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Fiji: President announces retirement · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Forum posters and bloggers are reacting to the announcement that Fiji’s president will step down.
Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, known as Josefa Ilolio, announced his retirement after nearly nine years in office. At 88, he leaves office as the world’s oldest statesman.
His rule has been punctuated by three separate constitutional crises. Josefa Ilolio became president in the aftermath of Fiji’s 2000 coup when indigenous Fijian nationalists and members of the military held an elected government headed by an Indo-Fijian hostage for 56 days. He served until December 5, 2006 when military leader Frank Bainimarama declared a national emergency and assumed presidential powers before dissolving Parliament. A month later, the military commander then restored Ilolio to power. The President then named Bainimarama interim-Prime Minister.
On April 9, 2009, a court of appeals ruled Bainimarama’s takeover was illegal and ordered Iloilo to name a caretaker government until elections could be held. However, the President declared he had no constitutional authority to name a new government. So he annulled the country's 1997 constitution, discharged the entire judiciary and appointed himself head of state. The following day he nominated Frank Bainimarama to a five-year term, pushing out elections until 2014.
Some bloggers marked the passing.
From Babasiga
From radio fiji is the news that Ratu Iloilo will, at last, be living the pleasant life of a retired man, to spend time with his family in Veseisei. He is a frail gentleman and deserves time in his senior years with his kin and his vanua.
From a comment by True Pale Blue at the Real Fiji News site.
What an outstanding example of service to a Nation! Comparable to that of HM Queen Elizabeth II and worthy of such comparison. Our thoughts, our prayers and our deepest respect go out to the retiring President.
“Well done, good and faithful servant”
Gospel of St Matthew (25:23)
As stated in Fiji’s now abrogated 1997 Constitution, Fiji’s president is appointed by the hereditary indigenous Fijian group the Great Council of Chiefs for up to two five-year terms. While the President's power is largely ceremonial, the position does have certain reserve powers that have proved powerful during Fiji’s four coups and constitutional crises.
Vice President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau will assume presidential powers until a new president can be appointed. Frank Bainimarama has stated the Great Council of Chiefs, which he suspended, will not choose Fiji's next president. Instead, his cabinet and the recently re-appointed Chief Justice will do so. Bainimarama has claimed he will begin working on a more equitable and racially balanced constitution in three years. Josefa Ilolio may well be Fiji’s last President appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs.
Critics have long claimed that Ilolio was deeply under Bainiarama’s influence. Supporters contend Ilolio attempted to save indigenous Chiefly system by attempting to modernize the entire government.
From Fiji Board Exiles, gdevreal calls Ilolio’s retirement “long overdue,” and wonders what is next for the Bainimarama regime without its man in Government House.
Frank was pretty dependent on a rubber stamp president.
What happens now? With these sons and daughters of chiefs coming back into power, what do they need Frank for? He is definitely a liability on the international front, and knows phuck all about running an economy or a nation.
Staying at Fiji Board Exiles, real jack argues through a troubled decade, Ilolio was a stabilizing force.
the regime will have to find someone with similar standing and blood credentials who will be able to hold that pivotal role in itaukei [indigenous Fijian] society as the Turaga Tui Vuda has had since 2001 – we tend not to think about the pivotal role this chief has played in stabalising itaukei politics in this country since 2001 – his cheifly status and blood ties has been central to that stabalising influence – he has saved the itaukei race and held it together after the upheavels of 2001 and till todate – his Mana has held this country together.
The international press has painted the retirement as providing Bainimarama a chance to further consolidate power. A few of Fiji’s anti-government bloggers concurred.
Coup Four Point Five suggests that to tighten his grip Bainiarama had to force Ilolio out of office.
Contrary to the announcement this afternoon by the interim regime’s head, Frank Bainimarama, that President Ratu Josefa Iloilo has announced his retirement, sources have told us that Iloilo was forced into early retirement by the regime.
We have confirmation that the Tui Vuda’s retirement as President and Commander in Chief of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces was planned by the regime soon after the appointment of Ratu Epeli Nailatikau as vice president in late April after the abrogation of the Constitution on April the 10th.
Sources have told us that the regime has been discussing a retirement package for Iloilo for more than two months.
From the Soli Vakasama blogsite.
The recent maneuverings resulting in getting rid of incompetent Josefa Iloilo to make way of useless Epeli Nailatikau and news that liumuri, veivolitaki Epeli Mataitini or no hoper Tui Wei Talemo maybe in the running for VP post. The recent postings of Leweni, Naupoto and now Tikoduadua into PS [Permanent Secretary] positions only confirms Bainimarama’s real Road Map for Fiji folks and it ain’t towards democracy, but to the full militarization of Fiji!

author: Michael Hartsell


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Gabon: Presidential Candidate Uses Social Media in Historic Election · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Bruno Ben Moubamba, presidential candidate in Gabon, uses new media to spread his message.
As Gabon prepares for its first election since the death of Omar Bongo, one candidate is trying to make history with the aid of social media.  Bruno Ben Moubamba, journalist and director of the Edith Stein Institute in France, has returned to Gabon to run as an independent candidate.  His rivals who include the current prime minister, Jean Eyeghe Ndong, and Bongo's own son.  Moubamba is trying to level the playing field.
Taking a page from Obama's playbook, his campaign is using the internet to mobilize a network of activists and supporters within Gabon and throughout the Diaspora.  The Ben Moubamba campaign not only has a blog, but has made extensive use of other social media platforms, including Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, and hi5.  Of course, it is unclear how many Gabonese can be reach through these platforms; only an estimated ten percent of citizens have internet access, whether privately or via public cafes.
Before his death on June 8th at the age of 73, Bongo was Africa's longest-serving ruler, having spent 41 years in power.  With Bongo's son as the ruling party's official candidate, Gabon's lack of a democratic tradition, and with the August 30th election fast approaching, Moubamba faces an uphill battle.
Born in 1967, the year that Bongo came to power, Moubamba represents a younger generation of African leaders.  On his blog, Moubamba has harsh criticism for the powers that be, whom he has referred to as “specialists in repression,” and calls for intergenerational dialogue:
Je suis en ce moment en train de recomposer mon équipe pour passer de la pré-campagne à la campagne. Je travaille avec une centaine de volontaires. Je m’aperçois que les autorités de ce pays sont massivement rejetées par la population. Les participants des meetings des candidats gouvernementaux reçoivent entre 75 et 200 euros pour leur participation! On est en train d’acheter les Gabonais avec leur propre argent!
At this moment, I am reorganizing my team to transition from the pre-campaign to the campaign.  I am working with 100 volunteers.  I have found that the authorities of this country are massively rejected by the people.  Those who participate in the meeting of the government's candidates receive between 75 and 200 euros for their participation!  They are buying the Gabonese people with their own money!
Or, voilà plusieurs semaines que le Parti démocratique gabonais actuellement au pouvoir tergiverse sur la désignation de son candidat aux futures élections présidentielles. Les tensions semblent fortes. M. Eyéghé Ndong, l’actuel Premier ministre, a par exemple déclaré ses dernières heures qu’il se plierait à un rejet de sa candidature, si cela s’effectuait dans des conditions démocratiques.
Je me demande si ces tergiversations n’illustrent pas une querelle générationnelle naissante entre les quarantenaires et les soixantenaires, habitués du pouvoir.
J’ose espérer que la génération de nos aînés ne va pas opter pour la continuité sans transformation sous prétexte de défendre ses intérêts. Car il semble en fait que leurs intérêts, comme ceux de tous les Gabonais, se situent dans le changement et dans le dialogue intergénérationnel !
I wonder if these delays don't signal a fight between the generations born in the forties and the sixties, used to being in power. I dare to hope that the generation of our ancestors will not opt for continuity without transformation under the pretext of defending its interests. Because it seems in truth that their interests, like those of all the Gabonese, lay in change and intergenerational dialogue!
Bongo's son was eventually declared the official candidate, and Eyéghé Ndong, in protest, declared himself an independent candidate.  Patrick Ageron, a supporter of Ben Moubamba, writes on the Facebook page of Bongo, Jr's nomination:
Une nouvelle preuve encore que le système de la royauté (où le fils devient le successeur du père) toujours en vigueur dans nos contrées a bien été exporté sur le continent Africain.
It's really a shame.
When will this stop?
Bruno, vous êtes enfin sur la ligne de départ! Je vous souhaite bonne chance pour la suite de cette belle aventure. Pour beaucoup d'entre nous vous incarnez le rêve d'un nouveau Gabon, bâti sur la justice et le droit; un pays où ” les gens de peu” relèvent enfin la tête. Du courage et bon vent!

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Jennifer Brea


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Global: George W. Bush as Middle East Envoy? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

