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Egypt: Why July 8?  · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Egyptians are back in full force in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of their revolution, once again today. But why are they still demonstrating now that their revolution is over, Mubarak is not in power any more, and many pillars of his regime are behind bars? Well, it's not that simple, and many bloggers elaborated on why the millions who went to Tahrir in January should return to the streets.
Let's put toppling Mubarak aside, but many of the demands of January have not been fulfilled yet. Sama Singer (@Sama_Singer) summarized what she believes are the demands of the 8th of July in a blog post.
حد ادنى للأجور 1200 جنيه ، وحد اقصى للأجور ، مع مراقبة الاسعار حتى تتوافق مع محدودى الدخل
المحاكمات العلنية والسريعة لمبارك واولاده ووزراءه وحاشيته الفاسدة ، وكل من افسدوا علينا الحياة السياسية
تكريم الشهداء وتعويض اهالى الشهداء ، وسرعة محاكمة قتلة الشهداء
تكريم المصابين ، وعلاجهم على نفقة الدولة ، وتعويضهم
حرمان أعضاء الحزب الوطني السابق من حق الممارسة السياسية لمدة 5 سنوات على الأقل
الافراج الفورى و التام عن كل المعتقلين السياسيين واصحاب الرأي من يوم 25 يناير وما قبلها الى يومنا هذا
الوقف الفوري للمحاكمات العسكرية للمدنيين ، واعادة محاكمة من تم محاكمتهم عسكريا من المدنيين امام محاكم مدنية
She also wrote about the cleansing of “corrupt organizations” such as the police, the media, and the judicial system.
Mina Naguib (@MinaNaguib90) wrote about some recent news he heard that made him eager more to participate.
صحيت أول إمبارح و كالعادة بشوف الأخبار و كانت الأخبار كالآتى … سوزان مبارك بتشتكى حراس قصر شرم الشيخ عشان موقفوش لجناب حرم المخلوع و هى داخلة القصر!! و تم تغيير الحرس … ثم خبر تأجيل محاكمة المتهمين بقتل الثوار و رجوعهم لوظايفهم حتى 3 سبتمبر … مبقتش عارف أعمل إيه!!
He then continued:
ثم جاء اليوم خبر عن النائب العام إنه طعن على الحكم ببرائة المغربى و الفقى و غالى و فضلى …. بقيت مش عارف أتكلم خالص عشان مش فاهم هم إزاى أخدوا برائة و هل إنه طعن يبقى دة حاجة كويسة ولا دة إيه دة؟؟ يعنى هو إزاى أصلاً ياخدوا برائة من الأول؟؟ لو دول معملوش حاجة يبقى مين اللى عمل؟ أمى؟
كله كوم طبعاً و والدة الشهيد اللى إبنها التانى اللى باقلها إتحاكم عسكرى بعد القبض عليه عند مسرح البالون!
Mohamed El-Sarty [Ar] and Ahmad Taha [Ar] on the other hand preferred to use irony and wondered why should people go back to Tahrir while the police are acting perfectly and peaceful, the justice for the martyrs had been served, and the Supreme Council of Armed Forces just tries the civilians in front of military courts and the police and military personnel of the old regime are being tried in front of civil courts. Taha also shared a photo of a policeman showing the middle-finger to the protesters a few days ago.
And finally Assemism has a different point of view, and he wrote how despite all this some political forces are – from his point of view –  making use of the martyrs without a sense of patriotism. He quoted a friend of his called Kareem Mounir saying:
” أنا النهاردة كنت باتكلم مع أم لشهيد و كنت حاعيط ! و اللي ضايقني اكتر اني عارف انها صادقة و كل حاجة لكن للأسف الناس اللي حواليها بيستغلوها “
He then commented on what his friend was saying.
طبعاً الناس اللي حواليها .. هي بكل أسف قوى سياسية المفروض انها مسؤوله لكنها للأسف بتقوم بدور الزبالين حاليأً .. بتلم أكبر قدر من الوطنية من على الأرض و أحياناً استغلال للشهداء كمان
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Tarek Amr


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El Salvador: Police Raid Organization for At-Risk Youth · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Voices From El Salvador blogs about a police raid in “PROCOMES, the Center for Training for Local Development and Economic Solidarity, […] a civil society organization that works with at-risk youth.” 35 individuals were arrested. The post concludes: “The Salvadoran government has taken steps in the past to fight police corruption, however, the reality of police abuse and disregard for human rights is still a reality in the country.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Silvia Viñas


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Ghana: On the Proliferation of Grassroots Pressure Groups · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Abena is fascinated with the proliferation of grass-root pressure groups taking part in the hotly-contested race between the incumbent president of Ghana, Professor John Evans Atta Mills and an unlikely contender in the person of the former first lady of Ghana, Mrs. Nana Konadu Agygeman Rawlings.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Guyana: A Future for Film  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Guyanese film industry is ready for its close-up, according to this post at Demerara Waves.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Honduras: Truth Commission Concludes Overthrow of Zelaya was a Coup · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Honduras Truth Commission has ruled that the removal of President Manuel Zelaya on June 28, 2009 was a coup, something Boz on Bloggings by boz says is no surprise: “There remain some points of contention on the history of the coup […] Even with disagreements, this report should help make the historic record clear that it was a coup and that the Micheletti regime was illegal and undemocratic.”


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Hungary: Black sheep of Europe? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Worden Report discusses how Hungary is overriding European Union legislation and decisions, and what the limits for membership are to make European federalism work.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Kenya: e-Goverment Movement · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bankelele looks at e-government trends in Kenya: “This week the, the National Council for Law Reporting – [NCLR, a state corporation charged with publishing the law and judicial opinions of the High court and Court of appeal) in partnership with Google Kenya launched digital versions of the Kenya Parliamentary debates – or Hansards dating back to 1960.”


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North Korean Newspapers Never Go out of Business? · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Blogger Hankok Story summarized characteristics of North Korean newspaper. The most extraordinary thing about newspapers in North is that  they don't have to worry about going out of business, since newspapers are distributed  to pre-selected people loyal to ruling party. They can shut down only when the party orders closing.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Portugal: Getting Funded by the Crowd · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

MassiveMov, the first crowdfunding platform in Portugal was launched on July 7.

author: Sara Moreira


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The Disputed Reputation of Portugal’s Former Political Police Chief · Global Voices
Jose Preto

Major Silva Pais, the last director of Portugal's repressive PIDE police force – operative during the country's “New State” period – has been implicated in a play, in the 1965 assassination of democratic opposition politician General Humberto Delgado.
As Global Voices reported in May 2011, a criminal case is currently underway by Pais’ nephews against the author of the play A Filha Rebelde (The Maverick Daughter) and the directors of the National Theatre D. Maria II, who staged it in 2007.
General Humberto Delgado
Identity card of the director of PIDE. Image from the public domain
Delgado broke with the Portuguese national-Catholic regime, enrolling in the 1958 presidential election which was called by dictatorial then Prime Minister Salazar. Surprisingly announced as a “universal vote”, in reality only the literate could vote and illiteracy at the time in the country was overwhelming.
Electoral fraud at the time was common too – even the dead “voted”. However, the “universal vote” was, to Salazar, an expression of mere consent and did not provide realistic options for voters.
Delgado presented himself as a candidate and the campaign was vicious. He was prohibited from holding demonstrations, rallies, and parades, and was prevented from coming into contact with the general public.
Allegedly beaten at the polls, the general left the country, denouncing the result as fraud. The PIDE was instructed to kidnap him outside the country, and eventually beat him to death in Spain, staging an accidental shooting. Though there was not an official version, the pattern of events was eventually clarified in court in 1981. A later trial to ascertain Silva Pais’ involvement in Delgado's death was never completed, as Pais died before the verdict was delivered.
On the blog Cantigueiro, Samuel remembers [pt]:
o assassino Silva Pais estava a ser julgado  exactamente pela participação nesses crimes [assassinatos de Humberto Delgado e secretária], quando morreu de causas  naturais seis meses antes de ser lida a sentença.
The nephews of Major Pais insist that the play (focused on their uncle's daughter) is deeply offensive to the memory of their uncle, saying: “three lines of the play suggest that [Major Silva Pais is] linked to the murders”.
Their request for compensation of 30,000 euros from the theatre directors and the playwright has been in court since May 2011, with a verdict due in late July.
Violation of human rights?
The whole controversy, it could be argued, fits well in a country where the very translation of the official European Convention is flawed: the word “reputation” is mistaken in the Portuguese version as meaning “honor”. The mere existence of the court process may be in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Wall in Aljube jail with the names of the men and women murdered by the PIDE, some by direct order from Silva Pais. Photo by Daniel Jota, shared in a Facebook group in solidarity with the defendants in criminal proceedings against 'The Maverick Daughter'.
Rosa Delgado, a researcher, points to the possibility of opening up here “an extremely serious precedent” [pt] in Portuguese democracy. There are also those claiming (including the author of this post) that the court proceedings undertaken by the Portuguese public court are in violation of Articles 17 and 46 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Data is missing on the issue, both in the press and in the blogosphere. For example, was there confirmed indictment or a charge by a judge to take the debate to trial?
Protests and controversy
There has been plenty of protest regarding the issue. The civic movement ‘Não apaguem a memória‘ (Do not to erase the memory) [pt] recalls:
As atrocidades infligidas aos opositores, por inspectores e agentes sob a alçada de Silva Pais, enchem milhões de páginas no Arquivo da Torre do Tombo [arquivo histórico central],
Picture from the play 'The Maverick Daughter' exhibited in the National Theatre D.Maria II (TNDM II) in 2007. Copyright Margarida Dias, TNDM II.
In Caligrafias ìberes Rosario Duarte da Costa stresses [pt] the seriousness of censoring the former director of the National Theatre, a man of culture and a university professor, who lost his directorate during this legal process and because of it (a fact that was not reported in the mainstream media).
Determined, Margarida Belchior says [pt] in À Beira Rio:
Confio que seja feita justiça, para já no tribunal, (…) e em muitas outras dimensões da nossa vida e actividades colectivas: reedição do livro, levar a peça novamente à cena (…)
On the blog Portugal dos Pequeninos (Portugal of the Little), João Gonçalves reproduces [pt] an article by the media critic Cintra Torres (from the newspaper  Público):
Correcto será defender, em primeiro lugar, os direitos de quem exprime opiniões para nós detestáveis ou factos para nós desagradáveis.
On the blog Porta da Loja (Door of the shop) Jose says [pt] with authority:
O que a peça de teatro pretende é imputar factos concretos que podem ser falsos e que nada autoriza se publiquem ou imputem porque as pessoas visadas estão vivas e são da família do difamado.
So too, thinks the average Portuguese lawyer. But does it make sense to question the involvement of the former director in an operation undertaken by the “police” that himself ruled alone?
On Contra Ordem (Against Order) [pt], Kritis believes:
Está (…) prejudicada a defesa do bom nome do director geral de uma organização declarada criminosa por texto legal. Estão todos errados, portanto.
And stresses:
(…) a humilhação da submissão de um autor teatral à escumalha da reinserção social, (…) os absurdos de se ser interrogado (…) sem defensor e por assistentes sociais asininas, (…) o absurdo (…) que se traduz na transferência para debate e decisão penal de uma tarefa que é da crítica literária.
The resistance shown through this case, to the (binding) criteria of the European Court on freedom of expression, creation, research and awareness has raised serious issues in Portugal; many are waiting to see how they resolve.

author: Jose Preto


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Russia: Bloggers Discuss Nashi and Navalny on Al Jazeera · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog and Kevin Rothrock of A Good Treaty talked on Al Jazeera‘s The Steam show about the Russian pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi and anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Economic strengths and weaknesses · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Pipeline summarizes the World Economic Forum “Russia Competiveness Report 2011” outlining the strengths and weaknesses of Russian economy.


