statues are not safe in Iran.  Religious motives appear to be behind the recent theft of several bronze statues of Iranian national heroes from public places.
In the northern city Sari, authorities ordered the destruction of 16 bronze statutes depicting the Iranian mythological hero and archer  Arash Kamangir on chariots and with horses.
Iranian mythological hero and archer, Arash Kamangir.
The official reason was ostensibly that the horses on Imam Square could be interpreted as insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomenei.
Kamangir is said to have infused his own life into his arrow, and used it to expand the borders of Iran. The statues have decorated the public squares in Sari since 1975.
This video showing the destroyed statues was uploaded to YouTube by user SecularDemocracyIran on 29 June, 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rHTL_UzbDo
Easy targets
Azarmehr writes that more statues are being targeted these days, as Iranian authorities pursue their rage against Iran's pre-Islamic history. He says:
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution however, the Islamic Republic has been hell bent on its anti-Iranian agenda. The regime fears all symbols of pre-Islamic Iran. In recent weeks, this anti-Iranian agenda has manifested itself in removing wall paintings that depicted the Epic stories of Shahnameh (Book of Kings) in Mashad, the removal of the statues of another Iranian legendary figure, Arash in Sari and now they want to remove the statue of Ariobarzanes in Yassuj.
Several bloggers such as Osyan Sabz have photographed the empty spots left behind after the statues were removed and destroyed:
Kiasar quotes Abdulhossein Mokhtabad, an artist from Sari, who says these statues belong to our people and we have to protect them.
For the Sari riders at least, it is sadly too late.


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Lets Clean Bangladesh · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Dhaka Project (TDP) has launched a campaign called “Let's Clean Bangladesh”. On the 17th of July 2011 the TDP school team cleaned several streets in Dhaka to teach the community people to keep the society clean.


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Lithuania-Austria: Ex KGB-Officer Causes Controversy · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Albatross of Litauen blog reports [GER] about a controversy between Lithuania and Austria, where Austrian authorities first arrested and then released a former KGB-officer, who commanded Soviet Alpha-forces during the bloody Vilnius 13 January 1991 events.


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Malawi: Arab Spring Spreading South of the Sahara? · Global Voices
Steve Sharra

It's winter in Africa, south of the Equator, but the temperature in Malawi feels more like Spring – particularly that of the recent Arab pedigree. The Malawian air is rife with tension and anxiety over what is expected to be a clash between civil society and the Malawi government on Wednesday July 20, 2011.
Civil society activists have set that date as a day for the beginning of a series of mass demonstrations aimed at expressing their displeasure with the Malawian leadership.
Rife with tension
'United for Peaceful Resistance Against Bad Economic and Democratic Governance'. Image courtesy of 'DEMO YA TIYENI TONSE PA 20 JULY' Facebook page.
Malawi is currently undergoing a severe fuel shortage, which began at the beginning of June, one of a recurrent number of crippling shortages since 2009. The country has had severe foreign exchange (forex) shortages, at a time when it is supposed to have plenty of from tobacco sales, currently in season.
On Thursday, July 14, the British Government announced it had stopped giving budgetary support to the Malawi government, citing concerns with the suppression of demonstrations, the intimidation of civil society organisations, and an injunctions bill that prevents citizens from obtaining court injunctions against the government.
The British Government also said Malawi’s currency, the Kwacha, was overvalued, resulting in chronic forex shortages “which are having a serious impact on the Malawian private sector’s ability to drive future growth. There are now daily fuel queues, tobacco exports have deteriorated and Malawi is off-track with its IMF programme.” The IMF has also suspended its support to the Malawi government.
The political landscape has been tense since December 2010 when the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expelled the Right Honorable Joyce Banda, the country's vice president, for what is widely believed to be a ploy for President Bingu wa Mutharika to pave a political path for his brother, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika. The vice president has since formed her own party, although officially she remains in her government position.
President Bingu wa Mutharika has recently signed law bills that have been met with widespread criticism and resistance, including one empowering the Minister of Information to ban any publication deemed not to be in the public interest. A more recent law makes it impossible for individuals to obtain a court injunction and seek judicial redress against the government.
The University of Malawi has had two of its constituent colleges, Chancellor College and The Polytechnic, shut down since February 2011 when lecturers started refusing to enter classrooms for fear of spies. The saga started in February this year when the Inspector General of Police, Peter Mukhito, summoned a Chancellor College political science lecturer, Dr Blessings Chinsinga, to question him for mentioning the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt during a lecture.
The University of Malawi governing council is currently engaged in a court battle with the Chancellor College Academic Staff Union (CCASU), who are challenging the Council's firing of four Chancellor College lecturers, including Dr Chinsinga and Dr Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula, the union's acting president.
Fear of violent protests
There are fears that the July 20 mass demonstrations may turn violent. Supporters of President wa Mutharika and the DPP have announced a counter-demonstration on the same day. There are reports that 800 police officers are being specially trained to stop the demonstrations “with zero casualties” according to online newspaper Malawi Voice.
On Thursday July 14, the United States Embassy in Malawi issued an alert to US citizens in Malawi about about the demonstrations and the possibility that they could turn ugly. Titled “Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens – Possible Demonstrations”, the alert first appeared on the discussion site Nyasanet on Friday, and later on the online newspaper Nyasatimes.
One member on the Nyasanet forum observed that the mere fact that the US Embassy issued such a statement meant that there was something serious brewing underground:
The Statement from the US Embassy means that the Chief of Station (Head of the CIA in Malawi) has done his/her homework. They are rarely off target.
As the air grew tense with the countdown to Wednesday, there were reports on Sunday, which first surfaced on a Google forum, that a vehicle belonging to Zodiak Broadcasting Station, an independent radio station, had its windows smashed by men wearing face masks.
Much of the news of the demonstration has appeared online, whereas the government's response has used state media with government spokespersons holding press conferences on television and radio stations. A Facebook event page has been created for the demonstrations with the title ‘DEMO YA TIYENI TONSE PA 20 JULY’, roughly translating as a demonstration of one and all on 20 July. As of writing, 2,422 people have indicated they will attend the demonstration; the date on the event's page says 20 October instead of the July 20 event that everyone is talking about.
The Facebook page gives a detailed description of when and where people should assemble for the demonstrations, a programme that has appeared in other online newspapers and in print newspapers. Comments on the page range from the biblical to the profane.
A Bible-quoting commenter writes:
There4,let us follow aftar the things dat mek 4 peace & things by which 1 may edify another” Roman 14:19
One bordering on the profane goes:
It's our right to demonstrate, that is the only way we can ring a bell in to an obstinate and gullible this stupid fool called ngwazi. Let us show him that Malawi does not belong to one tribe neither his family, gogogogogo! DEMO.
Another comment sounds rather militant:
It Has to be done…Malawians Stand Up and Be Counted! No One Should Abuse Our Hard Fought For Freedom!
A more reflective commenter quotes Nelson Mandela:
It always seems imposible until its done-Nelson mandela.
Interest in the impending mass action appears to be spreading outside Malawi. A Malawian landing at Kamuzu International Airport on Sunday posted on their Facebook page about a group of foreign journalists aboard the same plane they were on:
Had a contingent of foreign media in the same flight this afternoon coming into Lilongwe, looks like the Demos have attracted the attention on the international media!” One passenger even asked a question the Malawian chose not to answer: “Some one asked me, is it true Malawians are changing regime on 20th July? I didnt give hima any answer.
But an observer of Malawian politics posted on Twitter about there not seeming to be a lot of international media attention on the looming demonstrations: “still nothing shows up in international news feeds on upcoming #Malawi demonstrations #20July”.
The Twitter hashtag for the demonstration is #20July, says @chiume.
Response from the top
Uniting for Peaceful Resistance. Image courtesy of 'DEMO YA TIYENI TONSE PA 20 JULY' Facebook page.
President wa Mutharika appears to have been aware of the mood amongst many Malawians, and has been planning a response. On arrival from a trip to the United States towards the end of June, he announced that he was going to give a public lecture, in which he would address the many concerns Malawians are expressing.
No date was set for the public lecture, but immediately as the organizers of the July 20 demonstration announced their date, government announced the same date of July 20 for the public lecture. Government spokesperson Honorable Vuwa Kaunda, Minister of Information and Civic Education, and presidential spokesperson Dr Heatherwick Ntaba held a press conference, urging Malawians not to go to the demonstration, but to the president's lecture instead.
Among the many reasons the two cited as to why Malawians need to listen to the president, Hon. Vuwa Kaunda performed his trademark praise song to President wa Mutharika, listing the many achievements of the DPP-led government. Hon Kaunda has become known for rattling off, in rapid style, President wa Mutharika's achievements: an end to chronicle food shortages, new tarred roads across the length of the country, six new universities being planned for the next ten years, new parliament building, a new five star hotel and international conference center in the capital city Lilongwe, and Nsanje World Inland port connecting Malawi to the Indian Ocean, among others.
Up to until his re-election to a second term in May 2009, President Bingu wa Mutharika enjoyed broad support locally, and wide admiration abroad. Civil society activists held demonstrations in support of his policies against a majority opposition which was seen as only bent on frustrating his development plans. He introduced a farm input subsidy, which is credited for having turned Malawi from a food importer to a food exporter. He was Malawi's first president to become chairperson of the African Union for the year 2010, a development that added to his international credentials which earned him attention on the front pages of major newspapers in the United States, Britain and elsewhere. There was renewed hope and pride amongst many Malawians, and President wa Mutharika was seen as the new face of a new Africa.
Compared with the mood in the country today, a lot has changed in a space of two years. A Malawian development economist observed on Nyasanet in May this year:
I was at the world economic forum last month. Only two years [ago] bingu was a hero. Now Malawi was a source of bewilderment.
In an attempt to dissuade Malawians from attending Wednesday's planned demonstrations, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation has carried news bulletins, on three consecutive evenings, claiming that Malawians are being duped about the demonstrations, whose real aim, the state broadcaster claims, is to show support for gay rights, for which civil society groups have received millions of kwacha. The bulletins have been saying organizers of the demonstrations want to use photographs of demonstrators to show to donors that Malawians support gay rights and same-sex marriages.
Reactions to the government's story have been derided as bordering on the desperate. One reaction posted on Twitter said:
Malawians urged not to listen to MBC TV & Radio on 20 July – coz of its tendency to misinform in news coverage
Another tweet sought to identify a possible irony in a television anchor's attire:
MBC TB news anchor, Nyang'wa in a red tie – maybe in some dress rehearsal for the July 20 demo (dress attire is red)
On February 14 earlier this year civil society organizations planned a demonstration to protest against fuel shortages, but it was stopped by police. According to online newspaper Malawi Voice, the demonstrators were hugely outnumbered by the police, who were over 250, against a few dozen protesters, numbering about 30, according to print newspaper The Nation.
The leader of that foiled demonstration, Mabvuto Bamusi, has since made a 180 degree turn. He is now frequently invited on national television to provide analysis and commentary that supports government and lambasts his former colleagues in civil society.