An opinion piece written for Newsweek suggesting George W. Bush make an excellent complement to U.S. President Obama as Middle East envoy has made waves in the blogosphere.  The article, penned by Gregory Levey, the author of a book called Shut Up I'm Talking: And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government–A Memoir and former speechwriter for the Israeli government, advocates for Bush and Obama to play “good cop, bad cop” with Israel, whilst ignoring the need for diplomacy with the rest of the Middle East.
Syrian blogger Anas Qtiesh criticizes Levey's proposal, focusing on Levey's statements that Israel should be the top priority of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East:
So Mr. Levey suggests that the U.S. needs to acquire Israeli trust in order to stop the illegal settlements, illegal Judaization of Jerusalem, and to have Israeli permission to have talks with Iran. The absurdity of his suggestion is only matched by a fact he mentions to justify his outrageous suggestion: “In the history of U.S.-Israel relations, probably no president has earned adoration and unequivocal trust from Israel like Bush.”
Australian blogger and journalist Antony Loewenstein also wonders why the Arabs aren't considered in Levey's piece, remarking:
A former worker in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, Gregory Levey, suggests that the Obama administration appoint George W. Bush as his Middle East envoy to pressure and cajole Israel.
Clearly Levey has never spoken to any Arabs in the Middle East; Bush isn’t the most liked individual.
Blogger Max Strasser of Next Year In, a blog which focuses on the Middle East, is more amused by the implication that Israelis love George W. Bush, despite his low approval ratings elsewhere:
Oy.  That’s just a little embarrassing for the Israelis.  Bush ended his term as one of the least popular presidents in American history.  He is despised around the world.  And still Israelis love him?  That makes Israel sound like some sort of “rogue” state.  I hope that it doesn’t bespeak anything too significant about the direction of Israeli politics.
Pseudonymous blogger Doctor Biobrain, whose location is as mysterious as his pseudonym, questions why U.S. support for Israel must always go unquestioned:
Would someone care to explain to me why we need to make Israel happy? I don't even buy into the idea that having them in the middle-east is some great strategic advantage for us, and think it's the exact opposite. Israel is one of the biggest problems we have in the middle-east. That's not to say I don't support their existence or anything, merely that I fail to understand their strategic importance to us or why we need to keep appeasing them. As with our embargo of Cuba, I believe our support of Israel is more about domestic politics than foreign policy and anyone who suggests otherwise is selling something.
But if their existence is somehow important to us, you'd think their existence would be even more important to themselves. And if our support of them makes their existence possible, then you'd think they'd owe it to us to keep us happy, not vice versa. And if our support isn't necessary for their existence and they're doing us a favor by accepting our support, then perhaps we should stop supporting them. That seems fairly obvious to me.
Though it was nearly impossible to find a blogger writing in support of Levey's piece, Jason Zengerle, blogging for The New Republic, sees it as a metaphor of sorts, but criticizes Bush nonetheless, stating:
I guess it's to encourage Obama to be more Bush-like in his dealings with Israel. One Bush-like gesture, according to Levey, would be for Obama “to speak directly to Israelis, the way Bush did often.” But did Bush speak directly to Israelis that often? He didn't visit Israel as president until January 2008, some seven years after he entered the White House. And he made only one more trip there, in May of last year, to speak to the Knesset (and take some thinly veiled swipes at Obama). Obama, of course, has been president for six months now. I'm with Levey (and pretty much everyone else it seems) in thinking Obama should speak directly to Israelis. But I don't think he'll necessarily be following Bush's example if and when he does.
There were also a plethora of blog posts which took a more humorous tone.  While David Pleasant blogged…
Good Lord. Gregory Levey, in a Newsweek article, is proposing that President Obama make George W. Bush his special envoy to the Middle East. Um, the only place I propose the federal government send Mr. Bush to is the SuperMax Prison in Florence, CO.
…While Matthew Saroff of 40 Years in the Desert snarks…
In related news, he suggested that Hannibal Lecter as chairman of the special White House committee on nutrition, Mary “Typhoid Mary” Mallon as head of food safety at the FCC, Timothy Leary as Drug Czar, and South Carolina Governor Rick “Hiking the Appalachian Trail” Sanford as head of the special working committee for ethics in government.
…and Oliver Willis (U.S.) jokes:
In related news, Godzilla has been appointed to the task force to rebuild Tokyo.

author: Jillian C. York


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India: The Future Of Ajmal Kasab · Global Voices
Rezwan

Golden Boy at Desicritics  tells why India should not hang Ajmal Kasab, the apprehended “foot-soldier in the Mumbai Terror Attacks”.

author: Rezwan


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Iran: Mourning the Victims of Protest · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Thousands of Iranians gathered in Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran on Thursday  to commemorate Neda Agha-Soltani and the victims of the protest movement. Dozens have been killed and hundreds jailed throughout the protests that erupted since the presidential election in June.
According to several news sites and blogs, the riot police attacked mourners. See a collection of photos of Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Iran's opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi, among the mourners here.
OnlyMehdi shares with us several videos on today's event. This one shows the police attacking people.
Slogans against Khamenei's son
Here is another video uploaded by Iranian citizens about Thursday's gathering in the cemetery and their anti-regime demonstration.
Protestors in Beheshti Street chanted slogans such as “Down with the dictator” and “Political prisoners should be freed”. They also chanted slogans against Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's supreme leader, who is said to be the mastermind of the alleged election fraud.
Chanting Slogans in the metro:
People chanted anti-regime slogans in a metro in Tehran on their way back from the cemetery:

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Capturing Pellew · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Concerned about plans by private owners to develop Pellew Island, Snailwriter has a plan: “The Tainos ‘owned’ Jamaica until the men in Columbus’s ships took it…I figure I have as much right to do some capturing as anyone. So I’m gonna invade Pellew Island…I know my invasion will be symbolic rather than real; but it will be my statement that some things belong not to a single person, no matter how monied, but to humankind.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Japan: Housing statistics · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joe Jone from Mutantfrog reads into the newly released housing statistics.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Pakistan: Breaking Western Stereotypes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakfactor writes about a documentary called “Made In Pakistan”, which “documents the lives of four ordinary Pakistani citizens during military rule in an effort to break Western stereotypes about the country.”


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Pakistan: Handling The Return Of Refugees · Global Voices
Sana Saleem

The Government of Pakistan has finally announced a schedule for the people displaced due to the military operations in the Swat Valley outlining their return to home. The plan chalked out by the Special Services Group (SSG) includes a four phased return home program.
Swat refugees, Image courtesy Dr. Awab Alvi (teeth.com.pk/blog)
The International Displacement Monitoring Center  (IDMC) states that over 3 million people have been displaced during the Swat crisis. After two months of nightmares they will finally be returning to their home. But the question remains: are they feeling hopeful or still in fear of their security?
Faris Karim at Teeth Maestro took an interview with a displaced person to get the insight:
I spoke with Burhan on Saturday July 18, 2009. He was about to leave for his home and was delighted at going back. He did share the fear of what lay in the future but was willing to face any challenge at his own home, with his own efforts rather than living as a refugee.
This is what Sarfaraz narrated, followed by a few questions I asked him: Is it possible for you to go back right now?
It’s really not possible to go back right now but I have another fear. What if we return next month and then those people who are responsible for all this trouble arise again? Then is this crisis going to return again? Are we going to be displaced again? Let me tell you that to move back and forth like this with your family is worst than death! I had put my wife and kids in a car but walked all the way from Saidu Sharif to Malakand on foot, nearly 65 kilometers.
Kalsoom Lakhani at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan provides an in depth analysis:
It is not that the millions displaced do not want to return home. In fact, many have expressed their desire to travel back to their towns as soon as possible. Their caution, therefore, seems to be based on a lack of trust in the government to ensure services and security, as well as an overall fatigue from living with host families or in camps.
Saesneg at Rozanama-Bach paints the ordeals these people had to live through on a post titled  ‘Smile, you are an IDP':
Picture yourself: you’ve been forced out of your home, you’re transported to a camp of tents with no running water or proper sanitation, you have no livelihood and are reliant, whatever your previous occupation, on the handouts of the state or foreign aid agencies.
Living on handouts, image courtesy Dr. Awab Alvi (teeth.com.pk/blog)
He then talks about the fears faced by IDPs along with other issues:
The Daily Times spoke to a number of IDPs saying they would stay back – either because military operations continued, or they had no money at home.
The bus driver and their government escort said it was too dangerous to make the final leg of the journey, with soldiers still in battle with the Taliban.
The Government has finalized the return of these refugees leaving many questions unanswered. Surely a lot more needs to be done to ensure their safety and for their rehabilitation and settlement. In my own blog I have discussed these issues:
Its apparent that the Government needs to lay down a long term strategy for rehabilitation of the displaced people. With the increasing number of protests in the refugee camps and prevailing uncertainties among people, this can no longer be avoided.

author: Sana Saleem


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Put it On: Global Online Contest for Filmmakers · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

This is a paid promotion. Put it On hopes to reach filmmakers working in different regions and languages around the world.
Have you always dreamed about studying at The New York Film Academy? This is your opportunity, regardless of where you live, work and film. The Put it On Picture Show Contest is awarding just that: a free scholarship to the New York Film Academy and a cash prize of $5,000 USD for the first prize in Best Feature, Best Short, and Best Achievement in Acting categories. Second prize in Best Feature and Best Short is an HD Prosumer digital video camera.
Put it On is a brand new web showcase and gallery for artists in four different areas: fashion, film, music and art. Artists get 1 free GB of virtual storage space, and can chose to make their work available for download or purchase at whatever price they chose. The site is available in 10 different languages through automated translation.
To enter the competition, just submit one film showing your best work. Any topic from any part of the world is acceptable for entry. Videos can be in any language too, but subtitles in English are required. You can submit a film in only one category: either Best Short or Best Feature (longer than 45 minutes).
For more details about the competition, visit Put it On. The competition opened on July 30 and closes for entries on November 26. The top 10 short and feature finalists will be chosen through online voting. A panel of judges including a member of The New York Film Academy and Max Fraser, co-founder of Put it On will announce the winners on January 7, 2010. Best Achievement in Acting will be decided separately by the judges from all the submissions.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Russia: Riot Police Break Up Opposition Rally · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Some 100 protesters gathered for an unsanctioned opposition rally in central Moscow on Friday. At 6 PM, hundreds of riot police broke up the rally, detaining 47 people, some of whom were said to be journalists and passerby.
LJ user zyalt posted a quick yet vivid photo report (RUS) from the rally (35 photos). Here is some of what he wrote:
[…] Once again the police have broken up an opposition rally – an unsanctioned one, once again – on Triumfalnaya Square.
[…] At this point, young guys showed up, took out their gas masks with some uncertainty, covered their faces with scarves – they were getting ready, in general. […] Some of them were quickly detained. […] Sensing that the show was on, the police, riot police and plainclothes officers started detaining all suspicious-looking young people. […] They threw everyone on the ground and tried to drag them into the cage. The dissenters resisted desperately.
[…] As usual, though, there were 20 photographers for every dissenter.
[…] At around 6:20 PM they started being rude to photographers. […]
[…] Via walkie-talkie, they summoned additional help, to push all the reporters inside the metro station. […] All of us entered the lobby cheerfully. […] They locked us in. […] Unfortunately, no one knew what to do with a crowd of journalists inside the metro station, so everyone walked out through the other door.
[…] Then the girls appeared. […] They were also screaming about freedom of speech and fascists. They were quickly detained.
[…] By the end of this feast, blue [police] shirts significantly outnumbered journalists and the dissenters. […]
[…] All as usual.
LJ user leosat thinks (RUS) that the Russian opposition is at a dead end:
It's not the first time that the Dissenters’ March runs into a solid wall made up of riot police. There is no reason to expect that the regime is going to change its attitude towards the Marches. And why would they, if [their current approach] is efficient? Moreover, the number of protesters is going down and support for them is weakening (it seems to me). […]
LJ user karimova, who attended the rally, does see certain changes (RUS) – changes for the worse:
I wasn't just chanting today, I was yelling like crazy. When something as wild is taking place right in front of you, it's impossible not to yell. I haven't participated in rallies in a long time, and I didn't expect that this is what it looks like in Russia of 2009. […] I'm crying as I recall 2005. Most of all, I am shocked by the plainclothes people. […] Riot police and the cops were chasing people back and forth, like cattle, rude enough. Two young policemen, however, with some special tenderness took me by my arms and pushed aside: “Dear miss, please go away, it's not our fault that you aren't allowed to stand here.” In general, I was morally prepared to end up at a police station today. Next time I'll get there, I guess, because I will stand at the square to the end, [damn it], and yell. You're asking what I'm protesting against? Against this unbearable stuffiness, if you know what I mean.”
LJ user oleg_kozyrev pinpoints (RUS) what might be considered a change for the better – but ends his post pessimistically, echoing LJ user karimova:
[…] It's good that people in gray [the police] ask photographers to erase their faces more often now – they understand that the internet's memory is long, and who knows, maybe there will be [lustrations] eventually.
The sad news is that 5 people out of the nearly 50 of the detained have been hospitalized […]. Cruel even for the times of Putin.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Sri Lanka: English Language Standards · Global Voices
Rezwan

Niranjan Dias Bandaranayake at Groundviews discusses about the deteriorating standards of English teaching in Sri Lanka.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao: Sweet Tooth  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Lifespan of a Chennette blogs about traditional sweets from Curacao: “It was a reminder that even if names were different, and languages, the people and food of the Caribbean do share so much!”


