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Journalist Asteris Masouras Hopes Solidarity Will Save Greece · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati

Anarchist/anti-capitalist protest in downtown Thessaloniki criticizing “Syriza's light austerity.” Photo by Asteris Masouras. Used with permission.
His brief biography on Twitter reads: “social justice/stay human.” And Asteris Masouras is a true humanist. For this reason, he hopes that the socioeconomic crisis plaguing his home country of Greece—and which also threatens to spread throughout Europe—can eventually be solved through solidarity and a compromise with justice.
Asteris is an engineer and photojournalist. As editor of Global Voices in Greek, he has covered popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa. Over the past few months in Thessaloniki (Greece's second largest city), he has devoted himself to following the debt crisis, the impact of austerity measures, and the reactions in the streets. In an interview with Global Voices, Asteris analyzes the Greek crisis, its roots, and its possible ramifications.
Asteris Masouras. Photo courtesy Asteris Masouras.
Global Voices (GV): How has Thessaloniki responded since the referendum?
Asteris Masouras (AM): El centro de la ciudad estuvo prácticamente vacío durante todo el domingo, mientras se celebraba el referéndum. La mayoría de la gente se concentraba junto a la playa, disfrutando de la brisa de estos días, como si tratasen de saborear unos momentos de paz antes de la noticia. La celebración del ‘no’ estalló horas después, junto a esa misma playa.
AM: The city's downtown was practically empty all day Sunday while the referendum was taking place. The majority of people got together next to the beach, enjoying the days’ sea breeze, almost as if trying to savor a few moments of peace before hearing the news. The celebration of the “no” vote exploded hours later, right next to that same beach.
GV: What are your thoughts on the results?
AM: La evolución de los últimos días, y estos resultados, nos dan esperanza para enfrentar unas negociaciones hostiles y buscar un acuerdo más justo. El ‘no’ dominó en todo el país, pero lo hizo de forma abrumadora en los barrios más pobres, los más castigados por las medidas de austeridad, mientras que los barrios ricos hubo mayoría del ‘sí’. El 61 por ciento de los griegos dijo ‘no’ a un ultimátum de austeridad destructivo, en un contexto de control de capitales y de un acoso institucional y mediático brutal.
AM:  Developments over the last few days, and their results, give us hope to be able to come face-to-face with hostile negotiations, and seek out a fairer deal. The “no” vote held strong throughout the entire country; however, this was seen overwhelmingly in the poorest neighborhoods; the ones who most suffered from the austerity measures. Meanwhile, the majority who voted “yes” came from the rich neighborhoods. 61 percent of Greeks said “no” to the destructive austerity ultimatum amidst an environment of capital control and brutal harassment brought upon by the media and institutions.
GV: Tell us more about the media's role, especially regarding the last few months.
AM: Los medios de comunicación de masas griegos se han superado a sí mismos en su propaganda y en la forma de sembrar el miedo para intentar que la gente no pueda pensar con claridad en el momento más crítico en la historia reciente de la democracia griega (y quizás también de la europea). En vez de informar racionalmente sobre los problemas que afectan a los griegos, y las decisiones que estos toman desde su libre voluntad, se ha negado a la gente cualquier tipo de agencia, imponiendo una agenda clara basada en intereses comerciales. La corrupción en Grecia es endémica y tiene sus raíces en los intereses de los dueños de los medios y las élites políticas. Pero el referéndum ha demostrado que los griegos están dispuestos a plantarles cara y no se van a acobardar fácilmente.
AM: The Greek mass media has outdone itself in terms of propaganda, and in the way it spreads fear so that people are unable to think clearly during the most critical moment in the recent history of Greek democracy (and perhaps Europe's as well). Instead of sensibly reporting on the problems that are affecting Greeks, and the decisions that they make of their own free will, it has denied the people any form of agency, imposing upon them an agenda that is clearly rooted in commercial interests. Corruption in Greece is endemic, planting its roots in the interests of media owners and elite politicians. But the referendum has shown that the Greeks are ready to face them and will not be so easily intimidated.
GV: In Spain, there has been a lot of focus on the relationship between Greek political party Syriza and Spanish political party Podemos (“We Can”) and the way in which the success of one determines that of the other. What do you think these results mean for Spain?
AM: Es obvio que el estilo duro de negociación que emplean las instituciones contra Grecia tiene mucho que ver con el deseo de evitar el “efecto contagio”. Se castiga a Grecia por votar a Syriza y desafiar el discurso dominante. Los ataques de Rajoy contra Grecia y el gobierno de coalición que han hecho daño tanto a Grecia como a la UE [Uniión Europea] tienen mucho que ver con el miedo a Podemos, pero creo que al Gobierno español esto se le puede volver en contra si el referéndum griego termina beneficiando a Podemos.
AM: It's obvious that the institutional tough negotiation measures against Greece have a lot to do with wanting to avoid the “contagion effect.” Greece is being punished for having voted for Syriza and defying the dominant discourse. [Prime Minister of Spain] Mariano Rajoy's attacks against Greece and the coalition government that have done so much damage to Greece, as well as to the European Union, has a lot to do with fear of Podemos; but I think there might be backlash against the Spanish government if the Greek referendum ends up benefiting Podemos.
GV: We met right before the 2011 protests in the Middle East, Spain, and other countries. Many things have changed since then. Is Greece the latest episode of public discontent?
(AM): De algún modo sí, aunque el descontento griego con la corrupción y las políticas neoliberales es anterior a la Primavera Árabe y los movimientos “indignados”. El movimiento obrero y de protesta griego lleva años aumentando, en contra de las políticas bipartidistas clientelares. Con la crisis y las medidas de austeridad, se ha ido rompiendo el bipartidismo de Nueva Democracia y PASOK (los dos principales partidos históricos griegos) y la gente se ha unido en torno a ese movimiento indignado en el que desde luego han influido las protestas del resto de la región.
AM: In a way, yes, although the Greeks’ anger over corruption and neo-liberal politics comes before the Arab Spring and the “indignant” movements. The workers’ movement and protests in Greece have been growing over the years against patronage and bipartisan politics. With the crisis and austerity measures, the two-party system including New Democracy and PASOK (the top two historical parties in Greece) has been dissolving; and the people have come together with the indignation movement, which has since then sparked the rest of the regions’ protests.
GV: What do you hope for in the coming months?
AM: Lo que deseo es que las instituciones paren la ofensiva contra Grecia, se den cuenta de que la austeridad está destrozando las sociedades europeas y permitan un trato justo que permita a mi país recuperarse. Aunque seguramente es ingenuo pensar que prevalecerá la razón y la humanidad en las mismas instituciones que tanto han chocado con los movimientos de justicia social, así que espero al menos que haya solidaridad entre nuestros pueblos. Entre los pueblos de Europa, y con los refugiados que llegan a diario a nuestros países. Quizás esto pueda contrarrestar el daño y la destrucción que están imponiendo nuestros líderes, antes de que sea demasiado tarde para la Unión Europea y para todo el continente.
AM: I wish for institutions to put an end to the offensive against Greece; for them to realize that austerity measures are destroying European societies; and for them to allow fair treatment that will let my country get back on its feet. However, surely it's naive to think that reason and humanity will prevail in the same institutions that have clashed with the social justice movements, so, I hope that at least there will be solidarity among our people, the people of Europe, and the refugees arriving to our countries on a daily basis. Perhaps this can counteract the damage and destruction imposed by our leaders before it's too late for the European Union and the rest of the continent.

author: Leila Nachawati


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Journalists Scrape Together What News They Can as Iran Talks Drag on · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

A popular meme mocking the delays in the nuclear negotiations that reach their third deadline today in Vienna. Image from Amin Khorami's Twitter.
It's Monday, 13 July, the day of the third deadline for an agreement over Iran's nuclear program. But after months of negotiations, Iran and the various other P5+1 nations still haven't reached a deal.
The inaction and delays have frustrated journalists who have descended upon Vienna. Without much to report but unable to leave, they often can only relay the fact that diplomats have arrived or meetings have taken place between various combinations of diplomats.
Here are three news alerts that have become typical of the past 20 days in Vienna:
#Iran FM Zarif & #seckerry meeting w presence of Salehi, Moniz, deputies, Schmid, Fereidoun & Robert Malley began at abt 1:45pm. #IranTalks
— Abas Aslani (@abasinfo) July 13, 2015
Christiane @camanpour has arrived–perhaps a sign like Lavrov arrival that the countdown to a deal has begun
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) July 13, 2015
#Iran & P5+1 FMs likely to have a plenary at 9pm tonight which could be important. #IranTalks #IranTalksVienna
— Abas Aslani (@abasinfo) July 13, 2015
As it stands, the diplomats seem to indicate the end is imminent, with issues still ahead — what these issues are however, are not entirely known to the public, so the news remains mundane.
No one is thinking of another extension. Everyone working hard to get to yes today, but political will still required. #IranTalks — Alireza Miryousefi (@miryousefi) July 13, 2015
Met with @FedericaMog and @JZarif this AM. Still have difficult issues to resolve. #IranTalksVienna
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) July 11, 2015
Many Iranians have taken to social media to make memes out of the many delays and inaction in the negotiations.
#IranDeal loading… please wait! #Iran #IranTalks #IranTalksVienna #IranWinsPeace pic.twitter.com/cU81AOfcuL — Amin Khorami (@aminismyname) July 12, 2015
Slugging #IranTalks pic.twitter.com/Jyn2gPn8lv
— Holly Dagres (@hdagres) July 9, 2015
Creative cartoon by Hadi Heidri inspired by Salvador Dalí's The Persistence of Memory #IranTalksVienna #Iran pic.twitter.com/0UJPdmOfPq — Reza H. Akbari (@rezahakbari) July 12, 2015
خوب چرا؟ #IranTalksVienna memes ( why won't they get to a blasted agreement?) pic.twitter.com/XLfmud1lil — Mahsa Alimardani (@maasalan) July 12, 2015
Arash Azizi, who has been covering the negotiations for Manoto TV, an Iranian satellite network based in the United Kingdom, told Global Voices a little about the nature of covering the often slow diplomatic process as a journalist.
I've been here for 20 days now and I've had to cancel two holidays so far one of them involving a friend flying all the way from Canada. Despite all this, I actually consider it a privilege to be here to speak to millions of Iranians every night and give them the latest about these history-making talks. But it's obviously energy-draining in a special way: it feels like we've been on a loop for three weeks. Nothing has really happened! Well, they are talking. I mean this is the nature of diplomatic conferences. Let us not forget the Paris Peace Conference took a year! Something similar for Congress of Vienna 1815. There was an expression back then: “Congress dances, but doesn't move forward.” Which alluded to the festivities that accompanied the diplomats and monarchs attending the congress. They seemed to be doing nothing but at the end they produced a stable international system that lasted for decades. So, it's not that strange that diplomatic conferences can keep on keeping on. Perhaps this should make us reflect on the way we do news and journalism and the way we cover such events. Multiplication of sources and platforms means more than 500 journalists are here (also due to the fact that no less than seven countries are involved). It'd be interesting to think how should diplomatic events (behind the closed doors by their nature) be covered in a substantive way. By the way, on a more mundane level, I was quoted in an Austrian newspaper about the urgent matter of running out of clean underwear!! Also funny anecdotes: I give directions to people and tourists; have a regular cafe; a regular gym; have joined the city's public bike system and now do much of my un-related-to-talks business here.
In the meantime, it seems some journalists have already planned their check-outs before a confirmation of a concrete end.
Some Iranian journalists are packed and checked out and seemingly ready to go pic.twitter.com/0TmDZmiIam — Laura Rozen (@lrozen) July 13, 2015