author: Steve Sharra


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Mexico: Sinaloa Governor Calls for Special Investigation on Femicides · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Aguachile commends Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez (Malova) “for taking the issue of femicides seriously and not brushing it under the carpet […] Malova considered the rise in femicides in Sinaloa “alarming,” and called for a special investigation by his justice department to analyze the so far 56 reported cases of femicides this year, where the women have been targeted principally for being women. Last year saw 111 cases in the state.”


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Puerto Rico: Puerta de Tierra Website · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The legendary neighborhood Puerta de Tierra, in the outskirts of the walled city of Old San Juan, has a website with a wealth of information [es] on its history, people, and activities.


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Russia: Putin As Universal Evil · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ernst Krenkel of Backyard Safari discusses [GER] how Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, is often portrayed as a universal evil in the West, to the point where he is even accused of being an accomplice in an alleged conspiracy [FR] against former IMF director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn.


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Russia: Putin Wary of WTO · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Kyle Keeton of Windows to Russia argues that Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, is right in his wariness towards membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), fearing that this might hurt the country's economy.


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Russia: Women ‘Rip For Putin’ As Election Campaign War Begins · Global Voices
Yelena Osipova

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.
Although most of the mainstream media attention in Russia and abroad, currently seems to be focusing on whether there really is a “war” looming (or already underway) between President Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin over who will run for president in the 2012 elections, Putin's campaign has clearly begun. Via social media, at least.
‘Ripping’ for Putin
A group of young Russian women, calling themselves ‘Putin's Army’ have started a campaign [ru] on Russian social networking website Vkontakte, announcing a competition for the best video showing young women “ripping something” for Putin. [It should be noted that “ripping” in Russian also stands for a threat to use violence, as well as  “putting a great fight.”]
"Take part in the competition 'I will rip for Putin'." Image from the 'Putin's Army' VKontake group.
The winner is promised a new iPad-2, and the group had 1,913 members at the time of this writing.
Being highly tech-savvy, the group has opened a LiveJournal blog [ru] where they state their rationale and objective:
Армия Путина! – объединение молодых девушек, которые “порвут” за Путина!
Зачем? Мы покажем, что Владимира Владимировича поддерживают многие, в т.ч красивые, молодые и умные девушки! Мы едины во мнении, что Путин – Достойный и Честный политик, а так же и ШИКАРНЫЙ Мужчина!
Цель: “Путин – Президент!”
Здесь только девушки без комплексов! Наши акции прогремят на всю Россию! Каждая девушка станет Интернет – звездой! Ты готова показать всем, какая ТЫ крутая и как прекрасен ТВОЙ президент? Вступай в АРМИЮ ПУТИНА!!!
Objective: “Putin – President!”
We accept only young women without complexes! Our campaigns will be roaring across all Russia! Each participant will become an Internet star! Are you ready to show everyone how cool YOU are and how great is YOUR president? Join PUTIN’S ARMY!!!
The enthusiastic ‘Army’ has also posted a YouTube video [ru] announcing the competition on July 13. At the time of this writing, it had been viewed about 487,000 times.
The video script runs along the lines of: “I'm just crazy about the man who changed our country. He is a great politician and an amazing man. He is Vladimir Putin. And although there are millions who admire him, there are some who pour dirt on him, perhaps because they are scared of him or because they themselves are weak and will never be able to take his place”.
Reactions
Some bloggers were appalled by it all. Legart [ru] referred to these young women disdainfully as “putiyanki,” [an insulting term] while many others [ru] have joined in the public ridicule [ru] and questioning [ru] of the ‘Army's’ campaign.
The reactions have been similar on Twitter, where most of the commentators are either expressing dislike (to put it mildly) of the project, or are simply making fun of it. Perhaps the most timely comment came from @YuryGerun:
Порву за Путина! http://t.co/PMvxEMK Цитата: “А на что ты готов ради своего президента?” Путин — уже президент?
The campaign has also received a lot of attention from the more mainstream media. It was covered not just by the likes of Argumenty i Fakty [ru], Gazeta.ru [ru] and Ekho Moskvy [ru], but also Russia's English-language international channel Russia Today and the British daily, The Independent [en], which is owned by the Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev who had recently joined pro-Putin “People's Front.”
Ekho Mosvky asked another important question: would the ladies still be willing to rip something off or put up a great fight for Putin if there was no iPad-2 possibly forthcoming?
The public relations campaign has started and will, most probably, gain even further attention and prominence. ‘Putin's Army’ might even have some success in terms of the number of video submissions.
Another interesting piece making the rounds on the Internet is a musical production, put together by a group calling themselves ‘Girls for Putin‘ (video).
The essence of the lyrics is that the girls have an incessant desire to be Putin's Koni (Putin's black Labrador). Sex sells, after all. Meanwhile, the online campaign ‘Almost Putin,’ promoting the Prime Minister among hipsters, kicked off few months ago.
The most noteworthy aspect of all, however, is that Putin is quickly catching up with his supposed rival in engaging guerrilla marketing techniques and new media as well as new tools to boost his popularity with the youth before the actual campaign begins.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.