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

B.C. Pires recalls a radio show he used to host in the context of falling journalistic standards in Trinidad and Tobago: “From that thin end of the wedge we have reached this stage, where the Prime Minister can make the most foolish statements completely unchallenged – and the Media Association hastens to appease his sensibilities when they are ruffled because the media does not support government action to his satisfaction.”


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Algeria: Obama and the Middle East  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

How well is US president Barack Obama faring in the Middle East? American Algerian The Moor Next Door discusses the issue in this post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Algeria’s role in banning Arab human rights group from the UN · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

An Arab human rights group has been barred from the UN for a year, following the bidding of Algeria. Alle, from the Maghreb Politics Review, comments on the incident here.


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Angola: National flag carrier removed from EU blacklist · Global Voices
Clara Onofre

Photo by kaysha, published under a Creative Commons licenseAfter
After two years, the first TAAG flight from Luanda to Lisbon is scheduled for 1 August 2009 on a Boeing 777-200ER. Angola Airlines have re-launched flights  to Europe after the European Commission decided to lift its ban, bringing new hope for a better financial situation to the national flag carrier of Angola, which had been able to operate to Portugal only thanks to a partnership with South African Airlines.
According to the European Commission's announcement, TAAG may re-launch flights but “only with certain aircraft and according to very strict conditions”. This means that Angola Airlines does not yet have the green light to fly to other European countries, such as France.
According to the European Transport Commissioner, António Tajani, TAAG remains on the EU blacklist. However, the European Commission “recognises” the “progress made by Angola’s civil aviation authorities and its air carrier TAAG to resolve the problems in a gradual and safe way.”
In July 2007, TAAG was put on the European air space blacklist, due to a lack of safety in its operations. Back then, TAAG operated six flights per week between Lisbon and Luanda, and a weekly flight to Paris.
Eugénio Costa Almeida, from the Pululu blog, shares his views on the subject:
“Finalmente a TAAG volta, cerca de dois anos depois, a poder voar em céus europeus, ainda que à condição. De acordo com o boletim da União Europeia, hoje divulgado, e depois de constatar que a Comissão “reconhece” o “progresso” realizado pela aviação civil angolana e pela TAAG para “resolver progressivamente quaisquer deficiências de segurança”, retirou a companhia da Palanca Negra da lista negra e permite, durante um período – que será de observação no desenvolvimento das medidas implementadas – voar para um dos países europeus. O destino aprovado foi Lisboa, pelo que a TAAG irá fazer cerca de 10 voos semanais entre Luanda e a capital portuguesa. Todavia, as restantes companhias de bandeira ou registadas em Angola continuam interditas de voarem para a Europa. Também as aeronaves tipo Boieng B-777, com as matrículas D2-TED, D2-TEE e D2-TEF, parecem estar impedidas de voar nos céus europeus. A não ser que haja alguma razão válida parece-me que continua a haver aqui uma “certa imposição” comunitária em compra de aviões da Airbus. Mas depois dos últimos acidentes com esta companhia…”
Afonso Loureiro, from the Aerograma blog [pt] also writes about the news, showing his criticism about the way Angola dealt with the matter:
“As atribulações da companhia aérea de bandeira angolana com as autoridades europeias são já sobejamente conhecidas. A habitual arrogância com que Angola encara críticas, esperando que se adaptem as leis internacionais à realidade angolana e não o contrário, apenas tem dificultado mais o processo de certificação da TAAG que a autorizará a voar para a Europa de novo. Tudo o que um estrangeiro possa dizer de Angola é passível de ser mal interpretado e distorcido, por isso, mais não digo, com receio de que tudo isto seja lido e interpretado como o devaneio de um estrangeiro branco em Angola. Na verdade, prefiro ser apenas porta-voz do que os angolanos pensam da situação da TAAG, que reconhecem haver uma certa desorganização e informalidade na maneira como a companhia opera.”
For a full list of carriers on the European blacklist see the following press release: Commission updates the list of airlines banned from European airspace.

author: Clara Onofre


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Arab World: Best Arab Blog Contest Launches · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Moroccan Badr al Hamry [Ar] passes the word to fellow Arab bloggers about today's launch of Arabesque [Ar], a competition that intends to choose the best Arabic speaking blogs throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The contest, which is sponsored by a number of organisations including  Global Voices Online

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Armenia: Demographic crisis · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Thoughts on the Road comments on news that Armenia faces a demographic crisis to such an extent that it might have to remove exemption from military service for students. The blog wonders what this means for attempts to resolve the conflict the country has with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: London protest · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Media Helping Media updates its readers on detained video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. The blog says that supporters of the two activists yesterday protested outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London. A video of the demonstration has also been posted on YouTube.


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Bahrain: A Scene from Juffair  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Urang Awak, from Bahrain, posts a street shot from Juffair.


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Caucasus: An interview with Micael Bogar · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.
With three frozen conflicts and many ethnic fault lines, peace and stability in the South Caucasus often seems unreachable. After living and working in the the region for many years, Micael Bogar is now Projects Manager at the American University's Center for Social Media and speaks to Global Voices Online about the potential for new media tools to circumvent divisions and bring estranged neighbors together.
Micael works as the Projects Manager with the Center for Social Media. Just before starting her work at the CSM, Micael returned from a Fulbright Fellowship in the Republic of Georgia where she worked with artists from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey to create an artistic collective in the Caucasus. Her first experience in the Caucasus region began back in 2003 as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Azerbaijan. After earning her degree in English from Willamette University in 2003, Micael has worked to create connections between arts communities on international as well as local levels. Micael is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree at American University’s School for International Service in International Peace and Conflict Resolution.
With telephone communication problematic between Armenia and Azerbaijan, countries still locked into an unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, the interview also references one held with Arzu Geybullayeva and touches upon the recent case of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two video bloggers recently detained in Baku, as well as peace-building and conflict-resolution initiatives in the South Caucasus. The interview can be listened to below.
This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.
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Egypt: 226 H1N1 cases detected  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egypt's H1N1 or Swine Flu cases have climed to 226 cases, writes Zeinobia, at Egyptian Chronicles.


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Filipino Bloggers Honor Ex-President Corazon Aquino · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Tonyo Cruz roundups Filipino blogs and tweets paying tribute to former Philippine President Corazon Aquino who died of cardiorespiratory arrest today at the age of 76.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Iran: Abtahi, a leading blogger’s trial begins  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a leading blogger and reformist politican, was arrested several weeks ago after the protest against the 12th of June presidential election erupted. Abtahi, is one of leading reformist politicians whose trial begins today in Tehran.


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Iran: “I am not afraid Anymore” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

FreeLantern has transalted into English a description of what happened in Tehran’s cemetery to the people when they commemorated the protest's victims :”Riot police is standing in front of us. We are a lot, we are chanting slogans and going forward and the Police are retreating. We have the good feeling of Victory.”


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Iran: Leading reformist Abtahi on trial · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohmmad Ali Abtahi, a leading blogger and former reformist vice president, was among dozens to protest the 12th June presidential election's result. A trial of the protestors is now underway in a Tehran court.
In the court Abtahi, who appeared wearing prisoner's pyjamas, looked weak and seemed to have lost weight. Abtahi, who had been jailed for several weeks and had no contact with the outside world, said in the court, “I say to all my friends and all friends who hear us, that the issue of fraud in Iran was a lie and was brought up to create riots so Iran becomes like Afghanistan and Iraq and suffers damage and hardship… and if this happened, there would be no name and trace of the revolution left.”
Abtahi has been accused of taking part in a “velvet coup” against regime.
Several bloggers reacted to Abtahi's so-called confession and his physical presence. Several have published photos of him before and after the arrest. (ABOVE: L, before arrest; R, in today's trial).
Kaveh Ahangar says [fa] that we could see evidence of torture and threats behind each word coming out of Abtahi's mouth. The blogger adds that on seeing Abtahi on TV, he became emotional and cried.
Alfba writes  [fa]: “Dear Abtahi, we know you were under pressure and you family suffered a lot. You should know what you confess, we still love you. We support you.”
Forever696 tweeted with irony that if we believe in Ahmadinejad's 24 million votes, we will believe in these trials.
Saharlar writes  [fa] “today it's Abtahi, whose turn will be tommorow? The blogger asks readers not to be discouraged and not to take these kinds of “shows” seriously.”


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Morocco: Magazines Seized · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Oualid L., blogging on Réflexions et autres idées (hosted by Courrier International), reports [Fr] on the decision by the Moroccan Interior Ministry to block two prominent magazines (TelQuel and Nichane) from circulation. As Moroccans commemorate 10 years of a new reign, the move is believed to fuel the ongoing protest reaction on the blogosphere against what appears to be a constant pattern of media restrictions.


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Morocco: Untightening the Grip · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Tunisia Watch [Fr], a blog monitoring freedom restrictions in the Maghreb with special focus on Tunisia, links to an open letter published by The Committee to Protect Journalists aimed at the king of Morocco urging him to reform media law and stop restrictions.