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Russia: “Nashi” Spokeswoman’s Homophobic Text · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A translation of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi spokeswoman's “rant exploring everything from the death of Osama Bin Laden to the curiously specific and virulent homophobia” – at Robert Amsterdam's blog: “Read below to see the kind of talent and hate speech Russia is spending its taxpayer money on.”


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Russia: Parnas; Prokhorov; Tandem · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Siberian Light, A Good Treaty and Russia Blog write about the denial of registration to the People's Freedom Party (Parnas); Siberian Light writes about the Medvedev-Putin tandem – here and here and about Putin's “fantasy Duma”; Russia Blog and Natalia Antonova at the Guardian's Comment is free write about Mikhail Prokhorov and the Right Cause Party.


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Russia: Review of Anna Melikian’s “Rusalka” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

War and Peace reviews Anna Melikian's 2007 film, Rusalka (“Mermaid”).


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Russia: Tribute to Dmitry Prigov · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Yelena Fedotova writes about Dmirty Prigov – “‘great Russian poet’, postmodern artist, incarcerated ‘madman’.”


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Somalia: Al-Shabaab Calls For International Aid  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On Afrik.com, Michelle Nougoum reveals [fr] that:  “The Horn of Africa is experiencing one of the worst droughts of its history, so much so that  al shabaab, an islamist insurgent group of Somalian rebels, has called for international aid on Wednesday, July 6th. Two years ago, this group had  forced foreign aid workers to leave the country”.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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South Africa: Introducing Rapper Prinston · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Skyllie introduces South African musician Prinston: “The producer rapper straight out of Durban South Africa known by his fans as Prinston, is really an artist to be reckoned with lately. Having spent some time in the USA in Florida and experienced some international and local exposure, Prinston has built up enough momentum to take his music career to new heights with a constant grind from producing most of his album, to writing, rapping and singing his own hooks.”


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South Sudan: A New Journey Begins · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A new journey begins in South Sudan: “South Sudan has been born at time when Africa has made substantial steps in development unlike the 60s. With a population that is not even half that of my country Uganda, South Sudan will need its neighbours who are already a step ahead in all sectors and am optimistic they will be a good asset. Women in Sudan are more than 60 percent of the population, yet 80 percent of them are illiterate.”


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Sri Lanka: Colombo Pride 2011 · Global Voices
Rezwan

Equal Ground, a mixed organization in Sri Lanka working towards mainstreaming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) issues, is organizing a range of Colombo Pride 2011 programs which include an workshop titled “struggling against homophobic violence and hate crime”.

author: Rezwan


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Trinidad & Tobago: New Media; New Politics  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Plain Talk says that “politics as usual” is irrelevant “in these times of new media, real time information and an empowered and politically active electorate.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Need for Culture in Education · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Attillah Springer applauds the work of her mother, saying: ” In light of recent developments – Movie Towne, Flugtag, Vybz Kartel – all of which I suppose have their purpose, I hope that cultural workers and community activists get a chance to do the work they need to do.”


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Ukraine: Changes to Disability Laws · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Odessablog writes about changes to Ukraine's legislation on the rights of people with disabilities and describes the current situation.


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Ukraine: Pension Reform; Multiple Voting by MPs · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes writes about Ukraine's pension reform, which was passed by the parliament yesterday, highlighting the “breathaking arrogance” and disrespect for law by the people who run the country: “248 deputies voted in support of today's [pension reform] motion even though it seems only 143 deputies were actually registered to vote in the parliament building. Multiple voting by deputies is a blantant contravention of the country's Constitution, but takes place with numbing regularity.”


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Zambia: Who Do We Believe Online? · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Recently a highly incriminating email purportedly written by a senior member of an opposition party to his secretary general was leaked to and published by the online news website Zambian Watchdog.  However, netizens have taken it with a pinch of salt.
The email, allegedly written by Patriotic Front national executive committee local government chairman Given Lubinda, to Wynter Kabimba, the secretary general, ahead of the party’s first ever national convention to elect office holders, highlights issues that the ruling MMD always talks about against the opposition party such as sourcing funds from Taiwan in return for promises of huge tracks of land in Zambia.
Given Lubinda, a member of parliament for a Lusaka-based constituency national executive committee local government chairman. Photo courtesy of Zambian Watchdog
Lubinda is a member of parliament for a Lusaka-based constituency while Kabimba is a practicing lawyer and former mayor for Lusaka.
The PF leader, Michael Sata who is posing a serious challenge to the MMD’s 20 year hold on power in the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in the country, has always been critical of Chinese investments in the country, calling the investors from China “infestors” mostly because of their poor treatment of Zambian workers.
Sata has in the past indicated that he would recognise the sovereignty of Taiwan and open diplomatic relations with the island nation which mainland China claims to be its wayward province, hoping to bring back to the fold one day.  Zambia and China have a long standing diplomatic and economic relationship dating back decades.
The crown of that relationship is the 1,700 mile Tanzania Zambia Railway line stretching from Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia to the port of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. Apart from constructing roads, bridges and stadia, the Chinese also built an ultra-modern textile factory which has since scaled down production because of the general collapse of the textile industry caused mainly by cheap imported second hand clothes, and the irony of ironies, cheap new clothes from China itself.
The email also tries to unsettle the support base of the PF in Lusaka by a threat to demolish unplanned townships in central Lusaka whose land would allegedly be given to the Taiwanese for redevelopment. Resettling the residents of these townships has been a very sensitive issue even under the first president Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s leadership under which they were established.
The second president Frederick Chiluba who ruled Zambia from 1991 to 2001 and empowered Zambians by selling them council, government and parastatal company housing stocks, could not touch these townships, neither could Zambia’s third president, the late Levy Mwanawasa.
Below is the email in full:
From: lubindag2006@hotmail.com
To: wmk@zamnet.zm
Subject: PF 2011
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2011 13:17:32 +0000
kindly go thru the points limited below that urgently need to be addressed.
(a)The party has received as at today a total of $45m from our friends in Taiwan and afganistant to help towrds this year elections.we need to spend $300,000=00 per constituency. At the same time ,lets allow whoever wants to join us from the donate,but we let the grass roots pick candidates,apart from matero and Lusaka central where sampa and sara longwe will stand
(b)we need to find ways of keeping george ,mike and mbita in check as these are people that cant be trusted.let us not forget that these are the same people that were busy saying bad things on the party leadership. l also understand your misgivings towards amos ,but for now lets use them until after we win the elections.
(c)Am not for the view taken by the party in addressing the youth unemployment in lusaka and the copper belt.We cant make it compulsory for all unemployed youth to be drafted into the amry thru a 3 months crash coures and later on be sent to war torn countries like Sudan and Afghanistan as peace keepers. This isn’t the way to do things as we shall be be sending these youth into unknown territories,when the western countries are pulling out.Les look at the negative effect it will have on the party.
(d)Also the land undertakings that have been made to the Taiwanese ,will result into chawama,kanyama and mandevu compounds being partially demolished and l foresee riots in lusaka ,even if its done using presidential powers.
(e)kindly avoid these fund rising  trips ,let Mr Chona,Mr Mungomba or Mr Temba or his young man Don handle it. also how far are the cars arranged by ABC,and  let s make sure the party vice presidency is given to westerner if we to get votes in western  province.
(f)advice the civil society organisations we working with to operate from Kapingila house to enable them look independent from our party as we also see that our funding to them is being used correctly.
(g) As we go to Kabwe ,lets find ways of removing this tag we have as a party were Sata is PF and PF is Sata
Lubinda has denied being the author of the email and has reported the matter to the polices.  He says the contents of the email were the work of a hacker.
Should Zambians believe the Zambian Watchdog? Is the email authentic? How was it obtained? These are some of the questions that readers have raised on the post's comments section:
MULENGA wants to know where the Zambian Watchdog got the email from:
Zambian Watchdog where did you get this email. If It was copied to you or whoever was copied or forwarded why haven’t you shown the details? Just like you have shown who sent it and who received. It is unethical to hack into someone email box.
msana wanzili's advice:
Please strive to report only the truth This doesn’t look to be true. Ba Watchdog, find better stories. But its interesting
Choker wrotes:
These actions are TREASOUS [treasonous].SATA to demolish Chawama ,Mandevu compounds for the TAIWANESE.I thought this bastard wanted empower Zambians now his
Plot is to sell land in Lusaka to Asians!
He is GETTINg funding from Afghanistan A Sponsor of terrorism Does
THE American AmbAssador know this?? After SATA once compared
Himself To Bin Ladin serious lack of foresight.Thanks Given for your
Info.Nafuti (Again) 20HH (Hakainde Hichilema, opposition UPND leader).
James Chola does not know whether to believe the story or not:
This is extremely interesting. I don’t (know) whether to believe this or not but there seems to be a lot of truth in this. Its not beyond Sata to sens [send] youths to the army is it, man of action? And getting money from Taiwan and Afghanistan seems just within Sata´s ability. Lets watch this.
“PF raw and uncut,” says Potent maxmus:
Pf raw and uncut.the money from afghanistan is not from the afghans but from the usa so that zambian soldiers can go and die as peace keepers once the us withdraws.what pf doesnt realise is the gross implications here as alqaeda will now make zambia a legitimate target.
pafwenamwine notes that hacking is a criminal offence all over the world:
ZDW you deeply know that hacking someone’s e-mail is criminal throughout the world. Hackers are facing criminal cases. If you dont know Murdock media Mogul, the owner of sky, fox and news of the world is employees are facing facing criminal charges for hacking into telephone voicemails for celebrities in United Kingdom. News of the World former editor who recently was David Cameroon ‘s Director of communication at No10, resigned because of this charges of hacking. Surely ZWD you need to be careful and dont cry to be the victim of the the law. Hacking is a serious crime , you can be jailed for many years. Wilkleaks founder is facing criminal charges and may end up in USA.
At the end of the day, the questions to ask is was this email truly written by Lubinda to Kabimba and how was it obtained? If it wasn’t penned by Lubinda, what was the motive of the author if not to gain political mileage out of it?
Above all, should the readers believe its contents or not? Who should we believe online?