author: Yelena Osipova


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Trinidad & Tobago: Photography in Media  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Mark Lyndersay considers the future of photography in local mainstream media: “Why would a young photographer have shown up in a newsroom looking for work two decades ago? You either wanted to learn the craft or get published.  In 2011, neither of these reasons is enough…”


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Barbados: REDJet in T&T · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

On learning that REDJet has finally been approved to provide service out of Trinidad and Tobago, B.C. Pires says: “[It is] going to be good for everyone who thought something was wrong, somewhere, if it cost about the same to fly from Trinidad to Barbados as from Trinidad to New York.”


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Turkey: Protest Against Kurdish Singer Prompts Strong Social Media Response · Global Voices
Kubra

Aynur Doğan, a Kurdish-Turkish singer, was jeered by part of the audience during an open air concert in the Istanbul Jazz Festival because she sang a song in Kurdish. Part of the audience sang the Turkish National Anthem in protest, while others in the audience supported the singer.
Eventually, she left the stage as the response from the audience got louder. The incident, according to some, was partly due to yesterday’s clashes between the Turkish army and Kurdish militants which claimed in total the lives of over a dozen men from both sides.
Macedonian minimalist musical concept band Baklava and the famous Turkish singer Aynur, opened the 9th Offest, Worldwide Music Festival. Skopje, Macedonia. Photo by by Mite Kuzevski, copyright Demotix (01/06/10)
Beyhan Demirci, who was in the audience, captured and posted the video of the singer leaving the stage and  summarized  the issue as [tr]:
‘Türkce soyle’ dediler, ‘şehitler ölmez’ dediler, ‘yuh’ dediler. Ve Aynur Doğan'ı sahneden indirdiler..
Meltem Gürler, who was also in the audience, reported the incident [tr]:
Acikhavada yerin dibine girdik, Aynur'u Kurtce sarkilarindan dolayi sahnede protesto ettiler. Aynur sahneyi terk etti.Burasi vahim durumda.
Aslı Tunç, who was also attending the concert, reported [tr] that some of the protesters in the audience later left the concert after quarreling with others who supported the musician:
Izleyicilerin bir bolumu acik havayi terketti, tartismalar suruyor!
She also mentioned [tr] how some in the audience later on sang the national anthem as a protest:
Acik Hava'da rezalet suruyor! Bir kisim seyirci istiklal marsi soyleyip konseri sabote ediyor!
The news spread quickly within social media networks before the traditional media sources could even get a hold of it. A lengthy discussion of intolerance and racism in Turkey began. Some however were more optimist despite the incident, @glcnavsar wrote [tr]:
Aynur Doğan'ı protesto edenler bu ülkedeki gelişimin öyle gerisinde ki umutsuzluk yaratamazlar artık; ancak utanç vesilesi olurlar.
Another well known Turkish singer, Yasemin Göksu, stated [tr] that she phoned and had a small chat with Aynur Doğan right after she heard about the incident:
… ben şimdi konuştm Aynur Doğan'la. Olayı anlattı, birkaç kişi provoke etmş ama dinleyici Aynur'u sahiplenmiş. Tabi morali bozulmuş ama iyi
According to those who stayed until the end of the concert, Aynur Doğan received a standing ovation from the audience, shouting slogans for solidarity with Doğan and against racism, when she came to stage a second time with other musicians.
@degendary, who attended the concert, described [tr] the ending as:
Konser sona eriyor Aynur sahneye geldi herkes ayakta Aynur U alkışladı, yasasın halkların kardeşliği sloganları atıldı
Görgün Taner [tr], the head of IKSV, the foundation that organizes the Istanbul Jazz Festival, announced that:
Çok kulturlu seslerin yer aldığı konserler yapmaya devam edecegiz
After the incident, a Facebook page declaring solidarity with Aynur Doğan and denouncing the attack was created.

author: Kubra


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Ukraine: Odesa Film Festival · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Leigh Turner, British Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about the Odesa Film Festival, set against the background of many famous films, not least Eisenstein's “Battleship Potemkin.”

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Ukraine: Revenge of the Oligarchs · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LevKo of Foreign Notes discusses the trials against Ukraine's former Prime Minister, Yulia Timoshenko, and Interior Minister, Yuri Lutsenko, portrayed by Frankfurter Allgemeine as revenge by the business oligarchs of current President Viktor Yanukovich.


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Afghanistan: Book offers diplomatic insights · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding briefly reviews a book by Britain's former ambassador in Afghanistan, Sherard Cowper-Coles, and says that it is stuffed with fascinating material.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Taliban killing civilians with IEDs · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding reports that civilian deaths in Afghanistan increased by 15 per cent in 2011, pointing out that the dramatic growth was mainly due to the use of landmine-like improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the Taliban.


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Armenia: Impressions of Georgia · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ianyan posts photographs and its impressions of a recent visit to Georgia, Armenia's northern neighbor. Global Chaos, another Armenian blog, also does the same.


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Barbados: Escargot, Anyone?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press suggests that when it comes to the invasive Giant African Snail, if you can't beat ‘em, eat ‘em.


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Barbados: Murdoch Madness  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Who say recession not hitting dem big multi-millionaire/billionaire fellas an dem ain't tightening dem belt like de small man?  Even a media mogul like Murdoch cut back and now he wife doubling as bodyguard. See that is how the rich duz stay rich, ‘im have the woman multitasking”: Diaspora blogger Jdid pokes fun at the Murdoch pie-throwing incident.


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Brazil: Blogger Censored and Sued by Businessman · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

Journalist Paulo Cezar Prado's Blog do Paulinho [pt] has been blocked by the Brazilian Justice, reports the Blue Bus [pt].  Businessman Franck Henouda's lawyer has sued the blogger who had also criticized other public figures related with sports: Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the CBF and Andres Sanchez the president of Corinthians.

author: Thiana Biondo


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Chile: Salvador Allende’s Death Ruled a Suicide · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

As Greg Weeks reports in his blog Two Weeks Notice “Salvador Allende's death has officially been ruled a suicide.  I think it is fair to say that very few people believed otherwise.  Nonetheless, there is evidence that the military (under the orders of Augusto Pinochet) would have murdered him if they found him alive.”


