Beyond the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ of Catalonia’s Independence Referendum · Global Voices
Elisa Marvena

A woman rebukes the National Police during the Catalan referendum, on October 1st 2017. Photo by Vicens Forner Puig, with with permission.
With hashtags like #votarem (“we will vote”), citizens with the right to vote in Catalonia, a region in northeast Spain, published their photos and stories on social media while they participated in a controversial referendum on independence. The vote on 1 October was deemed illegal by the central government in Madrid, which considers it unconstitutional.
Catalonia's current independence process started in 2012, when the Catalan Parliament resolved to request authorisation from the government in Madrid to hold a referendum on self-determination. Despite Madrid's continuous rejection, supported by the country's Constitutional Court, the Catalan government unilaterally decided to call a non-binding consultation in 2014, and, finally, the referendum on 1 October.
While public TV channels and other mass media outlets were criticised for their coverage of events, every minute of election day could be followed on social media, which was filled with excited testimonies, people who spent the night outside the polling booths to prevent them being shut down, or videos of long queues and people waiting for hours to vote.
Images of elderly people entering or leaving the voting booths amid applause from their neighbours were particularly popular. Their key role throughout the process led to slogans such as “sense les àvies no hi ha revolució” (“without grandmothers there is no revolution”) or “nuestros abuelos no se tocan” (“hands off our grandparents”).
En moments de tanta repressió, hi ha determinacions que alleugeren #Votarem#Santspic.twitter.com/Six1QMZBJR
— Gemma Garcia (@gemma_g_fabrega) October 1, 2017
In moments of so much repression, determination like this is a relief.
The violent actions of the state's security forces were without a doubt one of the most debated subjects, from videos of buses full of police leaving from Cordoba, on the other side of the country, to images of Basque firemen who traveled to join Catalan firemen in defending the polls. The debate over if the repression was justified, and whether the referendum was illegal, was a fiery one.
Catalans were not the only people reacting to violence with indignation. For example, in a viral tweet, Patricia Horrillo, an activist and journalist in Madrid, argued that criticism of police repression should be independent of personal political views:
Puedes no estar de acuerdo con el independentismo, pero si ves las imágenes de la represión policial de hoy y no te escandalizas, míratelo.
— Patricia Horrillo (@PatriHorrillo) October 1, 2017
You may not agree with the independence movement, but if you see today's images of police repression and are not outraged, look again.
This reaction to the brutality could also be seen on the streets, where protests were called in solidarity with the Catalan people in different parts of the country, such as Madrid, Seville or Granada.
Empieza la concentración en apoyo a #Cataluña en la Puerta del Sol pic.twitter.com/wdlQQFdede
— La Marea (@lamarea_com) October 1, 2017
The rally in support of #Catalonia at the Puerta del Sol is starting.
Beyond the referendum results and the tension around the country's fate, social media circulated some conciliatory anecdotes, like the viral photos and videos of people going to vote dressed in the Spanish flag, the flag of the Second Spanish Republic (which came to an end in 1939; Spain is currently a constitutional monarchy), or the shirt of the national football team. These moments of solidarity across political divides were repeated during the strike called two days later to protest police repression.
Así hacemos aquí la revolución. Que no os engañen los medios. #3Oct#VagaGeneral3Opic.twitter.com/uSL3862R9f
— Queer Punk Riot (@QueerPunkRiot) October 3, 2017
This is how we do revolution here. Don't let the media fool you.
Many citizens decided not to participate in the vote, as they considered it illegitimate or pointless. However, after witnessing the images of repression, many others who had not intended to vote expressed their determination to do so as a gesture of protest and joined the strike in solidarity.
Este gesto no necesita de explicaciones. Este es el buen camino. pic.twitter.com/zKtZhOXkmv
— José García Molina (@josegarmolina) October 3, 2017
Image text: I don't want independence, but I can't stay home while my people are beaten!
Tweet: This gesture needs no explanation. This is the way.
Thus, some of the voters who said “no” to independence explained on social media their decision to participate in the referendum as an exercise in defending what they still consider a democratic right. For example, in the video below by Euronews, a protester who voted “NO” explains his reasons for going to the strike:
Un manifestante que votó “NO” en el #CatalanReferendum explica los motivos por los que ha ido a la huelga @fenixenflames#VagaGeneral3Opic.twitter.com/SvBY2wKR6u
— euronews español (@euronewses) October 3, 2017
Protester: I think that in a democracy we all have to vote, and no matter what our opinion is we must show it. I'm also here to protest against the violence inflicted on my people, the Catalan people. It's completely disproportionate, for people who only wanted to voice their opinion.
Videographer: Where are you from?
Protester: I'm from Esplugues. Esplugues in Llobregat.
Videographer: Are you pro-independence?
Protester: No.
Videographer: What have you got there? Which flag is that you've got there?
Protester: Ah, this is the Spanish republican flag.
Videographer: Did you vote in the referendum?
Protester: I voted.
Videographer: What did you vote?
Protester: I voted “no”. I voted “no”. I stayed until the poll closed to stop them from taking the ballots.
The referendum also brought to light certain contradictions for some citizens who did not feel included in the process from the start, or who did not have the privilege of participating in it. In an article in the newspaper El Salto, feminist activist Ana Burgos, who is from the region of Andalusia but lives in Catalonia, wondered, “What is an Andalusian doing defending anything here, with all the Andalusphobic rubbish that I put up with every day”:
Durante el inicio y desarrollo del procés nunca me sentí interpelada: un liderazgo convergente que poco tenía que ver conmigo en una sociedad –como tantas otras– profundamente clasista, racista y patriarcal cuyo proyecto político nacional, poco autocrítico, no me representaba. (…)
Entonces, las ofensas al pueblo por parte de Rajoy [el presidente] y sus secuaces nos hicieron salir a defender un proceso del que desconfiábamos y unas instituciones en las que no creíamos, o al menos problematizábamos, muchas de nosotras. (…) Y es que más bien nos estábamos echando a las calles a defender a nuestras hermanas y vecinas, a un pueblo al que le está cayendo la del pulpo.
From the start of the process and throughout its development, I never felt included: a convergent leadership that had little to do with me in a society that is – like so many others – profoundly classist, racist and patriarchal, and whose national political project, with very little self-criticism, did not represent me. […]
So, the offenses against the people committed by [Spanish President Mariano] Rajoy and his followers drove us to take to the streets to defend a process that we did not trust and institutions that we did not believe in, or at least that many of us saw as problematic. […] And the thing is we were really taking to the streets to defend our sisters and neighbours, a people who were getting a beating.
Another of the criticisms and contradictions that was highlighted made reference to the hundreds of thousands of migrants residing in Catalonia, but who do not have citizenship, and therefore were excluded from participating in the referendum. One activist commented in a Facebook post that has since become unavailable:
Ella: ¿Iras a votar el domingo?
Yo : No, no tengo el derecho a voto
Ella: Y si lo tienes, irías a votar?
Yo : No Tengo el derecho a voto
Ella: Si, Si, entiendo. Pero en el caso que tengas, irías a votar?
Yo : No tengo el derecho a voto
Ella: Enserio… ¿Irías a votar?
Yo : Iré a vomitar porque votar no puedo.
Her: Will you vote on Sunday?
Me: I don't have the right to vote.
Her: And if you had it, would you vote?
Me: I don't have the right to vote.
Her: Yes, yes, I understand. But if you had it, would you go and vote?
Me: I don't have the right to vote.
Her: Seriously… would you go and vote?
Me: I'll go and vomit because I can't vote.
Fàtima Aatar, an anthropologist and activist, reflected on the non-inclusion of foreign residents in the vote for the magazine La Directa:
…com és possible que en un exercici de desobediència política, jurídica i social no s’hagi desobeït en aquesta qüestió concreta? Per què s’ha escollit heretar la Llei d’estrangeria espanyola tenint en compte que és de les qüestions més característiques del règim? Desobediència? Quan i per a qui?
…how is it possible that in an act of political, legal and social disobedience, there was no disobedience on this specific issue? Why did they choose to inherit Spain's immigration law considering that it is one of the most characteristic issues of the regime? Disobedience? When and for whom?
Drawing parallels between the physical and administrative violence exercised by the Spanish state against migrants and the repression during the referendum, Moha Gereou, a journalist and activist based in Madrid, commented:
Si no eres de España pero quieres formar parte recibes violencia.
Si eres de España pero no quieres formar parte recibes violencia. #1Oct
— Moha Gerehou (@mohagerehou) October 1, 2017
If you are not from Spain but you want to be part of it you are met with violence.
If you are from Spain but you do not want to be part of it you are met with violence.
A lot is yet to come in the next weeks and months. It is difficult to predict what might happen, but it is clear that Spain and Catalonia are facing one of the most complex and decisive processes of their recent democratic history, and the way in which the institutions respond will mark the future of the state, of the peoples who make it up, and above all, of ordinary citizens.


India, Pakistan: The Politics With India’s Donation To Flood Victims · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Was Asif Zardari’s fear of Indian money directly related to his fear of the Pakistan Army?” questions Mobashar Jawed (MJ) Akbar while discussing the politics of “playing with a crisis”.


India: When Diplomats Show Arrogance · Global Voices
Rezwan

The New Horizon criticizes the comments of Pinak Chakravarty, the Indian ambassador to Bangladesh, on the Tipaimukh Dam. The Indian blogger opines: “I think it is part (of) Indian policy to show arrogance against neighbors”.


