Minister accused of rape gets appointed. What does this say about France? · Global Voices
Jade Dussart

Participants at a rally in Paris on 10 July 2020 express their anger following the 6 July cabinet reshuffle. Writings on a few of their signs: “Ministry of Shame,” “A State that Glorifies Rapists,” and “Governed by Rapist Culture.” Photo @sandfemi, used by generous permission of photographer, who wishes to remain anonymous.
The appointment to the ministry of the interior of a man under investigation for rape and sexual harassment reveals a certain tolerance for violence against women along the fringes of French politics. It also raises broader questions about the normalization of sexist remarks and actions in our society.
On 6 July 2020, as part of a ministerial reshuffle, Prime Minister Jean Castex chose as interior minister Gérald Darmanin, a man being investigated for several charges, including rape.
In 2015, a woman from the city of Tourcoing, where Darmanin was mayor, accused him of “abuse of weakness” for forcing her to have sexual relations in exchange for housing and a job. The inquiry was dismissed in 2018, but it may be taken up again after the association Pourvoir féministe [Feminist provider] filed a court motion on 21 July 2020. In the interim, a second woman accused him of rape, sexual harassment, and fraudulent breach of trust. She filed a complaint three times, and was denied each time. But in June 2020, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered investigations to resume.
The appointment of Darmanin launched multiple feminist protests denouncing a “reshuffle of shame.” The local feminist group, Nous Toutes 35 [All of us 35], complained, “With an alleged rapist as head of police, they’re telling us that a woman’s life is less important than a man’s ability to climb the political ladder.”
The appointment of another minister, a notorious anti feminist attorney, also poses problems. He is Eric Dupond-Moretti, named head of the Justice Department. A critic of the #MeToo movement, Dupond-Moretti had lashed out in particular at new measures against street harassment on the grounds that some women “were sad no one whistled at them anymore.”
In the daily Le Monde, Céline Piques, spokesperson for the Osez le féminisme [Dare to be a feminist]] association, stressed:
These are representatives of the police and justice, two key institutions in the experiences of victims of sexual violence.
In addition to feminist groups, numerous politicians have called for Darmanin to resign, on both the left and the right of the political aisle. Facing them is a rapidly organizing defense.
Since the new interior minister was appointed on 6 July 2020, his defenders have consistently waved the flag of the presumption of innocence. This legal principle states that a person suspected of a crime cannot be considered guilty until he has been found guilty by a court. While Darmanin has been implicated in two lawsuits, he has in fact never been convicted.
When President Macron was asked about the situation during a TV interview on 14 July 2020, he replied that he would “guarantee the presumption of innocence,” which he felt superseded “emotional reactions” and the “democracy of opinion.” In an opinion piece published the next day, 167 majority parliamentarians reminded us that “only our legal institutions can say who is guilty and who is not,” while excoriating “conviction by the populace.”
According to many observers, this line of defence conforming to legal principle avoids the tricky question of politics: What message does this appointment send?
Beligh Nabli, public law expert, explains on France Culture radio station:
The argument that “He is presumed innocent” is totally deceptive. Yes, that’s true according to the law, but that’s not the question. The question is whether that undermines confidence in our representatives….it is a question of both political ethics and confidence in democracy.
Madeline Da Silva, a member of the Nous toutes [All of us women] organization, asks :
Do you think they would have appointed someone under investigation for another crime, a murder or an assassination? No, this happens only for crimes that involved sexist and sexual violence, like rape…. We are talking about political choices and the messages being sent.
The new prime minister is taking “full responsibility” for this political choice.
Defenders of the new interior minister also rely on dated, sexist motives that appear to be normalized.
When asked about Darmanin, Macron spoke of the “relationship of trust from man to man” that connects them. Many interpreted this statement as an expression of the male solidarity and clannishness that rule in the halls of power. “Could he have chosen a worse defense?” wonders reporter Laure Bretton.
Such solidarity looks suspicious when you consider that several of the deputies who have publicly defended Darmanin have themselves been accused of sexual harassment and assault.
The political fringe also makes use of a well-known tactic in the #MeToo era: victimizing the accused, which tends to make the accuser invisible. According to the president, Darmanin is a man who has been “wounded by these attacks.” An op-ed signed by 200 representatives described him as being “targeted by disparate attack groups.” Darmanin himself says he is the victim of a “man hunt” and denounces “a form of injustice.”
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs watch as their pasts are picked apart and their integrity questioned.
Another revealing misstep by Darmanin was when he admitted to having had “the life of a young man.” A female activist analyzed this remark on Twitter:
The problem is that we have a culture where “the life of a young man” means behaviors of domination and predation over women. To excuse (and thereby validate and maintain) this culture at the highest levels of government is an extremely serious ethical failing. #Darmanin https://t.co/9r7ZXpVjmq
— Claire Lejeune (@ClaireMLejeune) July 18, 2020
Journalist Christine Ollivier reported the highly problematic comments by an anonymous minister that appear to reveal the breadth of the phenomenon in politics:
Off mic, a minister answered a question from AFP about Darmanin by saying, “If every guy who acted badly with girls can’t have a position of responsibility anymore, we’re going to have a problem.”
— Christine Ollivier (@Chr_Ollivier) July 21, 2020
Without meaning to, Darmanin’s supporters are highlighting the power mechanisms that contribute to the silence and to the impunity of the aggressors.
Gérald Darmanin joins a long list of male politicians accused of harassment or sexual assault: Georges Tron (Republican), Denis Baupin (Greens), Jean Lassalle (Center), Gilbert Cuzou and Pierre Joxe (Socialists), Christophe Arend (En Marche!), etc. While some cases are ongoing, no convictions have been handed down at the time of this writing. Sexual harassment is punishable in France by two years of prison, sexual assault by seven years, and rape by a minimum of 15 years.
Nearly three years after the #MeToo movement exploded around the world, France has not had a single major conviction, despite this new outlet for free speech of the victims and the swelling number of testimonies against men in power at #BalanceTonPorc [Squeal on your pig.]
According to the office of the Secretary of State for Equality between Men and Women, only one percent of rapes or attempted rapes led to a conviction in 2018. While some make reference to the French cultural exception, the underlying impunity shows it is time to recognize the systemic sexism and culture of rape permeating our society.