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Chile: Students Take Over Schools Demanding Education Reform · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

For over a month, students in Chile have been in control of hundreds of schools throughout the country, turning their classrooms into temporary homes while they demand free and higher quality education. As Paul Kearney explains in the blog Back in a Bit:
The students are protesting against the free market system of education created by Pinochet, which has been responsible for rising costs, inequity, and poor quality of government education. Specifically, students are protesting against the introduction of a law which will increase the costs of university education, but they are also calling for a complete change in the system: they demand a change in the country’s constitution, which will change the government’s duty to provide a good free education. Some students go further, and take control of the school (called a ‘toma’), occupying it until their demands are met.
A high school ("liceo") taken over by students in Santiago, Chile. Image by Flickr user Erwin Horment (CC BY-ND 2.0).
Paul explains how students took over a school in Los Lagos, in the south of Chile:
On Friday, the Mayor of Los Lagos, the headmaster, teachers, parents and friends arrived to find out that 30-60 students had taken control of the school. At 1.30 in the morning, in what must have been sub-freezing temperatures, they had jumped the fence, opened the locked doors, disabled the alarm, put up signs and chained the gates against the public.
He went inside the school and goes on to describe what he saw, concluding:
Some students are there for the adventure, some because they wanted to do something about the state of education. In my school, I didn’t see students walking around with a copy of the constitution under their arms, but neither were they drinking and breaking windows, as happened in other locations. There was a real sense of excitement and purpose in the air — as one student said, “It’s good to feel everyone so united”. Amidst calls such as “I’m scared! The Inspector is outside”, “How do you work the heating here?” and “Come quickly! The noodles are burning!”, students were making a stand for their right to a quality education.
In an article for El Ciudadano [es] Cristóbal Cornejo also provides an inside look at a ‘toma’. Reporting from a high school in downtown Santiago, Liceo Amunátegui, Cristóbal describes the night of June 29, the day before over 400,000 people throughout Chile marched for educational reform:
Students hang chairs and desks from the schools' gates to show they are in a "toma". Image by Flickr user Erwin Horment (CC BY-ND 2.0).
Una tarde lluviosa en Santiago. Cientos de colegios y universidades paralizadas o en toma a lo largo de Chile. Adentro de ellos, se combate el frío, el hambre y la humedad con los métodos que estén al alcance de la imaginación. Más allá de la comida y el abrigo está el calor de los compañeros que se unen en la lucha por un presente y un futuro que asegure que nadie que no tenga dinero se vea excluido de educarse, por ende, de crecer y liberarse, al menos relativamente.
But outsiders are not the only ones reporting what transpires inside the student-controlled schools; students inside the ‘tomas’ around the country are sharing their experiences online through videos and blogs.
Like youth from the Liceo Zapallar in Curicó –in Chile's central valley, south of Santiago– who are blogging, sharing pictures and even live streaming their ‘toma’. In the blog [es], Diego Ortega explains that around 150 students took over the  school peacefully on June 16. Currently, 25 to 35 students are inside  the school representing their classmates, he explains.
The following video was filmed in a Technical-Professional (vocational) school in Población Los Nogales, a marginalized community in Santiago. A student leader gives us a tour of the precarious conditions of his school:
CanalFech, the YouTube channel of the University of Chile's Student Federation, has posted videos of ‘tomas’ from several schools in Santiago, like Liceo 7 de Ñuñoa, Liceo A-13 Confederación Suiza, and this video of the moment when University students took over the ‘casa central’ (headquarters) of the University of Chile.
On a lighter note, Colectivo FAUNA (College of Architecture and Urbanism from the University of Chile) produced the following “Grease” parody to “invite everyone who is not moving to come and mobilize for education”:
Students are not going anywhere for now. The Santiago Times reports on Sunday July 17, 2011, that, “After more than nine hours of discussion, student representatives from the Confederación de Estudiantes de Chile (Confech) agreed to continue school ‘tomas’, or student takeovers. They also vowed to bring a greater political dimension into their strike efforts and urged the government to stop trying to ‘criminalize’ the movement.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, July 18, President Sebastián Piñera announced changes in his Cabinet, replacing Minister of Education Joaquin Lavín with former Justice Minister Felipe Bulnes. Whether a fresh face in the Ministry will persuade students to end their ‘tomas’ is yet to be seen, but for now, students seem immovable in their cause for high quality, free education.


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China: Elections with Chinese Characteristics · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Andy Yee translates New-York based democracy advocate Hu Ping's article on the realities of elections with Chinese characteristics at China Geeks.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Investigative reporter team dismantled · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zhan Jiang from China Media Project comments on the dismantling of an investigative reporter team at China Economic Times led by prominent journalist Wang Keqin from the. Zhan believes that the incident is a problem of incompetent management bureaucrat in the news organization.  .


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Colombia: On Independence Day · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Colombia celebrates its 201st birthday on July 20. Guapacho writes about this year's Google Doodle [es]; Triana remembers [es] José María Espinosa, one of the first Colombian cartoonists; and Julián Rosero Navarrete argues [es] that the “independence” was actually a “secession war” among Spaniards from both sides of the Atlantic.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Cuba: Killed for Stealing Fruit · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“On the afternoon of July 15, 2011, the town of Mantilla…was shocked by the death of Angel Izquierdo Medina, a 14-year-old black teenager, who died from a gunshot to the femoral artery by Amado Interian, a retired police Major”: Laritza's Laws laments that the youth was killed for trying “to take genips, also known Spanish limes, from a tree.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Google+ for China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dan from China Law Blog comments on various social networking tools in China. The blogger is convinced about all “China people” will eventually migrate over there and make it THE place for China discussions.


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Hong Kong and China: Free Ai Weiwei · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A remix music video for the Free Ai Weiwei campaign.


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Italy: Social Innovation Competition with €10,000 Prize · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

The EUCLID network is inviting social innovators from any country to submit entries to a competition about how to solve one of six social challenges in Naples, Italy. The winning idea will be implemented by the winners together with local partners using a €10,000 prize.

author: Solana Larsen


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Kyrgyzstan: Library receives grant for catalogues and digitization · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Emerson reports that a Western donor organization awarded the Kyrgyzstan's largest library a generous grant to re-catalogue and digitize its rare book holdings.