Commissioner alleges doctored financials at Benue SUBEB | EduCeleb
25th April 2020
Benue State Commissioner for Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar, has alleged that the financial records of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) were doctored in such a manner that only forensic auditors can audit them.
Ityavyar who is the Chairman, Committee on Review and Repositioning of the board made the disclosure at Government House Makurdi while presenting the committees report to the State Executive Council.
“We recommend that a forensic auditor be hired in order to audit the financial records of the board because they are too dirty.
“Also, the role of the Procurement Officer be separated from Universal Basic Education Commission Matching Grant Accountant.
“All the directors at the board should be redeployed to the office of Head of Service to be posted to other MDAs. No officer should serve above four years on a post,” he said.
Receiving the report, Governor Samuel Ortom commended them for painstakingly carrying out the assignment.
Ortom said that he wanted the committee to unravel the rot that had been going on in the board.
“SUBEB is the only agency in the state that people working there whether junior or senior staff live flamboyant lives. In fact, they are nicknamed ATM.
“We must reposition the agency. Mistakes were done in the past and we have to correct them henceforth,” the Governor stated.
Recall that the erstwhile Benue SUBEB chairman, Emmanuel Aper, resigned his office penultimate week over alleged highhandedness of the commissioner who had claimed he was trying to sanitise the basic education system.


Nigeria: On giving respect and being respected | EduCeleb
Contributor
17th December 2019
By Kareem Shamsudeen
Since the human system is a complex of relationships marked by age difference, it is expected that there should be a mutual understanding among one another so as to keep the relationship working.
Since in every relationship, one may relate with persons older than one, it is then expected that there should be a form of respect among us, and since respect is reciprocal, the young must learn to respect and appreciate the experience of the old and the old in turn must respect the vibrant and evolving ideas of the young.
But if there is no respect, the young will disregard the old, and the old will disregard themselves. By so doing, the society will be thrown into a morass and love will no longer exist because it is the presence of love that brings respect.
A rather curious scene occurred at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan when I attended a Youth Stakeholders Forum.
As expected, the programme started far late than the scheduled time. Well, this is Africa. When the programme kicked off, the National Anthem was about to be recited and as the convention dictates, every patriotic citizen is expected to stand up to recite the national anthem but surprisingly this young man sitting beside me did not stand up.
I shouldn’t be bothered about his behavior since most of the youth have transplanted an exaggerated care-free attitude in themselves, but still I decided to tell this young man to rise for his country but he did not heed. His friend who apparently was embarrassed by the unfolding of this ugly situation also told him to stand up but yet he didn’t heed.
Once again, in my humble self, I told him to stand and give his country some respect, but shockingly he told me that “even his country didn’t respect him.” I refrained from probing him further since I had already got a reason for his obstinacy. His act can simply be paraphrased into a question which is: if my country fails to respect me, why should I respect her? This question however is the fabric on which this article is woven.
Rather to be caught in a web of dilemma, I asked myself this question too. Even without bringing the question to the state of affairs of the nation, must I respect someone who fails to respect me? Or someone who after my years of unflinching loyalty doesn’t not care dime about me!
To be candid, I would not respect such person. I guess what the young man meant by the country didn’t respect is that his country has failed him in all ramifications which by large is caused by the lackluster attitude and offhandedness of our so-called leaders.
If my guesses are right, the young man should be a graduate and perhaps unemployed after scaling through the hurdles of education in Nigeria. He may even be vexed at the rate people who are not qualified academically get jobs all in the name of influence. Or is it not the Nigeria where politics has ruined the goodness of the nation?
Let’s say the young man decides to go into entrepreneurship by setting up his own business enterprise but he fails to get a loan even from government banks that promise individuals who have business ideas to come and obtain loan. No doubt, he will be frustrated. Or he even decides to support his country by applying for jobs at government establishments and despite his high qualifications his application got rejected because he did not know somebody. Some many occurrences like that in the society, no doubt any one would be frustrated. So why would such youth stand for the National anthem or rather, be patriotic when the country does not care about him?
“We’ll provide more jobs for the youth in just three months after we are elected,” most of our leaders would promise this and still would render them unfulfilled after they have been elected. One would recall the good old days when the youth are indispensable in the country and when the government caters for them.
I even heard that the Nigerian government at a time caters for the students’ welfare in universities across the nation and when graduates that are turned out from Nigerian varsities are worthy in academic and character but disgustingly such good acts are done no more as most students struggle to pass through the University to become unemployed in the labour force.
Didn’t the government provide more jobs as expected? Sadly, no! To study during this period at Nigerian varsities is in itself a problem, to pass out in flying colours is another difficulty, and to get employment is another life-long wahala.
Constantly the youth are disrespected by the Nigerian government. It is the youth that politico-criminals would employ for their nefarious activities. It is the youth that would be agberos/street urchins. It is youth that would be hired killers.
It is the youth that would be mercilessly killed when they clamor for their rights. It is the youth that would be rendered incapacitated at matters affecting the nation. It is the youth that are always at the receiving end! It then appears as if our leaders have disregarded the saying that the youth are the future of the nation.”
Almost everyday, we hear cases of retrieved billions of naira that are siphoned by corrupt leaders but where these monies go to is a puzzle to many Nigerians since there is still no improvement in the standard of living of the people and the country is still not free from corruption. Even few of the youth that are employed are not gainfully employed as most of them are paid lesser than the services they offer and the resultant effect is the brain drain in the country.
I had always thought that political office holders receive billions of naira as salaries but I was surprised when I heard that even the President salary constitutionally–is not up to twenty million naira.
The question, therefore, is how come these political leaders, perhaps inconsiderate, buy fleet of cars and private jet for themselves? It is simply corruption! The corruption that has not only blighted the progress of this country but has caused the Nigerian youth to disrespect their country. How lamentable?
Now, the question is; how many Nigerian youth can stand up for their country? Even the die-hard Nigerian football supporters may not. Will there be any motivation when the youth are continually denied of their rights by the nation the hold dear? Definitely not!
But then, the Nigerian leaders are less concerned about this and so the youth decide to leave the country for greener pastures where they would be regarded rather disregarded as it is the case with their home country and no amount of plea, clamour will bring them back. It is no longer news that Nigerian youth are making waves abroad; some have even become citizens of these countries by naturalisation. Such contribute their quota expected for their nation for the uplift and advancement of other nations. If this incessant migration of the youth continue, will Nigeria ever attain or retain her past glory?
Political leaders of our country should be made to understand this truth that their carefree attitude concerning the empowerment of the youth affects the nation. They should know that adequate employment and empowerment of the youth will enhance/fast-track the development of this nation and by so doing they will earn the maximum respect and several accolades from the youth.
However, those youth who have joined the bandwagon, the country may not be held for your predicament. Even if the current state of affairs is not conducive, there are several other legitimate ways one can engage in for a better living rather than venturing into illegal activities. I pledge to serve my country with all my heart and I still would continue to be patriotic and give my country her utmost respect even when our leaders are failing us and I implore the youth imbibe this too. Maybe by our good acts, our leaders may have a change of heart and give us the good we desire. Nigeria belongs to us all!
Kareem Shamsudeen is a student of the University of Ibadan. He can be contacted via kareemshamusudeen@gmail.com


Egypt: Newspaper Strike on October 7 · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Chief in editors of the independent and party newspapers decided to not to publish their newspapers on Sunday the 7th of October 2007 , the daily newspapers will not be published on that day and the weekly newspapers will not be published in their days as an objection move against the jail of the journalists in attempt to escalate the case,” writes Egyptian blogger Zeinobia.


Japan: Whale Hunt · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

A whaling fleet sets sail in Japan, ostensibly for research. Tokyo Times is skeptical.


Armenia: Burying the Prime Minister · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian reports on and has photos of the burial of Armenia's prime minister.


India: Apathy and Terror · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Greatbong on the institutional and cultural apathy in India surrounding acts of terror – with people not pressing for political action.


Drug Trafficking: Agency Arrests 8,634 In 8 Months, Seizures Worth N100bn – Marwa - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (F.BA)
October 13, 2021
Chairman of the Agency Buba Marwa told the Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Committee of the UN General Assembly in New York, that NDLEA also made seizures of more than100 billion naira in drugs and cash over the period.
He added that consistent targeting of drug trafficking organisations has resulted in the arrest of 8,634 suspected drug traffickers and the seizure of over 100 billion naira in cash and drugs.
Marwa also explained that culprits will go through the criminal justice system, with their fundamental human rights being strictly upheld.
The Lago state former Military Administrator noted that against the backdrop of the strong linkage between illicit drug consumption and insecurity, it is worthy of note that Nigeria made its first seizure of 74.119 kilometres of Captagon brand of amphetamine, presumably destined for use, to fuel insurgency and other violent crimes and criminalities, which Nigeria is currently grappling with.
He however, appreciated the international partners for supporting Nigeria’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking. Marwa also told the UN committee that Nigerian government had produced the improved fourth edition of the Drug Control Master Plan 2021 to 2025 with the technical support from the UNODC, EU funding.


China: Let the Visit Petitioners Back Home? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Recently some scholars organized a seminar to study ways to help visit petitioners, people (usually rural peasants) who visit higher authority in big cities for justice appeal, go home. However only 3 petitioners managed to enter the seminar, the rest (more than 200) have to wait outside. Zhang Yaojie pointed out that the real issue is getting their problem solved, not sending them back home (zh).


India: List of casualties in Mumbai attacks · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mumbai Help posts a number of lists containing the names of dead and injured in the Mumbai terrorist attacks and their present location (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5).