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mahsa Alimardani


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Bahrain Releases Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab, Only to Send Another Activist Back to Jail · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini human rights activist was freed tonight after a royal pardon. Photograph shared widely on social media. Source: Kuwaiti human rights activist @nawaf_alhendal
Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was freed tonight from prison following a royal pardon. The surprise move coincided with the renewed detention of Ibrahim Sharif, the Secretary General of the National Democratic Action Society (WAAD), a Bahraini leftist political party, for another 15 days pending investigation. Sharif was arrested on July 11, a mere three weeks after his release from a sentence government critics say was politically motivated.
Rajab was arrested at his home in Bani Jamra on April 2, 2015, over messages he sent on Twitter concerning the welfare of individuals incarcerated in Bahrain's Jaw Prison as well as news about the Saudi-led coalition that has waged airstrikes against Yemen since the end of March. While detained pending investigation for this set of tweets, a Bahrain court upheld a six month sentence against him over comments he made about ISIS on Twitter, on May 14.
According to a statement issued by the government-run Bahrain News Agency “His Majesty the King today issued a royal decree granting a special pardon to Nabeel Ahmed Abdul Rasul Rajab for health reasons.” No further information is available on whether the pardon includes charges from the other cases, all involving Twitter, court dates for which have not been set, or was for the ISIS-related tweets.
News of Rajab's release was welcomed with caution across Bahrain. Many commented on whether the government was playing chess with its political dissidents.
Freedom Prayers tweets:
نعتقل علي سلمان نفرج عن ابراهيم شريف. نعتقل شريف نفرج عن نبيل رجب. السجن هبابه يشيل من مكان واحد يفرغ اخذوا شخص.
— Free Shawqi Radhi (@FreedomPrayers) July 13, 2015
We arrest Ali Salman, we release Ibrahim Sharif; We arrest Sharif, we release Nabeel Rajab. The prisons are overflowing. Every time a slot is available, someone else is arrested
Faisal Hayyat comments following the same thread of thoughts:
يعتقل الشيخ علي سلمان، فيفرج عن الأستاذ إبراهيم شريف، يتم إعتقال شريف فيفرج عن الأستاذ نبيل رجب.. من التالي لدور الاعتقال؟ #مي–مقبولة
— رياضيونا رهائن (@FaisalHayyat) July 13, 2015
They arrest Ali Salman, they release Ibrahim Sharif; they arrest Sharif and then release Nabeel Rajab. Who is next up for arrest?
Ali Salman is the secretary-general of Al Wefaq Islamic Society, who was sentenced to four years in prison three days prior to Sharif's release. Salman, who was arrested on December 28, 2014, was convicted of inciting disobedience and hatred against the regime. Sharif, who is now held pending investigation, is being accused of  “inciting hatred and calling for violence to gain political change.”
And while Rajab is free today, his freedom is threatened with what he disseminates on that micro-blogging site which allows users to share with the world their thoughts, experiences and feelings 140 characters at a time. Bahrain Watch member John Horne cautions:
Lest we forget, @NABEELRAJAB was imprisoned for tweets highlighting the problem of ISIS sympathizers in #Bahrain‘s security forces
— John Horne (@JohnHorneUK) July 13, 2015
And (tho the terms of the pardon arent clear) @NABEELRAJAB still faces a 10yr sentence for accidentally tweeting a pic that wasn't of Yemen
— John Horne (@JohnHorneUK) July 13, 2015

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Malaysian Prime Minister’s Corruption Scandal Inspires Movie Memes · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

One of the popular images that became viral in Malaysia. It features Prime Minister Najib Razak after Wall Street Journal reported that 700 million US dollars were transferred to his bank accounts.
Malaysians reacted to a Wall Street Journal investigative report linking Prime Minister Najib Razak to corruption by popularizing the Twitter hashtag #1MDBMovies. It refers to the financial mess involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state-managed investment company which reportedly made several anomalous transactions in recent years.
The US newspaper reported on July 2 that US $700 million (RM 2.6 billion) had been transferred to Najib's personal bank accounts through the 1MDB.
Below are some of the popular #1MDBMovies that made many Malaysians laugh:
epic siot poster ni! #1mdbmovies pic.twitter.com/tNhgLZn1Lk
— Zhu M (@zhukl) July 8, 2015
Ringgit is the currency of Malaysia
#1MDBMovies: Maleficent Rosmah pic.twitter.com/bUgByenX8y
— GuruChat (@Guruchat) July 6, 2015
Rosmah is the wife of Najib and is also linked to the corruption allegations.
Fantastic 4 : Rise of the RON95, toll, and many more #1MDBmovies pic.twitter.com/lI7ZNQVvxG
— Syükri Kháiri (@SY7KRI) July 6, 2015
The alleged main conspirators in the financial scandal appear above.
#1MDBMovies: Man of Steal. pic.twitter.com/ydqAiTR1gP
— GuruChat (@Guruchat) July 6, 2015
Najib wrote on his Facebook page that the report is based on fabricated evidence. He accused his political enemies of conspiring with foreigners to bring down the government:
At no point have those making these allegations offered any evidence. All we have heard is that these allegations are based on leaked documents and unnamed investigators. Not once has the source of these documents ever been shown, neither have the documents themselves been provided for verification by lawful authorities.
His lawyers also sent a letter to the Wall Street Journal to clarify the report and hinted that Najib might sue the newspaper:
We demand a reply within 14 days and please let us know whether you have appointed solicitors in Malaysia to accept service legal proceedings.
A few days after publishing the expose against Najib, the Wall Street Journal released some documents that were used as a basis in writing the report:
The documents showing alleged transfers of almost $700 million to Najib’s bank accounts http://t.co/0cfxTOBsWf pic.twitter.com/ff4PWnuQIO
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 7, 2015
Immediately after the #1MDBMovies hashtag trended online, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission warned the public to stop spreading false reports:
The public is advised to stop sharing images that have been altered, false news or any speculation on the investigation on 1MDB through social media, including the WhatsApp application.
Some described the statement as a threat to free expression, although the agency clarified later that satire or parody is not illegal.
Najib vowed an impartial investigation of the 1MDB debt scandal, but the opposition is already calling for his resignation. Meanwhile, Malaysian Internet users proved that they can effectively use humor to discuss serious political issues such as corruption, abuse of power, and bad governance.

author: Mong Palatino


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Nepal Closes a National Park to Give Mating Red Pandas Some Privacy · Global Voices
Sanjib Chaudhary

Umi, red panda of Nogeyama Zoo. Image from Flickr by Toshihiro Gamo. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Langtang National Park, Nepal’s first Himalayan national park and the one nearest to capital Kathmandu, has been declared a restricted zone by local authorities to allow red pandas to mate.
Langtang National Park closed for Red Panda's breeding season | http://t.co/97BzDbEjxe http://t.co/OoPKKnXb4B
— myRepública (@RepublicaNepal) July 8, 2015
The shy creature, called habre in Nepal, loves to live in quiet places and is easily scared by noises. When frightened by sound, it will even leave its young cub behind and run away. As the red panda’s breeding season starts from mid-June, the national park has been closed to visitors and even firewood gathering by locals has been prohibited for two months.
With only 10,000 individuals remaining in the world, around 1,000 red pandas are found in eight protected areas of Nepal – from Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in the east to Makalu Barun National Park and Buffer Zone, Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone, Manaslu Conservation Area, Annapurna Conservation Area, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve and Rara National Park and Buffer Zone in the west. Besides Nepal, the animal is found in the mountainous regions of India, China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Laos.
The red panda, also called fire fox, was discovered decades earlier than the giant panda. It is a carnivore turned herbivore and feeds mainly on young bamboo shoots and leaves.
Remember, the red panda is the original panda! :-) https://t.co/WNLqKxwn3P
— Red Panda Network (@RedPandaNetwork) July 8, 2015
Though the shy creature dons the Mozilla Firefox logo and millions of Internet browsers use it daily, only a few know that it is a red panda.
The Firefox logo isn't actually a fox but a red panda.
— Did You Know? (@engrossingfacts) July 6, 2015
Red pandas are listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Although red pandas are not poached generally, they fall prey to the traps laid for musk deer and other wild animals. The herders and the chauris, the yak-cow hybrids, disturb and destroy the red panda habitats, though not intentionally. Habitat loss is another major concern for conservationists.
The Nepalese government together with the wildlife organisation WWF has involved local communities in the conservation of this species in Langtang. Likewise, the Red Panda Network has been working with communities to monitor and preserve red pandas since 2007.
The restriction period at the Langtang National Park till mid-August will provide a peaceful environment for the red pandas to mate. Soon after, International Red Panda Day will be celebrated on 19 September, further raising awareness about its conservation.

author: Sanjib Chaudhary


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Open-Source Information Reveals Pro-Kremlin Web Campaign · Global Voices
Lawrence Alexander