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Angola: Human Rights Activist “Partially” Released · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The Angolan human rights activist Agostinho Chicaia has been released from jail, though he is “still without his passport, thus unable to go back home”, reports [pt] the blog Branqkituma. Chicaia was “arbitrarily arrested” at the airport of Kinshasa (D. R. of Congo) on June 20 “under an international arrest warrant (…) by the Angolan government”.


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Chile: Former Presidential Candidate Accused of ‘Enslaving’ Employees · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

The night of Tuesday, July 5 Chilean television network Canal 13 [es] aired a documentary in its program Contacto (Contact) where they denounced the bad conditions (even labeling them as “slavery”) in which Paraguayan immigrants work in former presidential candidate Francisco Javier Errazuriz's companies.
The character's high profile, plus the serious accusation, caused a stir on Twitter, as the online version of the newspaper Publímetro mentioned through its account (@PublimetroChile):
Reportaje de Contacto sobre ex trabajadores de “Fra-Fra” arrasa en twitter http://bit.ly/qCoTgJ #frafra #paraguayos
Contacto's report on “Fra-Fra's” former employees sweeps twitter http://bit.ly/qCoTgJ #frafra #paraguayos
Francisco Javier Errazuriz. Image from Twitter.
The hashtags #frafra (the businessman's nickname is Fra-Fra) and #paraguayos (Paraguayans) were local trending topics (TT) during Tuesday night and all Wednesday, July 6.
Engineer Matias Claro (@mclaro) commented:
Siempre he tenido la peor impresión d #frafra pero lo de ayer se fue impresentable. Que pena x Chile este personaje. Por suerte es minoría
I've always had the worst impression of #frafra but yesterday's [report] was just too much. This character is a shame for Chile. Fortunately he's a minority
Jessica Witt (@jessykawp) said:
Cree que por tener más recursos puede aprovecharse de quienes no tienen nada #frafra debería darle verguenza…
He thinks that being richer allows him to take advantage of those who have nothing #frafra should be ashamed…
While Paula Perez (@Paulapj1) dares saying:
#frafra esto es solo la punta del iceberg si realmente investigaran y la  justicia fuera igual para todos este señor tendría cadena perpetua
#frafra this is only the tip of the iceberg if they really investigate and if justice was the same for everyone this gentleman would be imprisoned for life
The story, using videos of interviews with former Fra-Fra employees – both Chilean and Paraguayan- gave testimony of the dreadful conditions in which the Paraguayans lived. They didn't receive their wage due to deductions made with the excuse that they already had “food and shelter”. Two minors are included within the plaintiff group.  Also, the documentary mentioned that the immigrants arrived to Chile with tourist visas after they were “deceived” about the conditions of their stay. One of the former managers pointed out that Errazuriz had decided to bring workers from Paraguay due to the lack of interest from locals to work for him, allegedly because the businessman's abuses were known by the community.
Nevertheless, some questioned the truthfulness of the report, like the economist Sebastian Miranda (@semica):
Por lo que se ve, repudiable lo de #frafra.Eso sí viniendo de periodistas, me hace siempre dudar
It looks like this #frafra business is reprehensible. But, coming from journalists, it makes me doubt
On the other hand, some wanted to highlight that abuses among big business moguls are not that unusual. Like law student Jorge Gonzalez P. (@Jorge_Gonzalezp), who questions:
De que se asombran? Cual es la novedad? Para mi es una practica habitual de los “patrones”, lo diferente es que este sale en la tele #frafra
Why are you surprised? What's the novelty? For me it is a usual practice among “landowners”, the difference is that this one is on TV #frafra
This is not the first time the businessman is accused of unlawful practices. Actually, there were previous complaints from Paraguayan employees, as this video from TVN (National Television) aired on May 23, 2011, shows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NJybFT0mVA0
Video: The 47 Paraguayans that claim to have been deceitfully brought to our country are in a shelter under the protection of the District Attorney's office. They said they came to work for F.J.Errazuriz's companies. The businessman denies the accusations while and investigation is taking place.
“Everything was supposed to be free”, says one of the men interviewed, “the ticket, the food, housing. But when I arrived everything turned out differently.”
“Did you sign a work contract?” asks the journalists. “No, and when the police showed up, they told us to hide in the vineyards”, says another man. The young man adds: “If the police asked, we were supposed to say that we were here on a training, therefore, we could be here on a tourist visa”.
The D.A. says that the idea of having them in a shelter is to make sure their basic needs are covered: food, shelter, clothing.
Another young man admits that only the ones who woke up early received any breakfast, everyone else had to go to work without eating. Also, he adds, they used toilet water to prepare their food because they had no access to drinking water.
Errazuriz says he indeed paid for their tickets and if they turned out to be bad employees, he would send them back all expenses paid.
Errazuriz has defended himself on television, in his blog and on his Twitter account (@fjerrazurizt), where he replied to all the questions and insults during and after the broadcast of Contacto‘s documentary. Here are some of his declarations on the social network:
¿Necesitaba Gob Show CONTACTO p desviar atencion intento allanamiento a Casa ABello,padre de mi tatara abuelo? ¡Que verguenza de s/ vergzas
Did the government need the CONTACTO Show to deviate the attention to the break-in attempt to House ABello, father of my great-great-grand father? What a shame from the scoundrels
#contacto#canal13: Falta etica oculto entrvtas paraguayos q desenmascaraban MONTAJE-SHOW p ganar rating y figuracion.Tpco.nada nuevo señalan
#contacto#canal13: Lack of ethics hiding interviews of Paraguayans who exposed the MONTAGE-SHOW to gain ratings and fame. They didn't say anything new
Soy víctima con violencia, de ataques cada vez más injustos, promov. desde el Gob, dde se me acusa de “esclavitud” por capacitar paraguayos.
I am a victim of violence, attacks that are every time more unfair, promoted by the government, who accuse me of “slavery” for training Paraguayans.
Nunca No soy Tweetero. Tampoco lo sere p responder ataques. Espero q con altura se hayan entretenido. Eso pedi a colabdres. Perdonen errores.
I am not a tweep. I won't be to respond attacks. I hope that you have been entertained. I asked that from my staff. Excuse the mistakes.
The tweeting frenzy during the night made some suspicious about the real face behind the account. Ramona (@monaillanes) questioned:
La cuenta de #frafra@fjerrazurizt es fake?? Porque si no lo es, a quién le habrá pagado para q la lleve?
Is #frafra‘s account fake?? Because, if it's not, who did he pay to manage it?
Student Sebastián Rozas (@sebarozt) notes with black comedy:
no crean que el wn de @fjerrazurizt se quedo despierto toda la noche respondiendo! es un paraguayo esclavo que tiene que hacer eso! #frafra
don't think that the idiot of @fjerrazurizt stayed awake all night answering! it is a Paraguayan slave who has to do that! #frafra
And the businessman defended himself by saying:
@Beatrik Es verdadera, pero no siempre la atiende el mismo, como es obvio y para desilucion (sic) de muchos ociosos.ñp
@Beatrik It's real, but it is not always managed by him, as it is obvious and to the disappointment (sic) of many idle people.
It is worth noting that Errazuriz had closed his Twitter account by the time this post was finished.
The Twitter war was taken to the courts: on July 6, Paraguayan prosecutor Teresa Martinez announced that she would ask for Errazuriz’ extradition [es] for the alleged crime of human trafficking with the severity of including minors.

author: Elizabeth Rivera


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Greece: Journalist suffers total hearing loss from police brutality · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

Greek journalist Manolis Kypraios has suffered total hearing loss from injuries sustained while photographing the general strike protests of June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. In his testimony [el] posted on Exandas Documentaries, he says he was fired on with a stun grenade at point blank range by a riot police officer, after identifying himself as a journalist. He was later beaten by mounted police while trying to reach a hospital. Amnesty International has repeatedly urged Greek authorities to refrain from using excessive force during protests.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Hungary: Public Media Job Cuts · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about the staff cuts at the three Hungarian public media outlets: “My understanding is that the two television stations [MTV and Dune TV] and Magyar Rádió have a total of something like 3,500 employees. From the little one can learn about the government's plans, most likely 1,000 people will get pink slips between now and the fall. […] Yet once again it looks as if this necessary financial step is being used to change the political coloring of MTV even more.”


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India: The Impact Of Money Laundering In Swiss Banks · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sharvi Mewada at Youth Ki Awaaz talks about the impact of laundering out black money from India to foreign banks, especially Swiss banks.


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Lithuania: Emigration Problems · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

With a Grain of Druska writes about Lithuania's worsening demographic situation: “[…] Population has decreased about 19 per cent (the same as if 62.3 million US citizens left the U.S.A.).  And best case scenario, another 16.7 per cent of the population will disappear.  You would think that supporting families, creating jobs, and improving healthcare would be priorities for the government.  They aren't, though. […]”


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Macedonia: Singer Shakira and Local Political Propaganda · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Razvigor :-) reports that several Macedonian pro-government media outlets have “revived an old Internet hoax about supposed Macedonian roots of global music star Shakira in order to provide more air time for a local politician.”