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Palestine: School Graduation In Gaza · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

The tawjihi is the general secondary examination in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan, and it determines a student's choice of university and major. The fact that this year the exams were held simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza was hailed as a sign of national unity. In this post, we hear the reaction of bloggers in Gaza to the tawjihi results.
On average only half the students who sit the tawjihi actually pass. Tawjihi results are announced in the media, and public celebrations are held for those who pass. Each year the highest scorer – this year an honour held by Tala Al-Battia of Nablus – becomes a celebrity. Jawwal, the Palestinian mobile phone service provider, is the “accredited sponsor” of the tawjihi exams, and ran a competition this year called “Guess Your Tawjihi Result and Win Thousands of Dollars”. However, for the families of teenagers killed in the attacks on Gaza earlier this year, this is a time of sadness – and to commemorate the students, the Hamas government presented honorary tawjihi certificates.
At the Electronic Intifada, Rami Almeghari reported on the determination of Gaza's students to study for their exams, regardless of circumstances. One student, Abeer Abu Shawish, told him:
“Prior to the war in late December 2008, I had a plan for studying for the tawjihi. One day, in the middle of the war, I heard shelling nearby at 11:00pm. However, I took a long deep breath and continued my studies. Although I was extremely upset by the Israeli attacks from air, sea and land, I told myself that I must succeed in order to fight the Israeli occupation with my own way, education!”
The stress of the exams is clear in a post by student Ghost of Palestine called “The results are out”:
Mutasharrid has just passed, with a score of 91.9:
Hazem says:
In a joint post, Nazek Abu Rahma and Hanadi Al Qawasmi write:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Tunisia: Tunisian President’s Re-Election Site · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tunisian blogger Sami ben Gharbia [Ar] traces the Tunisian President's reelection campaign site – which was set up in 2004 by a diplomat based in Washington DC. According to Fikra, this particular diplomat has around 80 domains related to Tunisia registered under his name.


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Iran: Iranian Republic a new slogan · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Shabkhoon writes [fa]that “Independence, Freedom and Iranian Republic” is the most beautiful slogan that we hear in the protest demonstrations in Iran. They [authroities] can not take this slogan back by killing and torturing us.”


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Korea: Anti-Mother Internet Cafe · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

A teenager made an internet cafe (internet club) with the name of ‘Anti-Mother Cafe’ and many young people joined it. As we can see from the name, it is for teenagers to criticize their own mothers. A number of teenagers joined and the criticism is quite shockingly harsh. Giving a big shock in Korean society and having so much strong and fast attention, the cafe closed instantly. Some of them are concerned that filiality and respect toward parents which Korean society has emphasized have disappeared and others feel sympathy for those teenagers. Netizens are provoked to ask questions about why teenagers hate their own parents so much and what problem brought this about.
Many netizens mention that too much stress for study leads to the collapse of relations between parents and children.
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오늘 인터넷을 하다가 엄마 안티카페라는게 있는걸 알게 되었습니다. 어떤 여학생이 만든 카페라는데 지금은 비공개로 됐다는 말도 들었습니다. 어머니와 굉장히 친해서 스스럼 없이 지내는 필자로써는 이해하기 힘든 현상입니다만 최근 우리나라 학생들의 생활패턴을 지켜보자면 그럴수도 있겠다 싶습니다. 그렇다고 그 사람들이 옳다는건 아니지만요. 요즘엔 초등학생들도 학원을 평균 3-4개를 다닌다는군요. 피아노, 태권도등 예체능계는 물론 영어, 수학, 논술 등 이른바 공부학원들도 많이 디닌다네요. 학생들에 따라선 과외도 한다는 말도 들었습니다
저희집은 3남매입니다. 제일 위로 형이 있고 그 다음에 누나 제가 막내지요. 저희 형은 컴퓨터, 서예학원을 다녔고 누나는 피아노와 가야금 저는 미술, 검도, 서예학원에 다녔네요. 저희 삼형제가 학생시절 내내 다닌 학원들 다 모아서 7개군요. 요즘 학생들은 학원 7개를 동시에 다니기도 한담니다. 어떻게 보면 저희 부모님에 저희를 방목한 것일지도 모르죠. 특히 저같은 경우는 형, 누나에 비해 성적이 현저하게 낮았어도 공부로 스트레스 주신적이 없었습니다. 제가 스스로 공부할 때를 기다리셨죠. 그 땐 잘 몰랐지만 지금은 그런 부모님의 배려가 얼마나 어렵고 소중한지 알게 되었습니다. 끝까지 저를 믿어주시고 저를 기다려 주셨던 거죠
아까도 말했듯이 요즘 학생들은 학원 3-4개를 동시에 다님니다 학교수업보다 학원수업이 더 힘들다는 학생들의 말을 들을때마다 저의 어린시절과 너무 큰 차이를 느껴 혼란스럽기만 합니다. 성적이 좋지않게 나오자 엄마한테 미안하다고 하는 중학생의 이야기에서 과연 저 아이들에게 순수함이란게 남아 있는가 남아있다면 내가 알고있는 순수함과 어떤 차이가 있길래 이런 이질감이 느껴질까 합니다. 아침에 일어나서 학교수업이 끝나고 학원수업을 마치고 집에오면 10시가 넘는 어린 학생들의 일상 물론 저도 고등학교땐 늦은 시간까지 자율학습을 하고 왔지만 초, 중학생들도 이러한 생활을 한다는 사실에 당혹스럽기만 합니다.[..]
‘토요일에도 공부를 시켜 자살하고 싶다’ 엄마안티 카페에 올라온 글의 일부입니다. 성적이 잘 나오지 않으면 엄마가 걱정할까봐 시험때 컨닝한 여중생. 그리고 그 아이에게 한번도 성적 스트레스를 준적이 없다고 생각하는 엄마. 물론 이 카페에 가입한 학생들이 모두 지나친 공부 스트레스로 인한 불만을 표출하기 위해 가입한 것은 아닐것 입니다. 부모란 존재에 대해 잘못된 인식으로 인한 현상일 수도 있습니다. 하지만 그들 모두 어린 아이들이고 그들의 행동의 모든 책임은 그 아이들의 부모에게 있다고 봅니다. 그 아이들의 부모가 자기들의 아이들을 믿고 자기 아이들에게 믿음을 줬더라면 과연 그 아이들이 이러한 카페를 만들었을까요?[…]
My parents have 3 daughters and brothers. I have an older brother and older sister. My brother went to computer and calligraphy institutes. My sister went to piano and Korean traditional harp institutes. I went to art, fencing, and calligraphy institutes. So it was total 7 institutes for all of us. But at present one student goes to 7 institutes. Then it seems that my parents didn’t care about my siblings and me so much. In my case, my school achievement was much worse than my siblings, but they never gave me pressure. They waited until I feel for studying. At that time, I didn’t know well, but I acknowledge how considerate my parents were. They trusted me to the end and waited for me.
But students now go to 3-4 private institutes. Rather than official school, they say they have hard time due to study at private institutes. I feel so much difference from my childhood. When I heard from a secondary student who apologized to his or her mother because the school achievement was not good enough, I was wondering whether those students are still naive. They wake up early. After finishing their school day, they go to private institutes and come back home after 10 pm. Of course, when I was in high school, I came back late. But when I heard that primary and middle school students are already doing that, I was shocked. […]
‘I would like to kill myself because I have to study even on Saturday.’ It was one part of writings from the ‘Anti-Mother’ cafe. A secondary studentcheated on an examination in order to have a good score not to let her mother be worried. A mother thinks that she never gave any pressure to her children regarding exam scores. Of course, I don’t think that all students joined this cafe in order to express their dissatisfaction and to complain due to study. It could be the symptom that they have wrong perspectives about parents. But they are all children and teenagers. Responsibility for their behaviorl goes to their parents. If they trusted their children and let their children trust their parents, would those students be making the cafe?[…]
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[…]학교 교육이 조금만 더 제 자리만 잡아도 사교육문제등의 제반 문제는 대부분 풀린다. 그런데 왜 공교육의 질을 높이기 위한 교사의 자질 향상은 제쳐두고 엉뚱한 데서 해답을 찾으려는지 아리송하기 그지 없다. 학교 교사의 자질 향상에 초점을 맞추는게 최우선이다.[…]
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아이를 한명 키우는 아버지의 입장에서 여러가지 생각이 드는 사건이네요.[…] 교육은 인륜지대계라고 하지만 비정상적인 사교육 열풍은 나라의 성장동력을 떨어뜨립니다. 학부모들이 좀 각성했으면 하는데..참…안타까울 따름이네요. 저런 안티까페를 만든 아이들에게 패륜 운운하기 전에 부모들, 정말로 각성해야 합니다.
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[…] 요즘의 교육은 그야말로 엄마들의 대리전이라고 불러도 과언이 아닙니다. 내 자식을 남들보다 낫게 하기 위해.라고 말씀들 하시지만. 사실 자녀가 춛분히 그 사실을 인지할수 있도록 이야기 해주는 부모는 거의 없습니다.무조건 학원을 보내고 학교에서 12시 새벽 한시까지 야간학습을 하고[…]

author: Hyejin Kim


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Lebanon: Armenian quarter · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Los Angeles Times blog posts an entry on Beirut's Armenia quarter of Bourj Hammoud and a photo exhibition currently underway which explores the community. The entry includes a video report.


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Morocco: “I’m a 9 Per Cent!” · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

The Moroccan government's decision to block from circulation the August issues of two prominent magazines, Telquel and Nichane, seems to have set the Moroccan blogosphere ablaze. Both publications were about to disclose the result of a poll conducted in collaboration with the French daily Le Monde, in which ordinary Moroccans were asked to give their assessment of 10 years of their monarch's rule. The poll, intended to be the first public approval survey on record of a Moroccan king by his own subjects, has revealed, according to Ahmed Reda Benchemsi [Fr], the director of both publications, “that 91 percent of Moroccans who were interviewed say that the performance of the reign of King Mohammed VI is positive or very positive.” (Source: AFP). Yet, the Moroccan authorities appear keen to clamp down on any form of disclosure of the poll's results as lucidly expressed by the government's spokesman Khalid Naciri, who declared that “[t]he monarchy in Morocco cannot be the object of debate even through a poll.”
Moroccan microbloggers were quick to react to the move, mostly disapproving their government's action.
Now, a growing movement of online protesters seems to be gathering steam, symbolically prompted by the “I'm a 9%” logo created by Anas Alaoui in reference to the “minority” of Moroccans who, according to the banned poll, disapproved or negatively judged the first decade in power of Mohammed VI. A hashtag page on Twitter called #9pcMaroc was swiftly created with microbloggers adopting the “I'm a 9%” epithet in a clear sign of protest against the magazines being taken off the stands. Bloggers are reportedly also working on setting up a Facebook group hoping to expand the movement.
I Am a 9%
Mehdi, blogging on Satwiker links to a video of an interview with the magazines’ director Benchemsi, aired on French news TV channel France 24, in which the journalist expresses [Ar] in disbelief his disapproval of the ban explaining that the publications didn't break the law and didn't cross the red lines.
Fatima (La Marocaine) blogging on Agora deplores [Fr] the censorship. She writes:
A l’ère des nouvelles technologies, il faudra que nos dignitaires se rendent à l’évidence que ce genre d’action revient à chercher à cacher le soleil par la paume de la main. Sans oublier que l’info a déjà fait le tour du monde. Comme on dit chez nous » kaye fye9o l’7m9 bederribe l’7jerre»  !!! Ce qui aurait pu passer pour une info banale devient une affaire.
Ibn Kafka [Fr] concludes:
Pour résumer: il existe au Maroc une autorité constitutionnelle ayant une suprématie tant sur l’exécutif qu’indirectement sur le législatif et le judiciaire, dont les actes juridiques ne peuvent en aucun [cas] être attaqués devant les tribunaux marocains, et qui assure la commanderie des croyants (musulmans), et dont le bilan ne peut faire l’objet d’une appréciation publique.
It is believed that Le Monde will be publishing the poll next Tuesday. But the Moroccan authorities have already made it clear: “If Le Monde publishes this poll, it will not be able to be sold in Morocco. It's a question of consistency,” said the government spokesman.
Both Nichane and Telquel were last seized back in 2007 when editorials in Arabic and French were deemed by the authorities “libelous against the sacred person of the king.” Director Benchemsi was the author of the editorials and is still prosecuted to this day.