Graph showing shared use of Google Analytics, server software, and social media by websites in the network. [Full size 1 2] Image by Lawrence Alexander.
In April of this year, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Guardian reported on the website вштабе.рф, a large photo gallery of pro-Russian memes and “demotivator” graphics. Most of these crude caricatures ridicule US, Western, and Ukrainian leaders, whilst portraying Vladimir Putin as strong and heroic.
The site gives no credit or attribution for its design, and offers no indication as to who might be behind it. Intrigued by this anonymity, I used Maltego open-source intelligence software to gather any publicly-available information that might provide clues.
The Secrets of Google Analytics
My use of Maltego revealed that the site was running Google Analytics, a commonly used online analytics tool that allows a website owner to gather statistics on visitors, such as their country, browser, and operating system. For convenience, multiple sites can be managed under a single Google analytics account. This account has a unique identifying “UA” number, contained in the Analytics script embedded in the website's code. Google provides a detailed guide to the system's structure.
Google Analytics account number for вштабе.рф, found at the bottom of the page's HTML code.
Journalists and security experts have already raised the potential of this code to link anonymous websites to particular users.
The method was reported by Wired in 2011, and cited by FBI cyber crime expert Michael Bazzell in his book Open Source Intelligence Techniques. Several free services have sprung up that allow easy reverse searching of Google Analytics ID numbers, one of the most popular being sameID.net.
I wanted to see whether the person or organisation behind вштабе.рф was running any other sites from the same Analytics account. Viewing thewebsite's source code gave me the all-important Google Analytics ID number. When I performed a broader search on it, the results were surprising—it was linked to no less than seven other websites (archived copy).
These included whoswho.com.ua (archive), apparently aimed at collating compromising information on Ukrainian officials, whilst purporting to be a Ukrainian project; Zanogo.com (archive), another repository of memes, many anti-Western; and yapatriot.ru (archive), which appears to be an attempt to discredit Russian opposition figures. Another of the websites using the same Analytics account was syriainform.com (archive), a site seemingly promoting an anti-US and pro-Assad slant on events in Syria.
Most striking of all was the presence of Material Evidence—a website for the touring photo exhibition that has featured in several media investigations into its alleged pro-Kremlin connections. In 2014, Gawker reported on the New York show, commenting on its large, well-funded advertising campaign. They noted that its website was registered in St. Petersburg, which is confirmed by historic WHOIS records.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Whilst investigating the network of sites tied to account UA-53176102, I discovered that one, news-region.ru, had also been linked to a second Analytics account: UA-53159797 (archive).
This number, in turn, was associated with a further cluster of nineteen pro-Kremlin websites. Subsequent examinations of these webpages revealed three more Analytics accounts, with additional sites connected to them. Below is a network diagram of the relationships I have established to date.
One of the websites in this larger network, emaidan.com.ua (archive) appears at first glance to be a legitimate information resource for the Ukrainian protest movement. But closer inspection shows it is laced with rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment, as if written by a disillusioned former Maidan supporter. putininfo.com (archive) is a glowing tribute to the Russian president, complete with “My Putin” social media accounts.
Relationships between the websites and their Google Analytics account numbers. [Full size] Image by Lawrence Alexander.
At the time of writing, the Analytics codes remain unchanged and visible on most of these sites. My findings can easily be verified by viewing their source code, either in the browser or by saving the page and viewing it in a text editor.
Besides Google Analytics, the websites had some other common traits: shared use of Yandex Metrika, Yandex Verification, and a Nginx server—all Russian-made tools—characterized the sites in the network.
It became clear that I was most likely looking at a large, well-organised online information campaign. But whilst the Google Analytics code demonstrated shared involvement in and management of the websites, it couldn't tell me who was behind them.
A Personal Connection?
Spurred on by curiosity, I did a little more digging through publicly available information. Domain registration records in several places [1 2 3] revealed a second common factor: the e-mail address terder.n@gmail.com. [Archive: 1 2 3 4]. I found it to be associated not only with the majority of sites I had already identified, but also with a new group of websites, apparently still under construction. Their titles suggested themes similar to the existing network: either overt pro-Russian polemic, or more subtle disinformation under the guise of legitimate Ukrainian journalism. They included antiliberalism.com, dnepropetrovsknews.com and maidanreload.com.
It took less than a minute of searching to link the e-mail address to a real identity. A group on Russian social networking site VKontakte [archive] lists it as belonging to one Nikita Podgorny.
Podgorny's public Facebook profile shows he is a member of a group called Worldsochi—the exact same name as one of the websites linked by the two Google Analytics codes I examined.
Nikita Podgorny's membership of Worldsochi Facebook group.
Podgorny has a Pinterest account with only one pin [archive]—an infographic of Russia's space accomplishments taken from a site called infosurfing.ru. Whilst infosurfing.ru doesn't have an embedded Google Analytics code, it shares some similarities in image construction with several sites in the pro-Kremlin network.
The online FotoForensics tool shows that images from infosurfing.ru [1 2 3], putininfo.com [1 2] and вштабе.рф [1 2] contain metadata sourced from the exact same version of software: Adobe XMP Core: 5.5-c014 79.151481, 2013/03/13-12:09:15. By itself this is not a unique identifier, but it might be suggestive of a connection, especially in the context of additional information about Podgorny's online persona.
Most notably, Podgorny is listed in the leaked employee list of St. Petersburg's Internet Research Agency, the pro-Kremlin troll farm featured in numerous news reports and investigations, including RuNet Echo's own reports.
Podgorny's date of birth, given on his public VK profile, is an exact match for that shown in the leaked document.
Podgorny's date of birth, as shown on his VK profile, compared with listing in the leaked Internet Reseach Agency document.
Podgorny is also VK friends with Igor Osadchy, who is named as a fellow employee in the same list. Osadchy has denied working for the Internet Reseach Agency, calling the leaks an “unsuccessful provocation.”
Nikita Podgorny's VK association with Igor Osadchy.
When contacted by Global Voices, Podgorny neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the websites, and would not comment further.
In the next post on the pro-Kremlin website network, we will look in more detail at the content, the aims, and the ideology behind the websites.

author: Lawrence Alexander


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The Internet Laughs at Spanish President Rajoy’s Ignorance About His Country’s Debt · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

A moment during Mariano Rajoy's interview on July 6. Screenshot from the Tele5 website.
Mariano Rajoy's term as president of Spain, one that has been characterized by a lack of communication between the government and citizens, is about to come to a close. During his four years, he has faced numerous criticisms for holding press conferences from a plasma screen instead of in person without allowing time for the press to ask questions.
Perhaps the upcoming elections are the reason why the usually media-averse Rajoy granted a televised interview on Monday, July 6.
This interview, which focused on the Greek referendum and negotiations between that country and the European Union, has made clear the president's limited capacity to improvise his answers. In response to the question, “Do you believe that Greek will pay at some point?”, Rajoy said:
[Grecia] debe mucho dinero, debe algo más del 90% de su PIB, es como si España debiéramos, pues 900 000 millones de euros, que es una cifra astronómica (…)
[Greece] owes a lot of money, they owe more than 90% of their GDP, it is as if Spain were to owe around 900 billion euros, which is an astronomical figure (…)
It is worth wondering where the president got these numbers, since Greece's debt surpasses 175% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Nor is the comparison “as if Spain were to owe 900 billion euros” apt, although he's correct in saying that the figure is astronomical. The truth is that Spain owes a much larger amount, about 1.046 billion euros, which represents 98% of Spain's GDP.
Rajoy, who has argued this year that “the crisis is history” in Spain, seems to be the only person capable of seeing this supposed turnaround in the economy. The debt, which stood at 66% of the Spanish GDP when the conservative Popular Party gained power in 2011, has grown by leaps and bounds, to which the bank bailout has undoubtedly contributed. Of this public assistance to the banks, which surpass 100 billion euros, over 43 billion are already gone.
Executives at the institutions that were bailed out continue to maintain all of their privileges without the government requiring them to apply austerity measures. Meanwhile, tax increases and Rajoy's reforms have increased the number of Spaniards at risk of exclusion, put job inequality and insecurity on the rise and eroded essential public services.
Netizens have preferred to look at the president's blunder comically, filling Twitter with caustic comments:
Me imagino ayer por la noche a de Guindos explicándole a Rajoy el tema de la deuda de España con marionetas
— Jon González (@JongoCervantes) July 7, 2015
I imagine [Spanish Economy Minister] Guindos last night explaining the issue of Spain's debt to Rajoy with puppets.
Desde que le han dicho a Rajoy el montante total de la deuda, lleva ya 5 inyecciones de efedrina y no reacciona. Me temo lo peor. — Fermín Álvarez (@Ferminalv) July 7, 2015
Since they told Rajoy the total amount of the debt, he's had five injections of ephedrine and hasn't had a reaction. I fear the worst.
Rajoy es capaz de negociar una quita, y consiguirnos una ponga.
— Pablo Tilox (@PabloTilo) July 7, 2015
Rajoy can negotiate a haircut and get us a wig.
Igual sus asesores piensan que la psique de Rajoy todavía no puede asimilar la magnitud de la deuda pública como el nene de La Vida es Bella — Armando el pollo (@Arma_pollo) July 6, 2015
In any case, his advisers think that Rajoy's psyche cannot yet recognize the magnitude of the public debt, like the baby in Life Is Beautiful
Many netizens also left comments, like antuan, grima, and Hanxxs did on Spanish social news site Menéame:
De este tío se hablará en los libros de Historia. Pero no como él espera.
They'll be talking about this guy in history books. But not in the way he hopes.
Veo a los meneantes muy perdidos, Rajoy se equivoca en un informativo en directo en Telecinco. Cuando el juez le cite para declarar sobre la financiación del Partido que dirige, alegará demencia senil y tendrá pruebas que aportar. Plan genial de Arriola una vez más.
I see Menéame users are very lost, Rajoy is wrong in a live news segment on Telecino. When the judge ordered him to make a statement about his party's finances, he'll argue senile dementia and will provide evidence. [Popular Party political adviser] Arriola's great plan once again.
Pagaría por ver las tomas falsas de sus apariciones en plasma tv. Como algún día se filtren esas grabaciones el descojone puede ser total.
I would pay to see outtakes of his appearances on TV. If these recordings are ever leaked one day, I would piss myself laughing.
Paco Bello, founder of online magazine Iniciativa Debate, wrote an article that reflects his anger at the president's misinformation:
Que el presidente del Gobierno de España concatene errores garrafales sobre un mismo asunto (…) ofrece una conclusión: Mariano Rajoy no sabe nada, es como una ameba (…)
En una sola frase comete tantos errores inexplicables sobre su principal tarea como gobernante, sobre aquello que debiera quitarle el sueño, que es para echarse a temblar (…)
A lo mejor es verdad que nos merecemos el país que sufrimos. Pero me gustaría que lo sufrieran especialmente sus votantes, y al resto que no nos hicieran pagar tan cara la decisión de tanto necio y tanto obtuso.
The fact that the president of the Spanish government committed blunders on the same topic […] leads to one conclusion: Mariano Rajoy does not know anything, he's like an amoeba […]
In a single sentence, he makes so many inexplicable mistakes about his main role as a governing leader, about things that should make him lose sleep and shudder […]
Maybe it's true that we deserve the country we are suffering. But I would especially like for the voters to suffer and for the rest of us not to have to pay so much for such a foolish and dim decision.
Bolsamanía, a website about the economy, spoke with Rajoy's team, which denied he made any sort of mistake in his comment and blamed the controversy on a misunderstanding:
Mariano Rajoy en realidad se refería a lo que equivalen los dos rescates de las instituciones a Grecia. En este sentido, cuando el líder popular hablaba de una deuda del 90%, se refería a que ese es el porcentaje del PIB que se corresponde a lo que debe Grecia de los rescates.
Mariano Rajoy was actually referring to the amount of the two bailouts from the institutions to Greece. In this regard, when the popular leader spoke of a 90% debt, he meant that this is the percentage of the GDP that corresponds to what Greece owes in the bailouts.
In the end, the whole controversy has served to make other important information that emerged during his interview go unnoticed, like the fact that the president has not yet even decided on the month that the next elections will be held (despite the current term ending in November) or that his disregard for consulting citizens:
(…) un gobernante tiene que resolver los problemas, no está para hacer referéndums.
[…] a leader must solve problems, not make referendums.