Turkmenistan: Another Dissident Jailed · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Peter reports on a spate of human rights infringements in Turkmenistan, just as an EU delegation arrives in Ashgabat to discuss the issue.


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City of Milwaukee General Labor & Construction Jobs Recruitment Event: Wednesday, April 17 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Milele A. Coggs
April 16, 2019
WHAT: Learn more about the general labor and construction job opportunities with the City of Milwaukee at this recruitment event sponsored by UMOS, the Wisconsin Department of Children & Families, Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs, the Milwaukee Urban League, the City of Milwaukee Community Development Grants Administration, the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works, and Compete Milwaukee.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 17 – 2:00-4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Milwaukee Urban League, 435 W. North Ave.
WHO: Eligible future workers must be 18-64 years of age and have been unemployed for four (4) weeks. Jobs pay $11.32/hour for 40 hours per week. These jobs may lead to permanent employment with the city. Former offenders are welcome to attend.
DETAILS: Brandy Murrell –<PHONE_NUMBER> ext. 104 or bmurrell@tmul.org


Russia Elections 2011/12 · Global Voices

Protesters during a demonstration against election fraud at the Bolotnaya Square, Moscow. Image by Maria Pleshkova, copyright Demotix (10/12/11).
Russia's December 4, 2011, parliamentary election triggered what no one expected – mass demonstrations protesting the numerous reports of vote rigging and election violations. The overwhelming numbers (over 60,000 protesters in Moscow alone and around 100,000 protesters all over the country), have created an energy and feeling of empowerment that Russians have not experienced for nearly two decades. The phenomenon has been organized and discussed mostly online, on Twitter and social networking sites LiveJournal, Vkontakte and Facebook.
Protestors consist of those pushed out of the political mainstream (liberals, anarchists, anti-Kremlin social-democrats) who have joined forces with groups of activists that have emerged solely online, such as the Blue Bucket Society and Anti-Corruption Movement. Empowered by technology, they are united despite their political differences in their demands for an election re-run, changes to the electoral and political systems, and the release of political prisoners.
On March 4, 2012, the Russian presidential election will take place. The president will be elected for the new, extended term of six years.
Check back for regular updates to this page.
Please contact Global Voices RuNet Echo Editor Alexey Sidorenko if you have links or story ideas, or want to add to this page's resource list.
What we do: Global Voices bloggers from around the world report on how citizens use the Internet and social media to make their voices heard, often translating from other languages.
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For more information on Russian coverage, visit our dedicated RuNet Echo special coverage – a project of Global Voices to expand and deepen understanding of the Russian language Internet (RuNet) and related online communities.
Follow RuNet Echo on Twitter @runetecho
Like RuNet Echo on Facebook
Subscribe to RuNet Echo on LiveJournal
2012
27 Mar – Russia: Kenyans at Pro-Putin Rally Identified As Moscow Circus Acrobats
19 Mar – Russia: “Anatomy of a Protest” Film Causes “NTV Lies” Scandal
07 Mar – Russia: Anglophone Bloggers Discuss Election Fraud and Post-Election Future
06 Mar – Russia: 11 Areas of Election-Related ICT Innovation
06 Mar – Russia: Sex, Women, Putin and Videos
06 Mar – Russia: Fake US Ambassador Twitter Account Wreaks Havoc During Vote
03 Mar – Russia: A Last-Minute Overview of Pre-Election Blogging
01 Mar – Russia: The Early Days of Government Transparency
01 Mar – Russia: Vladivostok's Pre-Election Puzzle
29 Feb – Russia: An Overview of the Pre-Election Anglophone Blogging
27 Feb – Russia: The “Big White Circle” Protest in Moscow
25 Feb – Russia: Bloggers’ Photo Reports and Reflections on Pro-Putin Rally in Moscow
23 Feb – Russia: Pro-Putin Rally in Vladivostok Causes Controversy
05 Feb – Russia: Day of Protests Divides Citizens