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Afghanistan: Blogging in the Afghan provinces · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nasim Fekrat tells about his continuing efforts to holg trainings for young Afghans on online journalism and blogging.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Government shuts down anti-Karzai websites · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding says that the Afghan interior ministry has blocked at least five internet sites, four of which feature the name of President Hamid Karzai and one named after the current interior minister.


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Afghanistan: Taliban and the Election · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reports that the Taliban has vowed to disrupt the Afghan election next month, for the first time showing genuine concern by the election.


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Algeria: On the US and Mauritania  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

American Algerian The Moor Next Door notes: “Many members of the Mauritanian opposition; and operatives clamor that the American position towards the new government is among the most crucial of those yet out.”


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Armenia: HIV-AIDS education and awareness · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia commends the general manager of a local mobile telephone operator for his philanthropic work in Armenia. The blog says that despite the sometimes shady business environment in the country, Ralph Yirikian impresses many people and not least with his latest initiative to raise awareness of HIV-AIDS.


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Aruba: Quiet Election Season  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Could it be that the recession has hit the political parties and they're less inclined to print up flags and such? Are people still undecided and have therefore refrained from putting a sticker on their cars?”: Arubagirl notices that all is quiet on the election front.


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Bahamas, Puerto Rico: Education Failing?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas and Puerto Rico's Gil the Jenius both take a look at the challenges facing education in their respective countries.


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Bahrain: For the Love of Rock ‘n Roll · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

US-based blogger Bahraini in Alaska, Dr Haitham Salman, has developed a new appreciation for rock music after his son formed a band.


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Bahrain: New Reading Adventure · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Bahrain, Bint Battuta shares her latest reading adventures in this post.


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Bahrain: To Do List  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini Lizardo shares a video list of events he would like to attend around the world.


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Bangladesh: Dr. Yunus Meets Madiba · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus met Nobel Laureate and former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela (Madiba) at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam was fortunate to capture the moments from up close. Read all about it in his blog.


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Bermuda: The End of Cricket?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I…wonder now if this is the beginning of the end of the West Indies as a cricket nation”: Bermuda's BeachLime.com shares his thoughts on the impasse between the West Indies Cricket Board and the Players’ Association.


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Bhutan: Ban on Meat Sales, Again · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Bhutanese Parliament voted to uphold the ban on sale of meat during auspicious months after a few months of lifting the previous ban. Tongyal opines that:  “the public cannot gain much from this decision. Those who want to eat will find a way to get hold of it, no matter on what days or months.”


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Caucasus: An interview with Bart Woord · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Photograph courtesy Bart Woord
After spending several months working with youth activists and civil society in the South Caucasus, International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) Secretary General Bart Woord took time out from a hectic schedule to speak to Global Voices Online about the role new media can play in the region.
With youth activists in both Armenia and Azerbaijan facing increasing intimidation from the authorities, Woord specifically comments on the case of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two video bloggers recently detained in Baku on what many consider to be politically motivated charges.
The prospects of the two activists avoiding a lengthy jail sentence, he says, look slim.
Bart is 25 years old and lives in Brussels, while rounding up his MA programme in International Relations and International Organizations at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. He has been involved in political work for several years, mostly as International Officer and Vice President of the Jonge Democraten, one of the two Dutch liberal youth organizations. Before, he took up numerous positions and responsibilities in different political and non-political organizations.
As deputy president of the organization, Bart is involved in every facet of the day-to-day work of IFLRY. He is also in charge of the Membership and Communications departments, and is the IFLRY representative for Western Europe as well as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine which he coordinates together with IFLRY VP Jelena Spasovic.
The interview makes specific reference not only to the more recent detention of activists in Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also to the 10 May dispersal of youth protesting a flower festival held a little over a week after the 30 April massacre of students in a Baku university.
Himself a blogger, Woord was responsible for reporting on the situation of dozens of activists detained via Twitter and refers to the role new media can play in bringing youth activists in the region together. Background information can also be found in similar interviews held with Arzu Geybullayeva and Micael Bogar.
The full interview with Bart Woord can be heard below.
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Egypt: Ashraf Al Saad · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Ashraf Al Saad, one of the old Madoffs in Egypt has launched an official website from London,” announces Zeinobia, at Egyptian Chronicles.


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Egypt: The Original Inhabitants of Egypt  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Baheyya reviews Bilal Fadl’s latest book – The Original Inhabitants of Egypt: Stories about the Genius of the Place, the Idiocy of the Rulers, and the Indifference of the People (2009).


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Egypt/Syria: A Blast from the Past  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Arabist posts an old photograph featuring commuters in Old Damascus in the Hejaz Railway.


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Ghana: Maker Faire Africa blog · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Visit the blog of Maker Faire Africa, which is taking place August 14-16 in Accra, Ghana.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Guyana: Choosing Gladness  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I should care. Some body try to burn down the Ministry of Health. Stories blaze across we newspapers like fierce red warnings of trouble coming…”: Despite the bad news, Guyana-Gyal thinks it best to “take in some glad mood”.


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Hong Kong: A 10-dollar coin to pledge against political harassment  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

During the protests over the demolition of Queen's Pier in 2007, two of the preservation activists Ho Loy and Chu Hoi-dick filed a judicial review (30-7-2007) against the secretary for home affair's administrative decision on not declaring Queen's Pier as historical monument according to the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance Cap.53. The case was dismissed by the court eventually.
Although they had granted legal aid on August 6, 2007 to cover the cost of the case, the court ruled that they had to pay for the expenses of the government's lawyers prior to legal aid being granted.  Their lawyers estimated the amount to be “between several tens of thousands and a hundred something thousand.” Even though they wanted to appeal for the costs order, the Legal Aid Department said that their appeal carried no public interest and rejected their application. They were forced to drop the case.
In July 2009, almost two years later, Chu and Ho received the government's bill over the court fees, the amount was up to HKD270,000 (around USD38,000). ESWN has translated the time line  and you can read the breakdown here (via inmediahk):
Chu Hoidick explained the background of the government bill and its chilling effect in his citizen report at inmediahk.net:
大家看看張單，part I的第七項和part II的第八項指出，做這個初步訟費評估只用了五小時。因此，按道理，律政署在零七年十一月十七日，即我和何來放棄就堂費上訴後的短時間內，已經可以計出訟費並開始向我們追討。他們沒有這做，因為他們有酌情權在其認為合適的時間開單，不需要向外界交代。結果他們選擇在二零零九年七月才把這一件只需做五小時的工作完成，接着，律政署可以在六年內的任何時間向我們追討這筆錢，也可以不追我們，也可以向法院申請將我們破產，也可以在過了五年零十一個月後再發一封追債信，將追債期再延長六年，經年的陰影。
There are some speculations on why the government suddenly decided to issue the bill after 2 years. Hoidick wrote:
實際上講，在此時出手搞我們，就令我不得不花時間和精神處理，煩老半天，多少菜園村的文宣工作都要託人代辦。
Chu Hoidick has been involved in the preservation of Choi Yuen Village against the construction of a huge parking site for Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong inter-city rapid train since early February 2009. Last month, the campaign had collected more than 10,000 opposition appeals against the construction plan, but the government dismissed all the appeals with some technical reasons.
Apart from creating a chilling effect, Hoidick also pointed out that the government's action has destroyed the legal aid's principle in protecting citizen's right in monitoring the government through Judicial review:
當日高等法院聆案官歐陽桂如判我們上訴得直可獲法援，意思當然是不希望我們因皇后碼頭司法覆核的官司惹來承擔不起的債務，但目前的法援保護期由獲批准當天才算起，不能追溯同一個審訊在法援獲批前的費用，結果就出現了現在這個不合常理的局面：法援獲批，但批准前的訴訟費已足以令人破產。
Blogger Kay Lam compared the repression of preservation activists in Hong Kong and their counterpart, human rights activists in China:
最絕的就係，想以法緩的漏洞，去令朱凱迪破產，就和內地政府不斷打壓維權人士一樣，就和最新今日大陸政府以「煽動顛覆國家政權罪」去控告用相片踢爆四川地震學校豆腐渣工程的譚作人一樣，去打壓香港年輕人的有心之士。
既然政府要二十七萬，我們可有承擔，連「當底褲」的錢都拿出來，就籌二十七萬的一元硬幣，去掟律政署？去派膠畀律政署？既然政府要呢筆錢，我地就拿出呢筆錢出來，當眾顯示畀社會睇下，香港政府如何無良地，去迫害保衛香港文化價值的年輕社運勇士。
曾蔭權，你敢收這筆錢嗎？黃仁龍，你敢收這筆錢嗎？
Donald Tsang (the Chief Executive of Hong Kong government) dare you receive the money? Wong Yan-Lung (Head of the Department of Justice) dare you receive the money?
Chong also compared the repression of Gong Meng, a Beijing based group which provides legal assistance to the social minorities, by the China government through the charge of evading tax with the Queen's Pier Judicial Review case:
What makes these two incidents similiar and unusual is money. In the past, coercion is the Beijing government's favourite mean. The Hong Kong government always acts like a lenient authority. Probably now they already make up their mind to learn more from the Singapore government to use money to crackdown on the civil society.
In response to the nasty trick of the government, Facebook user Dorthinick Shepherd created a group,  Fight back the 270,000 prosecution, throw a ten dollar coin to the Department of Justice 反擊廿七萬秋后算賬 ，一人十蚊掟響律政署大行動 on 31 of July. The group invites individuals to pledge that they would contribute at least a 10 dollar coin for future action if the government dares to pursue the 270,000 bill. The group statement says:
政府想把社會集體異議運動的代價壓在貧窮的個人身上，我們就讓他們看到個體集結的力量；政府想用錢來恫嚇人民，我們就讓政府知道，化整為零後，錢也可以成為人民的武器。政府發行的十元硬幣，將變作大衛小子的石頭，擊倒巨人哥利亞。這是一場長期戰役。
Within three days, more than 1,395 facebook members have signed up to the group. An email 10dollars4hk@gmail.com has been set up to coordinate the 10 dollar pledge action. Contributors are asked to provide name, phone number and a contribution amount to register for the pledge. Here is Hoidick's initial report (via facebook group):
至八月三日下午四點：241人認捐27464元
至八月三日下午三點：224人認捐25564元
至八月三日早上十一點：125人認捐16664元
至八月三日凌晨一點：56人認捐7423元


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India: Communal Hypocrisy · Global Voices
Rezwan

Prerna at I love life… so I explore writes about the tradition of being selective when renting houses in India and opines that the use of minority card against it when convenient “is not going to benefit the cause of the people who are being discriminated”.