Caribbean: Following the path of the Caribs  · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

Since the beginning of 2009, French West Indians have questioned their identity, their national heritage and their present-day situation in different ways. Kintamingo Ema, a Martinican blog, presents an initiative which mixes a social insertion, historical and archeological project with an identity quest.  Dubbed “Kintamingo Ema, sur le chemin de nos ancêtres” (Kintamingo Ema, following the path of our ancestors), the project was launched by Association Karisko , an association focusing on social integration, as explained here [Fr]:
Ce sont les jeunes du foyer d'insertion de Sainte-Marie qui ont bénéficié de cette formation.
They benefited from the knowledge and experience of the Caribs, by learning to build a canoe and then ride it from Martinique to Antigua.  But before reaching to all these islands from le Prêcheur in Martinique, many young adults in search of a professional project and practical training participated in the creation of the Kanawa (the native name for a canoe).  The social integration building site quickly became a genuine shipyard, where the traditional skills of the native inhabitants were used to create this massive canoe. A comment on CocoNews post gives us more details concerning the measures of the canoe [Fr]:
Le kanawa pèse plus d'une tonne ( à vide !) , 18 mètres de long et 27 rameurs.
One of the team members has posted pictures of the construction site and lists the 4 steps involved in the making of the Kanawa: cutting the tree, transporting the trunk, preparing the top of the trunk and finally digging it up.  Here is a diaporama describing all the different steps of the making.
CocoNews Guadeloupe introduces the project to its readers and reveals the itinerary of the ride [Fr].
@ CocoNews Guadeloupe
The journey was scheduled as follows: leave le Prêcheur in Martinique on May 21st and go back to le Prêcheur on June 1st, after stops in the Caribbean islands of Dominica, les Saintes, Guadeloupe (Basse-Terre then Grande-Terre) and Antigua.  The trip included about thirty people, including historians, athletes, sociologists and writers, but it was also open to anyone else who had an interest in the project. This post lists all the participants.
Quite apart from its social integration and historical aspects, this project has had an important impact at the level of memory and conscience. To  understand this better, CocoNews quotes one of the objectives of the project [Fr]:
L'objectif de KYTANGOMINGO EMA est la réouverture symbolique et matérielle de la route de navigation maritime des temps anciens,…
But the best way to understand the motivation behind the project is to read about the experiences of the passengers and rowers [Fr]:
L'aventure Martinique-Antigua a été pour moi une expérience très valorisante humainement parlant. Découvrir les îles des Caraïbes comme nos ancêtres amérindiens et pouvoir ressentir les moments forts de leur arrivée sur une terre inconnue
The general success of the initiative has gone a long way to inspire the team in its plan for next year: reaching Puerto Rico by kanawa.


Bahrain: YouTube Wrong · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini cyberactivist Esra'a reacts to the suspension of Egyptian human rights campaigner Wael Abbas‘ YouTube account here.


Iran: MP Calls Ahmadinejad’s Government the Most Corrupt Ever · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Here is a video on You Tube in which Alikhani,a member of the Iranian parliament, calls Ahmadinejad's government the most corrupt government that Iran has ever known.


BUK to sanction violators of COVID-19 protocols | EduCeleb
18th January 2021
The management of Bayero University Kano (BUK) has declared its readiness to sanction violators of COVID-19 safety protocols as the school resumed on Monday.
It imposed the compulsory use of facemasks by its staff and students as well as visitors as the institution resumes.
Details of the university’s directives are contained in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Lamara Garba, issued in Kano on Monday.
According to him, the development is part of measures put in place by the institution to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Garba said the management has also provided enough motorised handwashing machines at strategic locations within the institution.
“Already, the Management has provided enough motorised hand washing machines and hand sanitizers at strategic locations within the academic, administrative and hostel areas for use,” the statement read.
“No student will be allowed into lecture hall or any other place within the University without wearing a face mask covering their norse and mouth.
“Lecturers are also required to wear their face-mask, and ensure all students in their classes do the same.
“Staff, students and visitors are required while in the University premises should wear a face mask and remain with it at all times.
“Also, members of the University community and visitors must strictly observe physical distancing as much as possible in academic area and hostels or any other places.
“Wearing of face mask must be done fully not half way, the face-mask must cover nose and mouth, it must not be hanged on one ear, or put under the chin.
“As part of measures to ensure total enforcement and compliance, the Management has employed surveillance mechanisms with setting up of COVID-19 protocol enforcement marshals,” he said.
According to him, anyone caught violating the compliance order will be sanctioned. The spokesman said in order to reduce or eliminate the spread of the virus, members of the university community are advised to reduce handshake, keep social distance of two metres, and wash hands regularly.
He added that as much as possible members of the university community and visitors should stay in an open space, and if they must be in a room, they must ensure that the room is well ventilated.
“We should also ensure vehicles, transporting students, (private or public) are well ventilated with windows open,” he added.


Zamfara: NLC, TUC, Tackle Gov’t Over N30,000 Minimum Wage - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (A.M)
August 25, 2022
They spoke after a closed-door meeting that lasted for several hours,
during which they expressed dismay over the State government’s snail
speed and lack of political will towards implementing the N30,000
minimum wage.
This was contained in a press statement jointly signed and issued to
newsmen in Gusau, the State capital by the Acting secretary of the State
NLC, Comrade Ahmed Abubakar and the TUC Secretary, Comrade Sani
Mohammed Sani Kwotorkwoshi.
The statement noted that the leaders of the two labour centres made it
categorically clear and known to the government’s representatives that
the implementation of the N30,000 must be possible because it has since
been approved constitutionally.


Russia: Nashi, BBC, and the Upcoming Elections · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mark MacKinnon writes about the recent BBC ban and the Nashi movement's summer camps: “Both the Kremlin's bolstering of “patriotic” youth movements and its crackdown on non-state media outlets are moves directed at heading off any kind of Orange Revolution-inspired uprising in Russia around December's Duma elections and/or next year's presidential vote.”


Korea: Lunar New Year · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ask a Korean! translated a story written by Joo Seong-Ha about Lunar New Year in North Korea.


No, China did not launch an artificial Sun into orbit, viral visuals show a Rocket launch. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 17, 2022
A social media post accompanying a video is being widely shared across social media platforms with a claim that the video shows China’s launch of the artificial sun into the sky. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing China’s launch of the artificial sun into the sky.
Fact: As part of its plan to launch an artificial Sun, China has recently conducted a nuclear reactor test which resulted in the nuclear fusion reactor sustaining a temperature of 158 million degrees Fahrenheit (70 million degrees Celsius) for 1,056 seconds (approximately 18 minutes). This is higher than the temperature in the sun. However, this was a controlled experiment conducted in a laboratory. China did not launch the artificial Sun into orbit. The viral visuals are related to a recent rocket launch. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
According to news reports (here & here), recent experiments revealed the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) Nuclear Fusion Reactor, also known as Artificial Sun, had delivered a temperature of 158 million degrees Fahrenheit (70 million degrees Celsius) for 1,056 seconds (approximately 18 minutes). This is higher than the temperature normally provided by the sun.
‘The ultimate goal of EAST, located at ASIPP in Hefei, is to create nuclear fusion like the Sun, using deuterium abound in the sea to provide a steady stream of clean energy’, said Gong Xianzu, a researcher at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP), who is in charge of the experiment.
However, this was conducted in a controlled environment and China did not launch the artificial sun or the reactor into orbit. This news of nuclear reactor attaining high temperature is misconstrued as China launching an artificial Sun and was shared on social media along with an unrelated video.
What about the Viral Video?
Google search with relevant keywords revealed that China had recently launched Long March-7A rocket from the Wenchang Rocket Laboratory, which carried two satellites, Xian-12 01, and Xian-12 02 into orbit.
China launched a Long March-7A rocket to place two satellites in space on Thursday. The rocket blasted off at 6:12 p.m. from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in S China's Hainan Province and soon sent Shiyan-12 01 and Shiyan-12 02 satellites into preset orbit. pic.twitter.com/hNiVgxG8wE
Visuals of this rocket launch can be seen here. In this video, we can observe the outline (shape) of the exhaust gases released in the form of a huge white cloud as the rocket ascends, similar to the outline (shape) of the exhaust gases in the viral video.
The rocket launch was carried out from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Longlou town. Google search yielded few news articles (here & here) which have published images of a beach, close to the rocket launch station, from which the launch can be viewed. The location in these photos bear resemblance to the location in the viral video.
Usually, when a rocket is launched into the sky, the visuals of the launch depict a fireball rising into the air just like the scenes in the viral video. Few other visuals of a rocket launch which depict a fireball rising can be seen here and here.
Although we could not independently verify that the viral video shows a recent March-7A rocket launch in China, the above-mentioned details are evidence enough to conclude that the viral video does not show the launch of artificial Sun by China.
To sum it up, China did not launch an artificial Sun into orbit, viral visuals depict a rocket launch.


Lithuania: Buying Lithuanian (in Poland) · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

With a Grain of Druska reports on the Delphi portal users’ “quotation of the year” choice: “I follow the slogan ‘buy Lithuanian products’, but I buy them in Poland. There Lithuanian products are about half the price.”


Fighting Corruption: Nigerians Should Live Within Their Means -Buhari - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (A.M)
January 7, 2022
He added that as long as Nigerians want to live flamboyantly, corruption
would continue to thrive.
Buhari said this in an interview with the national broadcaster, NTA on
Thursday.
When asked about the new leadership of the anti-graft agency,
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and how the fight against
corruption had been revamped, Buhari said, “The problem of corruption
is a continuous one for a developing country like Nigeria. People have to
accept living within their means. As long as people don’t want to live
within their means, so long will corruption be with us.”
Speaking further, the president said, “The best way is funding by
departments, ministries and especially by states.
Fighting corruption has been a major campaign point of the Buhari’s
regime from its inception and had been repeated over the year. However,
stakeholders have varied thoughts on the success of the anti-corruption
fight.


This video showing heavy traffic jam in a valley is from Pakistan, not Himachal Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of tourists turning back from Himachal Pradesh after the landslide tragedy in Kinnaur. The video shows thousands of vehicles stuck in a heavy traffic jam. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of tourists in Himachal Pradesh struck in a traffic jam while returning.
Fact: This video shows a heavy traffic jam that took place recently in Pakistan. Celebrating the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, thousands of tourists visited the Kaghan valley in the Mansehra district of Pakistan. Thousands of vehicles were stuck in a heavy traffic jam on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road that leads to the Kaghan valley. This video has nothing to do with Himachal Pradesh. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a YouTube video published by the Pakistan-based ‘ARY’ news channel. This news channel reported it as the visuals of heavy traffic jams at Kaghan valley in Pakistan. Reporting the same, several Pakistan news websites published similar videos on their YouTube channels. They can be seen here and here.
Celebrating the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, thousands of tourists flocked to the Kaghan valley in Pakistan. Thousands of vehicles were stuck in a heavy traffic jam on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road, that leads to the Kaghan valley. Several news websites have published articles on this huge traffic jam that took place near Kaghan valley in Pakistan. They can be seen here and here.
When these traffic jam visuals from Pakistan were shared as the visuals of Himachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh Police through a Facebook post clarified that the video is not related to Himachal Pradesh.
To sum it up, a video of a traffic jam in Pakistan is falsely portrayed as tourists being stuck in traffic in Himachal Pradesh.