24 Jan – Russia: “Mikhail Dmitrievich Prokhorov: An Unpredictable Kremlin Project”
18 Jan – Russia: Obama's McFaul Sworn in as U.S. Ambassador
10 Jan – Russia: The Russian Orthodox Church Re-Enters Politics
2011 – Parliamentary elections
27 Dec – Russia: The Opposition in St. Petersburg Fails to Reach Understanding
23 Dec – Russia: Opposition Faces Online Communication Problems
22 Dec – Russia: Phone Hacking Case Unites Opposition
18 Dec – Russia: Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the 2012 Presidential Election
December 10, 2011, protests
14 Dec – Russia: Dec. 10 Opposition Rally in St. Petersburg
13 Dec – Russia: Post-Election Protest in Vladivostok on December 10
13 Dec – Russia: Gregory Shvedov on Braving the Putin Regime Online
11 Dec – Russia: An “Ethical Revolution”
11 Dec – Russia: 13 Protest Tweets, 6 Photos “Storified” (Updated)
11 Dec – Russia: “Why Are Russians Protesting Now”
10 Dec – Russia: Ukrainian Blogger's Photos From the Moscow Rally
10 Dec – Russia: English-Language Tweets From the Moscow Rally
10 Dec - Russia: Anglophone Bloggers’ In-Depth Analyses of Dec. 4 Elections
10 Dec – Russia: Protests (and Security Forces) in Moscow
After the 2011 elections
9 Dec – Russia: Anglophone Bloggers Comment on Election and Protests
8 Dec – Russia: Analyzing the Possible Scale of Saturday's Election Protests
07 Dec – Russia: Second Day of Post-Election Protests
07 Dec – Russia: Election and the “Other Side of Panopticon”
07 Dec – Russia: Kremlin Removes Re-Tweet From Presidential Account
05 Dec – Russia: The Revolt of “Net Hamsters”
The 2011 elections
05 Dec – Russia: No Violation of Election Violations
05 Dec – Russia: Election Day DDoS-alypse
04 Dec – Russia: Massive DDoS Attacks Against Independent Websites on the Election Day
Before the 2011 elections
03 Dec – Russia: Last Words Before Pre-Election Silence
02 Dec – Russia: Detained Member of Parliament Uses Live Mobile Broadcasting
30 Nov – Russia: Creators of Election Violation Map Come Under Attack
22 Nov – Russia: Digital Oppression Hits Web Forums as Election Approaches
22 Nov – Russia: PM Putin Gets Booed – “End of an Era” or “Wishful Thinking”?
21 Nov – Russia: Kostroma Police Closes Discussion Board For Criticising Governor
16 Nov – Russia: Hidden Camera Reveals Illegal Electioneering in School
31 Oct – Russia: The Data Leak War and Other Pre-Election Surprises
31 Oct – Russia: Izhevsk City Manager Caught on Camera Talking About Election Bribery
30 Oct – Russia: Retired Tennis Star Marat Safin to Run for Parliament
28 Oct – Russia: Fake ‘Crowd Sourced’ Election Monitoring Portal Launched by the Ruling Party
27 Oct – Russia: 24,300+ Personal Records Belonging to Pro-Kremlin Youth Camp Participants Leaked
27 Oct – Russia: Pre-Election Scandals, YouTube Videos and Semi-Anonymous Protest
20 Oct – Russia: 7 Temporarily Detained During the President's Meeting with Journalism Students
18 Oct – Russia: Newspaper Leaks Plans to Discredit Anti-Corruption Blogger
17 Oct – Russia: Facebook Bots Massively Vote for Putin
10 Oct – Russia: Putin Gets Twitter Hashtag for His Birthday
26 Sep – Russia: Expert Analyzes RuNet's Role Under Putin's Presidency
23 Sep – Russia: Controlled Media Support Party Hijacking
15 Sep – Russia: To Vote or Not To Vote?
08 Sep – Russia: Crowdsourced Map of Electoral Violations Launched
19 Jul – Russia: Women ‘Rip For Putin’ As Election Campaign War Begins
21 Jul – Is Russia's Political “Black Hole” About to Reach Tipping Point?
02 Jun – Russia: Social Networks and Civic Mobilisation
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Hashtags (in chronological order):
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Post from Community: MATC to host a virtual open house, April 29 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Technical College
April 13, 2021
Milwaukee Area Technical College will host a free, public virtual open house for prospective students and their families from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 29. The event will be held on Zoom and will utilize breakout rooms to meet with program and department representatives.
Attendees can:
Visit matc.edu/openhouse to RSVP. For more information, call<PHONE_NUMBER> or write<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Ready to apply? MATC is waiving the $30 application fee for a limited time.

Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 150 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.


Bermuda: Dame Brown Evans Laid to Rest  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Individuals and families I spoke with said they simply had to attend this ‘historic event’ and wanted their children to be a part of this ‘history in the making'”: Charlotte Andrews is one of many who lined the streets of Hamilton, Bermuda to pay their last respects to Dame Lois Brown Evans.


Bahrain: On Saudi Arabia’s Corporal Punishment · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif comments on corporal punishment in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. “You do bad bad stuff in Saudi and you’re a foreigner, you get your ‘ead chopped off,” he warns.


Bhutan: Riots in England and Bhutanese Youth · Global Voices
Rezwan

Commentaries On Bhutan compares the recent riots in England with the increasing youth crimes in Bhutan.


North Caucasians’ Sad, Paradoxical Fight in Eastern Ukraine · Global Voices
Karena Avedissian

Ukrainians, Georgians, and Chechens rally at Berlin's Alexanderplatz against the Russian invasion in eastern Ukraine. August 30, 2014, by Thorsten Strasas. Demotix.
Widespread reports, not to mention video footage, confirm that North Caucasians are indeed fighting in Ukraine. Areas like Chechnya and Ingushetia, where Russia is arguably already at war, now link Moscow to the newer conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk. In other words, one of Russia's most violent areas is now feeding the bloodshed in Europe's newest war zone.
Chechen militants have reportedly joined pro-Russian separatist groups in Ukraine, most notably the Vostok battalion, whose name recycles the moniker of a battalion that fought Islamic extremists in Chechnya from 1999-2009. These are the “Kadyrovtsy,” well-trained irregular armed forces loyal to Chechnya's current leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Оперативная инфа. Оказывается, чеченцы, которые сидят в Славянске, Краматорске и за светились в Мариуполе – это кадыровский батальйон Восток
— Сергей Гармаш (@s_garmash) May 10, 2014
Strategic information. It appears the Chechens in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, and who appeared in Mariupol are [part of] Kadyrov's Vostok battalion.
Kadyrov denies the presence of organized Chechen battalions in Ukraine, but he admits that some Chechens are on the ground there, fighting on their own, voluntarily. Earlier this summer, Kadyrov acknowledged that 14 Chechen combatants possibly died fighting in Ukraine this May.
As the evidence mounts that the real number of Chechens fighting in Ukraine is almost certainly much higher, the paradox of Chechens fighting for Russia is not lost on Russians online:
Чеченцы приехали на Донбасс защищать русских от украинцев. Даже Бог не знал, что такое возможно… Этот безумный, безумный, безумный мир!
— Иосиф Сталин (@StalinGulag) May 7, 2014
Chechens came to Donbass to protect Russians from Ukrainians. Even God wouldn’t have known this was possible. What a crazy, crazy world!
Chechens are not the only North Caucasians reported to be participating in the fighting; President of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Yevkurov recently admitted that some of the new volunteer combatants in Ukraine are from his territory, and there are continued sightings of North Ossetian fighters.