author: Lourdes Sada


text:
The Risky Roller Coaster Ride That Is China’s Stock Market · Global Voices
Owen Guo

Green, the color of despair. A screen shows the collapsing Chinese stock market on July 7, 2015. Photo by Owen.
For Christine Kong, 2007 was a tough year. A slump in China’s stock market knocked down her family's wealth so much that, in her own words, “even my dog had lost weight”. Her hope of making quick money via the equity market was dashed with a lesson learnt — investing in stocks is risky and she would never do it again.
Or so she thought.
As China's stock market climbed earlier this year, Kong, a 31-year-old public relations manager in Beijing, was back in the game, partly because “her fingers were itchy” (Chinese slang for not being able to resist temptations) and partly because of peer pressure. Kong told Global Voices:
My friends and colleagues all invest in the stock market. If I invested in stocks, we would have common things to talk about. I think it’s human nature that if you earn more, you would want to invest more.
She bought in when China’s benchmark stock index Shanghai Composite hit 4,000 in April, a moment state-controlled People’s Daily called “just the beginning of the bull market”.
“I was doing quite well this time,” she recalled.
But that was short-lived. A precipitous stock price drop that started in recent weeks has halved her stock value, as the market euphoria in China quickly morphed into the worst equity woe in two decades. Since reaching a seven-year high in mid-June, the stock market has suffered a substantial loss, wiping out an estimated $3.2 trillion in market capitalisation, or 10 times the amount of Greece’s gross domestic product. Kong said:
It’s hard to describe my mentality. When stock prices began to drop, I didn’t take it too seriously. When it began to drop really badly, I felt a lot of pressure. […] But when that trend continued, and when your stock dropped to a point when it got suspended, you no longer feel panic. I feel quite calm now but sometimes that feeling is accompanied by some slight depression.
The market rout has stuck a nerve with both investors and communist party leaders. As stock investors watched their fortunes evaporate last week, Beijing stepped in with heavy-handed measures, including banning major shareholders from selling and injecting liquidity into the markets, among other things. Hundreds of companies resumed their trading on Monday after share suspension last week to avoid volatility.
Following a series of state interventions, the stock market has rebounded since last Thursday. But bruised investors will just have to hold their breath a bit longer before they can recover their loss.
Pessimism and anger
The unease was palpable. On Tuesday of last week, a dozen old men gathered at the entrance of a brokerage firm near Beijing’s second ring road. Between sipping on tea, chain-smoking and occasionally flipping through newspapers, the men talked about the Chinese stock market as if they were left out of a carnival. One man, who refused to identify himself, said:
I am worried the index is going to drop further. All my eight stocks have either been suspended or plummeted, I really want to beat someone up to vent my anger.
The media is full of it, he complained, referring to previous Chinese media reporting that cheered on a booming market. A man sitting beside him chimed in, pointing to a front-page story of Global Times newspaper with the headline “China's move to stabilize the market gives the world confidence”.
“This was just intended for the outsiders to see,” he sighed.
The brokerage firm can be easily mistaken for a nursing home. Less tech-savvy seniors come here for the big screen in the hall that displays the latest stock trends. Some form groups to play poker while others doze on the bench. Almost all the stocks were in the negative that day.
At one point, a neatly dressed middle-aged woman wandered around the room shouting: “This is all controlled by US churches! Americans! They will shoot you with guns! I’ve earned 3,000 yuan in the past six years….”
The behaviour attracted no onlookers. “We’ve seen at least some 30 people in this hall go crazy in the past half month,” a woman explained.
A 2013 survey found that 61.3% per cent of Chinese stock investors were plagued by “persistent negative emotions”. In a further sign of psychological stress, an unconfirmed snapshot of a notice, apparently attached to a wall of a building, was widely circulated last week on Twitter. It said, “Due to the stock market's collapse the rooftop is now closed to prevent accidents”:
“Due to stock market's collapse the rooftop is now closed to prevent accidents” (in simplified Chinese. Online pix) pic.twitter.com/cRm6lDnzwo
— Venus Wu (@wu_venus) July 8, 2015
Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo has banned the word combination “stock suicide”.
China now has 90 million stock investors, about twice the population of Spain. As property prices have stagnated and saving becomes less attractive following interest rate cuts, buying stocks is now a popular choice for the middle class. In April and May alone this year, 14 million new stock accounts were created.
To Chinese authorities, a bull run is a double boon at a time of a slowing economy. For one, making people richer will boost consumption, as Beijing tries to shift away from smoke-stack industries towards services. It also helps debt-laden state companies ease their financial strains.
Contrary to other western markets, the bulk of Chinese stock investors are so called “ mom-and-pop” individuals who have little investment experience. For many, it’s a high-stakes game they can’t afford to lose. And while there are conflicting views on exactly how much of an impact the turmoil will have on China’s consumption, investors like Christine Kong will for now stop throwing her money around:
I was hoping to use the money I earn from the stock market to fly to the US to see my friends. Now I won’t be going. They will come to see me. I’ve also decided not to buy any handbags and not to go on overseas trips in the next two years.
But for many, it's an addiction that's hard to quit, as Weibo user Li Dapeng wrote:
最黑暗的时候黎明即将到来，中国不是希腊，相信中国人的智慧！问题总会解决！八周的最小反弹时间会按时到来！没那么悲观！时间会消除一切忧虑，生活不会停止！擦干眼泪继续战斗！
The darkest moment means that the dawn will be just around the corner. China is not Greece, and we need to believe in the wisdom of the Chinese people! Problems will be solved! ….. Wipe your tears and continue the fight!

author: Owen Guo


text:
Arrests of Sunni Extremists in Bahrain Go Unnoticed · Global Voices
Faten Bushehri