Russian Politicians Doom Orphans as Orthodox Christmas Approaches · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

On December 26th, 2012 the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of Parliament, upheld a controversial new law [GV] banning adoptions of Russian children by Americans. In the biting cold of Russian winter bloggers took to Twitter, rather than the streets, to vent about the unanimity of the vote. Echo Moskvy's Tonia Samsonova was particularly disappointed [ru] by one of the Senators:
Я отказываюсь верить, что Светлана Журова голосовала ЗА. Мне плохо от этого.
I refuse to believe that [Olympic speed-skating champion] Svetlana Zhurova voted AYE. Makes me feel sick.
Others, like photographer Vladimir Ternovsky, turned to humor [ru]:
В Совете Федерации только один разумный человек. Некто Ноль, проголосовавший против закона “Димы Яковлева”
In the Federation Council there is only one sensible person. Someone named Zero, who voted against the “Dima Yakovlev” law.
Since Vladimir Putin has signaled that he will sign the legislation, humor may be the only response left. After all, the unanimous vote throws into stark contrast the failure of the prolific online campaign against the law. People signed online petitions, activists threw eggs at the State Duma, social workers blogged first hand accounts of life in the Russian orphanages. Many hoped that as a result at least some politicians would be swayed to take a principled stance, all to no avail.
Of course, some blame the public campaign itself for the entrenchment of anti-adoption advocates. On December 23rd Maksim Kononenko, an opponent of the law, wrote a post titled “Good Defeats Good,” wherein he criticized [ru] a new approach taken by online activists:
Вот правильно говорят, что страшнее дурака — дурак с инициативой. Во всей этой дискуссии вокруг запрета на усыновление на стороне противников запрета было колоссальное моральное преимущество. […] ради бессмысленного позерского фокуса дураки с инициативой загубили самую важную гражданскую кампанию в постсоветской истории.
It's true what they say, a fool with initiative is more dangerous than just a fool. In the debates over the adoption ban the opponents had a colossal moral advantage. […] for a pointless pretentious trick, fools with initiative destroyed the most important civic campaign in post-Soviet history.
We the People petition on whitehouse.gov Screenshot. December 27, 2012.
Kononenko was referring to a petition [en] that was created on December 21st using the White House's direct-democracy “We the People” initiative. “We the People” guarantees review by the Administration of any petition that reaches 25,000 signatures within a month. The petition in question, written in somewhat awkward English, urges the United States to “Identify Russian law-makers jeopardizing lives of Russian orphans,” that is, any MP who votes for the adoption ban. Furthermore, the petition asks that these MPs be included in the list of Russian officials banned from travel to the US by the “Magnitsky Act.” [GV]
Shortly after it was created, the petition was endorsed by popular opposition bloggers Rustem Adagamov [ru] and Andrei Malgin [ru], who pushed forth the idea that one does not have to be an American citizen to sign the petition. As Adagamov wrote [ru] a day later:
В числе подписавших, в основном, россияне, однако, в правилах подписания петиции ничего не говорится о гражданстве подписавшего
The signers are mainly Russian, but, nowhere in the petition rules does it say anything about the citizenship of the undersigned
Such a petition is surreal on many levels. First, it is a fine irony that the Magnitsky Act is called to combat a law that was developed by Russian parliamentarians in direct retaliation to the Magnitsky Act in the first place. Second, quite obviously the White House did not foresee an occasion where foreigners would want lodge a petition with the US President, and so failed to include any citizenship limitations. This lead Roman Leibov, a University of Tartu professor and one of the first Russian users of LiveJournal, to exclaim [ru] on Facebook:
Не надо подписывать дурацких петиций! И распространять на них ссылок тоже не надо! Сайт Белого Дома – это какой-то подвергшийся сексуальному надругательству стыд, там нет ни системы гражданской идентификации, ни системы борьбы с накрутками. В результате под петициями красуются подписи Вуглускра И., а телеящик в понедельник расскажет об этой комедии всем потребителям телеящика.
Don't sign any foolish petitions! And don't disseminate links either! The White House website is a sexually desecrated disgrace, there is no system of citizen ID, no system of fighting fraud. As a result petitions are signed by the proverbial Mike Rotch, and come Monday the TV well make sure to tell all TV consumers of this joke.
DemVybor's Kirill Shulika latched on to yet a third issue [ru]:
Я занимаюсь политикой в России и поэтому решать свои внутренние проблемы я буду сам. И вам советую. Депутатов, что приняли людоедский закон надо не в Америку не пускать, а переизбирать и выгонять отовсюду в России с волчьим билетом.
I do politics in Russia, and I will solve my internal problems on my own. And I suggest you do too. Deputies who adopted the inhumane law shouldn't be banned from America, but should rather stand for reelection and be expelled from Russia with no chance of return.
The dissident ecologist Suren Gazaryan, on the run from law for trespassing on government property, agreed [ru]:
Это именно то, что бесит меня в нашем обществе. Наивная и необоснованная надежда на помощь Обамы, который накажет наших идиотов-депутатов.
This is what drives me insane about your society. A naive and unsubstantiated hope for help from Obama, who will punish our idiot deputies.
On the other hand, Dmitry Olshansky, until recently a staunch defender of the status quo, argued [ru] that lodging a complaint can be a good thing, even if it subverts the “chain of command”:
Вероятность, что жалобу там рассмотрят так, как хотели бы здесь, весьма мала – там тоже сидят бюрократы и лицемеры, – но это все равно лучше, чем ничего. […] “Суверенитет” здесь – это типичная бандитская ловушка. “Не смей говорить родителям, не смей говорить завучу, не смей говорить милиции, сиди и молчи, у нашего класса в школе суверенитет, и поэтому мы и дальше будем бить тебя ногами”.
The possibility that the complaint will be examined the way people would want it to is rather small – there they are also bureaucrats and hypocrites, – but it's still better than nothing. […] “Sovereignty” here is a classic gangster trap. “Don't you dare tell your parents, or the dean, or the police, sit down and shut up, our classroom has sovereignty at this school, and so we will continue to beat you.”
In the comments to his post Olshansky was attacked by conservative publicists Egor Kholmogorov and Maksim Sokolov, who accused him of being a flip-flopper or worse, a provocateur. Kholmogorov insinuated [ru] that people who sign the petition would be in danger from the Russian secret services if a list of their names ever got out.
That would be quite a list, since the petition reached 54,521 signatures by the time the signing process was closed by website administrators, thus passing the 25,000 mark required for review. Shortly afterward, a statement by the National Security Staff appeared on the page:
The United States shares your concerns regarding the bill passed by the Russian Duma […] We will continue to raise these concerns with Russian government.
This amused [ru] publicist Stanislav Yakovlev to no end:
Хохочу. Извините. Кстати, подобные ответы со стороны российского правительства принято называть – в определенной среде – “циничными отписками”.
Roaring with laughter. Sorry. By the way, in some circles such responses from the Russian government are known as “cynical come-offs”.
Unfortunately it looks like Russia won't be able to borrow American democracy or create a civil society from scratch. It will have to develop its own — as painful as the process has proven to be so far.
Update: On December 28th Putin signed the law, disappointing some, like DemVybor's leader Vladimir Milov [ru], who until the last moment believed that he wouldn't. Many, like Echo Moskvy's Vladmir Varfolomeev have noted [ru] that:
Царь Путин подписал антисиротский закон в день, когда чтят память младенцев, убитых по приказу царя Ирода. Это он специально?
King Putin signed the anti-orphan law on the day, when we honor the memory of the infants slaughtered at the behest of King Herod. Was that on purpose?


Arabeyes: Internet War Continues in Egypt  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

After harassing, questioning and detaining bloggers, the war on the Internet continues in Egypt, this time attacking where it hurts most – the pocket!
This is how Egyptian bloggers react to the hike in prices, which will be introduced in September.
Mohammed Al Jaberi writes:
He also urges his readers to plead their cases on this site, in which Bunduqa is spearheading a campaign to write one million letters in protest against the new service. About the campaign, Bunduqa says:
Following is an excerpt from the letter:
A similar situation  was reported in Bahrain in June last year. Boycott Batelco, a site developed in the wake of the hike in prices, still continues.


FSSAI issues draft guidelines for restricting High Fat foods in schools & nearby areas
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 7, 2015
Following the directions of the Delhi High Court in a PIL filed by Uday Foundation about the harmful effects of Junk foods in school children, the FSSAI has come up with draft guidelines to restrict/limit the availability of such foods in schools and nearby areas.
Following directions from the Delhi High Court in a writ petition filed by Uday Foundation, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has now come up with draft guidelines for making available ‘Wholesome, Nutritious, Safe and Hygienic Food’ to School Children. This is the first step of the consultative process following which these draft guidelines would be converted to regulations. The guidelines have been divided into two parts, namely;
The Writ Petition in Delhi High Court
The writ petition was filed in 2010 by Uday Foundation, about the important issue relating to easy availability of junk food and carbonated drinks to children and the harmful effects they might have on children consuming them. The petition sought a ban on both junk food and carbonated drinks in schools and initiation of measures to develop a comprehensive school canteen policy with emphasis on health and nutrition.
The FSSAI under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare filed an affidavit in the court stating the following,
The FSSAI submitted the draft guidelines to the court following which the court directed the FSSAI to convert these guidelines into regulation within a time frame. The FSSAI has thus put these draft guidelines in the public domain.
Summary of the Draft Guidelines
The draft guidelines lay down the following major points.
The guidelines also contain various other items such as listing the nutritional value, procurement, preparation, storage etc.
The Delhi High court had also directed CBSE to take a decision on whether these conditions be made part of the conditions for affiliation.
Featured Image: Abhisek Sarda | Flickr


Russia: Wikipedia Used to Cover Recent Metro Bombings · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

A popular Russian blogger Anton Nosik asks bloggers to contribute their content to the chapter of Wikipedia about terror attacks in Moscow metro.