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Iran: Anti riot police in Tehran · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Lettersoftheliv tweeted that Vanak Square in Tehran is full of anti riot police. Dominiquerde also tweeted that the police attacked protesters in Sai Parc in Tehran where people chanted slogans against Ahmadinejad's government. Iran's Supreme Leader endorsed the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the second term.


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Iran: Faces of the Protest Movement’s Victims · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Here is a site where the photos and names of the protest movement's victims got published. In last 3 months, Iranian security forces arrested hundreds of people who protested against 12th of June presidential election and killed at least 20 protesters.


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Jamaica: Positive Samples  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Girl With a Purpose confirms that “the five Jamaican athletes whose ‘A’ urine samples tested positive, have now heard that their ‘B’ samples have also tested positive for methylxanthine…if found guilty, they may be banned from the World Championships.”


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Kyrgyzstan: Bakiev’s Success and Disappointment of Observers · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Elena reports in detail on the outcomes of the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan.


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Kyrgyzstan: No more free music · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Arawanski reports that the biggest torrent tracking website of free downloads in Kyrgyzstan has been sued by recording and producing companies for breach of copyright.


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Kyrgyzstan: Presidential Elections Are Over · Global Voices
Joshua Foust

Tolkun Umaraliev says the opposition candidates claim the election in Kyrgyzstan to be illegal.
There is a confusion among media, both local and foreign, that candidates Nazaraliev and Atambaev have withdrawn their candidacies. However, both Nazaraliev and Atambaev have several times stated that according to the law on elections, they cant withdraw their candidacies during the election day. They are just considering this election corrupt, and want it to be reheld.
There's video, too:
That's Omurbek Tekebaev, calling the Kyrgyz government criminal and declaring “war” on current president Kurmabnek Bakiev. He has good reason to think so—in 2006 he was basically framed at the Bishkek airport.
There is a lot of internet chatter about supposed fraud.
Blive.kg, one of the video servers in Kyrgyz internet domain, has several videos showing the violations of election norms, including opening of polling stations before arrival of observers, ballot stuffingand carousel voting. As Blive is not accessible outside of Kyrgyzstan, I downloaded ‘norms violations videos’ from there and uploaded in YouTube. But the problem is that one cannot really prove that all these movies were taken during the 2009 presidential elections.
There are also videos of so-called “carousel-voting,” where groups go to different polling stations using different sets of IDs, and election observers arriving on site to find ballots already in the ballot box.
Topchubek Turgunaliev, an opposition politician who has spent a lot of time fighting electoral fraud, has alleged that there are large numbers of dead people on the voter rolls. Even though he no longer wants to be considered for President, former Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev has lead much of the charge against the elections. A former Prime Minister, he accused officials of election fraud and announced he was quitting the race shortly after learning that one of his local campaign managers had been detained. He's also alleged that an additional 20-30 “opposition members” have been arrested in Issyk-Kul.
Kurmanbek Bakiev, however, seems to have squeaked through, though maybe not with the reported 67% margin. The New York Times ran a depressing story today about how the U.S. goal is to look the other way, as they're too excited about getting Manas back to rock to boat too much on those pesky human rights abuses.
Obviously we don't know for certain that there was specifically voter fraud, in part because most of the observers seemed to have given up and left early (their report will be interesting). We do know, however, there was widespread intimidation beforehand, and there are certainly indications that some forms of voter fraud were widespread and not just limited to somewhere like Bishkek. It's still early, and it's just turning morning in Kyrgyzstan, so there will probably be a lot more news today. A good place to keep up is the #kyrgyzelections tag on Twitter. It doesn't garner the same amount of attention as Iran or Michael Jackson, but it's a good source for news.
This is now the second post-Soviet ally whose abuses the U.S. has remained officially silent about in the last few months (the other, obviously, is Georgia). I'm no bleeding heart, but it is interesting that, as much as the U.S. makes hay about human rights and vote fraud when it suits a simplistic good versus evil narrative, it also prefers to look away when its friends behave even kind of similarly. The U.S. doesn't have to walk on egg shells, it just needs to point out that it's not comfortable or happy with these kinds of things. Baby steps.
: The OSCE has officially said the Kyrgyz election “failed to meet key OSCE commitments, despite some positive elements.” Before the elections, OSCE observers saw “instances of obstruction of opposition campaign events as well as pressure and intimidation of opposition supporters.” Then, on election day, there were “many problems and irregularities, including ballot box stuffing, inaccuracies in the voter lists, and multiple voting.” But hey, at least they had multiple candidates!

author: Joshua Foust


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Maghreb: North Africa and Sahel Links · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Maghreb Politics Review shares interesting links from other blogs discussing the latest developments in North Africa and the Sahel.


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Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar’s Children’s Park is vanishing · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Axel is alarmed by the fact that the Children’s Park in Mongolian capital city Ulaanbaatar has been closed for a major land redevelopment.


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Pakistan: A Simple Misunderstanding At Gojra · Global Voices
Rezwan

Communal violence in Gojra, Paksitan took the life of eight Christians including four women and one child. Hamid Abbasi at Chowrangi calls it a shame and wonders how a *simple misunderstanding* could bring the whole city on the verge of a civil war.

author: Rezwan


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Pakistan: Celebration of Independence Day Via Twitter · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakfactor informs about: “a GO GREEN campaign on twitter urging Pakistanis to turn their Display pictures green by using Flag in them. [..] It has also been suggested to use hash tag #Pakistan in every tweet by Pakistanis to make it to top of trending topics by 14th of August (independence day).”


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Pakistan: Justice Served? · Global Voices
Faisal Kapadia

The judiciary of Pakistan recently took a big step. On the 31st of July, Friday, it ruled that the previous president of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf‘s actions on 3rd of November, 2007, i.e. declaring an emergency and sending the entire supreme court first home and then under house arrest, are unconstitutional and illegal. By this action, the 110 judges who took oath under the PCO (Provisional Constitution Order) will now have to either return to their previous jobs or go home as the orders to appoint them have summarily been declared void. This shows that the lawyers movement which so galvanized the opinion of the people of Pakistan has at last reached its ultimate goal. Lawyers have been seen distributing sweets outside courts across the nation and some of them were seen dancing with joy.
However, many ambiguities still remain in this verdict, as far as the NRO and issues of how legal the elections were held under its premise. Regardless of that, it seems that the civil society has welcomed this verdict.
Dr Awab at Teeth Maestro concludes that Musharraf should go into hiding now:
All said – its now a forgone conclusion that we are about to have an entertaining 120 days, but we must contend with the fact that our Supreme Court has done us proud it has restored belief that What goes up, Must come down – Musharraf from his hay days of 2000 has literally been shoved to an embarrassing halt, he should now contend to remain hidden within his Edgeware Road flat in London where it might be best that he shall stay.
Kalsoom at CHUP – Changing Up Pakistan! asks some relevant questions:
Therefore, the ruling, while significant, begs the question – what now? Will the rulings of the PCO judges still stand if their appointments were deemed illegal? Is it contradictory to rule the firing of judges illegal by firing more judges?
Saesnag at Roznamcha – Bach opines the verdict is a political one:
With this order, Pakistanis get to bash Musharraf, letting off steam and officially confirming what every Pak watcher on the globe has known for almost two years. But he may well never be tried under this chief justice – who was somewhat compromised himself by his own record, having sworn in Mushy in 1999 – and the wisdom in pardoning an individual with outstanding corruption allegations against him will never be questioned either.
Umar toor talks about the historical nature of this verdict at his blog:
People are in Pakistan are saying that this verdict by Supreme Court may actually change the course of flow of its constitutional and judicial history
The months ahead will be quite eventful as the various issues in this verdict will be sorted out. Obviously this will take a lot of political wrangling as well as legal battles, but the repercussions of this order will resonate in Pakistan's halls of power for some time. A Ruling like this has no precedence in the history of Pakistan and I hope if nothing else it can be a  harbinger of a future change.

author: Faisal Kapadia


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Peru: Cold Temperatures Continue in Puno · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