It is not immediately clear if local branches of the security services, perhaps facing quotas, compelled soldiers in the North Caucasus to participate in Ukraine's war, or if these men traveled there on their own. The Web portal Kavkazcenter reported on volunteer recruitment centers that opened in Grozny and closed suddenly. In March this year, Oleg Leusenko published on LiveJournal a letter from a Chechen woman named Elmira, who claims that Chechen volunteers from Grozny are threatened and intimidated, if they refuse to fight in Ukraine. The Russian Council of Human Rights also says contract soldiers from Dagestan are active in Ukraine. According to the Council, militants are earning 250,000 rubles each—a hefty sum for people living in Russia's poorest republic.
Over the past several years, Russia has increased the number of local police and secret services in the region, meaning that Ukraine's newest arrivals likely have experience in irregular combat. Whether coerced or salaried, it's clear that Russia in Ukraine is now keen to use North Caucasians’ training and fighting acumen (especially in urban combat, which most ex-conscripts and volunteers lack). Indeed, the North Caucasians with military training now sighted in Ukraine are almost certainly from these irregular formations, as the ranks of Russia's formal military have surprisingly small numbers of ethnic minorities.
Not all Chechens are fighting against Kyiv, however. There is at least one group—a brigade named after the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's first president, Dzhokhar Dudaev—made up of members from the Chechen diaspora in Europe, who have returned to resist Russia, says Mairbek Vatchagaev.
Many Ukrainians have displayed a remarkable ability to distinguish between Chechens as an entire ethnicity and the pro-Russian “Kadyrovtsy” now appearing in the East. Commenting a Facebook, for instance, one Ukrainian user wrote of the Dudaev battalion:
Это настоящие чеченцы, а не кадыровцы. Это как украинцы и сепаратисты.
These are real Chechens, not the Kadyrovtsy. That is like [the difference between] Ukrainians and separatists.
Movladi Udugov, a Chechen ideologue of the Caucasus Emirate, recently explained the concept of Kadyrovtsy in the context of the Ukrainian conflict, claiming that Kadyrov's men are not true Chechens:
Что касается кадыровцев, то это не наемники, а путинские собаки, русские марионетки без рода, без племени. В Чечне русские оккупанты называют их “разовыми”, потому что их используют как расходный материал в боях против муджахидов.
With regard to Kadyrovtsy, they are not mercenaries, they are Putin’s dogs—Russian marionettes without kin. In Chechnya, the Russian occupiers call on them for “one-time use,” because they use them like disposable material in their battles with the mujahideen.
Udugov may be onto something when he talks about Kadyrovtsy's “disposability” in Moscow's eyes. As the conflict in Eastern Ukraine has continued, scattered reports have emerged that some Chechens are abandoning the separatists in protest against poor treatment.
In the North Caucasus, the long-deteriorating security situation and repressive local regimes maintained by the Kremlin have long burdened the population. Sadly, the region's structural violence is now spreading beyond, into Ukraine, too.


Iran: Tehran Before the Revolution · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Estekhdam has published several photos showing Tehran before Islamic Revolution in 1979.


Egypt: Widespread Torture  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Elijah Zarwan links to a human rights report on widespread torture in Egypt.


Sri Lanka: Blogging at the GLF · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Ephemeral Ruminations rounds up reactions from the Sri Lankan blogosphere to the Galle Literary Festival – a lot of reactions considering a panel at the festival discussed how seriously bloggers could be taken.