India’s war against a BBC documentary on Modi · Global Voices
Ananya

Close Up Shot of a Smartphone Screen with BBC News app. Image by Brett Jordan. Used under a Pexels License.
On the morning of February 14, 2023, approximately two dozen officials from India’s Income Tax Department made their way into the India office of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) located in the capital city of New Delhi to start an “income tax survey” of the organization. According to Newslaundry, a media watchdog in India, roughly 100 employees from the organization who were present in the building at the time were asked to submit their phones and remain on the premises during the raid. A similar “survey” also started at the BBC office in Mumbai. The search lasted for three days and was concluded on the evening of February 16, 2023.
For those familiar with the socio-political circumstances in India, the news on Tuesday came as no surprise since it followed a pattern that has become extremely common in the country. BBC, the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom, had been the topic of public conversation and news coverage for the past month, the reason being its explosive documentary on the Gujarat riots of 2002.
In January 2023, the BBC released a two-part documentary titled “India: The Modi Question,” which aimed to highlight the rising violence against the Muslim minority population in India under the leadership of its current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first part of the series, released on January 17, focused on the horrific Gujarat riots of 2002. The segment exposed the significant involvement of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state of Gujarat in the violent attacks against the Muslim minority population during that period.
The information the documentary shared was nothing new and has existed in the form of publicly available written records, documentation and reportage for the last two decades. During a rally in November 2022, Amit Shah, a prominent leader of the BJP and the Minister of Home Affairs, acknowledged the Gujarat riots in which a large number of people, primarily Muslims, lost their lives. Shah proclaimed that “they were taught a lesson.”
Yet the Indian government’s reaction to the documentary was instant, dismissing it as a propaganda piece. The documentary was made available only in the UK through BBC's online streaming service BBC iPlayer; however, it was uploaded to multiple YouTube channels by individuals and extensively shared on various social media platforms. The government invoked emergency laws to completely prohibit access to the documentary on the web for viewers in India. Kanchan Gupta, the senior adviser at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting mentioned in a tweet on January 2023 that a number of YouTube videos containing the first episode of the BBC documentary and over fifty tweets with links to the YouTube videos were ordered to be taken down.
On January 24, the BBC aired the second part of the documentary, which examined the performance of the Modi government following its re-election in 2019, and it was not subjected to any censorship orders.
The decision by Twitter to remove the tweets and the lack of support from Western democracies in defence of the BBC's documentary, which the organization claimed was “rigorously researched,” sparked widespread debate.
Despite the Modi government’s desperate attempts to suppress the documentary and prevent it from being viewed online, student groups in prestigious universities across India conducted public screenings to demonstrate their dissent against the oppressive government.
However, the government responded with severe measures against these student groups. Students who screened or watched the documentary were suspended by colleges, while supporters of the BJP and state-led groups held protests outside universities, even going so far as to threaten the students with physical violence and murder for screening the documentary.
In addition, BJP leaders labelled the BBC as corrupt and accused them of having ulterior motives in trying to “defame” India's reputation. They denounced the documentary as propaganda and condemned it as an expression of a colonial mindset. These criticisms were also used to justify the ban on the documentary.
Considering this sequence of events, the recent raid on the BBC seems to be retaliatory action, aimed at teaching the organization a lesson and hindering its operations in India, while citing other reasons. It is possible to arrive at this inference since the BJP has previously employed state agencies such as the IT (Income Tax) Department and ED (Enforcement Directorate), which investigates financial crimes, to target think tanks, NGOs and media outlets that have dared to criticize the government led by Narendra Modi.
For instance, on September 7, 2022, the IT Department conducted raids in the offices of Oxfam India, Centre for Policy Research (one of the most prominent think tanks in India) and Independent And Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF), which funds several media outlets like The Wire, The Caravan, The Print, all of which have been critical of the BJP. The investigations were aimed at scrutinizing alleged violations of the Foreign Contributions Regulations Act (FCRA), a law that regulates foreign funding in India.
Since coming into power, the BJP has tightened FCRA regulations, requiring more detailed reporting and scrutiny of civil society organizations that receive foreign funding in India. The government has also denied the renewal of FCRA licenses for hundreds of NGOs, alleging their involvement in “anti-national activity.”
In July 2021, the IT Department conducted a raid on Dainik Bhaskar, a prominent Hindi-language newspaper in India, over allegations of tax evasion. Opposition leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted that the newspaper was targeted because:
Through its reporting Dainik Bhaskar has exposed the Modi regime’s monumental mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now paying the price.
An Undeclared Emergency as Arun Shourie has said — this is a Modified Emergency. https://t.co/EVLHGisGTq
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 22, 2021
In February 2021, The offices of independent media house Newsclick in New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, along with residences of its senior management were raided by the ED, which accused the organization of money laundering. Newsclick had previously been critical of the BJP-led central government in its reporting and extensively covered the Farmer's Protests that shook the nation.
The India office of international human rights organization Amnesty International faced raids by the ED in 2018 and 2019, which accused the organization of violating the FCRA act. Amnesty's bank accounts were subsequently frozen, leading to the organization's cessation of operations in India in September 2020. Amnesty accused the Indian government of engaging in a witch hunt due to the organization's work criticizing the government.
It is noteworthy that media houses or NGOs with close ties to the BJP or those known to report positively about the party have not been subjected to similar raids or searches, regardless of any allegations made against them.
Groups advocating for human rights are warning about the alarming decline in human rights and media freedom in India. They argue that state agencies are being used as weapons to suppress all forms of dissent and criticism of the government in the country. As a result, the cost of being an independent journalist in India has become very high.
In order to avoid facing similar retaliatory measures, many mainstream media channels in India have resorted to becoming mouthpieces of the government, sharing nothing beyond propaganda, thus making it harder for the public to access unbiased and critical information.


Nepal: Extending the Constituent Assembly · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Unable to meet the 28th May deadline for drawing up a new statute for Nepal, the Constituent Assembly, riding on a 3-point political deal made by the 3 most represented political parties,  extended its own term by one  more year. Blogger Raktim Nepali however feels all of this is much ado about nothing and gives us reasons for this scepticism.


Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe in a bullet-proof vest · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Denford Magora reports that Mugabe put on a bullet-proof vest to visit Morgan Tsvangirai at the Avenues clinic, “If you go back to the footage of Mugabe visiting with Tsvangirai, now armed with this new insight, you will notice that Mugabe's suit bulges out and is straighter than normal, almost as if a cushion of air is sewn into its lining. That is the bullet-proof vest at work.”


A new era of politics begins in Sri Lanka · Global Voices
GroundViews

Entrance to the presidential residence and the central bank, a former ‘high security zone,’ now bears the mark of the demands of the protesters. Image by Amalini via Twitter, used with permission.
This post was first published by Sri Lankan jurist, author, poet, and activist Basil Fernando in Groundviews, an award-winning citizen media website. An edited version is published here as part of a content-sharing agreement with Global Voices.
A peaceful mass uprising on July 9, 2022, brought about the end of a political era that started with the promulgation of the 1978 constitution of Sri Lanka, a constitution that completely undermined democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the country. During a period of continuous protests over three months, the people demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, he repeatedly refused to comply, claiming that he had been elected by an overwhelming majority of the people. The exasperated people gave the president an ultimatum to resign by July 9. Vast numbers of people from all over the country gathered at the president’s official residence and occupied it as well as the secretariat building. As a result of this clear demonstration of extreme dissatisfaction with his family’s greed and his own incompetence, which brought about a complete breakdown of the economy, the president finally agreed to resign on July 13. His decision has been communicated to the speaker of parliament. The prime minister has also offered his resignation.
We will later learn the details of how a new administration will be established. However, we also need to maintain our focus on the long-term changes that are required. There are several fundamentals that need to be considered if we are to resolve the structural problems that have been inherited as a result of the introduction of the 1978 constitution. For all practical purposes, this constitution is a dead letter. However, it needs to be formally abolished by employing a process that involves the full participation of the people. We need to enact a constitution that is based on the principles of the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights; these basic principles are the essential foundation and framework for building new structures of government and reforming public institutions. Given the systemic theft of the country’s and people’s resources and wealth by a small number of families, in order to decisively end corruption and the abuse of power, the most urgent need is the establishment of a comprehensive legal framework, with structural checks and balances, as well as clear and open accountability.
Without a clear, comprehensive and enforceable law to stop corruption, there will be no fundamental change in the functioning of the state. The establishment of a functional state is an essential pre-condition for resolving the problems associated with the complete collapse of the economy that resulted from the debt crisis. Ridding the country of corruption is an essential condition for the creation of a stable political system, which could provide the requisite leadership to resolve the current economic and long-lasting social problems. Only then will the government be in a position to provide for the full welfare of all the people.
Image by Amalini via Twitter, used with permission.
A stable political system can only be built and maintained on the basis of an effective system of administration of justice. This necessarily involves the reform of the police, particularly the investigative branches of the police, by bringing the Attorney General’s Department under the rule of law and removing obstacles to the independence of the judiciary. This requires the strict enforcement of laws relating to non-interference with the administration of justice.
In the present circumstances, parliament should give priority to the necessary legislative changes, including making the requisite budgetary allocations, to achieve these changes. Given the present desperate financial crisis, every higher-income individual should agree to contribute their fair share in taxes to bring about economic and political stability.
The establishment of a credible political system that can eliminate systemic corruption and provide full accountability is essential to obtaining the cooperation and support of all Sri Lankans, including those currently living outside the country. Once those systems are in place and effectively operating, Sri Lankans living abroad will be more prepared to contribute to dealing with the dollar crisis and thus resolve many of the hardships that people face.
Without such an overall change to the political system, it will not be possible to win the cooperation and support of the masses of people who have taken to the streets and also others who are unwilling to contribute financially for the lack of confidence in the political system. Obtaining the support of international agencies and other governments will also depend on these measures that need to be taken to ensure true political stability.
The attack on the media people covering the siege at the prime minister’s residence needs to be condemned and immediate action should be taken to investigate the incident, arrest all suspects and consider criminal charges to ensure justice.
As shown by people’s interventions in recent months, freedom of expression and freedom of association and assembly are the basic pillars for the protection of society and individuals. The present moment should be utilized to consolidate these rights; such consolidation will create a fundamental change in the political culture in Sri Lanka.
The constant ongoing vigilance of the people is the only way to ensure that new systems of administration that are to be established will function for the benefit of the people and the nation. Therefore, people should keep a peaceful vigil, particularly at the present time and in the months to come, to ensure that the needed substantial change for the better could be achieved in Sri Lanka. The people also need to establish new civil society groups to monitor the developing political landscape and to ensure that future permanent structural changes will include new features on the basis of, and which will protect, democracy, the rule of law and human rights.