Salman Turki, a Bahraini member of ISIS, allegedly killed in Fallujah, Iraq, tweets @FreedomPrayers. This news was not reported on mainstream media in Bahrain.
Bahraini authorities have recently arrested several Bahrainis in connection with the ISIS amid a media blackout and a hushed down arrest operation.
Bahraini ISIS fighter Turki Albinali issued a public threat about two weeks ago announcing the next terrorist attack will be in Bahrain on July 3rd. Authorities have since tightened security, taking extra measures to prevent attacks on Shia mosques like the ones that happened in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The arrest of Bahraini Sunni extremists has poked the bear of Bahraini ISIS fighters abroad, who shared photographs of their detained colleagues on social media, expressing their dissatisfaction. In some cases, they directed threats to the Bahraini government for arresting the “Sunni people” who are “defending Islam” while protecting the Shia Rawafidhs. Adherents of the ISIS doctrine, an offshoot of Al Qaeda, refer to followers of Shia Islam as Rawafidh, or those who have rejected the faith, which is used as a derogatory term.
A new hashtag is being used to simultaneously criticize and warn the Bahraini government. The Arabic hashtag literally means “rabies-infected Bahraini Ministry of Interior (MOI)“.
Abu Laden Alharbi, a Bahraini ISIS fighter shared photographs of those arrested recently during the holy month of Ramadan using that hashtag, calling the police “Gangs of the tyrant Hamad”, in reference to the country's King Hamad.
أهل السنة في سجون البحرين صالح البلوشي العمر : 21 سنة اعتقل بتاريخ 16 رمضان من مكان عمله #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين pic.twitter.com/oyEy6g3Eky
— أبو لادن الحربي (@eabooladnn) July 6, 2015
Sunnis in Bahraini jails
Saleh Alblooshi
Age: 21 years
He was arrested on 16 Ramadan from his place of work
أهل السنة في سجون البحرين عمر الفيري العمر : 18 سنة اعتقل 16 رمضان بمداهمة المنزل لعنهم الله #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين pic.twitter.com/Cvz0UzXKAK
— أبو لادن الحربي (@eabooladnn) July 6, 2015
Sunnis in Bahraini jails
Omar Alfajri
Age: 18 years
Arrested on 16 Ramadan after raiding his house, God damn them
These arrests are not the first of their kind in the region. Several men were reportedly arrested in Oman on May 28th and turned over to the Bahraini authorities.
ناصر الحجاجي اعتقل في مطار عمان ومن ثم قامو بتسليمه إلى البحرين التهمة : لأنه يريد نصرة الدين! #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين pic.twitter.com/KLtOkWj9kS
— أبو لادن الحربي (@eabooladnn) July 7, 2015
Nasser Al-Hajjaji
He was arrested at Oman airport and then extradited him to Bahrain
Charge: because he wants to support the religion (Islam)!
أهل السنة في سجون البحرين محمد مسعد العمر : 20 سنة اعتقل في عمان تاريخ : 28 مايو 2015 #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين pic.twitter.com/IzmQRtKXQ6
— أبو لادن الحربي (@eabooladnn) July 6, 2015
Sunnis in Bahraini jails
Mohammed Massad
Age: 20 years
Was arrested in Oman Date: May 28, 2015
A Twitter user, “Sunni Bahraini” claims five men were wrongfully arrested from Oman:
#البحرين تستمر بحبس خمس شباب بعد القاء القبض عليهم في سلطنة عُمان و الداخلية تتهم بالذهاب إلى سوريا يتبع #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين
— سني بحريني (@aliomarr4445) July 6, 2015
Bahrain continues to imprison five young people after their arrest in the Sultanate of Oman and the Ministry of Interior accused them of going to Syria.
On January 16, a 22-year-old man named Saleh Al Yafie was also arrested and put in jail, where he still remains.
Sunni Bahraini follows Alyafie's trial:
#البحرين لازالت النيابة العامة تمدد فترة سجن #صالح_اليافعي والآن له في السجن قرابة الـ 6 أشهر . إلى متى التمديد #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين
— سني بحريني (@aliomarr4445) July 6, 2015
The public prosecutor keeps extending the detention period for Saleh Alyaafie, and has has now been in prison for nearly six months. How long will they keep extending?
Abdulla Albinali, 27, brother of ISIS preacher Turki Albinali, who threatened Bahrain, has also reportedly joined the ISIS and was arrested in Bahrain on April 20 from Bahrain International Airport. He is one of four brothers who have been on the radar. Three of the brothers were among the 72 whose citizenships were revoked. But he was not on that list.
His other brother Mohammed Albinali, has tweeted about his arrest:
غدا محاكمة أخي الصابر المحتسب #عبدالله_البنعلي وسواء حكوموه بالبراءة أو الإعدام، يبقى حكمهم عندنا الردة والإجرام. #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين
— محمد البنعلي (@a_ma9ma9m) July 5, 2015
Tomorrow is the trial of my patient brother Abdulla Albinali and whether they acquit him or sentence him to death, their sentence to us remains apostasy and a crime
According to Islamion.com Abdulla has been chased for some time by the authorities. His trial was on July 6 and was postponed.
“Sunni Bahraini” tweets again about Abdulla's trial:
#عاجل #البحرين تم تأجيل محاكمة #عبدالله_البنعلي شهرين آخرين. ياترى إلى متى يستمر التأجيل؟ #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين
— سني بحريني (@aliomarr4445) July 6, 2015
Abdulla Albinali's trial was postponed for two more months. I wonder how long will the delay last?
This YouTube video of him before his arrest, shows him talking about why authorities are after him, and criticizing the government for not following Sharia law, and instead trying to accommodate democracy.
It has been about one year since the rise of ISIS, which has come to occupy large swaths of territory across Syria and Iraq. Several Bahrainis have already either joined them to fight for the Islamic Caliphate, which is what the ISIS calls the territory it has annexed, or provide them with some sort of support. The latest to join is Ismael Alhamdani, who was an employee of the Bahrain Defence Force (the army), according to Mohammed Albinali, Turki's brother who is also fighting among ISIS abroad.
#إسماعيل_الهمداني من جندي من جنود آل خليفة إلى جندي من جنود الخليفة من جندي من جنود القانون إلى جندي من جنود الشريعة #جنود_الطاغوت_توبوا
— محمد البنعلي (@a_ma9ma9m) July 8, 2015
Ismael Alhamdani
From an AlKhalifa soldier
To a soldier of the Caliph
From a soldier of Law
To the soldier of Sharia
Radio Sawa reporter Zaid Benjamin shares on his Twitter a photograph of Alhamdani:
#البحرين | مناصرو #الدولة_الإسلامية يعلنون “توبة احد جنود الطاغوت” #إسماعيل_الهمداني والتحاقه بهم pic.twitter.com/oULcEh0zGB
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) July 8, 2015
ISIS supporters declare the repentance of the tyrant's soldiers Ismael Alhamdani, who just joined their group.
On Twitter, some supporters of ISIS congratulated Alhamdani for joining the militant group:
و نهنئ أخينا #إسماعيل_الهمداني بتوبته و إلتحاقه بركب الصالحين و تركه جموع المرتدين. و نوصيه بالصبر و الثبات #جنود_الطاغوت_توبوا
— الـــــ|ـ|ـ|ــنــاان (@abdarheem51) July 8, 2015
We congratulate our brother Ismael Alhamdani for his repentance, and joining the righteous, and leaving the masses of apostates.
We recommend to him patience and fortitude
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti news site Alshahed reported that the two Saudi men responsible for helping the suicide bomber in the attack on the mosque in Kuwait confessed they got their explosives for the belt from ISIS members in Bahrain. The two men confessed, according to the site, they hid the explosives under ice in a cooler they had with them, to mislead customs officers at Nuwaisib border, which is the entry point from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait. Bahrain too is linked to Saudi Arabia by road through the 25km King Fahad Causeway.
Bahrain Mirror published an article that contains several videos of Bahrainis who have joined ISIS. Among those who spoke about ISIS and supported them are Adel Almowada, a current member of the appointed upper house in the parliament, and extremist Sunni cleric and former member of elected house in the parliament Jassim Alsaeedi. Alsaeedi was temporarily banned from preaching at the mosque he usually preaches at in Isa Town. The ban came after he delivered a speech in which he called the Shias in Bahrain “polytheist”, which means they worship more than one God. The ban lasted for two weeks before the Minister of Justice allowed him to resume his preaching.
عاجل .. بأمر من وزير العدل وبعد التحقيق معي من قبل الأوقاف أمر الوزير بأرجاعي إلى منبر الخطابة .. الحمدلله
— د.جاسم السعيدي (@jassimalsaeedi) July 8, 2015
Urgent: After I was interrogated by the Sunni Endowment Directorate, the Minister of Justice has ordered to allow me go back to the podium. Thank God.
Alsaeedi has been known for his extreme discourse, full of blasphemy against the Shias in Bahrain. Yet, the decision by the Minister of Justice comes at a time when Bahrainis are calling for unity between Sunnis and Shiites.
Among measures taken by the Bahraini (MOI) to prevent an ISIS attack is install cameras in several Shia mosques around Bahrain in coordination with the Jaafari Endowment Directorate. However, Bahrain Mirror also published an article (in Arabic) saying that Bahraini authorities imposed these measures without involving those concerned in the decision. Many reject the installation of cameras inside the mosques because they don't trust the government's intentions, like in this Hamad Town mosque, where the local community refuses to have cameras installed:
🔴 منتسبو الأجهزة الأمنية برفقة الأوقاف أثناء محاولتهم تركيب كاميرات مراقبة داخل مسجد الزهراء ع في #مدينة_حمد#البحرين pic.twitter.com/EtZ7rVWpMs
— LuaLuaTVقناة اللؤلؤة (@LuaLuaTV) July 14, 2015
Security personnel, accompanied by endowment directorate staff try to install monitoring cameras inside Al Zahraa Mosque in Hamad Town
This mistrust of the authorities is evident all over social media. Bahraini doctor Ebrahim Alaradi tweets to his 17K followers after police visited a mosque in A'ali where a joint prayer between Sunnis and Shiites was held:
علی شبابنا في عالي تفتيش جامع عالي مرة أخری بعد خروج مرتزقة وزارة الداخلية منه للتأكد والسلامة . نظام يقتلنا لن يحمينا #Bahrain
— Dr.Ebrahim Alaradi (@EBRAHIM_ALARADI) July 3, 2015
We urge our people in Aali to inspect the mosque again after the departure of mercenaries from the Ministry of Interior for reassurance and safety. A regime that kills us will not protect us
Meanwhile, on Twitter, ISIS member who goes by the name Abu Hajar Alanzi tweeted direct threats to the government:
احشدوا ما شئتم واؤتونا بخيلكم وخيلائكم فلقد لبس شباب التوحيد الاحزمة وركبوا مراكب الموت مستعدين لنيل احدا الحسنيين
— أبو هاجر العنزي (@abohajr2015) July 3, 2015
Rally up what you want, our youth have worn the belts and boarded the boats of death, ready to earn their rewards
حسبوا انهم سيخمدوا نار الغيرة من صدور الغيارا وما علموا انهم سكبوا البنزين على النار #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين فالظلم يصحي الامم من غفلتها
— أبو هاجر العنزي (@abohajr2015) July 5, 2015
They thought they will extinguish the fire inside us for our religion, they don't know they poured gasoline on fire for injustice awakens nations of their negligence
لتتعلم حكومة البحرين من غيرها فالسعيد من اتعض بغيره والايام ستبدي ما أقول #انسعار_داخلية_البحرين
— أبو هاجر العنزي (@abohajr2015) July 5, 2015
Bahrain's government should learn from others
For the happy is the one who learned from others,
The days will prove what I say
It seems that the government of Bahrain picks and chooses what to announce to the public. While the arrests of ISIS members and supporters go unnoticed, the government never fails to announce the arrest of protestors and opposition members whom they prosecute according to its terrorism law, and publishes their personal information, including their names and photographs even before they are put on trial.

author: Faten Bushehri


text:
Australian Artist Jailed in UAE For Posting “Bad Words” on Facebook · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Australian artist Jodi Magi was arrested and deported from the UAE for posting on Facebook a photograph of a car parked across two disabled parking spots.
Australian artist Jodi Magi found herself in a UAE prison after she posted on Facebook a photo of a parked car blocking two disabled parking spaces outside her apartment block in Abu Dhabi.
Despite blacking out the car's license plate number, the 39-year-old artist was convicted of “writing bad words on social media about a person,” jailed, and then deported, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Magi was arrested when she went to pay a fine and was just released after spending 53 hours in prison. On her Facebook page, she describes her traumatic experience saying:
After 53 hours in custody, having been shackled at the ankles, strip-searched, blood tested, forced to sleep on a concrete floor without a mattress or pillow and having no access to toilet paper or eating utensils, I can happily say I AM SAFE & OUT OF JAIL AND ABU DHABI!
Obviously, I think a $3600 fine and deportation with a complimentary incarceration period was an extreme reaction to a jpg of a car when I did not swear or mention a single name and blocked the registration plate.
Magi shares what she saw in the Abu Dhabi prison for women:
Even though I am pretty traumatised by my own experience, what has affected me more are the many, many stories told to me by my fellow inmates at both the jails I ‘visited’. I will be forever heartbroken by the treatment of these inspiring and courageous women from the Philippines, India, Nigeria, Russia, Uganda, Bangladesh, Syria etc at the hands of the U.A.E. ‘Justice System’.
If you think what happened to me was insane, spend a couple of days in an Abu Dhabi jail; I have nothing to complain about compared to the vast majority of women I met whose only crime was being poor, marrying the wrong guy, getting pregnant outside of marriage or/and being victims of rampant and systemic police corruption where ‘evidence’, ‘ethics’ and ‘due process’ are unheard of concepts.
Among numerous acts of kindness to me, these ladies welcomed me to The Big House with “We are your family now”, gave me a spoon to eat with, found me a blanket and a book to read and even sent me on my way to freedom with snacks in case I got hungry at the airport.
She vows to help:
I will do what I can to contact some of their families and let them know how/where they are, but I still feel incredibly guilty leaving them in there when I am typing this from the luxury of an airport restaurant.
I know 1000% after hearing their stories that I would never have been released in such a speedy fashion without a) my Australian nationality, b) the media coverage (surreal), c) the belated efforts of the embassy and d) all of the support from my friends as well as people I have never even met.
On Twitter, Human Rights Watch (HRW) Middle East and North Africa executive director Sarah Leah Whitson quipped:
post evidence of law-breaking, face deportation in #UAE – #Australia woman arrested in Abu Dhabi to be deported soon http://t.co/yCHdMi7fZn
— Sarah Leah Whitson (@sarahleah1) July 14, 2015
In 2012, the UAE enacted a new cyber crime law that has been condemned by human rights groups, among them Human Rights Watch, which described the decree as “a serious threat to the liberty of peaceful activists and ordinary citizens alike.”
At the time the law was passed, HRW said in a statement:
The decree’s vaguely worded provisions provide a legal basis to prosecute and jail people who use information technology to, among other things, criticize senior officials, argue for political reform, or organize unlicensed demonstrations. Although some provisions are aimed at preventing the proliferation of racist or sectarian views online, the principal effect of the law is severe restrictions on the rights to free expression and free association and assembly.
[…]
Article 29 provides the same penalties for anyone using information technology “with the intent of deriding or harming the reputation, stature, or status of the state, any of its institutions, its president or vice president, the rulers of the emirates, their crown princes or their deputies, the state flag, national safety, its motto, its national anthem, or its symbols.”
[…]
By enabling the authorities to imprison anyone who makes any critical comment about the country or its rulers, the new decree is at odds with international free speech standards.
It is not clear what was offensive in Magi's photograph, which aimed at highlighting the disregard of many to traffic rules and regulations.