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Murdoch Hails Singapore Model But Local Netizens Disagree · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

During a public hearing on the recent phone hacking scandal involving his tabloid newspaper the News of the World, media mogul Rupert Murdoch told British members of parliament that the Singapore model of paying high salaries to politicians should be emulated to curb corruption:
I think there is an answer to it, and we ought to look at them as open and clear as a society in the world, which is Singapore — where every minister gets at least a million dollars a year and the prime minister a lot more and there is no temptation and it is as clean a society as you find anywhere.
Protester with Murdoch mask, placards and newspaper headline outside the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Image by Peter Marshall, copyright Demotix (07/07/2011).
For comparison, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron has an annual salary of S$279,000 while Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong receives S$3.87 million every year.
But Murdoch should be reminded that the Singapore salary system he praised is now under review after it became a main election topic a few months ago. In fact, reforms are being demanded by the people, especially those coming from the private sector, who describe the high salaries of elected public officials as unjust, inefficient and unreasonable.
When The Online Citizen posted Murdoch’s statement on Facebook, it quickly generated a lot of response:
Gregg Chen: what a joke from the phone hacker
Janson Choo: To be fair our ministers are definitely non corrupt. But some are probably are incompetent.
Lawrence Pek U: have to ask if the Murdochs knows that the PAP (ruling party) has lost so many votes for Ministerial Salaries? That there is an on going Review? That all people in Singapore is against it? :-)
Anne KoArt: Is Rupert Murdoch insinuating legalised corruption? :O
Ooi Kim Soon: It's a irony.He has no chance of hacking here because all are controlled by the puppies.
Jon Zephanius: I think after this he will start trying to find Singaporean citizenship…
Salihin Nihilas: Not surprisingly, Murdoch and all the other rich douches love Singapore cos the Government backs them. No strikes, no independent unions. Easier for them to press wages.
Wil Wilkins: Ironically if Murdoch came to Singapore he would have been banned under the Newspapers and Printing Presses Act.
My Singapore News, however, agrees with Murdoch:
Singapore has the cleanest and least corrupt govt in the world, by paying them not to be corrupt. We should share our world best formula with the British and the West, plus the ingenious arguments. They will be very thankful that they could finally learn something from the East. We are the pathfinders for a govt that is not corrupt, with a pay that is so good that makes corruption obsolete.
The British and the Americans would surely love the formula.
More comments from The Online Citizen website; Americano supports Murdoch’s argument:
Now this is coming from one of the world’s most successful businessmen, not from our ministers. There is justification to this. Developed world(think of UK ministers fudging their personal expenses) and undeveloped world (think of politicians in Africa siphoning the countries resources) alike, nowhere are politicians as clean as in Singapore. The ministers are not perfect, but are fully deserving of the salaries they earn, given the good job they have done in improving the citizens lives and making Singapore one of the most business friendly countries in the world. Even the Scandinavian countries (which have among the least corruption in the developed world) should learn from Singapore.
Jonathan Wang thinks that Murdoch was wrong to cite Singapore:
Rupert Murdoch is not doing any favor to Singapore by citing the astronomical pay our ministers received. By the same token, he is saying that if you pay top dollars, you can prevent corruption.
I do believe the ruling party is trying very hard to close this chapter by appointing a committee to look into the pay formulary for ministers introduced in the nineties.
The guy is immersed in a battle for his group’s survival and trying to fend off the stigma that his organization was corrupt-prone. But it still doesn’t sense.
Some Twitter reactions:
@marvelgal: Rupert Murdoch said it's good that Singapore ministers are paid millions to avoid corruption. Yeah sure, his words are credible right now.
@followLin: Lets Scrap minister pay review @tocsg: Rupert Murdoch: UK Should Emulate Singapore’s Million Dollar Ministerial Wages http://t.co/H1nARDM
@mediumshawn: Rupert Murdoch thinks that Singapore's Ministerial high pay is a good thing. More pie on his face please. #hackgate #notw

author: Mong Palatino


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North Korean Defectors Living in South Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Robert Neff of Marmot's Hole blog wrote about the International Crisis Group's report about North Korean defectors living in South Korea (PDF). The report covers practical problems defectors face in education and health care and  discrimination issues.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Pakistan: Demanding Justice For Saleem Shahzad · Global Voices
Sana Saleem

A month after the May 2011 abduction and murder of Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad, bureau chief of Asia Online, the judicial commission set up to investigate the murder has lamented the lack of help forthcoming.
Many suspect that the country's intelligence agency was behind the abduction of Shahzad, a possibility he had shared with his colleagues several times.  Ali Dayan, Pakistan's director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), was the first to mention possible involvement of Inter-sServices Intelligence agency (ISI), via Twitter:
@AliDayan: Journalist Saleem Shahzad feared abduction by #ISI. and left statement with#HRW in case of abduction. #FreeSaleemShahzad
People hold placards demanding an investigation into the killing of Saleem Shahzad. Image by Rajput Yasir, copyright Demotix (01/07/2011).)
In a report published a few hours before the discovery of Shahzad's body, Omar Warraich analyzed the possibility of the ISI's involvement.  The statement released by HRW was backed up by Hameed Haroon, president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS).
Ever since Shahzad's battered corpse appeared followed by a hurried burial by the police, without informing the family, journalists and human rights advocates have been outspoken in blaming the ISI for the murder. The response from the intelligence agency is widely believed to be disappointing and unsatisfactory.
Writing in response to the ISI's reaction on Shahazad's killing, I have tried to bring into focus similar cases in the past in my blog:
It strikes me tremendously odd that the ISI’s involvement in torture and making threatening calls to journalists is spoken of with such casualty. It appears to be a norm — even if torture inevitably leads to death, aided by a hushed burial. It’s a pity that these questions are being asked, knowingly that Shahzad’s torture that led to his death is not a unique case. Journalists like Wali Khan Babar, Zaman Ali and Hayat Ullah Khan have been killed in the line of duty.
The statement issued by the ISI is reflective of the relationship between our intelligence agencies and the people. It begins with denying involvement, showing sympathy to the aggrieved family and ends with a much familiar tone; a defensive one.
Writing on real dangers faced by journalists, Kalsoom Lakhani shared her personal story:
My sister is a journalist. She often notes that the instinctive human reaction to a disaster, attack or bomb blast is to run away. Journalists function counter-intuitively. They run towards the chaos. They put the story before their own lives. Their courage and commitment are often why citizens can be more informed participants in the conversation, why we have the ammunition to ask the questions that should be asked. Saleem Shahzad’s death was an enormous loss for a community of journalists who will continue to report in the face of censorship, harassment, and violence. It was an enormous loss for us all. RIP.
Blogger Kala Kawa penned down a blunt critique:
Ever since the 2 of May, our military Lords and Masters have been on the back foot. Their response has been indignation. How else to explain the arrogance of Chief of Naval Staff Nauman Bashir in informing us that the brazen attack on PNS Mehran was “not a security failure”?
The ethos ingrained in our security high command is not “protect your people”, its “you can get away with anything.”And if getting away with something requires the murder of the citizens you have sworn to protect; so be it.Few things could be more repulsive.
A recent statement by Admiral Mike Mullen claims that the government sanctioned Shahzad's killing, but is vague in terms of providing evidence or elaborating on the involvement of the ISI. Ali Dayan of HRW have urged the United States government to provide information. The Pakistani authorities however have dismissed the allegations.
@AliDayan: #SaleemShahzad was a father, husband & journalist. USG should make public any intel that helps hold his murderers accountable says @HRW
In the light of recent events and the concerns shared by the judicial commission, the investigation of Saleem Shahzad's murder appears to be in limbo. Unless substantial evidence and significant assistance is provided, it seems justice for Shahzad's family will be delayed inevitably.

author: Sana Saleem


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Panama: Presidential Insults Online · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