Pakistan, India: Foreign Affairs · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The affairs between India and Pakistan are determined by the political affairs and turmoil within. PWC-ing explains. “A quick peace is always sought by the party most likely to lose from the perpetuation of the status quo.”


Morocco: Saida Fekry’s Return · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

cinema and movies discusses the return of Moroccan singer Saida Fekry, who has been studying film in America.


CIJA Blasts Radio-Canada for TV Caller’s ‘Anti-Semitic’ Rant - New Canadian Media
NCM Anonymous
August 18, 2015
MONTREAL  — The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has filed a complaint with Radio-Canada over a caller’s remarks it…
The Canadian Jewish News
Read Full Article


Macedonia: Nikola Gruevski · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Fistful of Euros writes about “the Balkans’ most popular head of government” – Nikola Gruevski of Macedonia.


Tunisia: Killing the Web  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tunisian Rafik describes censorship in Tunisia as “webcide.” He tweets: “what is happening in Tunisia with massive censorship these last days is webcide : kill the web.”


Public awareness campaign seeks to increase vaccination rates among young children and adults 65 and older | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
July 27, 2022
Local social media influencers and community members have partnered with the Milwaukee County Public Health Collaborative, or MCPHC, to create a public awareness campaign about COVID-19 vaccinations.
The two-part public awareness campaign seeks to increase vaccination rates among young children and adults 65 and older. It focuses on Milwaukee’s lowest-vaccinated areas, including ZIP codes 53206, 53216, 53218 and 53210, which are all on the North Side.
The “Verified Voices”  campaign targets parents of young children and addresses the power of social media and misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines and children. It encourages people to find resources they trust when making decisions about their children’s vaccinations, including health care providers.
“Eligibility for children six months and older to get the vaccine recently opened up and we know parents have questions,” said Aziz Abdullah the co-founder of InPower, a marketing agency that is partnering with the campaign. “We want to make sure they know and understand their options.”
Four influencers, Kennaye Lewis, a recent winner of Netflix’s “Floor is Lava”;  DJ The Barber, a local celebrity barber; OG Tweezy, a community leader and event promoter; and It’s Murby, a makeup artist and entrepreneur, assisted in that campaign.
“Social media can be a helpful tool for finding information regarding your health as long as you are making sure the pages and sources are credible,” said Lewis. “Using .gov sites is always helpful, and if you want to be sure, going straight to your doctor with questions is best.”
The “Boosted & Blessed” campaign focuses on people ages 65 and older and highlights the beauty of life as an older adult and the blessings worth protecting by being boosted. It features four residents who share insights into their life stories and reasons for “feeling blessed” and “being boosted.”
Community members from all walks of life participated in the campaign.
Debra Lewis is the gift shop manager and participant advocate at Milwaukee County’s Clinton Rose Senior Center. Valley Hollins and Gwen Washington are instructors and participants with SilverSneakers, a fitness and wellness program for seniors. Henry Lofton and Justin Roby are a local grandfather and grandson connected through gardening and family heritage. And Muhammad Abdullah is a long-standing community activist and organizer.
“As older people, we have pre-existing health conditions, so I wanted to encourage my peers to get boosted,” said Washington. “I hopeful that we can lower these numbers and help our community.”
The campaigns include 19 billboards, social media content and work with grassroots organizations to get handouts to people. And there are ads on buses, TV and radio.
The campaigns are supported by HealthyMKE.com, a local, multicultural health information initiative that’s funded by a Wisconsin Department of Health Services Vaccine Community Outreach 2.0 grant.
“These campaigns are built by the community for the community in collaboration with our public health leaders,” said Katie Lepak, project officer with the MCPHC, which works to coordinate and elevate a unified public health system in collaboration with key partners in Milwaukee County.
“We’re proud of its authenticity and the local village that came together to make sure our messengers and messages resonate with our diverse audiences and address the questions and misinformation that persist around COVID-19 vaccination,” Lepak said.
For more information
For more information on the campaigns, you can look here. For more information on vaccines, you can look here.


Edo introduces online, TV TVET programmes | EduCeleb
21st July 2020
The Edo State government has introduced online and television broadcasts of its Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) and Personal Development programmes for young citizens.
It said this is part of efforts to equip the youth with new skill set to function optimally in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The programmes focus on skills development programmes as well as job creation strategies, entrepreneurship and personal development.
Managing Director, EdoJobs, Mrs Ukinebo Dare, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Benin City, said the trainings will further create opportunities for more young people to gain the right skill set that will make them stand out as entrepreneurs amid disruptions caused by the pandemic.
According to the agency, the 30-minute television programme which commenced on Monday, 20th July, 2020 will be aired on the Edo State Broadcasting Service every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Dare noted that on Mondays the youths will be trained on soft skills including emotional intelligence, personal growth, presentation, listening and communication skills, interview skills, time management and empathy among other skills required to make them better.
On Wednesdays, she said the agency will broadcast sessions on skills acquisition including face shield production, fashion and design, paint and soap making, beauty and makeup and bead making, among others
She noted that Fridays have been set aside for digital skills including web analytics, digital marketing, data analysis, artificial intelligence, graphics and web design, setting and growing businesses on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, maximising digital platforms to improve business, career and life, among others.
“EdoJobs has continued to lead extensive skills development programmes across the state in furtherance of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s vision to tackle unemployment in Edo State,” Dare added.
EduCeleb.com had reported in April that Edo State joined it’s counterparts across the country to introduce various educational radio and television programmes for the benefit of students in primary and secondary schools as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown persists.


Video from Bangalore falsely shared as final moments of actor Sidharth Shukla - Alt News
Kinjal
4th September 2021 / 1:56 pm
On September 2, TV actor Sidharth Shukla died of a heart attack. His fans expressed their condolences on social media. Shukla’s post-mortem was done at Cooper Hospital in Mumbai. Against this backdrop, a CCTV clip of a man collapsing on a staircase is circulating widely. It is being claimed that the footage shows the actor in his final moments. Twitter handle ‘@HalkatManus’ posted this video and wrote that the actor died of a heart attack as confirmed by Cooper Hospital. (Archive link)
Actor #SiddharthShukla Dies Of an Heart Attack.
Confirmed by Cooper Hospital. Om Shanti. 🙏🙏🙏pic.twitter.com/0G3D0WuMhJ
— 651 Days Since Kohli 💯 🏏 (@HalkatManus) September 2, 2021
Twitter handle ‘@dnazeenews’ also shared the video. (Archive link)
Actor #SiddharthShukla Dies Of an Heart Attack.
Confirmed by Cooper Hospital. Om Shanti. 🙏🙏🙏pic.twitter.com/12SqL5n4W3
— DNA (@dnazeenews) September 2, 2021
The visuals have also been uploaded on YouTube as the final moments of Sidharth Shukla.
We noticed that a user named Arun Deshpande had tweeted this clip, claiming a 33-year-old man from Bangalore died due to a heart attack, and other handles quote-tweeted this video as Sidharth Shukla. It is noteworthy that Arun Deshpande had tweeted this video on September 1 whereas Shukla passed away on September 2. According to Deshpande’s tweet, a 33-year-old man died of a heart attack after a workout at a gym in Bangalore. The video shows his final moments.
Apart from this, the footage is dated August 25, 2021, as seen in the video. This confirms that it is unrelated to actor Sidharth Shukla’s death.
While searching for this video on YouTube, Alt News found a NewsFirst Kannada report dated August 31, 2021. According to the report, a man suffered a cardiac arrest and died at a Gold’s Gym in Bangalore.
We contacted Gold’s Gym and a member of the gym informed, “First of all, the man seen in the video is not Sidharth Shukla. This man came to our gym for a one-day trial. Although he used to go to gyms earlier, this was his first time at this gym. Our staff took him to the hospital when his condition deteriorated following the workout. We are not aware of what happened afterwards since his family members had reached the scene by then.”
A man suffered a cardiac arrest after working out in a gym in Bangalore. The man was misidentified as Sidharth Shukla on social media. In a similar incident, footage of Dilip Kumar was shared online as his final moments after the actor’s death. Alt News discovered that this was actually an eight-year-old clip of Kumar and his wife Saira Banu.
Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.
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Kidnapping: Senate Prescribes Life Jail For Offenders - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Editor 4
July 15, 2020
Nigerian Senate has raised the punishment for kidnapping from 10 years to life imprisonment.
It also deleted the statute of limitation on defilement as well as removed gender restrictions on rape.
The resolutions followed the third reading and passage of A Bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.
The Bill, sponsored by Oluremi Tinubu, seeks to delete the statute of limitation on defilement, increase punishment for kidnapping and remove gender restrictions on rape and other related matters.
The Bill also eliminated the current time frame for reporting and prosecuting defilement cases across the country.
It also removed gender restrictions on rape by explaining that both male and female could be raped.
The senators noted that when the Bill becomes law, an offence of defilement or rape would be actionable perpetually.