Apple warns iPhone users of targeted malware
Dr. Martin Shelton
April 16, 2024
Illustration by Freedom of the Press Foundation. (CC BY 4.0)
It’s the Digital Security Training team at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), with security news that keeps you, your sources, and your devices safe. If someone has shared this newsletter with you, please subscribe here.
On April 10, Apple sent users in 92 countries warning of mercenary malware attacks targeting the iPhone. The notification did not provide details about the identities of the attackers. According to TechCrunch, Apple warned, “This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously.” Apple sent the same alert to Indian journalists and politicians late last year. Read more.
Threats to press freedom around the world are at an all-time high. Sign up to stay up to date and take action to protect journalists and whistleblowers everywhere.
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We are always ready to assist journalists with digital security concerns. Reach out here, and stay safe and secure out there.
Best,
Martin


North Korea Announces Next Satellite Launch · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea’s state media announced that the country's 2nd satellite launch is planned around December 10-22. North Korea Tech wrote a post about it with links to related stories.


Insurgency: UK Trains Over 2,000 Nigerian Air Force Special Forces - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Abubakar Abubakar
April 28, 2019
The Nigerian Air Force said the British Military Assistant Training Team has assisted the Service in the training of Regiment personnel as well as over 2,000 Special Forces to enhance Force Protection capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, made this know during the NAF Day 2019 Lecture in Abuja.
The Lecture is one of the activities lined up by the Nigerian Air Force to celebrate its 55th anniversary.
The air chief noted that the Service has grown in size, spread and equipment holding in a bid to fulfill its statutory obligations of protecting and defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria from the air.
Abubakar noted that the service was also doing so much in further developing and improving her capacity for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions.
He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his continued show of uncommon commitment to meeting the needs of the Nigerian Air Force.
In his remarks, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, represented by the Director Air Force, in the ministry of Defence, Peter Ashibe, said the Air Force had transformed over the years.


5 things you need to know this week in Milwaukee: May 6 to May 11 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elyse McFeggan
May 6, 2019
The Milwaukee Youth Council will take part in Shadow Day at City Hall this week. (Photo courtesy of City of Milwaukee)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some events that can enrich your week. 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 noon Fridays
Celebrate with the Milwaukee Public Library. The Washington Park branch, 2121 N. Sherman Blvd., will host “End stigma together,” where residents can explore the most effective ways to combat stigmas attached to mental illness. That event takes place ,   The Capitol branch, 3969 N. 74th St., will host “Overcoming the destructive effects of stress and anxiety,” with author, speaker and researcher Tony Piparo, from . For more information on any of these events and more, visit here.
Milwaukee Youth Council members  Common Council members during a meeting at in the Common Council Chamber, 3rd Floor, City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.
The Milwaukee Public school board will hold two meetings this week. At , there will be a
meeting in the auditorium of the Central Services Building, 5225 W. Vliet St. There will be reports with possible action on the Northwest Region Showcase and on progress in fulfilling equity goals. At  there will be a meeting of the . This meeting will provide informational overviews and a public hearing on the .
Journey House, International Institute of Wisconsin and Marquette University are hosting “Refugee resettlement in Milwaukee,” an event to share results and action plans with the community. The event is from  at Journey House, 2110 W. Scott St. It is free to attend and coffee will be provided. Survey participants and refugees are encouraged to attend and share input. For more information and to register, visit the event website.
Don’t forget Mother’s Day on Sunday. For a list of places to take the special woman in your life and to meet some of Milwaukee’s most inspiring moms, read this. (Photo courtesy of May Yer Thao)
Remember your mother, Sunday, May 12! For all she did, does and will do in the future, Forgot to make reservations? Check out this fun story about Milwaukee mothers, (and stay for the list of Mother’s Day brunches around the city).
The Mitchell Street branch of the Milwaukee Public Library, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St., will host There will be an unveiling of an artist bookshelf, free food, art projects and much more.


Yemen: Somalia’s True Neighbour  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“While our rich and much wealthier neighbors shun Somali refugees and keep them out, Yemen – one of the poorest countries in the world – is one of the very few places that Somali refugees are warmly welcomed, allowed to freely move and work; and have free health care and education,” writes Yemeni blogger Omar Barsawad.