The dire situation in Southern Peru continues due to the extreme temperatures in the region of Puno.  Isabel Guerra writes in Living in Peru, the most vulnerable victims are children, who are dying from pneumonia and respiratory illnesses.  To date, there have been 433 registered deaths due to the cold [es]. This is in comparison to the 480 deaths across Latin America due to the AH1N1 virus, which has received much more media and governmental attention.
Photo by Barbara Drake and used with permission. http://americaninlima.com/2009/07/18/andean-children-cold
However, there have been some strong and powerful images emerging from the region, including this video, that show the victims of this cold wave, which has caused quite a reaction from some Peruvians.
The harshness of the video impacted those that saw the video, which is shown in the comments section by those who criticize the journalists who made the video. For example, the YouTube user named beto1726 writes:
…cuanto morbo d stos periodistas el de ver y no aser ni mi***a si sabian q iban a encontrar a ninos sufriendo por q no llevaron ayuda de medicamentos desde lima asiendo en su canal una colecta entre tanto gerente q tienen…
The user Piacostar responds on behalf of the journalists:
No justifico … pero en honor a la verdad, los periodistas no somos médicos, ni abogados… solo informamos… es lo único que podemos hacer… e indignarnos como el resto del mundo… nuestro poder no va más allá que el de mostrar una realidad… cruda, es verdad, esperando que con eso se revele lo que sucede y quienes sí pueden y DEBEN hacer algo al respecto, LO HAGAN!
It is not only the cold and the governmental improvisation that is affecting the low-income rural population in Puno, but also the poor management of donations received from those with good intentions. Bobsparz from the blog Caviar de Cianuro [es] , writes about one example of donations not arriving to their intended destination:
hace días la SUNAT incautó 32 toneladas de arroz (en 630 sacos) de un donativo alimentario del PMA para la gente de Puno. Resulta que el organismo internacional contrató los transportes de la empresa Industria Arrocera de América (Induamérica) quienes a la vez contrataron a la transportista Flores Casas debido que excedía su capacidad logística para poder transportar los donativos hacia Puno. Las donaciones fueron de Lambayeque hacia Lima para luego enrumbar a Puno en 8 camiones de Induamérica y en 3 de Flores Casas. Los donativos llevados en la última empresa transportista nunca llegaron y parte de las donaciones se hallaron en un mercado de Ica.
Por el robo cometido 20 mil familias de la sierra sur que soportan el frío no podrán recibir su alimento correspondiente. En total no fueron 32 toneladas sino 100 las que se perdieron en el camino de Lima a Puno. Realmente vergonzoso.
A few days ago, SUNAT (Tax Revenue Superintendency) impounded 32 tons of rice (in 630 sacks) from a World Food Programme donation for the people of Puno. It turns out that the international organization hired the transporters from the company Rice-Growers Industry of America (Induamérica) who then hired the transport company Flores Casas because they did not have the logistical capacity to be able to transport the donations to Puno. The donations went from Lambayeque to Lima, and then headed to Puno in 8 trucks from Induamérica and 3 from Flores Casas. The donations tranported from Flores Casas never arrived and part of the donation was found being sold in a market in the city of Ica.
Because of the theft, 20,000 families in the south who have had to withstand the cold will not be able to receive their corresponding alimentation. In total, in reality it was not 32 tons, but rather 100 tons that were lost along the way from Lima to Puno. Truly shameful.
Corruption is not the only problem that is presented to those who want to help the people of Puno. Barbara Drake, an ex-pat from the United States, writes in her blog An American in Lima:
In any other country, the Red Cross would be on the scene tending to victims and providing emergency services, but guess what? Peru’s Red Cross is a private, family-owned business that operates according to its own idiosyncratic methods, not those of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Society. The Peru Red Cross does virtually nothing during disasters and even less to prevent them.
Why can’t the International Red Cross intervene and help establish a true Red Cross in Peru? Because the family that “owns” the Red Cross in Peru has registered the name with SUNAT and technically “owns” the Red Cross brand in the country. If you think this is an outrage, join the club. The Peruvian government should intervene, rescind the name from private ownership and help get a real Red Cross established in Peru ASAP.
This situation is complex, and other structural problems are demonstrated during this crisis. Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos [es] has the opinion that the government's actions in this situation leave a lot to be desired. However, this is nothing new and he writes about some of the deep-seated issues (bold type is the blogger's emphasis):
La donación es un parche. El problema real es la desatención del Estado a aquellas zonas alejadas. La real obligación del Estado es proveer servicios médicos suficientes a todos los ciudadanos. Sin embargo, enfermedades simples degeneran en muerte en las comunidades de la sierra, por la ausencia de servicios de salud que puedan prestar atención oportuna. … (pero) La mortalidad se genera por el bajo nivel de defensas que los pobladores tienen por la limitada dieta.
Otro punto: Una simple caminata por zonas altas consume miles de calorías en poco tiempo. Los ciudadanos de Puno, Cusco, zonas de Arequipa, Ayacucho y Apurimac se enfrentan a caminatas extensas y su dieta no está adecuada para compensar el extremo requerimiento alimenticio. La ingesta de proteínas y calorías es bajísima en la sierra. La ingesta de carne, por ejemplo, es limitadísima. Sin embargo se promueve mil veces el reparto de leche como un gran logro. Peor aún, se insiste en modelos como el “papapán” que terminan por ser ridículos en su aporte dietético.
The donation is only a patch. The real problem is the inattention from the State towards to those faraway areas. The real obligation of the State is to provide sufficient medical services to all citizens. However, simple illnesses lead to death in the mountainous communities because of the absence of timely health services… (but) the mortality is generated because of the low levels of immune defenses in the people because of their limited diets.
Another point: A simple walk through the high-altitude areas burns thousands of calories in a short time. The citizens of the areas of Puno, Cusco, Arequipa, Ayacucho, and Apurimac face extensive walks and their diets are not enough to compensate for the extreme alimentary requirements. The consumption of proteins and calories is low in the mountainous region. The consumption of meat, for example, is also very limited. However, the distribution of milk is often promoted as a grand achievement. Worse yet, they continue to insist in models like “potato bread” which end up being ridiculed for its dietary contribution.
Finally, Rafo León writes in his column for the magazine Somos of the newspaper El Comercio about some interesting aspects of globalization and its harmful effects in the Peruvian altiplano. For example, many people use synthetic clothing instead of wool that is much warmer. Instead of constructing houses of adobe, which is generally the traditional housing material that best maintains warmth, they now are using brick and aluminum. The tarwi and quinua are foods that being used less and less in the children's diet and malnutrition increases.

author: Juan Arellano


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Philippines: People mourn death of Corazon Aquino · Global Voices
Tonyo Cruz

The Philippines is in a state of national mourning after Corazon Aquino, who became the country's president after leading the fight to topple the Marcos dictatorship, died at 3:18 am of Saturday, Aug. 1, from cardiorespiratory arrest. She was 76.
The murder of her husband oppositionist former Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. widowed her in 1983.
By 1985 she gave in to the growing clamor that she fight Ferdinand Marcos in a “snap election”. Weeks after the fraudulent elections, a popular uprising now known as People Power booted out Marcos and installed Aquino as president. Aquino thus became the first woman president of the Philippines and the first female head of state in Asia.
Know more about her in this substantive New York Times obituary.
TV and radio networks carried live the Aquino family's announcement of her passing made in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, and immediately started blow-by-blow coverage of the events after her death, taking the reactions from prominent Filipinos, showing old speeches and interviews of Aquino, and played songs and hymns that were part of the soundtrack of the movement to oust the Marcos dictatorship.
President Arroyo declared 10 days of national mourning in honor of Aquino. The former president had been critical of Arroyo and had twice called on Arroyo to resign from the presidency.
World leaders, led by US President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI, paused and likewise paid their respects to Aquino as the Philippines’ icon of democracy and for her “unwavering faith”.
Even as the mainstream media devoted time for the Aquino death coverage, most of the views come from powerful Filipinos. Ordinary Filipinos, mostly from the middle class, used the web, especially blogs, microblogs and social networking sites, to give tribute to Aquino.
“Its a sad morning for the Philippines,” wrote Inghinyero.com, echoing sentiments of most Filipinos who woke up Saturday to news that Aquino had died.
In less than three hours since news broke, “Corazon Aquino” and “Cory Aquino” became trending topics on Twitter as Filipinos expressed their sadness and mourning online.
Babelmachine reported livestreaming of Aquino videos as the nation mourned and took note of yellow ribbons on avatars of Filipino Twitter users. Yellow was Aquino's campaign color in 1986 when she ran against the dictator Marcos.
The blog Vindication of a Fool stated that
in the next few days, we shall be hearing a lot of tributes for the late president. She deserves every bit of them. The nation has lost a moral compass and servant leader.
@cocoy agreed:
The words, “a grateful nation thanks you for your service,” seem hollow when applied to Corazon Aquino. The Filipino owes Cory Aquino a debt that can never be repaid, only rejuvenated as we carry on, as we soldier on, building our nation.
In a tribute to her “quiet dignity” even as she faced cancer, Far From Neutral republished Aquino's “Prayer for a Happy Death” which came out at about the time she entered the hospital.
EdericEder.com wrote in Filipino:
Sa paglisan ni Pangulong Cory, pag-ibig, pananampalataya, at pag-asa ang iniiwan niya sa atin.
Sa pagpanaw ng simbolo ng demokrasya, muling napupukaw ang mga alaala ng isang maningning na yugto ng ating kasaysayan nang tayo’y nagkaisang bawiin ang ating kalayaan at maghangad ng bagong Pilipinas.
With the passing of the icon of democracy, we wake up memories of a shining moment in our history when we united to take back our freedom and to dream of a new Philippines.
Cheftonio said:
It's not very often that I feel sad for a passing of a public figure. I didn't feel sad when MJ passed but, with Tita Cory, I am sad and actually shocked about it. Although her vital signs were not as good before this, I had hope that she would recover.
“A lot of public figures have retreated to their final resting place already but none of them had blown such an impact on me than Tita Cory,” according to Bahay ni Badong.
A student leader and blogger wrote that
[Aquino] once have said in an inspiring message, and I quote, “I am burning the candle of my life in the dark, with no one to benefit from the light. The candle slowly melts away. Soon its wick will burn out, and the light is gone. If only someone will gather the melted wax, reshape it, give it a new wick. For another fleeting moment, my candle can once again light the dark, be of service one more time, and then, goodbye.”
and added that:
Now that there's already a lit path because of you, I take the challenge to be the wick of your remolded candle, ignite anew, and share the light to others, who still are in the dark. This is my promise, until another gathers our melted wax, and be its wick for the next generation.
Writing in Filipino, Ang Sa Wari Ko said:
Ina, ito ang siyng naging imahe niya simula noong pinangunahan niya ang laban kontra sa Martial Law ng rehimen ni Ferdinand Marcos, sa pamamagitan ng EDSA Revolution. Sa kanyang tapang at ginawa sa bansa ay hinirang siyang unang babaeng pangulo ng bansa.
An Apple A Day remembered:
Family. Faith. Love for country. Commitment. Forgiveness. And honesty. Those are just some of the things that I have learned from Cory. She lived it and breathed it. She was not just our president, she was a mother to all of us. The mother who saw us get out of an ugly regime that sowed the seeds of corruption, dishonesty and greed.
A blogger at Filipino Voices also wrote that
“Cory Aquino has left us with the ‘L” sign as a constant reminder that our freedoms can only stay with us if we fight for them”,
referring to the hand signal of the anti-Marcos opposition.
Travel blog Habagat Central retraced the “road to freedom” to honor Aquino.
akomismo, a blog of a high school social studies teacher, lamented a low regard for or mistaken notion of Aquino among his students when they discuss previous Philippine presidents.
Theanthology, a blog of a journalist, remembered being “in awe” when she had a chance to speak with her:
I was lucky to have asked Cory a few questions in ambush interviews. In one coverage, she did not answer questions but when I asked, she turned and looked at me and gave me a one-liner. I was in awe I forgot to ask a follow up. That was in 2006.
Mike in Manila, a blog by a another journalist, remembered Aquino and said:
Not everyone may have agreed with her point of view on the issues, but no one could question her personal integrity – nor her commitment to democracy. But Citizen Cory as she liked to be called after stepping down from power in what had been the first of three peaceful turnovers of transition in the country.Albeit the 4th turnover and her own rise to power came at the hands of ‘people power’ popular revolts.
mistervader had this to say to Aquino's detractors who “spit on her grave”:
I look at all this Cory-bashing, all these people who are taking the time to spit on her grave, not with sadness or anger, but with a sense of sardonic irony. Is it not a paradoxical celebration of Cory's indisputable role in the freedom we enjoy today precisely in that we are all free to malign her and belittle that achievement? To me, it is the truest and greatest acknowledgment of the freedom we currently enjoy and wish to safeguard and hone further from the clutches of the current powers that be. So I say to those who bash her, bash away, if you will. As a free man as you are, I will likewise choose to honor her in her passing instead.
In an apparent dig at the current de-facto president's seeming refusal to accept the impending end of her term of office, a blogger pointed out that “called to greatness she (Aquino) was, and reluctantly did she accept her role — but with all willingness to return it to the country when her time was done.”
An editor at alternative online news magazine Bulatlat meanwhile said that
Cory is much unlike the second woman to become president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is attempting to emulate Marcos by attempting to become a dictator and trying to outdo Marcos in corruption and human-rights violations. Seeing this, Cory Aquino had to rise again to the occasion and ask Arroyo to resign. She became one of the guiding forces of the movement to oust Arroyo. Cory fought tyranny to the very end.
Meanwhile, Ganns Dean addressed his Aquino tribute to current President Arroyo:
You will never be the woman Corazon Aquino was, and I hope her death – with you still out of the country, courting Barack Obama shamelessly – and the nation’s reaction to it will wake you to the realization that all the “accomplishments” in the past nine years you’ve led us, brought out at your penultimate valedictory work of fiction that you call a SONA, will never compare to the shameful legacy of corruption and iron-strong clinging to power that has characterized your tenure as president.
The blogger added that
There are tears in my eyes, but these are not solely for the death of one of the nation’s most beloved leaders. These are tears I weep out of frustration that the current crop of nation’s leaders do not share Cory’s heart and love for us. These are tears of sorrow that it has come to this, that the country’s matriarch is gone, and no one looms bright over the horizon to serve as the country’s guardian angel.
The D Spot urged everyone:
With the death of our beloved President Corazon Aquino, let us not feel as though we were orphaned, “hindi tayo nag-iisa”. We just have to rise—we must, and pick up the pieces. Let Ninoy’s and Tita Cory’s deaths not be in vain. She must be in Heaven now, continuously interceding for us, her crusade for a free Filipino, emancipated from the evils of corruption. Let us continue the crusade—the yellow ribbons must not only be physical. Let them be a reminder to all of us, to do our share, no matter how small, in helping create a better Philippines
The tributes continue to pour in across the Philippine blogosphere:  DeoDuey.com, My Freedom Wall, Paradox of Irony, I'm Walking Alone, Oh-Wheezers, Mark Bravo, GameOPS, Geekothon.com, Lalaine's World, Barrio Siete, Captain's Log, silver, The DJ who's not a DeeJay, Snow World, Deantastic!, The Marocharim Experiment, smoke, Jon Magat, Digiputz.com, Bikoy.net, Pagod Ka Na Bang Maging Si Juan?, Jose C. Camano, edwinsoriano.com, BendzG, Emil Amok,  The Struggling Blogger, Coffeedrunk, AttyAtWork, ade magnaye, baddieverse, ARTUJI, and Your Majesty Sire.
Updates:
Aquino's remains are now at the De La Salle Greenhills gymnasium, where a citizens’ quick count was held in the 1986 snap presidential elections. A TV network is broadcasting the wake via livestream.  They will be transferred to the Manila Cathedral on Monday (Aug. 3).
The Aquino family has refused the offer of a state funeral complete with military honors befitting a (former) head of state, and have announced a private burial.
Burial has been set on Wednesday (Aug. 5), which President Arroyo has proclaimed as a special non-working holiday to give Filipinos time to honor their departed Democracy Icon. Aquino's remains will be entomed at a grave beside that of her husband, Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino Jr.