Youth Empowerment: Nigeria Calls For Collaboration With UNDP. - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (A.M)
March 26, 2024
The Minister of Youth Dr. Jamila Bio- Ibrahim made the call when she hosted the Resident Representative of the UNDP, Elsie Attafuah and her team in Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital.
The Minister said that this is aimed at providing young Nigerians with the necessary skills, mentorship, conducive environment and access to resources that will empower them to become active contributors to the country’s economy.
The Resident Representative of UNDP, Elsie Attafuah assures the ministry of her organisation’s unwavering support for the initiative.
She lamented that the African continent is facing a daunting challenge as young people continue to struggle to find jobs, leading to frustration and the growing trend of going abroad to seek jobs, she further pointed out that it was high time to delve deeper into the root causes of the problem and take a more realistic approach towards youth empowerment and job creation.


PHOTOS: ‘A Window into Paraguay for the World’ · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Through their photo blog Yluux [es], photographers Tetsu Espósito and Elton Núñez tell stories of the diverse spaces and people that make up Paraguay.
They explain [es] the idea behind the blog and its name as follows:
En nuestro pequeño pero bello Paraguay vivimos rodeados de imágenes impactantes y dignas de capturar, hermosos lugares por descubrir nos esperan en todo su territorio. Hacerlo conocer a traves de las historias que podamos llegar a contar con nuestras imágenes es la idea central en el nacimiento de“Yluux” vocablo de origen étnico “aché” que engloba el significado de la naturaleza.
In our small but beautiful Paraguay we live surrounded by images that are stunning and worthy to capture, beautiful places to explore await us in all its territory. To make that known through the stories that we tell through our images is the central idea in the birth of “Yluux“, an ethnic “Ache” term that encompasses the meaning of nature.
Team Yluux: Photographers Tetsu Espósito and Elton Núñez (Photo by Javier Valdez)
Yluux covers different themes through photos of nature [es], religious traditions [es], athletic events [es], music [es], tourism [es], and more [es].
The Paraguayan flag. Photo by Tetsu Espósito
The photographs published in Yluux are under a Creative Commons license that allows anyone to share the images for noncommercial purposes, as long as [es] the work is attributed to the authors and linked back to Yluux.
Franciscan sister attending a Via Crucis held in the cathedral of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Photo by Elton Núñez
César Cataldo directing a 400-harp orchestra concert commemorating Asunción's 475th anniversary. Photo by Tetsu Espósito
In a recent post [es], Espósito and Núñez shared 37 images of daily life in Paraguay:
Día a día somos bombardeados por millones de imágenes del ambiente que nos rodea, muchas de éstas fotografías narran escenas de vida cotidiana en distintos lugares de Paraguay, su gente, sus tradiciones, su cultura, sus paisajes, lugares olvidados.
Every day we are bombarded by millions of images of the environment around us. Many of these photographs narrate scenes of daily life in different parts of Paraguay, its people, its traditions, its culture, its landscapes, forgotten places.
Four friends enjoy the view from the top of Cerro Akatí in the Guairá department in Paraguay. Photo by Elton Núñez
Man rides his bicycle to work in Volendam, Paraguay. Photo by Tetsu Espósito
April 2013 marked three years since the birth of Yluux. In a post [es] commemorating their latest anniversary, the photographers write:
Sin habérnoslo propuesto, Yluux se convirtió con estas 54 entregas en una ventana de Paraguay para el mundo, y gracias a nuestro blog muchos paraguayos y extranjeros pueden vivenciar y conocer todo lo bello que tiene el país para mostrar y ofrecer. En el 2011 año del Bicentenario, muchos compatriotas residentes en el exterior pudieron vivir las celebraciones a través de nuestras imágenes.
Without setting our minds to it, with these 54 posts Yluux has become a window into Paraguay for the world, and thanks to our blog many Paraguayans and foreigners can live and see all the beautiful things the country has to show and offer. In 2011, the year of the Bicentennial [200 years since the independence of Paraguay], many Paraguayans living abroad were able to live the celebrations through our images.
2011 Bicentennial celebrations in Asunción, Paraguay. Photo by Elton Núñez.
Bull fight called “Torín”, where the bull is not killed. San Pedro department in Paraguay. Photo by Elton Núñez
In 2010 Yluux was named one of the top 10 Paraguayan blogs in a contest organized by Ultimahora.com; in 2011 Yluux won [es] Best Paraguayan Blog in the same contest, as the post explains:
En el 2010 salimos entre los mejores 10 blogs del año y el 2011 nos recibió como el mejor blog del año, motivo de grande orgullo. Felices por haber llegado hasta aquí después de todas las aventuras que nos han llevado a recorrer Paraguay, nos ponemos seguir trayéndoles imágenes e historias. .
Ahora nos encontramos abocados en las estapas finales de nuestro libro, que esperamos pueda lanzarse muy pronto.
In 2010 we were included among the best 10 blogs of the year and in 2011 we were named the best blog of the year, something that made us very proud. Happy to have gone this far after all the adventures that have taken us around Paraguay, we will continue bringing you images and stories.
We are now dedicated to the final stages of our book, which we hope will be released very soon.
A girl in a procession in San Ignacio, Paraguay. Photo by Tetsu Espósito
Ovecha Rague festival in San Miguel, Paraguay. Photo by Elton Núñez
You can click on the images in their latest post [es] to visit any of the galleries that Espósito and Núñez have published in the last three years.


Mexico: Television Comedy Show Makes Light of Actor’s Mental Disability  · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

The Human Rights Commission of the Federal District of Mexico [es] has asked the television network Televisa to apologize the actor known as Sammy, after the contestants of the comedy game show “Hazme reír [es]” [“Make me laugh”] played a prank on him, even though it is widely known that he suffers from moderate mental disability. According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, during the May 17 transmission of the game show, TV presenter Galilea Montijo and comedian Roxana Castellanos pretended that Sammy had an audition for a show [es], where they were asked to appear in lingerie and changed clothes in front of him. It also included “temptations” from the women contestants, and the prank extended to the point of convincing Sammy to dance in his underwear in front of the cameras of national Channel 2.
The pranks on “Hazme reír” are one of the ways the contestants have to gain points in order to keep playing in the Mexican game show. Following the show protocol, after the video of the prank by Montijo and Castellanos an evaluation of their comedy skills was made by a jury that included actor and comedian Rafael Inclán and actress and comedian Consuelo Duval. The judges immediately recognized the lack of respect to Sammy.
The following dialogue happened in the evaluation.
Judge Rafael Inclán: “The prank was well done but long. And with all due respect… [it was] an offense to  Sammy’s condition. I’m sorry.”
Contestant Galilea Montijo: “Oh, which is?”
Inclán: “Don’t you know Sammy’s condition?”
Montijo: “Well, he is a person …” (she looks for Sammy in the public seats) “Sammy, where are you? Are you normal?”
Inclán: “No. We all know that.”
Montijo: “Oh, no, sorry. What you just said is the offense. To tell him in his face that he is not a normal person. (laughs)”
Inclán: “Sammy is a television accident. To me, it was cruel. Do the prank to someone else.”
(…)
Judge Consuelo Duval: “In my own personal point of view, Sammy is a good soul. And that’s why he is not normal. Sammy sees everything beautiful. Sammy sees everything in beauty.”
Montijo: “We all know that he has a… well… well, yes, he has a…”
Inclán: “That’s why.”
Montijo: “Sammy’s mental abilities are working at 100%. You’re at 100% sir, right?”
Actor Sammy: “Yes.” (nods)
Inclán: “Don’t ask him.”
Montijo: “…That he has natural humor.” (laughs)
Duval: (starts to cry)
Sammy is a Mexican actor that has appeared in several comedy shows on the Televisa channel –among them, the ones from veteran comedian Eugenio Derbez and the variety show El Calabozo–for the last 10 years. One of the recurring themes during his acts is that the presenters mock him constantly.
Although it has been implied since his first appearances that the actor suffers some kind of mental disability, recently the sister of Sammy, Martha, has declared to Mexican newspapers that he only suffers dyslexia [es]. “You cannot defend someone if you don’t know what he has,” she stated.
For Jessica Uribe, from the blog Vivir México [es], [“To live Mexico”] which also contains the video of the prank, the responsibility of the television-aired prank belongs to the line of content aired on the Mexican network:
La mayoría de nosotros sabemos que televisa es una mierda, no concede programas de calidad, sus actores cada vez más parece que son sacados de una mala broma y en fin, sobrarían mis palabras en contra de esta televisora que está en decadencia y que ella sola se dispara en el pie a diario. Esta vez la regaron al no revisar el contenido de un programa con la nula idea de lo que son los Derechos Humanos y el respeto a personas que sufren de alguna incapacidad (sic).
Vuarnet, from the blog Isopixel [es] comments that working on the television network does not mean that an actor can be humilliated:
Gracias a su participación en diversos espacios dentro de la televisora se hace vivir y mantiene a su madre, pero el hecho de que le den trabajo ¿les faculta para denigrarlo de ese modo? No hay derecho en serio…
User Regiodelnorte replies in a comment [es] to the Regioblogs [es] article of the same subject that the apologies of “Hazme reír” should be only the beginning:
La merece [Sammy], pero tambien que sean retroactivas las disculpas: Desde Jorge Van Rankin Arellano, Esteban Arce [ambos de El Calabozo], pasando por Eugenio Derbez.
In response to the same article, user RBN suggests that mocking others is common in Mexican television [es]:
Cuántas veces se ha burlado de los homosexuales con sus interpretaciones donde se exagera la condicion amanerada.
Twitter user @Uchalas thinks that the actor has no choice but to subject himself to the ridicule [es]:
Yo creo que Sammy si entiende lo que pasa a su alrededor, pero si la hace de pedo perdería el trabajar en Televisa. ¿Como ven?
@Elmeollodlasnto, from Twitter thinks that it was not adequate the way the apologies were given [es]:
Televisa ofreció disculpas por su broma para Sammy. ¡¿Alguien las aceptó? Sin embargo, el video ahí estará. Debió ser Galilea y no Regil [el presentador].
Aside from the real situation of Sammy, the prank and its reactions have brought to the surface a whole generation of characters from the Mexican television that have become popular because of the mockery around them, rather than their comedy skills. Among them, “el Changoleón [es]”, a homeless alcoholic man that became popular through the show Toma Libre, y “el Furcio [es]”, another mocked character from the show No Manches.