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Malaysia: Bersih Rally on Social Media · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

More than 1,400 people were arrested by the police in today’s Bersih 2.0 rally which was organized to push for electoral reforms in Malaysia. Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd which reached up to 50,000 according to the organizers. Bersih means “clean” in the local language.
Bersih was earlier declared illegal by the government but it was later given an approval to hold the event inside a stadium; the venue administrator subsequently refused to issue a permit for the event. The original plan of Bersih was to submit its eight demands to the government.
Bersih rally from the Facebook page of Yuvanesh Prabakaran
The Steering Committee of the Bersih 2.0 or the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections issued this statement tonight:
Bersih 2.0 is proud that in spite of all the obstacles and hindrances that we were forced to face, Malaysians of all walks of life overcame the oppressive acts of the police to come out peacefully and in incredibly large numbers to show their love for their country and for the principles of justice.
We are nonetheless horrified that several hundred people have been detained, many of them without any justification whatsoever.
Today’s gathering is not the end, it is but one more step in the long walk for clean and fair elections in Malaysia. The campaign continues, to work for electoral reform, the release of all detainees, and an end to harassment by the authorities.
A grandma who joined the rally. From the Twitpic page of @eugeneteoh.
The Bersih rally was the main topic in Malaysia’s social media networks, particularly Twitter and Facebook. There were many hashtags used by twitter users but #bersihstories seems to be the preferred and most popular hashtag used today to document the participation and observations of Bersih rallyists.
Twitter trending map
Below are sample tweets using the #bersihstories hashtag:
@edryfaizal: Many said that other citizens hate us. But during the rally when bystanders and taxi driver wave at us. I almost cry.
@fourfeetnineaud: When I read tweets frm Japan abt the earthquake I thought only they had that kinda humanity & solidarity. Then I read #bersihstories
@edmundlaukm: A number of us were forced to hide within the bushes near Tung Shin Hospital and climbed up steep slopes because of the gas.
@elizabethwong: We went into a chappati restaurant for salt, water & tea. Owner & his family were v kind “come in, come in, sit, sit!”
@lingswaransingh: I suggest we all make police reports tomorrow regarding the FRU firing tear gas into the Hospital. Make mass police report.
@lilunumlock: RT @khalids: #Bersih was like a teambuilding session for Malaysians
@edmundlaukm: It was most encouraging to see ppl of all races helping each other along. We were all comrades, we were all passionate.
Protesters on the run. From the Facebook page of Yuvanesh Prabakaran.
@jhybe: Plotting route into kl w activists, kawans & aunties w facemasks in our bras. Damn worth it.
@ShazGhaF: true friends are the ones standing next to you in locked hands while facing water cannons & gas cannisters..
@mykaernate: first I thought #bersih is bad for the nation…after reading #bersihstories….now I know what it is truly about…UNITY
@evelayn: A man handed us d little salt left on his palm wen we're attacked by tear gas. He gave us all he had & didn't save 4 himself
@EvangelineHan: #bersihstories are a mix of heartbreak and triumph and unity. Beautiful.
@ninoamigo: I saw a man in clucthes,climbing the rd heading to Stadium Merdeka, heaving rain & tear gas. 30k ppl clapped in unison
@lautbulan: No one bothered to look pretty anymore during gas attacks. Everyone was puking together by the roadside. Now that's unity.
@edryfaizal: When walk through that small alley with flat. I thought peep living there gonna throw stone on us.But they clap & thumbs up.
Many were surprised why a hospital was also attacked by the police. From the Facebook page of Fandi Foo.
The Bersih website offers a timeline of events that transpired today. Pictures of the rally are available on Picasaweb and Facebook. A youtube video by Malaysiakini shows how a Bersih participant was beaten by the police

author: Mong Palatino


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Pakistan: Violence In Karachi · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kashif Aziz at Chowrangi writes about the recent wave of political killings and arson in Karachi, which has left more than 100 people dead in last 4 days. The blogger accuses the government for not doing enough to stop these.


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Sri Lanka: Wild Animals Get Their Own Hospital · Global Voices
Rezwan

Malaka Rodrigo at Window To Nature informs that a hospital for animals, the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, has been set up in Hiyare Forest Reserve by the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle (WCSG) with aid from the Nation’s Trust Bank.


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Syria: Bloggers Rally for Anas Maarawi · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Anas Maarawi is the latest Syrian blogger to have been imprisoned. He was detained on Friday July 1, 2011, in his neighborhood of Kafarsouseh in Damascus, and nothing has been heard of him since.
Anas is a well known blogger in Syria and beyond. Apart from his personal blog, Anas Online, he ran a number of tech-blogs and projects, most prominently, Ardroid, which was the first Arabic-language blog to focus on Google's Android OS.
His arrest prompted a campaign for his release. A dedicated blog was set-up, as well as a Facebook page and a Twitter hash tag, #FreeAnas. Many Arabic tech-blogs participated in the campaign, starting with his own pet-project, Ardroid [ar]:
You may have been wondering about the disappearance of our friend Anas Maarawi, whom, we've become used to his special daily articles on this blog. Anas was detained on Friday 1-7-2011, in Kafarsouseh, Damascus. And we have had no information about him since.
Anas Maarawi is one of the finest of Syria's younger generation. He's a blogger, web developer, and an open-source enthusiast. He's also the founder of Ardroid.
The campaign also circulated a video about Anas:
Tech-World, another Arabic tech-blog, wrote about Anas’ arrest [ar]:
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Yazan Badran


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Argentine Songwriter Facundo Cabral Murdered in Guatemala · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Facundo Cabral no ha muerto, se inmortalizó
Fiorella FM (@superfiore)
Facundo Cabral is not dead, he's been immortalised…
Fiorella FM (@superfiore)
On the morning of Saturday, July 9 the renowned song-writer Facundo Cabral was murdered in Guatemala [es]. The Facundo Cabral blog released the news with the following statement [es]:
Facundo Cabral murió baleado por desconocidos cuando se  dirigía al  aeropuerto local la Aurora después de una gira de  conciertos.  También  fue herido su representante.
Alberto Cortez desde España ha expresado que Facundo fue confundido con un capo mafioso.
Facundo Cabral was shot dead by unknown assailants while driving to the airport in La Aurora after a concert tour. His agent was also wounded.
Alberto Cortez of Spain has claimed that Facundo was confused with a mafia thug.
Our Facundo (Nuestro Facundo) from Gilberto Viciedo licensed Flickr user, CC by 2.0
Memorias de la tierra,  from Argentina, affirmed that [es]:
La  Premio Nobel de la Paz Rigoberta Menchú acudió hoy al  lugar donde el  cantautor fue asesinado por  sicarios cuando se dirigía  de un hotel  hacia el aeropuerto internacional  La Aurora, en la  capital, de donde  viajaría hacia Nicaragua.
Con lágrimas en los ojos, la Nobel de la Paz dijo a periodistas que Facundo Cabral “fue asesinado por sus ideales”.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú arrived at the place where the song-writer was killed today by hit-men while driving from a hotel to international airport La Aurora, in the capital, from which he would have travelled to Nicaragua.
With tears in her eyes, the Nobel Prize winner told reporters that Facundo Cabral “was murdered for his ideals”.
Facundo Cabral was born in the city of La Plata, Argentina in 1937 and his career was characterised by a great sense of social and spiritual responsibility and by using specific songs in protest as a vehicle for sending his messages. For this same reason he was exiled to Mexico [es] in 1976 under the rule of the Argentine military dictatorship.
On Twitter the circulation of opinions expressing rejection and pain as a result of the incident, or quoting some of his most famous words, quickly appeared.
From Madrid, Octavio Rojas (@octaviorojas) expresses his shock over what happened:
Mierda!  Mataron a Facundo Cabral! Qué mundo es éste en el que matan  hasta a los  poetas??!! Descanse en paz. Yo también quiero ser bombero
From México, Dr. César Lozano (@drcesarlozano) recalls his last interview with the singer and song-writer:
“Ama hasta convertirte en lo amado” Me dijo el gran #facundocabral en la última entrevista que le hice.
In Colombia, Prospectador (@prospectador) wrote:
Definitivamente en este mundo… matamos a todo aquel que asume el reto de ser mejor y creer que nosotros podemos ser mejores. #Cabral
And Juan David Escobar (@Elreticente) from Medellín remembers one of his most memorable messages:
“Amo tanto la vida porque me costó tanto gozarla… Me costó mucho sentir que era protagonista y no una basura” Facundo Cabral.
In Perú, @Losandespe published Cabral's words from his work ‘No estás deprimido, estás distraído’ (You are not depressed, you are distracted):
“No hay muerte… Hay mudanza. Y del otro lado te espera gente maravillosa”. #FacundoCabral @LosAndesPe
José Manuel Gonzáles, (@JoseGonzales87) says that:
La vida no es acá. Hasta pronto, Facundo Cabral!
And Jorge Esteves (@esteves_jorge) remembers singer John Lennon, who was also murdered:
Cabral fue un rebelde y levantaba las banderas de la paz, como Lennon. Los dos murieron a tiros
From that same country Vesania Licantropia (@Vesania_Loba) and Tessy Mavila (@Piery71) tweeted their opinions.
In life, Facundo Cabral published one tweet, referenced by Frank Villanueva (@Fr4nK_Fk) and Valia Barak  (@valiabarak), in which the death of another singer, Mercedes Sosa, was mentioned:
RT @valiabarak <@facundocabral: “La Negra no murió, se fue de gira”> EL UNICO TWEET DE FACUNDO. AHORA ÉL TAMBIEN ESTÁ DE GIRA, NO MURIÓ.
With Mercedes Sosa in mind, Edna Medina (@Enita5) wrote from Nicaragua:
Un 9 de julio nació la Negra de América, Mercedes Sosa, el mismo día muere asesinado cruelmente Facundo Cabral…
María Cristina Lozada (@MariaLozadax5) also pinpoints the coincidence with the dates.
From Chile, Roberto Quiñonez (@RQ 80) and Alesi (@alesi18), among others, tweeted their reactions.
Finally, from Guatemala, Pablo Juárez (@PabloJuarezG) writes:
Como Guatemalteco, pido perdón a nivel mundial por la muerte de Facundo Cabral. Los chapines no somos así. Porfa denle RETWEET
You can find a lot more reactions such as these from all Latin America on Twitter under the  hashtags #facundocabral and #Cabral.
At the end of writing this post, we learned from a press conference in Guatemala [es] that: “The body of Facundo Cabral will be sent to Argentina as soon as possible. The Argentine embassy has started the process.”
Later, BBC Mundo published [es]:  “Cabral was going to board a hotel bus to the airport, but he met up with Fariña who offered to take him” (Fariña, the businessman who accompanied him, was also murdered)
Resources of interest:

author: Cati Restrepo


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Brazil: Report Reveals Unsustainable Practices of Biofuel Industry · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights, Global Development 2011 and Forest Focus: Amazon.
Biofuel has been acclaimed as the best way out for the world’s struggle for energy resources. It  has also been pointed out as a ‘green’ alternative which can reduce carbon emissions. An analysis made by the NGO Reporter Brasil [pt], last May, of the Brazilian ethanol chain of production reveals however that biofuels can have a high socio-environmental cost:
O estudo relata as irregularidades socioambientais, bem como os destinos das exportações, de grupos como Cosan (Join-venture with Shell), Greenergy International, São Martinho, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Carlos Lyra, Copertrading, Moema/ Bunge e Noble. Há casos de trabalho escravo, excesso de jornada de trabalho, falta de registro em carteira, despejo irregular de resíduos, queimadas não permitidas e uso de terra indígena para produção de cana.
The social cost of Brazil's biofuels expansion: The indigenous Guarani Kaoiwa community of Laranjeira Nhanderu were pushed off their land 14 months ago to make way for more sugarcane plantations. Photo by Annabel Symington, copyright Demotix (21/10/10).
Dirty labor, dirty environment
According to Reporter Brasil, data released by the organization Comissão Pastoral da Terra (Pastoral Land Comission) [pt] highlights that 10,010 labourers were set free when working in sugar-cane plantations in Brazil between 2003 and 2010. Available in English and Portuguese, the study does not dismiss the effort of the federal government and Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) to tackle those socio-environmental problems, but it reports that no policy has refrained companies caught using illegal practices to export ethanol.
Cattle farming and sugar cane account together for 59% of the cases of slavery in Brazil between 2003 and 2010. Reporter Brasil Report in English/pp.5
The official blog of the Ibero American University Foundation (FUNIBER) indicates [pt] that:
Se a intenção era obter combustíveis mais limpos, então estamos cometendo erros em algum ponto da cadeia de produção, porque no processo estão recorrendo à derrubada e queimada de florestas para ganhar terreno para o monocultivo de variedades que possam ser exploradas na indústria de biocombustíveis. O corte e a queima aumenta as emissões de CO2, inclusive em maior quantidade que o produzido pelos automóveis.
Another issue raised on the biofuel production is that it can compromise water quality and undermine the agrarian reform which is still to be accomplished  in the country.  The article ‘Monopólio da Terra e os Direitos Humanos no Brasil’ (Land Monopoly and Human Rights in Brazil) [pt]  written by the Director of the Network for Social Justice and Human Rights, Maria Luisa Mendonça, points out:
Most of sugar-cane plantation in Brazil is still located in the State of São Paulo where 60% of the harvest is made by machine. This has not prevented, however, the pre-harvest burning process. Flickr: Royal Olive (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
(…) Segundo um estudo da National Academies Press a qualidade da água subterrânea, dos rios, do litoral e das nascentes pode ser impactada pelo crescente uso de fertilizantes e pesticidas usados nos agrocombustíveis. (…)
O governo elegeu o Cerrado como prioritário para a expansão das lavouras de cana para a produção de etanol. O cerrado é conhecido como “pai das águas”, pois abastece as principais bacias hidrográficas do país. Essa região apresenta uma topografia favorável, com terras planas, de boa qualidade, e farto potencial hídrico, além de abrigar cerca de 160 mil espécies de plantas e animais, muitas ameaçadas de extinção. O avanço do monocultivo de cana e soja ameaça este bioma, que pode desaparecer completamente em alguns anos, caso se mantenha o atual ritmo de destruição, causando a morte de alguns dos principais rios do país.
(…) According to a study run by the National Academies Press the quality of rivers, coastlines and springs may be impacted by the increasing use of fertilizers and pesticides used in biofuel production. (…)
The government has  chosen the Cerrado as a target for the expansion of ethanol sugar-cane production. The Cerrado is known as the “father of waters” because it supplies the main basins of the country. (…) The advance of soy and sugar-cane monocultures  has threatened this biome, which may disappear entirely in some years, if the current rate of destruction continues, killing some of the major rivers of the country.
What future for land?
Felipe Amin Filomeno, on the blog Outras Palavras (Other Words), claims that ‘Brazil and Mercosul have started fighting for their lands’ [pt] and argues that the rush for land due to the biofuel ‘fever’ in Brazil and in other so called developing countries has put the price of land up, bringing about another problem as a consequence: the death of small farms run by families:
(…) enquanto estrangeiros compram terra que, na maior parte das vezes, será usada para monoculturas de exportação, muitos cidadãos nacionais (incluindo comunidades indígenas) ainda demandam acesso à terra como meio de subsistência familiar. (…)
Entretanto, não são apenas os pequenos produtores rurais de países latino-americanos e africanos a enfrentar problemas decorrentes da onda mundial de aquisição de terras. Na medida em que a indústria de biocombustíveis se expande, a terra para produção de soja e cana-de-açúcar fica mais disputada. Grandes produtores de soja no Brasil, por exemplo, ao mesmo tempo em que veem o valor de suas propriedades aumentar, também veem seus custos crescerem, especialmente aqueles que arrendam terras para produzir. Terão que disputar com estrangeiros um recurso nacional.
While foreigners buy land that in most cases, will be used for monocultures for export, many nationals (including indigenous communities) still require access to land as a means of family subsistence. (…)
However, it is not only small farmers in Latin America and Africa who are facing problems arising from a wave of land acquisition in the world. As the biofuel industry expands, disputes over land to produce soybeans and sugar cane increase. Major producers of soybeans in Brazil, for example, while they see the value of their properties increase, they also see their costs grow, especially those who rent land to produce. They will have to fight for national resources with foreigners.
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights, Global Development 2011 and Forest Focus: Amazon.
Previous Global Voices coverage:
This post was proofread by Kevin Rennie.

author: Thiana Biondo


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Dominican Republic: Gender Equality? · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

María Isabel Soldevila questions if gender equality has truly been achieved [es]. She wonders how the newly elected director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, would be treated if she dated one of her employees, like her predecessor Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Dominican Republic: On Sacredness · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger Jhonatan Liriano reflects on what he considers is sacred in life [es]: “The working men and women are on my altars, as are the strangers and acquaintances who do not negotiate with justice.”


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Hungary: A Review of News Coverage · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum reviews news coverage by various Hungarian public and commercial media outlets – here, here, and here.


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India: Private And Public Cloud · Global Voices
Rezwan

Confused Of Calcutta shares with simple examples what the blogger thinks about public and private clouds.


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Japan: A Fukushima Poet Tweets His Verses · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.
Since the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster, Ryoichi Wago (和合亮一), a poet from Fukushima city, has been experimenting with a new form of poetry to express his feelings about issues such as uncertainty of the future and fear of radiation that have been threatening his land and its inhabitants.
@wago2828's profile picture.
To make known  his verses, he has chosen Twitter as an exceptional media.
Using the 140-character-long tweets, Wago concentrates his thoughts creating a stream of verses where it is difficult to point to the beginning or the end. Sometimes, the repetition of a same word or character may create a visual image [ja] that resembles the stylistic devices of Futuristic poetry.
Below is a collection of poetic tweets by @wago2828, wherein he describes his memories at the time when the earthquake struck and the following feelings of anxiety and hope.
@wago2828 和合亮一
私は3.11以降、震災にまつわる新聞や雑誌を集めて、少しずつ切り抜きをしているが、切り抜きをしても追いつかないのだ、紙とハサミとの間で、震災が繰り返されているから、冷たい汗。
@wago2828 和合亮一
私は風呂に入ると、泣きながらお湯に浸かったあの日の夜を思い起こす。涙があふれてくるのだ。１０００年に一度の3.11よ、冷たい汗。
@wago2828 和合亮一
１０００年に一度の3.11よ、冷たい汗。
wago2828
津波の後を眺めながら、相馬の浜を走っていた。船が陸に上がり横倒しになって、瓦礫が積み上がっているところから、恰幅のいい男性が、拳でぼろぼろとこぼれる涙を拭きながら歩いてきた…。
wago2828
何を失ったのか、流されてしまったのか、分からないけれど…、これまでたくさん人生を生きてきて、拳で拭わなくちゃならない悲しみを、今まで予想してきたことがあったのだろうか、そう思った。…　そう語り、ある日、Ａさんは泣いた。
wago2828
私は髪を洗う、私も泣くしかない。避難している人々は慌てずに落ち着いて、福島の山間を抜けて下さい…、そんなラジオ放送を聞きながら、お風呂に入ったっけ…、浴室はあれから一度も、窓を開けていない。
wago2828
水に浮かんだ畳の上に、ご老人が座っていた。消防団の人が、それを見つけて、ロープを投げた、必死の救出が始まったが、悲しくも水の上でしだいに彼は力を奪われていった…。
wago2828
彼は、「立派な、いわきを作ってくれ」と叫んで、手を離して、まもなく海に沈んでいった…、助けられなかった、消防団の人々はみな、悔しくて泣きじゃくった。…それを教えてくれながら、ある日、Ｏさんは泣いた。
wago2828
私は髪を洗う、私も泣くしかない。浴室はあれから一度も、窓を開けていない。
I was running along the shores of Soma, gazing at the aftermath of the tsunami. Among the overturned ship and and pile of rubble, a sternly built man walks, wiping the endless trail of  tears spilling down his cheeks, with his fist…
I can’t imagine what he had lost, or what had been sweat away… In this long life of mine, had I ever imagined sorrow that must be wiped away with a fist… The thought crossed my mind. Mr. A cried, telling the story one day.
I wash my hair. For me too, all I can do is cry. All evacuees, please calmly evacuate from the mountains of Fukushima… I remember stepping into the bath as I heard that on the radio… Since then, I’ve never opened the bathroom window.
An old man sits on a floating tatami. The fire brigade desperately tries to rescue him and throws him a rope. Sadly, the water eventually overcomes his strength…
‘Make Iwaki great again…’ he cried out, as he let go of the rope and sank into the sea… The fire brigade sobbed uncontrollably from regret… O san cried, telling me the story one day
I wash my hair. For me too, all I can do is cry. Since then, I’ve never opened the bathroom window.
A person from Tomioka was allowed back home for 2 hours. In the house they had entered for the first time in a while, that person did something. Can you guess what that person was doing in the house? Asked O san
Just crying, for 2 hours…
And that person came back without anything from the house. O san comforted them by saying… ‘I went home to cry… just tell yourself that’s what you went home to do’.
I wash my back. For me too, all I can do is cry. Since then, I’ve never opened the bathroom window.
Soma City, after the tsunami, by Flickr user hee_san. CC license BY-NC 2.0.
@wago2828
風呂から上がると、また新聞を切り抜く。悲しい顔や頑張るという表情を切り、並べて貼っていく。切ることを止めれば、全ては止むのか。貼ることを止めれば、全ては虚実となるのか。冷たい汗。書斎は、あの日から一度も窓は開けたことがない。
wago2828
この震災は何を私たちに教えたいのか。教えたいものなぞ無いのなら、なおさら何を信じれば良いのか。
wago2828
ものみな全ての事象における意味などは、それらの事後に生ずるもの。ならば「事後」そのものの意味とは、何か。そこに意味はあるのか。
wago2828
ここまで人を痛めつける意味はあるのか。
wago2828
放射能が降っています。静かな夜です。
@wago2828 行き着くところは涙しか無い。
What is it that this disaster wants to teach us? If there's nothing it wants to teach us, then what should I believe in?
Meanings of an occurrence, appear afterwards. But what is the meaning of that post-occurrence period? Is there any meaning there?
Is there any meaning in making people suffer this much?
Radiation is falling from the sky. It’s a quiet night.
There is only one place I end up, in tears.
wago2828
魂を返せ、夢を返せ、福島を返せ、命を返せ、故郷を返せ、草いきれを返せ、村を返せ、詩を返せ、胡桃の木を返せ
wago2828
魂の木を想う、魂が転がる闇を想う、魂は夜を明かす、魂は言葉を呟く、魂を生きよ、魂を生きている、あなた
wago2828
あなた　大切なあなた　あなたの頬に　涙
wago2828
いつか　安らぎの　一筋となるように　祈ります
Give me back my soul, give me back my dream, give me back Fukushima, give back the lives lost, give back my hometown, give back  that hot air rising from the grass, give back the town, give back the poem, give back the walnut tree
I think about the tree’s soul, I think about the darkness that soul is rolling around in, the soul passes the night, the soul mutters the word, live, the soul is alive, you…
You, my precious you, tears… on your cheek
I pray that one day, it will become a ray of hope
wago2828
共に信じる　ここに記す
wago2828
祈りとして　この言に託す
wago2828
明けない夜は無い
Believe together… I record herein
I place my prayers in these words…
Night is always followed by dawn
This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Macedonia: First All-Women Hacker Night · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Jovanka Gulicoska informed [mk] on her blog about the upcoming All-Women Hacker Night, scheduled for Wednesday, July 13, in the KIKA Hacklab in Skopje (FB event). According to the official announcement [mk], “all girls interested in Free and Open Source Software, GNU/Linux, but also in technology, computers, hacking (not cracking), networks, servers, electronics, free culture and free society, gadgets, robots, etc. are welcome.”