author: Tonyo Cruz


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Trinidad & Tobago: Do The Right Thing  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Are our leaders more focused on pappyshowing for an international audience than doing the right thing by us here at home?”: Trinidad and Tobago's gspottt contends that “on the question of sexual orientation and human rights, that certainly seems to be the case.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Venezuela: The Proposed Media Crimes Law · Global Voices
Luis Carlos Diaz

Luisa Ortega Díaz, the Attorney General of Venezuela, presented a proposal for the “Law Against Media Crimes” on July 30 (read text here [es]) that some bloggers and journalists say seriously threaten freedom of expression in the country.  The media has often been in the center of the battlefield during the country's political conflicts.  Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has been very critical of many media outlets accusing them of destabilizing the country and spreading false information. As a result, Ortega Díaz states, “It is necessary that the Venezuelan state regulates freedom of expression.” However, she continues that the government does not seek to limit this freedom, but only regulate it.
Photo by Alé and used under a Creative Commons license. http://www.flickr.com/photos/alele/3779476136/
The current Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but it also indicates that there must be some limits and responsibilities. However, this bill increases the number of crimes that may be committed by those in the media.  The bill contains 17 articles that states that owners of media outlets, journalists, sources, and anyone that participates in any communication media, may receive up to 4 years in prison if the published news causes a public panic in the population or disturbs the peace, security, or independence of the Venezuelan State. The same punishment can be applied for those manipulating information, as well as those that harm “the mental health or public morals.”
It is these vague terms that concern many Venezuelan bloggers and journalists. They argue that the loose interpretation of these crimes may allow the government to crack down on any members of the media that criticize the government. It would be up to the government's discretion to determine what actions fit within the framework of the new law. Many of the country's bloggers and journalists are quite concerned about how such a law might be applied and what it would mean for journalism in Venezuela.
One such person is Journalism professor Moraima Guanipa, who comments on Twitter that the bill is a [es]  “new attempt to establish censorship and self-censorship through the penalization of journalistic work.”
A couple of bloggers were among those that are using citizen media tools to create videos to provide their thoughts on the bill. Blogger Naky Soto made a viral video explaining how the bill strengthens the punitive character in the practice of journalism. Another blogger, Jogreg Henríquez of the blog  Circulemos [es] created a video to alert the dangers that “anyone” could go to jail because of the government's loose interpretation of the regulation. The video is subtitled into English:
Other reactions from Venezuelan twitterers:
Kira Kariakin @kirakar
Dicen que George Bush asesoró a Luisa Ortega Diaz (la Fiscal) en su propuesta de Ley de delitos mediáticos…
@lobohombreriera
Leo la ley de delitos mediáticos. A ver quien es el guapo que puede definir lo que es “salud moral”. Vaya país. #FreeMediaVe
Analiz Suárez @anairinna:
Junto a la Ley de delítos mediáticos, deben -a su vez- crear una mega carcel, para que puedan meternos a todos :) ¿no que no?
@nabifer:
esto de la Ley de Delitos Mediáticos no deja dormir. Yo creo que no nos estamos percantando de la magnitud del asunto. #freemediave
The blog Panfleto Negro [es], which recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary as an online collective, comments that a law like that will also affect the State.
Finalmente, en Venezuela se legalizará la censura, una avanzada heroíca de la derecha conservadora y fundamentalista. El único aspecto positivo consiste en la posibilidad real de hacer limpieza. Desde ya en panfletonegro esperamos que apresen al Presidente, a todo el tren ministerial y a los miembros relevantes de la Asamblea Nacional, así como también a todos los reporteros de los canales del Estado y de los medios privados, por los delitos que cometen diariamente según este proyecto de ley.
In addition, the blogger at Slave to the PC [es] makes an announcement: “I declare myself a delinquent. Ladies and gentlemen, soon I will be a delinquent. Every time that I criticize some governmental action in this blog, I will be running the risk of being tried by the ‘Venezuelan justice’ system.”  He added that the other risk is self-censorship:
La idea de criminalizar la información es un reflejo claro de que este Gobierno está en decadencia. La justificación de querer poner límites a la libertad de expresión muestra un rechazo impresionante a la democracia. El debate, la discusión y, lo mas importante, la voz de cada quien, quedan suspendidos hasta nuevo aviso. La autocensura será la solución de los entregados. La búsqueda y muestra de la realidad será la bandera de los que lucharán. Caerán algunos, de eso estoy seguro, pero no podran callarlos a todos.
On the other hand, Michel, a pro-government blogger, uses the same argument as the Attorney General in saying that freedom of expression should be balanced with the citizen security and cites the irresponsibility of some media outlets [es]:
La fiscal general señaló que es necesario regular la actividad de los medios y brindarle una protección apropiada a los ciudadanos, quienes lucen indefensos ante el uso irracional del poder que actualmente ostentan los medios de comunicación social.
Finally, journalist Carlos Correa, director of the NGO Espacio Público [es] writes about what is at stake:
Dada la importancia de la libertad de expresión en una sociedad democrática, debe el Estado garantizar y promover su ejercicio, no limitarlo mediante leyes que buscan silenciar los medios de comunicación o todo intento de expresión libre y crítica.

author: Luis Carlos Diaz


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Zambia: Do you know about Zambikes? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nii posts a video of Zambikes in Zambias. The mission of Zambikes is: To provide high quality bicycles and educational training to underprivileged and service based Zambians.


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Bahamas: Thinking About Democracy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Attending a recent seminar on democracy and globalization makes Bahamian blogger Nicolette Bethel realize that “it’s time we gave some thought to what that means for us — and by ‘us’ I mean those of us in the Caribbean, where we by and large have slaked ourselves in the democratic residue of our colonial pasts.”


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Bangladesh: The ‘Info Ladies’ · Global Voices
Rezwan

Gone are the days when the village phone ladies used to offer mobile phone services in the rural areas of Bangladesh, a successful example of microcredit projects. LIRNE Asia informs that now “Info ladies” equipped with “Classmate PC” fitted with mobile internet cards are traveling door-to-door riding bicycles to connect the villagers with Internet.


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Barbados: Crop Over  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands gives us the scoop on this year's Crop Over celebrations in Barbados.