Nepal: Challenging Autocracy · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! has a photo-post and commentary on an impressive anti-autocracy demonstration in Nepal.


5 things to do and know this week in Milwaukee: Nov. 2 to Nov. 7 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
November 2, 2020
The Urban Ecology Center is hosting an adventure day in Washington Park for children in K5 through third grade. (File photo by Andrea Waxman)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email<EMAIL_ADDRESS>and put “5 things” in the subject line by .
Back in March, the City of Milwaukee suspended parking restrictions in light of COVID-19. The city is reinstating night parking and alternate side parking starting Monday, Nov. 2. That means a parking permit is required to park on the street from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday. To purchase a permit, click hereor visit your local police station.
In case you missed it, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls  will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find your polling site, click here. In addition to bringing a photo ID, voters are asked to wear a mask. To register on Election Day, bring a photo ID and proof of residency such as a utility bill or bank statement. Click here for other options.
3. Watch On the Table MKE 2020Last month, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation hosted its annual On the Table conversation series. This year, the theme was “healing justice.” Because of the pandemic, the conversations took place virtually. To watch any of the conversations, click here. The topics ranged from “Moment of Mindfulness” to “Leading Across Generations.”
4. November adventure day at Washington ParkThe Urban Ecology Center is hosting an adventure day in Washington Park. Children in grades K5 through third grade are invited to join. The group will meet at the Washington Park center, 1859 N. 40th St., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Participants are asked to wear a mask, bring a bag lunch and dress appropriately for the weather. Click here to purchase tickets. Prices may range.
5. Let’s Talk About It: Children of incarcerated parentsTable of the Saints is hosting its monthly “Let’s Talk About It” conversation. This month, the topic is children of incarcerated parents. The group plans to discuss the effects of having an incarcerated parent. To join the discussion, RSVP by emailing<EMAIL_ADDRESS>A recording of the meeting will be posted on the group’s Facebook page following the discussion.
Bonus: READ: Election 2020: Your guide to Election Day resources and events.
Service journalism for Milwaukee: News414
Earlier this year, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Wisconsin Watch and Outlier Media launched News414. News414 is service journalism that works for and with Milwaukee residents to provide them with the information they need regarding housing, mental health and domestic violence, food security, health and safety and jobs and money. Join News414 today by texting MILWAUKEE to 73224.
The latest coronavirus coverage from NNS
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporters are hard at work bringing readers up-to-date information regarding coronavirus. Stay informed by following us on our Facebook page and subscribing to our daily newsletter. All coronavirus related articles can be found on this landing page. If you have a question or concern about coronavirus, send them in our way. We’re here to serve you.


Social media claims that UP will be divided into three states. What is the truth? - Alt News
Kinjal
23rd September 2019 / 7:35 pm / Last updated: 16th June 2021
“Breaking : लखनऊ : तीन राज्यो में बटेगा उत्तर प्रदेश,तीन राज्य में बनेगा- उत्तर प्रदेश, बुंदेलखंड व पूर्वांचल – सूत्र #Up”
The above message has been shared on social media along with an image which has gone viral. In the image, the division of Uttar Pradesh into three distinct regions is shown, and the capitals of the new states and the districts have also been mentioned. It has been claimed that UP will be trifurcated. The first state will be UP with Lucknow as its capital. The second state will be Bundelkhand, whose capital will be Prayagraj. The third state will be Purvanchal with Gorakhpur as its capital.
This claim has been tweeted by a user named Suraj Vishwakarma, who claims to be a reporter.
*ब्रेकिंग न्यूज़ लखनऊ *तीन राज्य में बनेगा*
उत्तर प्रदेश बुंदेलखंड पूर्वांचल
*तीन राज्यो में बटेगा उत्तर प्रदेश*
क्या ये खबर सच है??@NirvanTimesJNP @bLh8Qt8Yo0x8Tbq @Surendraekaawaz @kpmaurya1 @JagranNews @aajtak @sardanarohit @mdixitjagran
— सूरज विश्वकर्मा (पत्रकार ✍) (@SurajVi31422559) September 18, 2019
This claim has gone viral on Twitter and Facebook. It has also been shared by the Facebook page Saharanpur News.
The same has been published on Crime Journalist, a web portal.
In order to ascertain this claim, Alt News searched with relevant keywords but found no news report referring to the proposal to trifurcate Uttar Pradesh. Had such a proposal indeed been accepted, it would certainly have been reported by all prominent media organisations.
The proposal to split Uttar Pradesh into multiple states first came into prominence in 2011, when the BSP government in UP had passed a resolution in the state assembly in favour of a division of the state, and forwarded the proposal to the Central government for consideration. However, this proposal was not given the green signal by the UPA government. The issue had been raised in 2013 as well.
The issue of trifurcation of UP keeps cropping up at regular intervals. In 2017, the issue was proposed once again by Mayawati. She had pledged the division of UP if BSP were to come to power in the state.
The Lallantop spoke to Mrityunjay Kumar, media advisor to the UP government, who dismissed this claim and said, “There is no proposal to split UP. There is no proposal for the same either in front of the Yogi Adityanath govt. The claims circulating on social media are false. The government is concerned with the progress of the entire region. No region is being discriminated against. In such a scenario, it is meaningless to give importance to such demands.” (translated from Hindi).
There are no media reports and no proposal for the government regarding the division of Uttar Pradesh into multiple states. The claim circulating on social media is false.
Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.
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Armenia: Musical Prime Minister · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped posts a summary in English of an informal meeting between some local bloggers and the new prime minister of Armenia. The blog notes that the posts by Alkhimik and 517design reveal the prime minister plays guitar and enjoys art-house films. All three blogs post photographs.


Bangladeshis Watch Launch of Uber in Their Country With Relief and Caution · Global Voices
Rezwan

Screenshot of a Uber map. Via Mujtaba Morshed
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the most populated cities of the world. It is known for its lack of effective public transport and notorious traffic jams. The existing taxi services are inadequate and unreliable. So it is not surprising that the launch of Uber taxi service has been hailed by many.
.@Uber launches operation amid corruption-hit public #transport system of #Dhaka city in #Bangladesh
— Sam Jahan (@samjahanAFP) November 22, 2016
Great to have @Uber in Bangladesh. Just checked, Lalmatia-Greenroad will cost around 100 tk. Great deal indeed. pic.twitter.com/fC5uOpLGmX
— ibtihaj ahmed fahad (@fahadbd24) November 22, 2016
Use promo code ‘UberBDLaunch’ and get free ride as a new rider in Dhaka.#UberFact #UberInBangladesh #UberInDhaka #Uber
— BisawajitChakravarty (@Bisawajit) November 22, 2016
Uber, the American multinational online transportation network company with headquarters in San Francisco, has its presence in 450 cities around the world. In Dhaka, finding a cab is one of the toughest jobs and call-in taxi services are rarely available. With Uber, passengers can easily hail a cab via its visual app on mobile phones and then get picked up. Passengers can rate the service or behaviour of the driver and similarly a driver can rate a passenger. Uber in Bangladesh accepts cash payment at the end of the trip. A similar local service called Chalo launched last year, but it failed to make much of an impact.
So @Uber_BD launched in Bangladesh today and this is impressive. Having said that, also one of the most upscale neighborhoods in town. pic.twitter.com/GwuapsrkHe
— Zyma Islam (@zymaislam) November 22, 2016
Folks with 2+ cars complaining about how #Uber will make the already #hotmess of a #DhakaTraffic worse.#smh #Dhaka #traffic #UberInDhaka
— Karim Waheed (@karimwaheed25) November 22, 2016
Uber has about 300 cars running in Dhaka and everyday more cars are being added.
Bakhtiyar Ashraful is excited about Uber in Dhaka:
What an uber surprise! This is going to help our city.
Uber has taken a massive challenge launching the service in Dhaka. Kudos to them. Hope they succeed.
— Asif Ferdous (@aasiferdous) November 22, 2016
Uber claims that the service will reduce traffic congestion in the city. But Solaiman Sukhon do not agree to that:
উবার কিন্তু উড়ে না !!
ঢাকার মহাকাব্যিক যানজটে সিএনজি,রিকশা আর উবার সবই এক.
Uber does not fly!!
In the epic traffic jam of Dhaka, CNG Auto, Paddle Rickshaw and Uber are all the same.
Rezaur Rahman thinks that car pooling is the solution for the traffic jam problem in Dhaka:
I don't really understand why there is such excitement about Uber entering the Bangladesh market when it has been fully or partially banned in cities across the US, Japan, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Australia etc. for its subversion of labor laws, flouting of licensing regulations, competition and consumer laws and exposing passengers to sexual assault. Don't be seduced by the brand name or the ‘ease’ of mobility it supposedly offers.
There are other concerns whether Uber will be successful in Bangladesh. But only time will tell as people badly need a better and reliable taxi service in Dhaka.


Guyana: “many waters”? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

What happens when drought hits the “land of many waters”? Guyana-Gyal wonders. “A rice-farmer living in my mother childhood village say that the water in the artesian well is running rusty. Rust. The colour of blood drying.”