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Maldives: Workshops On Citizen Journalism · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Maldives Project consists of a series of citizen journalism workshops on three islands in the Maldives during the period from June 15 to August 10, 2010. You can find all about them in their blog.


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Poland: Smoking and the Effects of Smoking Ban · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Polandian writes about what has changed and what hasn't since the ban on smoking in public places was introduced in Poland on Nov. 15, 2010.


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South Sudan: Free At Last! · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This page is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.
Africa has a new nation: the Republic of South Sudan. South Sudan held a referendum on January 9, 2011, on whether or not it should remain a part of Sudan as part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
After voting almost unanimously (99%) for independence from the north, Southern Sudan's formal independence was declared on 9 July, 2011.
Children at South Sudan independence celebrations. Photo courtesy of Matata Safi.
Anthony Kamba looks at challenges that South Sudan faces:
However, the government will face challenges ranging from personal grievance to group grievances. It must address such dissatisfaction with care to ensure many don’t take up arms against their own government.
There are still groups leaders like renegade George Athor, Abdel Bagi Ayi who still cry foul about government representation and structures. Corruption is one other issue that makes such groups move to use forceful means to try to achieve what they want. President Kiir must tackle this head on.
A local Chief Abahala Primo also pointed at corruption as what he would like the government to fight. Abahala wants to see traditional leaders like him being given space to participate in the building of their nation.
Flag of the new Republic of South Sudan.
Ugandan blogger Rosebell Kagumire believes that South Sudan has been born at the right time:
South Sudan has been born at time when Africa has made substantial steps in development unlike the 60s. With a population that is not even half that of my country Uganda, South Sudan will need its neighbours who are already a step ahead in all sectors and am optimistic they will be a good asset. Women in Sudan are more than 60 percent of the population, yet 80 percent of them are illiterate. Empowerment of women of South Sudan will be key to the country improving the gloomy development indicators faster. I remember I met one woman on one of the trips to Sudan who said they didn’t want to be like women of Eritrea “who fought but in the end they were pushed out of the system and told their place was only in the kitchen once independence was declared.”
She reflects on her recent trip to Juba:
In April I was in Juba working with grassroots women leaders. Juba is a melting pot. It’s where East, Central Africa meets the north and horn of Africa. It’s one of the most diverse African capitals I have visited. My Boda Boda rider was a young man about 20 years old. He was born in Torit, he lived in Masindi in western Uganda then Kenya before finally coming back to Sudan. He speaks about ten languages. Language is important for integration and most Sudanese have spent many years living in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. These experiences can be harnessed to bring about changes in the new republic. South Sudan can take advantage of the booming sectors like education in Uganda where graduates spend years with no job.
“[South Sudan] independence is definitely worth the 63 year wait,” says Moezi Ali:
So it seems the South could have easily gained independence 63 years ago, but the tribal differences would've had an egregious effect on the country. Now however, there seems to be a sense of unification. The Southerners are proud to be a nation, not a tribe. Sentimentally, independence is definitely worth the 63 year wait.
“As we celebrate the birth of our newest nation we must remember the role that resources have in shaping the conditions of our humanity,” says Phoebe Fletcher:
As we celebrate the birth of our newest nation, we must remember the role that resources have in shaping the conditions of our humanity. We must continue to give scrutiny to the operation of states in trading. Give a thought today to those people affected. The risk of conflict is precarious, with analysts already pointing to the underdevelopment of infrastructure in the South and news reports coming out of South Kordofan. Sudan will also be affected by the burgeoning East African food crisis affecting up to 10 million people. Happy birthday, South Sudan: we wish you all the very best.
Sudanese Optimist points out five stages of grief that citizens in North South went through after the referendum:
With the independence of South Sudan fast approaching, North Sudanese citizens are coming to terms with the biggest change in the history of their country. For many, supporting independence is bitter-sweet, or tinged with retrospective regret. Others are unconflicted and happy about independence, although the happiness could sometimes be a result of a ‘good riddance’ attitude towards secession. I have observed many emotions and reactions to the independence of South Sudan amongst North Sudanese citizens, and based the following observations on the famous Kübler-Ross model for dealing with loss, commonly known as ‘The Five Stages of Grief.’ These observations are from the perspective of North Sudanese people only since I am assuming that the near unanimous vote for secession by South Sudan is enough proof that they are not considering this a cause for grief
Women in South Sudan celebrating the birth of a new nation. Photo courtesy of Matata Safi.
Susan has no words to express her joy and that of her fellow Kenyans for the independence of South Sudan:
Many of us Kenyans cannot just express the joy we have for our South Sudanese friends who have lived with us like family for many years, they were like Kenyans and we got used to them. We hoped and prayed for their oppression to come to an end and for them to get separated, it was not imaginable that it would happen.
After the late Dr. John Garang the founder of SPLA signed a peace agreement deal here in Kenya, then his sudden death there after, it was like that was the end of the peace deal and things would get back the way they were. At least there was some improvement after the power sharing deal that has eventually led to the separation. It is very sad Dr. John Garang is not alive to witness this historical event.
I don’t have the words to express my joy and that of many Kenyans, after watching the scenes of war, the lost lives, the refugees, the effects of war on the victims, the lack of development and infrastructure in the south and the many problems they underwent.
How did we get to this historical moment? Moezali takes us back in history:
In the beginning of the 20th century when Sudan was under the administration of the British empire, many thought that the British systematically isolated the South from the North. In reality, the situation was more complicated than that.
From mere observation, the British realised the differences between the north and south of the country in terms of physical appearance, culture and sociological behavior. It dawned on them that the people of the south had more in common with their southern neighbours, i.e. Northern Uganda, Kenya and Congo.
But then the British also realised that despite sharing the hardships of their southern neighbours, the people of South Sudan were actually in a more dire condition. Inevitably, this lead the British – with the burden of history eating at their conscience – to think that uniting the north and south of Sudan would afford the southerners a chance for development.
The north at the time was more acquainted, more developed and a product of conquest by various empires throughout history.
This theory worked on paper.
This page is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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U.K.: Polish Poetry on the Tube · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belatedly, a link to a post about Polish poetry displayed on the London Underground, which was published on May 31 by the POLSKI blog.


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Ukraine, Belarus: Monuments to Holocaust Victims · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Memory At War translates Andriy Portnov's text on post-Soviet monuments to Holocaust victims.


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Ukraine: Hutsul Photo Archive Online · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Uncataloged Museum writes about Hutsul Images, an online collection of photos from the Hutsul regions of Ukraine, created and maintained by Volodymyr Kitselyuk, “an ordinary enthusiast from Hutsul region, a doctor by profession and an ethnographer by vocation.”


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Ukraine: “Mouth-Watering” Market Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Pickle Project posts “some mouth-watering photos from two Kyiv markets” as well as photos from a highway-side market in Donetsk region.


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Australia Unveils Carbon Pricing Package · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Australians remain divided after Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s announcement of a Clean Energy package with a carbon price of $A 23 per tonne and an emissions trading scheme from 2015. Crikey had an early summary, and the rest of the local blogosphere was also quick off the mark.
Jeremy Sear of An Onymous Lefty laid on his customary sarcasm in ‘THE CARBON TAX THAT WILL DOOM US ALL‘. His target was Tony Abbott, the leader of the Opposition Coalition parties that strongly oppose the plan:
Worst of all, how unfair is it for the government to finally release the details of the carbon price package and undermine Tony Abbott’s ability to completely make stuff up about it?
PM Gillard launches the Clean Energy Future website. Photo: Clean Energy Future
In the post ‘Australia will tax its carbon emissions‘ on his self-titled blog, Harry Clarke was bubbly:
Of course  I knew the announcement was coming but to find out the details of the proposal –in the link – and to hear such a clear and eloquent defence of the proposal from both was exciting. It is a political statement as well as an important application of the principle that markets are the best way of addressing carbon pollution problems.  After a series of meandering twists Labor has finally got to the point it should have been at a year ago. Congratulations to all those who contributed to this outcome.
Open Your Eyes found lots to rail against in its ‘Editorial‘:
Bureaucracy will flourish as reams of pencil pushers calculate a web of tax and rebates.
That Goldman Sachs and their friends in the banking work will ultimately profit massively as the scheme moves into carbon trading, which is due to commence within 3 years, and if ultimately brought in worldwide will lead to the creation of a market, according to the Wall Street Journal to be worth $US 3 trillion per year.
And that despite all the tax, the impoverishment for most, and profit for a few, the world’s climate will not be affected a jot.
Chris White from Blogging from a life-long unionist is an advocate of a carbon tax, but wanted more action from his own political party:
It is a historic step forward for Australia to be finally taking action to price carbon. The time for talking is over as the damaging impacts of global warming become ever more apparent. By acting to reduce emissions, the politics of delay and denial will become a historic relic.
However the long delay in acting makes our challenge today bigger and more urgent than ever. The aspirations of the carbon pricing scheme are low in comparison with what the science community tells us we need to do to avoid great damage to Australia’s economy, our environment, and the way we live.
Clean Energy Future website
Climate Change Denier pounced on the real culprit in Australia the only country in the world with an economy-wide carbon tax:
And the rest of the world does not care.
…So how does our 160 million tonnes reduction compare to China’s annual production of CO2? China produces 7,031 million tonnes of CO2 per annum. Thats 2.2 per cent of Chinas output. So if China increases it output by the same amount it did in 2010, by ten percent, the 160 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide saved by Australia will be replaced by China in 3 months.
Billions of dollars in extra burdens on Australian workers, industry and consumers to be replaced by China in three months.
The hashtag #CP topped the Australian Twitter trending topics. There was lots of retweeting including this one by @dannolan who was busy during and after the media conference with quite a turn of phrase:
You can't spell ‘carbon tax’ without SOCIALIST EUGENICS-LADEN MALTHUSIAN DEATH-PACT #cp
@GeordieGuy added a personal touch:
My son is due in November. There's still an outside chance I'll get to dive the Great Barrier Reef with him. #cp #cef
The cynics were out after Gillard’s hour long media event. @therevmountain was typical:
“PM, can you tell me your message again, but in a soundbite?” #cp
Former Davis Cup tennis player @JohnAlexanderMP, turned conservative parliamentarian, stuck to the party script:
So Aust companies can now move offshore, pay less to locals, avoid paying #carbontax and sell credits back into our market. Great reform #cp
@zinders echoed Gillard’s mention of a former British Conservative PM:
“The danger of global warming is… real enough for us to make changes and sacrifices” Thatcher, 1990 http://bit.ly/bDBNzG #cp #auspol
@SimonCopland seemed surprised at the Prime Minister’s performance:
Wow, Gillard is actually selling this quite well. #cp
More analysis and reactions will follow when the dust settles, although that could be years away.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Central and Eastern Europe: Economies more exposed than expected · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Edward Hugh of Baltic Economy Watch argues that Central and East European economies are more exposed to risk in case of a Eurozone crisis than what financial ratings say.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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China: Copycat of Kung Fu Panda · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fan Huang from Shanghaiist introduces a Chinese copycat of Kung Fu Panda — the Legend of a Rabbit, jointly produced by Tianjin North Film Group and Beijing Film Academy.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: High speed rail malfunction · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