5 things to know and do the week of Feb. 12 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
February 12, 2024
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Stephen’s Breads will host a Mardi Gras Pop-up at MobCraft Beer: Brewery, Taproom & Pizza, 505 S. Fifth St., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12. To celebrate, you can purchase mini king cakes and paczkis. More information here.
A craft night will be held for people who are transgender or gender nonconforming. It will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12 at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St. Supplies will be provided, but you are encouraged to bring your own and a suggested $15 donation. More information here.
Every Monday, Ill Threadz MKE, a nonprofit, offers free break-dancing lessons for youths. The next session is from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12 at Oklahoma Avenue Lutheran Church,  5335 W. Oklahoma Ave. Refreshments will be provided. More information here.
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch invites you to a community meal that will also include games. It will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 906 W. Historic Mitchell St. Registration is required. Walk-ins are welcome depending on space. More information here.
Basketball open gym sessions are held every Wednesday for youths ages 13 and up at Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club. Bring your teen to the next open gym session from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 3000 N. Sherman Blvd. More information here.


African Animators Defying All Odds · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Njeri Wangari highlights 9 amazing animation videos for African children:
1. Jungle Beat
Jungle Beat is a fun, family friendly series of CGI animated self-contained, dialogue-free, 5 minute episodes focusing on different animals and the bizarre situations they encounter in nature. From the firefly who is afraid of the dark to the giraffe with a stiff neck, this wholesome series aims to entertain, inspire and ignite children’s curiosity!
2. Kirikou and The Sorceress
In a little village somewhere in Africa, a boy named Kirikou is born. But he’s not a normal boy, because he knows what he wants very well. Also he already can speak and walk. His mother tells him how an evil sorceress has dried up their spring and devoured all males of the village except of one. Hence little Kirikou decides, he will accompany the last warrior to the sorceress. Due to his intrepidity he may be the last hope of the village. Kirikou et la Sorcière or Kirikou and the Sorceress is a french animated film based on Western African folklore directed by Michel Ocelot.
The story has been translated to English and into Kiswahili.


Jamaica: Uncertain paternity · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Jamaica and the World reacts to surprising news about paternity tests in Jamaica: a third of the men who take them discover they are not really the fathers of their supposed children.


China: Blog closed for birth · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Last week Chinese blogger Bing Feng abruptly closed down his blog. Today he says why.


Iran: Not Just For Sex! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Sargashte, a lesbian Iranian, writes that many people think homosexuals only want to satisfy their sexual desires. Blogger adds  homosexuals & lesbians like heterosexuals are after a love relationship. She says recently in a magazine she found out about 10to 12 percent of a  population can be considered as  homosexuals. Blogger says I am not that alone in Iran (Persian).


These women are fighting back on the continued destruction of Turkey’s Akbelen forest · Global Voices
Arzu Geybullayeva