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Bangladesh’s Rich Iftar Tradition in 12 Spectacular Photos · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

Chowkbazaar of old Dhaka is the place for the traditional Iftar market in Bangladesh. According to historians, the market started before 1857. Image by SK Hasan Ali. Copyright: Demotix (30/6/2014)
The streets in Bangladesh's capital are turning into open buffets for iftar, the sunset meal during the Islamic month of fasting Ramzan, or Ramadan as it is called in Arabic.
More than 90 per cent of Bangladesh's population is Muslim. So it is no surprise that in Ramzan — when Muslims refrain from food, drink, and sex from sunrise to sunset — the culture around food in the country transforms.
From restaurants in luxurious hotels to small street vendors, everyone has a special menu and lay-out during this month. On the road side, sizzling iftar items are transferred from open air stoves to street-side displays, as vendors call out to customers.
This BDNews24.com video gives a peek at the grand atmosphere of the Iftar market in old Dhaka's traditional Chowk Bazaar, which historians say has been around for about four centuries.
According to historians, some of Dhaka's “shahi” or royal iftar foods date back to the sixteenth century, when Dhaka was part of the Mughal empire.
Shahi Jilapi (fried swirls of dough soaked in sugar water), a famous sweet delicacy of Dhaka. It dates back to the Mughal period. Image by Reporter#11455. Copyright: Demotix (21/7/2012).
Shahi Haleem (a meat lentil stew/soup). Image by Reporter#11455. Copyright: Demotix (5/9/2009).
Shahi doi bora (fried and spiced lentil balls dipped in yoghurt) is a special kind of dish often included in an Iftar Menu. Image by Fahad Kaizer. Copyright: Demotix (30/6/2014)
Blogger Boka Manush Bolte Chai writes:
ষোড়শ শতকে মোঘল সাম্রাজ্য বিস্তৃত হয়ে ঢাকায় ডেরা ফেলার সময়টায় তারা সাথে করে নিয়ে আসে তাদের রাঁধুনি দলকে। কারণ, মোঘলদের অন্যতম বৈশিষ্ট্য ছিল আরাম আয়েশ আর বিলাস বহুল জীবনাচার যার অন্যতম অনুষঙ্গ ছিল তাদের মুখরোচক নানান খাবার দাবার। আর এসব খাবারের অন্যতম উপাদান ছিল হরেক রকম মশলা আর তেলের যথেষ্ট ব্যবহার। আর মোঘলদের এই বিলাসী জীবন যাপনের জন্য সাথে করে বয়ে আনা কর্মচারী-খানসামা-বাবুর্চি একসময় যথেষ্ট হয়ে উঠে না, ফলে আশেপাশের লোকালয় হতে বহু লোকের চাকুরী জোটে মোঘল পরিবারসমূহে। অন্যান্য পদের মত হেঁসেলেও স্থান হয় কতিপয় রন্ধন কারিগরের। আর তাদের হাত ধরেই মোঘল খাবার প্রাসাদের বাইরে বিস্তৃতি পায়।
In the sixteenth century the Mughal empire expanded its reign to Dhaka. When they first built a camp in Dhaka, they brought their own cooking team. Mughals cherished their comfort and led a luxurious lifestyle. Their culinart art was one of the important parts of their way of life. Their cooks used extravagant spices and excess oil to make the food delicious. To keep pace with the luxury of living of the Mughal families their own employed waiters and cooks were not enough and so they hired many local people to serve them. Some of them were trained in the Mughal culinary arts. Through these cook, Mughal cuisine spread in Dhaka city outside of the palaces.
Suti Kabab (marinated minced meat kebab bound together in threads). Image by Reporter#11455. Copyright: Demotix (12/8/2010)
‘Raan’ roast – Mutton leg roast – It is also popular as a wedding ceremony dish. Image by SK Hasan Ali. Copyright: Demotix (30/6/2014)
Whole chicken roasts at the Iftar market. Image by SK Hasan Ali. Copyright: Demotix (30/6/2014).
A whole goat roast. Image by Firoz Ahmed. Copyright: Demotix (21/7/2012).
When selling the boro baper polay khai, vendors usually sing out this rhyme: boro baper polai khai, thonga bhoira loiya jai  or the big shot’s son eats it and buys a packet to take home.
The most popular delicacy “boro baper polay khai”, made by 13 spices and ghee including a mixture of chickpeas, beef brain, minced meat, potatoes, dried rice, egg, chicken. Image by Firoj Ahmed. Copyright Demotix (21/7/2012)
And at the average Bengali household, this is what the iftar spread looks like:
Kept it simple for the first #iftar #alhamdulillah #ramadanmubarak #ramadan #bengalifood #bengalicooking #bangladeshifood #indianfood #pakistanifood #instafood
A photo posted by @foodandstuff___ on
The Iftar is not only limited to family feasts in Bangladesh. It also helps build community bonds. The caption below says, “Buddhist monks are serving food (Iftar) to hundreds of poor Muslims during Ramadan. This is an example of social harmony between religions in Bangladesh.”
“Bangladeş'in başkenti Dakka'daki bir Budist tapınağı, her gün müslümanlara iftar yemeği veriyor..”@ntahakilinc #bangladesh #dakka #budist #müslüman #iftaryemeği A photo posted by طوبا (@tubadursun793) on
People gathering to break their fast together at Teacher Student Centre (TSC), University of Dhaka. Image by Mohammad Asad. Copyright: Demotix (29/6/2015).
Asha writes in a blog:
In Bangladesh, a wide variety of foods is prepared to break the fast at Maghrib (evening prayer) time. Some of the common iftar items from Bangladeshi cuisine include Piyaji (made of lentils paste, chopped onions, green chilies, like falafel), Beguni (made of thin slices of eggplant dipped in a thin batter of gram flour), Jilapi, Muri ( puffed rice similar to Rice Krispies ) , yellow lentil grains, usually soaked in water and spiced with onion, garlic, chilli and other iftar items), Haleem, dates, samosas, Dal Puri (a type of lentil based savoury pastry), Chola (cooked chickpeas), fish kabab, mughlai paratha (stuffed fried bread with minced meat and spices), pitha, traditional Bengali sweets and different types of fruits such as watermelon. Drinks such as Rooh Afza and lemon sharbat are common on iftar tables across the country. People like to have iftar at home with all family members and iftar parties are also arranged by mosques.
Blogger Mohammad Ilius Chawdhury writes about the rush at a mall during iftar time in Somewhereinblog:
ইফতার সময়ের আধ ঘন্টা আগে এসেও দেখি এই লেভেলে তিল ধারণ করার স্থানটুকু নেই। সব সীট বুকড। তারপর করিড়োর, হাটার চিপা গলি, মেঝের মাঝখান সব খানেই ব্লকড। কিছু খাবার অর্ডার দিয়ে যে নিয়ে আসবো সেই পথটুকুও যেন বন্ধ। […]
Half an hour before iftar time I reached the food court level. It was so crowded. All the seats were booked. Even corridors, narrow walking lanes and section of the floor were blocked by people waiting for Iftar. There was no way to get pass them to some Iftar from the food court […]

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


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Historic Iran Nuclear Deal Finishes in Vienna · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Frederica Mogherini and Javad Zarif announce their arrival at the final nuclear agreement in Vienna Tuesday morning following their final meeting.
The deadline was Monday night, and many were sure that an agreement would be a done deal before the day's end. But there would be one more delay before the two long years of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, which began with moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's administration in 2013, would come to a close.
#IranTalks done. We have the agreement. #IranDeal
— Federica Mogherini (@FedericaMog) July 14, 2015
A deal was announced in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and on his way to the final meetings, Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister and head of the Iranian negotiation team, told the press:
We are reaching an agreement that is not perfect for anybody, but it is what we could accomplish, and it is an important achievement for all of us. Today could have been the end of hope on this issue. But now we are starting a new chapter of hope.
Iranians both inside and outside of the country are welcoming the deal as a harbinger of hope. Economic progress is expected, alongside a cautious sense of optimism for the countries well-known human rights concerns.
#IranDeal shows constructive engagement works. With this unnecessary crisis resolved, new horizons emerge with a focus on shared challenges.
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) July 14, 2015
Nuclear Accord with Iran is a Victory 4 Diplomacy & Peace http://t.co/WgOAm3ySpR #IranDeal #IranTalksVienna by @ICHRI pic.twitter.com/ake4y4lvyH
— Omid Memarian (@Omid_M) July 14, 2015
this should be day of (cautious) celebration for human rights defenders, breath of fresh air, inspiration to work harder.
— sarah grow (@podocnjace) July 14, 2015
A Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will be soon released, but here are the basics that are expected from the deal:


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Disappeared Juvenile Iranian-Kurdish Activist Resurfaces Months After Scheduled Execution · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Uncertainty existed over Saman Naseem's death after international pressure to prevent his execution. Image taken from the Amnesty International campaign to stop Saman Naseem's execution. Photo: Amnesty International.
Saman Naseem, a juvenile Kurdish activist who went through a five month period of disappearance since his scheduled execution in February was able to call his relatives from prison this past weekend, according to Amnesty International. The day before he was due to be executed, he was transferred to an unknown location, which has now been confirmed to be Zanjan Prison. Neither his family nor lawyers were given any concrete information about his whereabouts until now.
Global Voices followed the story of the 22 year old Saman Naseem last winter as activists petitioned for the release of the Kurdish activist arrested while he was still a teenager for being a member of an armed Kurdish opposition group.
Activists and lawyers working on Naseem's case, alongside his family were left in the dark about the status of his case and whereabouts after his scheduled execution was cancelled. Working until the last minute, several campaigns placed international pressure on Iran to stop the execution on February 19. His death sentence and imprisonment is unjustified under Iran's own laws and international obligations, given that Naseem was a minor (just 17 years old) when he was arrested.
In a statement on Naseem's Amnesty Campaign page, Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa explained:
The welcome revelation that Saman Naseem was not executed and will receive a retrial is incredible news for his relatives, but raises very troubling questions about what the authorities have been doing to him while they held him in secret.