David Bandurski from China Media Project on Chinese netizens’ responses to the malfunction of the brand-new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway on July 10, 2011.


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China: Lawyers Back Candidates Barred From Recent Election · Global Voices
John Kennedy

People across China continue [zh] to announce their candidacy in local district level People's Congress elections, but how far this new surge in civic consciousness can go remains uncertain.
The case of Liu Ping in Jiangxi province has drawn greater attention recently after Liu and fellow candidates Li Sihua and Wei Zhongping were prevented, through various means, from standing in their local election in Xinyu last month. In an addition to Liu Ping's account of how authorities are working to to block the trio's participation in elections, petitioner Li Sihua has also microblogged [zh] a bit more to the story:
6月16日，我分别致电致函省、市、区人大选举部门，陈述“关于根据全国人大的立法解释，应尽快依法确认我的初步代表候选人资格”的诉求。市、区强调：根据省人大的回复意见，不能跨选区推荐候选人。省人大选任联工委则说：既然全国人大有可以跨选区推荐的立法解释，就要我传真给他们。
6月17日下午，省人大选任联工委电话回复我说，收到我的传真申诉意见及全国人大关于同一行政区选民可以跨选区推荐代表候选人的立法解释附件后，他们认真研究后向新余市人大批转了我的申诉书，要我与市人大联系。新余市人大选任联易主任则表示：收到了省人大的批转意见，一定会依法处理。
6月17日，接到省人大的批转意见后，通洲办党委书记、政党提名候选人谢琪亲自出马，当即带人赶往西合村，调查所谓“推荐真相”，并找党、村干部及先进分子签名证明我参选的动因并非真心为村民土地维权，而是为了自己的申冤翻案。在他看来，是否只有当选成为人大代表，冤案才可平反昭雪？
See the China Elections and Governance blog for details on how Liu, Li and Wei were beaten and treated by authorities prior to being disqualified from the election.
Late last month, Liu Ping's Hubei-based lawyer, Wu Yuanshu, went with her to Xinyu to investigate the handling of the election and Liu's subsequent treatment. Wu wrote [zh]:
7月4日
今天，我与刘萍、李思华前往李思华选区新余市渝水区通洲办事处西河管理处，观看张榜公布的的选举结果，并调查扭打刘萍、抢夺刘萍手机、殴打魏中平等破坏选举的情况。在被管理处门口，我和刘萍被管理处干部打伤，抢夺、毁坏我的手机、摄像机。
新余市公安局抱石路派出所盛晴晖（050618）斥责刘萍说：国家赋予我天天管你的权力，你没有权力管我，无权对我拍照。我反驳道：法律赋予我天天监督你的权力，你没有权力拒绝，我有权对你拍照。
July 4 – Today I went with Liu Ping and Li Sihua to the Tonzhou Xihe management office in Yushui, Li's electoral district in Xinyu city, to see the results of the election and see if we could get some answers about Liu Ping being roughed up and having her cellphone snatched from her, as well as interference with the election through the beating of Wei Zhongping. At the entrance to the management office, both Liu Ping and I were struck by office cadres there and my mobile phone and video camera were snatched and smashed.
Officer Sheng Qinghui (#050618) at the police station on Baoshiu Rd. told Liu Ping off, saying that the state gave him the authority to tell her what to do, and not vice-versa. He said we had no right to photograph him. I argued back that the law gives us the right to supervise your authority, that you don't have the right to refuse that, and I do have the right to take your photograph.
7月5日
昨天早上约八点半钟，我和刘萍、李思华一同去观看选举公告。刚到门前，还没看见公告，忽然六七人冲上来推搡殴打刘萍，我见状立即用手机拍照，那伙人就过来抢夺手机，我拼死反抗，被西河办事处干部和打手打伤，手机被抢去摔坏，几天来走访百余人的录音证据被毁，摄像机被抛上楼顶，案卷资料撒满一地。
在西河管理处办公室，那伙人说：你们没经我们同意拍照，侵犯了我们的肖像权。我反驳道：我不需要经你同意。警察说：你还是律师，知法犯法，你不经人家同意就拍照，就是侵犯肖像权。我说：侵犯肖像权是指用于商业目的，我是因他们打人，固定证据，难道是侵犯肖像权吗？
由于摄像机还在楼顶，我要求拍照取得证据，警察拒绝，因此我拒绝离开案发现场。无奈，警察方同意我们自行拍摄。我悄悄拍下了警察和警车……
July 5 – At around 8:30 yesterday morning, Liu Ping, Li Sihua and I went to see the election results. As we reached the door, before we'd seen the results, those guys came over to snatch away my cellphone. I resisted like hell and was hurt by the Xihe office cadres, and my cellphone got smashed up in the process. Also destroyed were the audio recordings from hundreds of locals there. The video camera got thrown up on the roof and the case papers were strewn all over the ground.
Inside the Xihe office, those guys said that we didn't have their permission to take their photos, that we violated their portrait rights. I said I didn't need their permission. One office said, you're lawyers, and you knowingly break the law? If you take someone's photo without their permission, he said, you're violating their portrait rights. Violation of portrait rights refers to commercial law, I said: Given that you've hit us and this is hard evidence of that, are you seriously saying that we're violating your portrait rights?
With the video camera still up on the roof, I demanded we be able to take photos as evidence. The officer refused, and so I refused to leave. The officer gave up and let us take our photos, so I took photos of the officers and their cars[…]
打的到新余，路上闲聊，我问：知道刘萍吗？司机答：不知道。我说：全国都知道刘萍参选人民代表，新余人不知道么？司机想一会说：哦，听说过，听说她是恐怖分子，选举那天要炸新余最大的商场，街上布满武警。我大惊。来新余三天，果真听到恐怖的故事。
After returning to Hubei on July 5, Wu wrote on his Weibo account that he would push the local Ministry of Justice to launch an official investigation, but also that he, along with Guangdong-based lawyer Li Zhiming and Zhejiang lawyer Wang Cheng, were seeking to gather other lawyers to travel to Xinyu and offer assistance to the three former candidates.
Then, Wu was called out for tea the following day, and told [zh] to cease his efforts to organize lawyers to investigate the People's Congress election held recently in Xinyu. A Weibo group for that purpose set up by electoral democracy enthusiast and Wu's fellow lawyer, Wang Cheng, however, remains active.
Meanwhile, some Chinese media continue to write about the growing interest in district-level legislative elections: Caijing recently published two well-circulated pieces, ‘The difficult question of whether independent candidates are able to resolve social tensions‘ and ‘Perspective on the citizen candidate trend‘.
Also worth a read is this lengthy article from The World and China Institute‘s Chinese electoral system reform research group,  ‘New Trend of Chinese Citizens Running for Local People’s Congress‘.

author: John Kennedy


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China: The danger of a quick visit · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C. Custer from China Geeks reminds foreign businessmen and media that the impression one can get in a quick visit in China is usually impartial and misleading.


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Cuba: Silvio Rodríguez Remembers Facundo Cabral · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Iroel Sánchez comments that Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez [es] honored in his blog Segunda Cita [es] the memory of the recently murdered Argentinian artist Facundo Cabral.


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Dominica: “Price is King” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One of the biggest ironies of Dominica is that whilst the economy contracts, more and more people are importing food and inferior products and dumping it on our markets”: Caribbean Man doesn't understand why his compatriots seem to prefer the cheap option.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Estonia: Celebration of Nazi occupation · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Kloty of Gedanken über Estland draws attention to [GER] a celebration of the 70th anniversary of Nazi occupation of Estonian town of Viljandi, and discusses how locals considered it preferrable to Soviet occupation, turning a blind eye to atrocities committed against the town's Jewish population during World War II.


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Haiti: Iconic Actress Passes On  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands notes the passing of  the Haitian-born actress, Jacqueline Scott-Lemoine.


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India: A Facebook Campaign To Remove Unwanted Posters · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Poster Hatao (remove posters) Facebook campaign initiated by Shivraj Kumar, a 78-year-old retired army colonel, is gaining momentum. The aim of the campaign is to keep the Indian capital Delhi free from poster nuisance.

author: Rezwan


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Indonesia: Electronic ID for citizens · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesians will be issued electronic identification cards this year. Blogger Multibrand hopes this would simplify transactions in the country


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Indonesia: Rail-based mass transit project · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Herlina blogs about the rail-based Mass Rapid Transit in Indonesia which is cited as a solution to the traffic woes in Jakarta.


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Indonesia: Tourism slogans · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Rima Fauzi suggests some slogans for Indonesia's tourism promotion campaign which also underlies some of the problems besetting the country.