On July 19, 2011, the President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, angered Twitter.  As usual the president (@rmartinelli) began by tweeting about his current government's goals and making jibes against the opposition. He began criticizing [es] a statement published in the daily La Prensa, which signaled Panama's debt (37%) in comparison to that of the United States (84%).
Sin argumentos, politicos neofitos y el diario del N0 a todo,no dicen que la relacion deuda pib es de 37% en Panama versus USA que es de 84%
He later responded to a number of negative comments, initially with patience, despite being bothered when Osmar Nuñez (@osmaramed) reproached him in a rude manner for the rise in cost of living in Panama. The tweet was erased, but you can see it in the image displayed below.
The president responded to the tweet with words that have sparked controversy: “Respect, hp” (In Panama, the letters ‘hp’ have a vulgar meaning, similar to ‘sob’, son of a b***h in English).
Twitter users did not hesitate to react and created the #respetahp hashtag where, first and foremost, Panamanians were dedicated to speculating the possible meaning behind the letters.
Alvaro Mateu (@alvaromateu) referred to the famous Harry Potter book and film character:
#RespetaHP Respeta Harry Potter
Juan José Castillo (@jjcastillo19) interpreted it as a reference to the Minister of the Presidency, Jimmy Papadimitriu:
#respetaHP quizo decir Hijo de Papadimitri @la_cascara
Erick Manuel Herrera (@xMavErick17) opted to consider the political nuances and a possible reference to opposing party PRD [es]:
@la_cascara respeta hambriento perredista. #RespetaHP
For some time, many speculated that the president's Twitter account had been hacked, but no one from the presidency confirmed this information. The truth is that the tweet disappeared and the president tweeted [es] accusing people of jumping to conclusions, as he had only made reference to the popular wizard, Harry Potter:
Para todos los mal pensados hp es Harry Potter. Gracias
In response to the president's answer, Carlos Ernesto Riera (@CarlosErnestico) asks himself, What did the young wizard do to the head of state?:
Eso es lo malo de Harry Potter por que le falto el respeto a nuestro presidente? #respetaHP
A group of Panamanians created the respetahp.com [es] webpage, where people can supposedly let off steam.
For some, the incident is funny, although for others the president's behavior is shameful. Twitter user Fútbol Extremo (@futbolextremo) believes that despite the what was first said by @osmaramed, the president should not respond by the same token:
Ese señor se pasò con el presidente pero no se debiò igualar,,, que pena!!!!
Nito Cortizo (@NitoCortizo), one of the presidential hopefuls for 2014, noted in his account:
Los políticos tenemos q aprovechar las redes sociales para promover el debate de altura, recibir las ideas, criticas y consejos de todos.
The user that received the insult has increased his popularity from about 20 to more than 800 followers. The topic will surely continue to give people something to talk about over the course of the next few days on the social networks.
Meanwhile, Panamanians continue to wait for the true meaning of the phrase, “respect hp.”

author: Ariel Moreno


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Peru: Amazonian Indigenous Life Threatened By Petroleum · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights and  Forest Focus: Amazon.
An hour long documentary shows the traditional lives of indigenous people in the Amazon, and how their subsistence lifestyle is threatened by petroleum exploitation and monoculture of renewable energy sources like palm oil.
In Amazonia, masato o petroleo (Amazon, masato or oil) [es] we get a glimpse of the lives that Jairo, his wife Irma and their four children lead. Waking up early to drink masato, a traditional yuca drink that is their lifeline even when other food is scarce they set out to do their daily work: fishing, tending their small farm and hunting.
Screenshot from the film 'Amazonia, masato o petroleo' (Amazon, Masato Or Oil').
Threat of development
The river and the jungle are their means of survival and now what the government calls “development” is threatening their lives.  The forest is being cut down to build roads, mountains razed to get gravel to pave such roads that only serve to lead to the petroleum towers and the “bio-diesel” plantations.
The indigenous communities are then left to fend for themselves as the creeks full of fish dry up and as oil and petroleum leech out from the pumps and into the rivers, making watering their crops, cooking food, drinking and eating fish out of the question.
El petróleo, por mucho que debería parecer signo de riqueza, lo es de desestructuración social y cultural, de contaminación, de enfermedad y de muerte.
Y si hablamos de petróleo, también hablamos de biodiesel y de los millares y miles de hectáreas que se pretenden incorporar al cultivo de palma aceitera por producir el mal nombrado combustible renovable.
“Amazonia, masato o petróleo” quiere mostrar el menosprecio de los poderes políticos y económicos hacia la selva y sus pobladores, porque practican una economía de subsistencia y no son productivos. Quiere denunciar la política del gobierno contra los indígenas y campesinos de la selva, considerados ciudadanos de segunda categoría, que son invadidos, engañados y desplazados de sus comunidades por entregar los recursos a las grandes empresas nacionales y transnacionales con la intención principal de dar satisfacción al Tratado de Libre Comercio en los Estados Unidos de América.
Petroleum, as much as it should look as a sign of wealth, is rather a sign of social and cultural destructuring, contamination, sickness and death. And if we speak about petroleum, lets also discuss bio-diesel and the thousands and thousands of acres that are being destined to incorporate the growing of palm oil to produce the misnamed renewable fuel.
“Amazonia, masato or petroleum” wants to show how the political and economical powers look down on the jungle and its inhabitants, because they practice a subsistence economy and aren't productive. It wishes to denounce the governments politics against the indigenous people and farmers of the jungle, considered second class citizens who are invaded, deceived and displaced from their communities in order to hand over the resources to the great national companies and multinationals with the main intention of satisfying the Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America.
The documentary also shows specialists, scientists and community leaders explaining the ways in which the indigenous community has tried to make their rights be known and respected, and also the history of health problems in the indigenous communities due to petroleum exploitation in the past.
The film was produced by the Catalan organisation Lliga dels drets dels pobles and more information about the film can be found on their movie site, whilst information about indigenous rights is available on their site “Indigenous, When the Land Walks”
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights and  Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Peru: Mining Commercial Sparks Controversy · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

A television ad [es] by Peru's National Mining Oil and Energy Society (SNMPE [es]) which aired on July 19 during the halftime break of the Peru-Uruguay football game for the Copa América has sparked a controversy among Peruvian social media users, as Global Voices author and Spanish Translation Manager Juan Arellano reports [es] in his blog. The ad, “appealed to the traditional rivalry between Peru and Chile to find supporters against increasing mining windfall taxes.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Russia-Lithuania: Did Russian Pressure Set KGB-Officer Free?  · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Gerhard Mangott discusses [GER] to what extent Russian pressure was decisive for Austrian authorities to let a former KGB-officer free, wanted by Lithuania for January 1991 Vilnius deaths.


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Russia: Online Effort to Discredit Environmentalists Exposed · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Suren Gazaryan, Russian environmentalist, publishes [ru] the scan of the document that describes the strategy of discrediting local environmentalist organizations protesting against the development of the Tuapse oil terminal. The “plan” includes prices for the paid posts in the blogs, forums, media outlets, as well as a list of possible bloggers involved. The overall budget of the campaign is 15,137 US dollars.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: President Medvedev’s Gadgets Evaluated in a YouTube Video · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

YouTube user tebedam publishes a video [ru/en] entitled as “Medvedev is NOT corrupted,” that provides market prices for the gadgets president Medvedev had been spotted with on various photos, including Leica S2 camera (Price 22,995 US dollars), other top shelf Swiss watches, and a spacious Moscow flat. According to the 2010 tax declaration [ru], Medvedev's annual official revenues total 120,000 US dollars.