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In Sweeping Effort to Spy on Civil Society, Macedonia Broke Its Own Privacy Laws · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

Skopje, Macedonia. 17th May 2015 — Tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets of Macedonia's capital on Sunday, waving Macedonian and Albanian flags and calling for the government to resign. Photo by Aitor Sáez. Copyright Demotix
Bardhyl Jashari, a leading civil liberties advocate in Macedonia and editor of Global Voices’ Albanian site, received an unmarked folder last month from the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia. Inside the folder, Bardhyl found a CD containing audio recordings of conversations that he had had by telephone from 2009 to 2013. Though startled at first, he wasn't surprised by what he found: hours and hours of conversations with his co-workers from Metamorphosis Foundation and other stakeholders, government officials, and even his family members.
Over the last six months, the Social Democratic Union, Macedonia's leading opposition political party, has released troves of hard evidence of a broad-based government wiretapping program affecting journalists, NGO workers, and political activists in the southern European nation since at least 2009. The opposition party, known as SDSM, claims to have obtained these records from whistleblowers within the Ministry of Interior. But they are now using them to expose the wrongdoing of the ruling party and, most likely, to draw more supporters into their own ranks.
Others like Bardhyl have had similar discoveries. Violeta Gligoroska, who works for the Open Society Institute, was handed recordings of numerous conversations she had had with journalists applying to the foundation for support.
Xhabir Deralla, who works with a local NGO known as Civil, told local news site Meta.mk that he felt “angry and disappointed” by the tapes, but that it also confirmed his beliefs about the impact his work was having on public life.
…When such a Government wiretaps you, it means that you are on the right track. And I want to thank them for listening. All the time while we thought they didn’t care about our advice and our work, they listened and recorded us. In coordination with my colleagues, we will use all legal measures.
The surveillance program has also hit a nerve within the broader public. Tens of thousands of people in Skopje, Macedonia's capital city, have taken to the streets on multiple occasions over the last seven months to protest new tax measures, school reforms, and most recently, the wiretap program.
While the ethics of the SDSM initiative may seem questionable, the opposition party has done well to illustrate the government's flagrant disregard for its own laws. This is not news to anyone in Macedonia, but the hard evidence has been welcomed by rights advocates who have worked for years to improve transparency and increase public accountability for spending and policymaking by the ruling government.
Macedonia's constitution explicitly protects the right to privacy. But amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications adopted by the Parliament in June 2010 stipulated that telecom operators provide police with direct, unfettered access to all traffic data. NGOs including Open Society Foundation Macedonia, Metamorphosis and Transparency Macedonia contested this before the Constitutional Court, arguing that the government was violating the privacy of personal communications — and they won. The court ruled to strike the amendments in December 2010.
Bardhyl Jashari. Global Voices profile photo.
Under Macedonian law, the government must implement and comply with decisions made by the Constitutional Court — in fact, it is illegal for them not to do so. But this did not stop the government from sneaking those same provisions back into the law two years later.
Under more recent reforms, authorities have required telecommunications operators to build “back doors” into their technologies so that the Security and Counterintelligence Service, known as UBK, can listen to the conversations of just about anyone it chooses. Although the Constitution requires that the UBK obtain a court order before doing so, the new policy and practice disregards this requirement altogether.
It seems that the telecom operators have been compliant in this illegal surveillance scheme all along. The majority of its wiretap operations have taken place on the networks of Macedonian Telekom, the country's formerly state-owned leading telecom. The German telco Deutsche Telekom (which also operates in the US as T-Mobile) owns 51 percent of the company, through its Hungarian subsidiary Magyar Telecom. They have announced plans to conduct internal investigations on the matter.
These revelations also coincide with Macedonia's ongoing effort to join the European Union. With public discontent and political corruption seemingly at a record high, the European Commission deployed a review committee to visit and interview government officials and independent organizations involved in politics and civic life in Macedonia.In June, the committee reported on its findings [pdf], stating that UBK “can intercept communications directly, autonomously and unimpeded, regardless of whether a court order has or has not been issued in accordance with the Law on Interception of Communications.”
The committee urged that the “considerable gap between legislation and practice [had] to be urgently addressed and overcome,” and concluded that the government needs to implement fundamental reforms to the legal and technical processes by which communications surveillance takes place in the country:
The UBK should have no direct access to the technical equipment allowing mirroring of the communication signal. The proprietary switches should be moved to the premises of the telecommunication providers. The providers should activate and divert signals to the competent law enforcement agencies (Police, Customs Administration and Financial Police) or the security agencies (the Security and Counterintelligence Service (UBK), the Intelligence Agency, and the Ministry of Defence's military security and intelligence service) only upon receipt of the relevant court order, and only for the purposes of lawful interceptions. Under no circumstances should the UBK have the practical capability to capture communications directly.
The report also noted that:
Bodies which in a properly functioning democracy would be among the more important oversight and control bodies, such as the State Election Commission, the Directorate for Personal Data Protection and the Parliamentary oversight committees, appear unwilling to carry out their mandate. By contrast, the Ombudsman's genuine efforts are hampered by other institutions.
The EU Council has since called upon the Macedonian government to implement all recommendations of the Commission, including those concerning fundamental rights and media reform.
It is worth noting that at present, it appears that the only individuals who have faced prosecution as a result of the recordings are those who have been punished for making, obtaining, releasing and publishing the interceptions. Despite the fact that the tapes reveal many levels of political corruption at much deeper levels, only the interceptions themselves seem to be of concern to the current regime.
Alongside other NGOs that were targeted by the wiretapping program, Metamorphosis is working to investigate and once again challenge the government's actions on constitutional grounds. In Macedonia's current political climate, this will be a steep climb.

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle


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The Consequences of India’s Lack of Toilets Go Beyond Hygiene · Global Voices
Sakshi Rai

After the alleged rape and gruesome murder of two sisters stirred the nation’s conscience, a country-wide “Toilet for Every House” campaign was launched from the infamous village in Uttar Pradesh. Image by Deepak Malik. Copyright Demotix (31/8/2014)
Almost half of India's 1.2 billion people, especially those living in villages, lack flush toilet facilities inside their home and have to defecate in the open or in dry unhygienic pits. This makes for more than 72% of people in rural areas.
In the Baseline Survey Government Report of 2012 by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, states like Odisha (88%), Bihar (79%), Jharkhand (72%), Jammu and Kashmir (75%), and Telangana (74%) recorded a high percentage of individual households without toilets. The practice has ultimately given rise to deepening social problems in India.
On July 4th 2015, a 17-year-old teenager in Dumka, Jharkand, who was ashamed of defecating outdoors allegedly killed herself after her parents denied her repeated request to build a toilet. Last year, two teenage girls in Katra Badaun District, Uttar Pradesh, were found allegedly gang raped and hanged from a tree. It was reported that the girls had gone to relieve themselves at night in the open and had not returned.
Open defecation is a major reason for harassment among adolescent girls and women. Deforestation has made it harder to find places for open defecation in villages. Young girls and women are trying to find their voice in an attempt to bring attention to this issue.
On 15 August 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first Independence Day speech called for a ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India Mission), focused on the importance of establishing proper sanitation facilities in every school in India. He said:
This is a shame for a country that has global aspirations and that the lack of sanitary conveniences is demeaning to women.
Some regions of India have taken this discourse more seriously than others. Ludhiana is set to have 100 villages free of open defecation under this scheme by 2017. Previous campaigns like ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’ tried to create the ‘demand of toilets’ but were largely unsuccessful.
Modi’s initiative has brought this pressing concern back into the mainstream narrative. Reactions on social media are evident of this rising awareness:
#ShamelessBJD 88%household in Odisha don't have toilet. http://t.co/B1aJRgWqdh
— Srilok Nath Ratha (@snrath) June 30, 2015
Peeing in public lands 109 in jail for 24 hrs. Not very viable cure in India where 635 million have no access to toilet.
— Silva Paananen (@SilvaPaananen) June 27, 2015
During a conference organised by the University of Chicago Centre in New Delhi, Nitya Jacob, the head of policy at water and sanitation NGO WaterAid, advocating “mainstreaming” water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in Indians’ daily lives. People are more likely to resort to defecating in open despite well- constructed toilets because it is considered healthier. Providing access to clean water is another challenge that requires attention. Experts are therefore sceptical that building more toilets alone will bring a change in sanitary habits among communities.
In an article for Huffington Post India, Jacob, alongside Amitangshu Acharya, the program director for aid and development software company Avko's Asia hub, point out a different side to this problem:
Most engineers in government departments are men, while women are the demographic that predominantly support the building of toilets. Male engineers tend to focus more on technical accuracy than on women's (and other users’) need for design that caters to their privacy and menstrual hygiene management needs.
They further add that the quality of toilets built make it impractical to use:
The angle of the toilet pan is not steep enough, or the pipe that connects the pan to the pit is not sloped properly, or the pit collapses on its own weight.
India’s poor hygiene attitude is deeply influenced from their discriminatory caste system. Due to the lack of drainage system, manual scavenging (cleaning human waste by hand) was designated to the lowest caste called “the untouchables”, a practice that is very much prevalent among upper castes to this day.
Sameer Kamat sheds light on this matter:
There are documented cases of manual scavenging even in big towns/villages. For example in a sample survey in Delhi in 2008, 13 people working as manual scavengers were identified. Another example is Meerut, one of the prime towns of UP, only 60kms from the National Capital. During a Sample Survey in Meerut in 2010, 392 Manual Scavengers were documented.
While finding the correlation between religion and toilet use in India, Jacqueline Cieslak, PhD scholar, argues about the innovative ways adopted to abstain people from urinating in public:
[…] the practice of affixing pictures of gods on the walls of public buildings in India to prevent men from urinating on them. This is a kind of proxy faith in other people’s beliefs and their readiness to change their behaviour for those beliefs — in other words, one doesn’t have to believe in Hindu gods to believe that people who do believe in them won’t urinate on them.
Given the facts, subsequently, one can conclude that upper castes are more likely to avail the benefits of this scheme. Therefore, there is a need to instil awareness among communities and not just individuals on the importance of latrine hygiene to bring a change in perception. This would require more funds allocated to “creating awareness” than “creating demands for toilets” in ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ programme along with assiduous monitoring to evaluate results.

author: Sakshi Rai


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The German Voices on the Greek Crisis You Aren’t Hearing · Global Voices
Lena Nitsche