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Jamaica: Reporting Standards · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Active Voice blogs about double standards in media reporting here and here.


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Jamaica: Road Rage Results in Death of Teen  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica Woman Tongue comments on the road rage incident that took the life of an innocent teen, saying: “Life is cheap; BMW’s are expensive.  On top of that, the gun itself has become a status symbol.”


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Malaysia: Bersih 2.0 Rally Rattles the Government · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

The Bersih rally which occurred on July 9, 2011, has drawn a lot of reaction from the Malaysian public.
Whatsaysyou blogged:
Bersih 2.0 should never be forgotten. Nor should it be ignored and it is time the world knows what exactly is happening in Malaysia. Secondly, we cannot deny that corruption is rampant and Malaysians deserve to be heard and known.
More than 1,400 people were arrested by the police during the rally which was organized to push for electoral reforms in Malaysia. Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd which reached up to 50,000 according to the organizers. Bersih means “clean” in the local language.
Monk felt that the police violated human rights:
Our Malaysia Police Force (PDRM and FRU) violated the core principles of international humanitarian law by attacking a hospital. They launched a few teargas canister into Tung Shin Hospital Child Birth Unit.Under Geneva Convention, no hospitals can be attacked by all warring parties. Our police force denied that they attack that hospital despite there are a lot of evidences showing that they launched attack on hospital.
Shanay thought that it showed the true Malaysian spirit in the face of adversity:
Even though most roads to KL were closed, and polis were everywhere arresting people who were in yellow color shirts or had them in their bags, somehow these supporters still managed to gather up together. They were from different races, different ages, wearing different color clothes, but together they march towards one same hope. It was truly 1 Malaysia.
Bersih 2.0 rally. From the Twitpic page of @ckfwong8.
Bersih is much more popular on Twitter, with many showing pictures taken from their mobile phones.
@zaaagh: my colleague asked: “Would you do it again?” I replied: “Hell yeah!!! A thousand time if I given a chance!”
@semnos:  After the tear gas, chemicals & polis arrests, the ppl were pushed back to tung shin hospital.
@syukrishairi: The day I realised that all the neighborhoods in KL are so close to each other, made far only by six-lane roads.
@RizalRedride: What I experienced on the 9th of July is Malaysia. We are decent people, we are a people of quality. – Charis Ding. Good on ya!
@Mahaza2: After #Bersih 2.0, people talked about ‘WE’ and no more The Malays, The Chinese or The Indians. A true 1Malaysia unrecognized by the Govt
@biopolymath: Spoke to a student from China during Bersih2.0 rally in Melbourne. She felt arrests of people in yellow shirts unreasonable
There are also some videos that were posted on YouTube, among them a video showing footage of the event:
OhNewBeb also posted a video with footage of the Bersih rally in Melbourne's Federation Square:
More pictures were posted by Jamie and The Thirsty Blogger, and more videos can be found in a YouTube playlist and Anil Netto's blog.  HBHo had blogged about his experience during the rally. Updates can also be found on Bersih 2.0's Twitter account.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Mexico: Photos of Street Food in Mexico City  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Lesley Téllez posts pictures of street food in Mexico City in her blog The Mija Chronicles.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Pakistan: Embracing the Google+ Circles · Global Voices
Faisal Kapadia

The past couple of weeks might be forever remembered as a game changer in the realm of social media in Pakistan. It was when Google rolled out its all encompassing and challenging social behemoth of a network called Google Plus.
Although in the beginning this social network was by invite only, I doubt if they could have wanted a more hyped up roll-out. Pakistan is crazy about social networking, so it is of little wonder that the launch of Google+ garnered so much reaction.
Awab Alvi at Teeth maestro wrote after his first look at Google+:
Decent attempt by G+: I think Google must realize it specializes in “Search” maybe tapping the social network may help refine its search engines but it should not dabble too extensively and hope to edge into Facebook’s turf as it already has a 700 million head start. As I don’t think Google+ will trigger a mass exodus from Facebook, but it might start something like the slow food movement amongst social network.
Cartoon by Randall Munroe, published in XKCD – A Webcomic. Used under a CC BY-NC 2.5 License.
Shoaib Taimur, one of Pakistan's now infamous Twitterati commented:
I like the idea of Google Plus though it seems a bit barren at the moment. I would love for Google to open this trial for everyone. Overall it’s not confusing as Google Wave, though it ain’t a Facebook killer.
Ammar yasir of Teabreak thought:
” it might start something like the slow food movement amongst social network..”
That's exactly how users migrated from Orkut and MySpace back in the day. As for Facebook it missed the chance to kill GMail when they were revamping their messaging service.
However, it will be interesting to witness Facebook's reaction.
Image by Flickr user Sean MacEntee. Used under a CC BY 2.0 License.
A couple of weeks have passed since the launch and everyone is now a bit more familiar with the G+ concepts of circles for friends, huddles for messenger and hangout for video chat (although that's still not operating 100 percent in Pakistan).
As people explore more and more, the debates are getting increasingly technical. Some people have come to realize that although Google promises more privacy it is in fact more open than even Twitter as anyone may add you even if you can block them on finding out.
Wasio Abbasi a freelance writer and new media professional commented:
I haven't come across any indication to know who I am “Circled” with someone, seems like  something new to explore.
Dr. Kamran Iqbal, a very poignant commentator in the Pakistan blogosphere remarked on Google+:
The great thing about Google+ is that it gives considerably greater personal space and control, has less clutter, and quite diluted in space much like a spacious city, unlike Facebook which now looks like a densely crowded populace like typical urban metropolis.
Currently G+ has become open for all, i.e. no more invites needed to join it and therefore there are lots of bloggers from Pakistan now reviewing it.
Imran Jaffery at Maboot sums it up with:
At the end of the day, I guess people won’t have enough time on their hands, and they ultimately would have to choose between Facebook or  Google+. And I am afraid *cough* in months ahead or in a year now on 50% of Facebook users would switch to Google+. Geeks, Tech-Savvy users and the guys who usually share the worthwhile content would be moving quickly to Google+ in my opinion as this product is more compelling for that group of people. And Facebook only will be left with Stalkers and friendship seekers.
Hammad Armghan at Gizmo Heat concludes:
For me Google Plus is a complete package with tons of exciting features. Google plus indeed (is) the strongest attempt that Google made to step into a Social Networking.
So it seems like an all out war as Google+ takes on Facebook, Skype and even Twitter with the just announced mystery bulk SMS features to come. The Internet may benefit with a one stop dashboard for social media and Google with its documents, search, maps and now Google plus social networking has the capability to provide us with this solution. What remains to be seen is how they will handle the enormous load of people coming their way in the long run.

author: Faisal Kapadia


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Panama: What Does ‘Middle Class’ Mean? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Contrapunto [es], Hannah asks what it means to be part of the ‘middle class’ in Panama. Sociologists and economists place the mark at a minimum monthly salary of $500 USD, she explains. But Hannah wonders if a ‘middle class’ family can really cover all its needs with $500 a month.


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Peru: A Case Against Taxing Cellphones · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Antonio Rodriguez Lobatón, from the blog Blawyer, argues [es] that taxing telecommunication services like cellphones or cable television is a bad idea. He says it makes no sense for the government to encourage policies to develop mobile telephony and then cause a reduction in demand as a consequence of implementing additional taxes.


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Philippines: Human Rights Report 2011 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Karapatan uploads its findings on the human rights situation in the Philippines. The report covers the first year of the new government.

author: Mong Palatino


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Portugal: Research on Literacy, Media and Citizenship · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The Research Center on Communication and Society from the University of Minho, in Portugal, has made available for download the proceedings of the First National Congress on Literacy, Media and Society. Among more than sixty papers on several topics, there is one dedicated to “Perspectives on info-exclusion in the lusophone cyberspace” (.pdf) [pt].

author: Sara Moreira


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Russia: Drug enforcement agency at work · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ernst Krenkel of Backyard Safari describes [GER] the Russian Federal Drug Control Service and how it works.


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Russia: Potential of e-Government · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Adriel Hampton of Adriel Nation posts impressions of great potential for Russian e-Government after discussions with a Gov 2.0 advocate, pointing to various projects within the sector in Russia.


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Russia: Reintroducing Fabergé · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

John Helmer of Dancing With Bears tells the story of how a South African entrepreneur is reintroducing production of Russia's famous Fabergé eggs.


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Russia: Worries of wildfires · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Two-Zero of Moscow Blog writes about the worries in Russia that last year's catastrophic wildfires will repeat themselves this year.


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Senegal-Chad: Hissène Habré won’t be expelled anymore  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

In a post published on July 11th, leboytownshow.com blog states the following [fr] :”Senegalese authorities finally announced that they suspend the deportation order against Hissène Habré (editor's note:  Chad former president) “.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Senegal-Chad: Is Habré Extradition a Political Diversion by Wade? · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Commenting former Chad president Hissene Habré's extradition to his homeland, makaila.over-blog observes [fr]: “Many Senegalese analysts are already questionning whether this is just a diversion by the Senegalese embattled president. The opposition and civil society organizations were planning for a  massive gathering on July 9th”.  The rally was ultimately banned by the authorities.


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Singapore City circa 1957 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A youtube video uploaded by travelfilmarchive documents life in Singapore in 1957


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Sino-Foreign Film Co-Productions in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Law Blog has a guest post written by Mathew Alderson which outlines some basic rules for foreign companies doing film co-productions in China.


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South Sudan: Celebration of Independence · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Slate.fr blog reports [fr] that South Sudan celebrated the birth of their state with a friendly international football match: “South Sudanese authorities held  a friendly football game between their national team and the Kenyan team on July 10th. The game took place in Juba, the new capital city, in a country that is literally starting from scratch.” But no matter what, Southern-Sudan future in football shall be brillant, says the head of the Football Federation chief.


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Spain: More Information on tomalaplaza.net · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The website tomalaplaza.net [es] now offers sections (labeled with the names of cities) with information on all the local civic movements that have developed in Spain since last May 15 (15M).


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Trinidad & Tobago: Tackling Transformation  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“No one transforms for the greater good. No one transforms to save this place. All we have is Decepticons for leaders. And people who do not, cannot fly”: Attillah Springer notices unsettling parallels between the new Transformers movie and real life in Trinidad and Tobago.


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Ukraine: History of Little Tatary · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Leoš Tomíček of Austere Insomniac makes an historical argument about the origins of South-East Ukraine – Little Tatary – as part of Ukrainian statehood.


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Ukraine joins EU-Battlegroups · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

British Ambassador to Ukraine, Leigh Turner, writes about Ukraine joining the EU-Battlegroups and deepening European-Ukrainian military cooperation.