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Serbia: First Reactions to Acquittal of Sandor Kepiro · Global Voices
Sinisa Boljanovic

On Monday July 18, 2011, a court in Budapest acquitted 97-year-old Sandor Kepiro, a Second World War Hungarian police captain who served in occupied Serbia and, until recently, was “the most wanted Nazi.” He was charged with war crimes against Serbs, Jews and Roma during the Novi Sad Raid – a massacre perpetrated by Hungarians in January 1942.
Serbian B92 news portal published an article about it. It reports:
According to the indictment, he participated in the crime that took place in Novi Sad and surrounding locations. At least 1,200 Serbs, Jews and Roma were thrown in the river between January 21 and 23, 1942.
At the end of the war, Kepiro was sentenced to 10 and 14 years in prison for those crimes, but he avoided prison by fleeing to Austria and then Argentina in the summer of 1948.
He returned to Hungary in 1996 to spend his remaining days in his home country.
Monument to the victims of the 1942 Novi Sad massacre. Image by Zoran Jevtovic.
Not only members of victims’ families but also Serbian society on the whole have been shocked by the news. The court decision caused many reactions in both mainstream and social media.
Bruno Vekaric, Serbia’s deputy war crimes prosecutor, reportedy said to TANJUG news agency:
This is a first-degree verdict and we can not comment on it. Of course, we are not happy with it and expect the Hungarian prosecutor to appeal it.
He added that it was important to deliver justice to the victims.
Efraim Zurof, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said  [sr] to Radio Free Europe:
I expected that he would be sentenced by the court… the only question was: whether and how he would be punished. That is what I expected, and I think they who support him expected the same. The acquittal was a total shock! That is a travesty of justice and a terrible result that will leave a stain on the Hungarian court. There is no doubt the verdict is an insult to the victims of the Raid
Ivan Ivanji, a Jewish novelist who lost many family members during World War II and who personally survived Holocaust,  said [sr]:
…He will die in prison, in hospital or as a free man… maybe I surprise you, but I don't care about him at all. The road taken by our neighbor, Hungary, a member country of the European Union, is a much more serious problem.
Ana Frenkel a member of the Jewish Community of Novi Sad described how Kepiro committed the crime. She said, to the same media source:
He organized, and was going from house to house with his units, where he was personally killing and destroying the population… but, unfortunately, there is not a living eyewitness who would be able to recognize Šandor Kepiro from that time. We have him, but they unfortunately died.
Blogger Velimir Mladenovic in his B92 blog quoted [sr] some pieces from the books of Aleksandar Veljic, a man who was researching the terrible massacre in Novi Sad and published a lot of irrefutable evidence, such as official documents from archives, photos and lists of victims’ names, their home addresses etc, that point to the fact that Sandor Kepiro participated in and committed the crime.
Below are some comments on Mladenovic's post.
Sesili says:
[…] I just heard it on the news that people in the courtroom were applauding when the acquittal was pronounced. But I was freezing this hot summer day reading the list of people who were killed…
kraljmajmuna asked a question:
Is it known why he is formally acquitted? […]
yugaya responded to kraljmajmuna:
[…] During the trial, most objections were raised on objectivity and “quality” of expert witnesses provided by the prosecutor’s office, as well as on the lack of evidence that would point to individual blame of the perpetrators, inadequate translations and lost documentation in regard to preliminary verdicts pronounced to Kepiro in Hungary, and according to them, he was sentenced [to 10 and 14 years] for the crimes.
apacherosepeacock says:
[…] It means, he had been convicted, ran away, [and then] returned [to Hungary] even 15 years ago, and?
If someone's sentence was in effect, and then he avoided prison running away [from the country], why was he not arrested when he came back?
Since the country of Serbia belongs to the “invertebrates” species, I trust Israel to make some protest.

author: Sinisa Boljanovic


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Singapore: How to elect a female president · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Grace Ke of the Association of Women for Action and Research explains why it's almost impossible to elect a female president in Singapore.


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Singapore: Manager is now a taxi driver · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Singapore-Lighthouse reacts to the story about a manager who became a taxi driver in Singapore and links it to the rising unemployment problem in the city state.


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Singapore: Popular primary schools versus neighbourhood schools · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

While many Singaporean parents are scrambling to enroll their children in popular primary schools, Yee Jenn Jong lists a few advantages of neighbourhood schools and bats for a true holistic education.


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Singapore: Supertrees design in new project · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Barry Smyth hails the Supertrees design in the Gardens by the Bay project of Singapore. Supertrees are tree-like structures with heights that range between 25 and 50 meters and they will dominate Singapore's new downtown area.


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Singapore’s old playgrounds · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

just rambling creates a google map of Singapore's old playgrounds.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Violence vs. Women  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Abeni quotes statistics which suggest that “St Vincent and the Grenadines is the OECS state with the most female homicides between 2010-2011″, and asks: “Do we even have the will to come up with solutions?”


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Tajikistan: The BBC reporter released · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Tajikistan authorities have released BBC journalist Urunboy Usmonov from custody. “The international community’s appeal have been heard”, writes Tomyris.


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Twitter and Latin American Presidents: Does It Make Them Closer to Us? · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