From German traditional media it may seem seem that Germany is united in pushing for another round of hardline austerity and reform policies against its weaker Eurozone member Greece. However, within alternative media and German Internet or social media communities, anti-austerity voices that align themselves with the Greek people are loud and clear.
Germany is one of Greece's largest creditors and as the Eurozone’s biggest economy it holds considerable sway over Greece's bailout program. Germany's government wants Greece to enforce more austerity and repay its loans, and has even suggested a temporary exit of Greece from the Eurozone if it fails to do so.
Also read: Forget a ‘Grexit’. Twitter Users Want Germany's Finance Minister to Go Instead
Despite two bailout packages in 2010 and 2011, the Greek economy never recovered from the European debt crisis of 2009. The packages were bound by strict austerity measures from bailout creditors International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission, and the European Central Bank — also known as the Troika.
On German public TV station ZDF, the popular satire television show “Die Anstalt” ran a skit that shows the Troika bullying the Greek God Zeus and telling him to “stop his rumbling” for the Greek people. In the following video in German, with English and Greek subtitles, the satirists tell Zeus “We are the Troika. We are Gods”:
On June 30, Greece became the first developed country to fail to make an IMF loan repayment, pushing the country into a crisis with its fellow Eurozone members. As images of distraught Greeks lining up at ATM machines appeared on to newspapers around the world, the Greece government under Prime Minister Tsipras came out strongly in opposition to creditors and called for a reform of credit terms. In a referendum that followed, Greek voters rejected further financial austerity measures.
But Eurozone members — led by Germany — aren't budging.
On July 13, after 31 hours of discussions, Eurozone leaders and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reached an agreement that would mean billions more in loans for cash-strapped Greece in exchange for implementing even more painful austerity. Greece's parliament is expected to vote on the package later this week.
Blogger Ingo Stützle explains the extent of Germany's dominance in the Eurozone, the monetary union of 19 European Union members that use the Euro as their common currency:
Wie weit Deutschland in seiner Selbstherrlichkeit geht, zeigte Merkel bereits im Juni 2010, als sie forderte, dass Ländern mit finanzpolitischem Schlendrian das Stimmrecht entzogen werden müsste … Wenige Monate später konnte ohne Umsetzung dieser fixen Idee, die Staatsverschuldung quasi als Menschenrechtsverletzung wertet, der CDU-Fraktionschef Volker Kauder befriedigt feststellen: »Jetzt auf einmal wird in Europa Deutsch gesprochen. Nicht in der Sprache, aber in der Akzeptanz der Instrumente, für die Angela Merkel so lange und dann erfolgreich gekämpft hat.«
Merkel showed back in June of 2010 just how far Germany will go in its arrogance, as she declared that fiscally irresponsible countries must be stripped of their right to vote…just a few months later, without even acting on this ridiculous view of national debt as a kind of human rights violation, CDU Party Chief Volker Kauder could claim with satisfaction: “Now all of a sudden German is spoken in Europe. Not in the language, but in the acceptance of the instruments Angela Merkel has so long and successfully fought for.”
The economist Thomas Piketty, said in an interview with ZEIT newspaper that the German formula for success after the Second World War is based, among other things, on a crucial factor: debt reduction. In 1953, almost 60 percent of Germany's debt was forgiven. In the current Greek crisis, the prevalent argument is that reparation payments from World War II should not be conflated with the Greek debt situation.
A look at Germany's Internet community and social media shows arguments and perspectives that reveal a completely different German view towards the Greek crisis. These views also show that many Germans want a balanced, factual, and less-ideological approach to Greece—one that also allows for criticism of austerity policies.
Nach der schwülen Anspannung des Tages ein erlösendes #Oxi und Gewitter über Berlin: “Hurra, diese Welt geht unter” http://t.co/RzfyxU2iMf
— aaron (@bruckmiller) 5. Juli 2015
After the humid tension of the day, a cathartic #Oxi and thunderstorms over Berlin: “Hurray, the world is ending!”
immer wenn ich was Unkonformes zu Griechenland twittere, entfolgen mich welche. Austeritätskritik ist wohl der neue Feminismus.
— Katrin Rönicke (@dieKadda) July 6, 2015
Whenever I tweet something nonconformist about Greece, some people stop following me.
Looks like criticism of austerity is the new feminism.
Enteignet Springer und entschuldet Griechenland mit den Milliarden. Irgendwie bin ich heute in Revolutionsstimmung.
— Johannes Korten (@jkorten) 7. Juli 2015
Expropriate Springer and write off Greek debt in the billions. [Reference to a West German student movement in the late 1960s.] For some reason I’m in a revolutionary mood today.
Deutsche Massenmedien & internationale zu Griechenland vergleichen, solang es der Blutdruck erlaubt & der Zustand der dt. Medien wird klar.
— Marcel Weiss (@marcelweiss) 6. Juli 2015
Compare international and German mass media on Greece, as long as your blood pressure allows it, and the state of German media becomes clear.
Wolfgang Blau also writes in his  Facebook post that more voices from Germany need to be heard in Greece and Europe to strengthen a civilized discourse in Europe. He leaves readers with an artistic—not journalistic— video from Greece that should give many people, and in particular journalists in Europe, cause for reflection:
You know that this video could begin or end with an imposing shot of the Acropolis. Or the Olympics. Or the deep blue waters of the Aegean. Or with people losing their jobs and homes. Or others sleeping in tiny carton boxes. Or others driving luxurious cars. But this shall not happen. Because this video wasn't made to impress nor to shock you. Because these words are not a scream. They're a whisper.
Also read: Journalist Asteris Masouras Hopes Solidarity Will Save Greece
The crisis in Greece has stirred criticism towards Germany's traditional media. Many feel that ideology drowns out any objective facts or criticism of austerity policies in the German media’s coverage of the issue.
Wolfgang Blau of The Guardian expresses concern in this Facebook post about the anti-Greece campaign by the German tabloid newspaper Bild:
Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass eine deutsche Nachrichtenorganisation so entehrend und rücksichtslos sein könnte im Angesichts des Leidens einer anderen Nation.
I would have never thought that a German news organization could be so degrading and reckless with regard to the suffering of another nation.
Heiner Flassbeck writes in his blog Hassbeck economics that he constantly receives complaints from his readers of “tendentious, ideological, and even demagogic articles.”
This applies not only to tabloid newspapers, but also to high-quality regional media outlets. According to Flassbeck, what’s lacking in German news coverage is the perspective of the German Internet community:
Dass es im Internet inzwischen Qualitätsinformation und Analyse gibt, die in ihrer Objektivität und ihrer Klarheit von den traditionellen Medien niemals erreicht wird, davon ist natürlich überhaupt nicht die Rede.
No one is talking about the fact that there is now quality information and analysis available on the Internet, with an objectivity and clarity that the traditional media never achieve.

author: Lena Nitsche


text:
The Qurghonteppa Escape, Aka the Shawshank Redemption with a Tajik Twist · Global Voices
Abdulfattoh Shafiev

A now infamous jail in Tajikistan. Photo by RFE/RL, used under a CC license.
Last week a young, enterprising and dangerous inmate, jailed just months earlier for murdering and burning a woman, managed to escape confinement in an innovative fashion — by hiding in the trunk of a car driven by the head of the high-security prison where he was serving a 23-year sentence.
This is not a segment of a Hollywood or even Bollywood screenplay, but a real-life story from Tajikistan, a country where even the totally ridiculous (see Global Voices coverage here, here, here and here) no longer surprises.
The event last week might well have never surfaced in local news had the escaped inmate not had the misfortune of being noticed by exactly the same policeman who arrested him last year. When the policeman — who is being held up as a hero by Tajiks simply for doing his job — made the call to the jail, none of the penitentiary staff seemed aware that there was one less prisoner in the facility.
In the aftermath of the scandal the chief of prison and two of his deputies have been fired from their jobs.
Just like the movies
The Shawshank link was not lost on Tajik social media-ites who are converting their horror into comic relief as the ex-Soviet country flirts with full-blown absurdity.
One, named Qurbon commented:
О таких снимают фильмы!!!))))
They make movies about these stories.
Recalling other attempts by locals to dodge punishment, netizens remembered the local pop diva that dragged her handcuffed lover into her Lexus to escape sentencing by a local court but earned herself a two year sentence in the process, as well as the 25 inmates, including foreign nationals and some jailed for terrorism, who escaped a high security prison in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
One commenter on the Asia Plus website wrote:
уахахаххахахаахахаха когда нибудь прекратят наши органы смешить народ?
LoL. Will our security forces ever stop amusing us?
While another doubted that the penitentiary head drove the inmate away unknowingly:
Еще одна версия, по моему самая правдивая – за определенную (очень большую) сумму, начальник колонии вывез заключенного на свободу. В свете коррумпированности, и последних громких предательствах силовиков, это вполне возможно!
Another version, which I think is most close to the truth: for a huge amount of money the prison head drove the inmate out to freedom. Taking into account the corruption levels and the recent scandalous betrayal of our security forces [the defection of a top police chief to the ISIS terror group] this version is not far from reality.
O little town of Dangara
Notably, the penitentiary head was going to his hometown of Dangara, a small dusty place in southern Tajikistan that was insignificant until incumbent Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon came to power after the collapse of the Soviet Union and began packing his cabinet and security forces with residents of the 20,000 strong settlement and its surrounding district.
Several readers of the Tajik service of RFE/RL (Radio Ozodi) raised the issue of corruption in an impoverished country ranked 152nd of 175 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index:
Мухтарам раисон махсусан аз нохияи дангара дар тамоми сохторхо сардоршуда кор мекунед ахмият дихед наход одамкуш гурезад дар мошини шумою шумо хабар надоред.хайрият хамон милисаи вахдат шинохту дастгир карданд набошад шумо бехабаред.ман бисери сардорон (началникхо)ро мешиносам ки ё аз дангаранд е аз кулоб харуз бо мошин мераванду меоянд ин хело рох аст нархи бензин 5-6 сомон.оё маоши шумо мерасонад ин масрафро.
Dear leaders, especially those from Dangara, who seem to head all sectors! Please, pay more attention! How can a killer escape prison in your car and you don’t know about this? Good that the policeman in Vahdat [town not far from the capital Dushanbe] caught him. I know many of you [leaders] from Dangara or Kulob [a city close to Dangara and another home to many top managers in the country]. You drive to your home region every day despite the fact that gas is 5-6 Tajik Somonis [almost 1 USD per liter]. How does your salary cover all these expenses?
Сардор мошини Кэмри….. Маошаш чанд сомон асту, чанд нонхур дорад???
So the prison head owns a Toyota Camry… How much does he earn, how many dependents does he have?
In the name of law and order
Still others lauded the Vahdat policeman, who for the second year in a row detained the same dangerous murderer.
Мы гордимся тобой оперативный сотрудник! Ты просто молодец! Правительству стоило бы обращать внимание на заслуги таких сотрудников, поощрять их учитывать во время очередных и внеочередных кадровых перестановок. Долой национализм, регионализм и кумовство!
We are proud of you, policeman! Good job! The government should pay attention to the merits of such policemen, promote them. Say no to nationalism, regionalism, and nepotism!
Руководство колонии на хорошее мыло, так сказать, а опера из Вахдата представить к награде, однозначно. Мужик конкретного преступника поймал. А вдруг этот сбежавший еще кого нить зарезал бы. Короче, опер – МОЛОДЕЦ. Побольше бы таких милиционеров, спалось бы спокойнее.
The prison management should be fired, and the Vahdat policeman should be promoted. This guy detained a real criminal. Who knows, otherwise, he would perhaps murder someone else. We need more such policemen in order to sleep better at night.
Clearly the Vahdat policeman was only doing the job he gets paid for but taking into account public perceptions of inactivity or misactivity on the part of the police and other government structures in Tajikistan, the idea of an officer without a price tag has won him special attention and praise in the Central Asian country.

author: Abdulfattoh Shafiev