Five years ago it was unimaginable to think that the president of a country could be so close that one could know what he/she thinks, what he/she does or doesn't do, basically have him/her at a hands reach. Today, Twitter allows us to interact with political figures, give them suggestions, get angry, see what they are up to and tell them what to do and what not to do.
Argentinean President, Cristina Fernández [es] in her Twitter account @CFKArgentina with 482,658 followers announced that she will become a grandmother with the following message [es]:
Este, lo haría feliz. Máximo, nuestro hijo, va a ser papá ¡Voy a tener un nieto! ¡CFK abuela! Dios te quita…, Dios te da
This would make him happy. Maximo, our son, will become a dad! I'm going to have a grandson! Grandmother CFK! God takes away…, God gives you
And this is how, on July 13, the hashtag #CFKabuela became Twitter trending topic with both favorable and unfavorable reactions, like the one written by Manu (@by_manur) [es] who, with irony aimed at President's son, said:
Definitivamente Maximo [el hijo de la Presidenta] estaba destinado a ser el soltero menos codiciado. Hasta que lo hicieron cargo del hijo de otro. #cfkabuela
Definitively Maximo [the President's son] was destined to be the least desirable bachelor. Until they made him responsible for another man's son. #cfkabuela
Or the tweet where Facundo Caballero (@facukaballero), member of the Popular Academic Front (Frente Universitario Popular) and proud supporter of Kirchner according to his profile description in Twitter:
Felicitaciones Presidenta!!! #cfkabuela
Screenshot of President Chavez's Twitter account.
Congratulations Mrs. President!!! #cfkabuela
One of the most active accounts is Hugo Chavez Frias‘ (@chavezcandanga), President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, with 1,752,598 followers and 1,121 tweets accumulated until the time this post was written. He too congratulates the Argentinean Head of State for her announcement:
@CFKArgentina !Cristina,vas a ser abuela! Maravilloso! Bienvenida desde ya al club! Felicitame a Maximo y a su mujer! Viva la Vida
@CKFArgentina Cristina, you're going to become a grandma! Wonderful! Welcome to the club! Please congratulate Maximo and his wife on my behalf! Life is beautiful!
And since on July 13, Venezuela played against Paraguay in the Copa America, he seized the moment to send a tweet to the Paraguayan President, Fernando Lugo:
Ay compadre Presidente Lugo, allá viene La Vinotinto!! A jugar Futbol pues! Viva Venezuela!
Sorry my friend President Lugo, here comes the vinotinto (“red wine” – nickname for the Venezuelan soccer team)!! Let's play football then! Long live Venezuela!
And this is how he celebrated the last minute tie 3-3 between Venezuela and Paraguay:
@chavezcandanza Se los dije!!!! Qué Grande es Venezuela!!!! Empateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Viva La Patria de Bolívar!!! Viva nuestra Juventud!!!!!
@chavezcandanza I told you!!!! Venezuela is big!!!! Tieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Long live Bolivar's Nation!!! Long live our youth!!!!!!
President Chavez has urged Bolivian President, Evo Morales Ayma [es], to create his own Twitter account. In this video, we can see the moment in which the Venezuelan President comments on his own initiation on the social network and invites Morales to join him:
Even though he does interact when it comes to personal issues, he doesn't behave the same when it comes to official announcements where citizens ask, claim or suggest. La Patilla [es] comments on this situation in his post “After a year of @chavezCandanga: a true #fail” (“A un año de @chavezCandanga: un verdadero #fail”):
What does Chavez tweet about? Well, propaganda. From the 82 messages that the president has tweeted since 2011 (one every 1.09 days) 62 have to do with his “Revolution”. But not as a way to present results (he does have 3 tweets about that), but as chants and even “cheers” for his Ministers (during the hearings of the National Assembly)
Costa Rican President, Laura Chinchilla, also has an official account (@PresidentaCR) “from the information office”, she comments, with a news style, on her activities as a head of state. Until July 13, the account had published 3,718 tweets.
Nonetheless, there's another account (@Laura_Ch) where we can read about the interaction she has with normal citizens. After an announcement, using the hashtag #CCSS (Costa Rican Social Security Cash Desk), netizens on Twitter exchange thoughts with the leader on her annoucement that the government will bail out the Costa Rican Social Security Cash Desk with more than 166.3 million dollars because it is “going through a rough financial crisis”, as reported in NTN24 [es]. The president wrote:
Debemos entender que hemos pagado parte de la deuda en medio de un serio problema fiscal. Esto también deberá resolverse urgentemente.#CCSS
We should understand that we have bailed out part of the debt in the midst of a tax problem. The latter should also be solved urgently. #CCSS
Juan Diego Quiros (@juandiegocr1) replied to this comment as follows:
@Laura_Ch la #ccss necesita ser eficiente y eficaz para realizar cobros a morosos
@Laura_Ch the #ccss needs to be efficient and effective in collection of due debts
Roberto Suarez (@LicSuarez), Laura de los Santos (@virgidls), Luis Carlos Olivares (@Olivares_Oecono), and Fernando Salas (@josefer2010) also reacted to the president's tweet. She responded directly to several tweets on the issue, among them one to Gabriela Cantero (@gcantero87):
Considero que el personal de la #CCSS tiene mucho que ver con sus problemas. Es necesario buscar proactividad @Laura_Ch
I think the staff of #CCSS has a lot to do with its problems. It is necessary to look for proactivity @Laura_Ch
The president replied:
@gcantero87 En la Caja hay mucha gente buena y sacrificada, confío en que sabrán asumir con responsabilidad esta situación. #CCSS
@gcantero87 There's a lot of good sacrificed people in the Cash Desk, I trust they will assume the situation with responsibility. #CCSS
On July 14, the president closed her account with the following message, leaving the possibility open for citizens to continue giving suggestions:
Desafortunadamente debo ir dejándoles. Recojo ideas y sugerencias y agradezco mucho su valiosa participación. #CCSS
Felipe Calderon, Mexico‘s President already has 792,351 followers in his account @felipecalderon. We can observe there a conversation between him and Roberto Bolaños, ‘Chespirito’ (@chespiritoRGB), after the head of state announced the opening of a mine in Zacatecas:
Inauguré la mina “el Saucito” en Zacatecas, inversión de 3 500 millones de Peñoles. México recupera su lugar 1er productor de plata.
I inaugurated a mine, “the Saucito” in Zacatecas, an investment of 3500 million in Peñoles. Mexico gains back its first place as a silver producer.
And Chespirito said:
@FelipeCalderon ¡Felicidades, donFelipe!
@FelipeCalderon Congratulations, Mr. President!
However, Arely Velazquez (@mamARELY) asks:
@ChespiritoRGB también lo va a felicitar por todos los asesinatos e inyectar insulina a los bebes???
@ChespiritoRGB are you also going to congratulate him for all the murders and for injecting babies with insulin???
And what happens in Chile? On March 2010, Global Voices published a post by Silvia Viñas about the use of the social network:
Por primera vez en Chile, usuarios de internet pueden seguir al presidente y al gabinete de ministros por Twitter; el presidente Sebastián Piñera y todo su gabinete han abierto sus cuentas de Twitter. Como se esperaba, los usuarios chilenos de las redes sociales se han dado cuenta, y han comentado sobre lo que esperan de esta nueva manera de interacción con sus lideres.
For the first time in Chile, Internet users can follow the President and  the Cabinet of ministers on Twitter; President Sebastián Piñera and his  entire Cabinet opened their Twitter accounts. As expected, Chilean  social media users have taken notice, commenting on their expectations  for this new way of interacting with their leaders.
Chilean President Sebastian Piñera‘s Twitter account (@sebastianpinera) looks very interactive as well, as we can notice in this chat with Hector Mario (@conHectorcl) where he comments on his family life:
@sebastianpinera señor presidente esta bien su nieto….
@sebastianpinera Mr. President, is your grandson ok….
And the Chilean head of state answers:
@conHectorcl unos puntos en la cabeza, pero aquí está corriendo y jugando con sus hermanos. Gracias.
@conHectorcl some stitches on his head, but now he's running and playing with his brothers. Thank you.
But netizens do not hesitate in replying when he tweets announcements like this:
Hoy lanzamos proyecto #Chilentrena: construiremos 30 polideportivos en 3 años. Los primeros, este año, en Temuco y Valparaíso
Today, we launched #Chilentrena project: we will build 30 multisport facilities in 3 years. The first ones, this year, in Temuco and Valparaiso
Lucho Stark (@luchostark) suggests to the Chilean president:
@sebastianpinera Y por k no guardan esa plata para la educación? k mal uso de recursos… La educación deberia ser lo primero!
Why don't you save the money for education? Terrible waste of resources… Education should be first!
Global Voices translator and author Milton Ramirez made a summary [es] of journalist Christian Espinoza's [es] work on the “presence of who we think are personalities on the Internet and Twitter”, where he ranks Latin American Presidents according to their presence in the social network.
It seems that towards suggestions and replies, not all the heads of state are willing to interact, but regarding personal issues, the situation changes. Are they closer than ever thanks to Twitter?

author: Laura Schneider


text:
U.S.V.I: Rhys’ Literary Identity  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Both the English and American interpretations of Rhys have always truly baffled me…the English reading…completely glossing over Rhy's well-documented disdain for the English and her discomfort with ‘whiteness’, and the American reading as an odd feminist revision”: A Nation or Nobody blogs about the ambiguities of writer Jean Rhys and wonders whether she can claim multiple identities.


text:
Uruguay: A Critical Look at Secondary Education · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“What do we learn in High School?” and “What happens to students who struggle with a subject?”. These are some of the question Alvaro Fagalde asks in a post [es] where he gives readers a critical look at secondary education in Uruguay.