Image by Arzu Geybullayeva
On July 24, two companies — Limak Holding and İÇTAŞ Enerji — with ties to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) moved to cut down trees in Akbelen forest, in Turkey's southwestern province of Muğla. The move followed the decision by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to hand some 740 decares (740,000 square meters) of forest land over to YK Energy — a joint company set up by Limak and İÇTAŞ — to mine for lignitein April 2021. Since the felling began over a week ago, scores of local residents from the nearby İkizköy village, environmental activists, representatives of opposition political parties, and nature conservation organizations have been holding a vigil in the area.
Some 300 organizations have rallied behind the residents’ call to stop any mining activities in the area in a statement issued on July 28. Media reports indicate that local police have used force, tear gas, and water canons against them, while some 40 people have been arrested over the past week.
On July 30, the governor's office of Mugla announced that work to clear the forest had been completed. The statement also described the resistance as “provocative” and “ugly.” The statement vowed to “rehabilitate” the area by planting 130,000 saplings. Activists say these promises are futile. In a press statement, the President of the Turkish Foresters’ Association (TOD), Hüsrev Özkara, said promising to replant new trees to replace the 60–90-year-old ones being cut is nothing but a joke. It is also not known how many trees in total have been cut but environmentalists estimate the numbers could be as high as 65,000.
Meanwhile, the accusations leveled against the protesters that they were provocateurs also made it into a statement by the leader of the National Movement party (MHP) — the ultra-nationalist ally of the ruling AKP — Devlet Bahçeli. The 75-year-old lashed out at the protesters, describing them as criminals and terrorists trying to “destroy the inner peace” at Akbelen. Ironically, the village residents and all those who joined them in recent days accused the ruling government of doing the same. Meanwhile, despite the statement from the local governor's office, the felling continued while reports of signal jammers being installed by the authorities and further violence and force used against protesters, which by now have grown in numbers been shared online.
Shortly after the destruction of the forest began on July 24, a group of women from İkizköy village became the symbols of the local resistance. In this video, the local women speak of their cause and how much pain the destruction of their forest is causing them:
A post shared by +90 (@plus90_official)
I went and hugged my trees, kissed them. Every time the tree was cut, I felt like a lost a limb, like we have been cut off from our children. No matter what we did, we could not stop them. They used force against us, they dragged us, hurting us.
We as residents of İkizköy village are holding a vigil fighting for the future of our country, so it does not disappear, so our land and soil don't disappear, so that we still have air to breath and water to drink, so that we still have our village. This is why we are here. The plant means death, poverty, it means we are finished. Soil means bread, water, air. If there are trees, there is life, water, we can breath.
In one video, a local woman resident begs others to stop the carnage. “If there is one thing you can do for me, please stop the felling,” the woman says in tears. “You can do whatever you want — tear gas us all you want, arrest us — we are staying here and won't go anywhere. We all are going to die anyway because of what you are doing here. We gave 70–80 years of our lives to grow these trees,” another woman was seen speaking to the army officers who were sent to the village to prevent the residents from stopping the felling.
This young activist tried to stop the local police from approaching the protesters:
A post shared by Change.org Türkiye (@changetr)
In another video shared online, five women are seen on the ground, drenched from water sprayed by water cannons. The stream stops only after the cannon runs out of water.
Screenshot from the video report from Akbelen forest by Tele1 news channel.
Senior Consultant on Environmental and Climate Policy Deniz Gümüşel shared this photo of herself with a bruise she got as a result of violence during the protests. Gümüşel was also briefly detained.
A post shared by Kadın Savunması (@kadinsavunmasi)
Since 2019, the local residents of İkizköy village have been trying to prevent deforestation in the Akbelen forest, which is situated near their village. But in Turkey, the preservation of green spaces has never been a priority for the ruling Justice and Development Party, which has no sound environmental policy.
The crackdown in 2013 against a group of environmentalists trying to prevent the destruction of Gezi Park was a defining moment for the ruling government, marking the AKP's anti-environmental turn. Since then, scores of protests have erupted across Turkey, often staged and organized by local residents trying to protect the remaining green spaces and prevent the expansion of power plants. But with a ruling government that lacks any green vision, prioritizes the economy at the expense of the environment, and allows greedy companies to fill in their coffers at the expense of regular citizens, it is a struggle that is here to stay. The deforestation in the Akbelen forest that began on July 24 is a brazen example of this. Meanwhile, the companies behind the forest destruction have refused to comply with a court order that suspended the project in the first place.
The scale of destruction of forest areas over the last ten years in the province of Mugla was recently documented by one local media news platform, Fayn Studio. In the time lapse video, the gradual deforestation has spread with no accountability. Meanwhile, the struggle to stop the felling continues.


Akwa Ibom: Akpabio Loses Re-Election Bid As INEC Announces PDP Winner - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Editor 4
February 26, 2019
TheIndependent National Electoral Commission,INEC on Tuesday in Uyo declared ChrisEkpenyong of Peoples Democratic Party winner of the Akwa Ibom North Westsenatorial district election.
Announcingthe results, the INEC Returning Officer in the state, Prof. Peter Ogban, saidEkpenyong polled 118,215 votes to defeat Senator Godswill Akpabio of All ProgressivesCongress who polled 83,158 votes.
Akpabiowas the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom.
Thereturning officer added that the total number of registered voters in thesenatorial district were 655,525, accreditedn>


Portugal: Watchdog of Public Domain · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

A blog that aims to act as a watchdog of public domain in Portugal [pt] and beyond was recently launched.


South Korea: Shrewder Commercials As Viewers Get Smarter · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In South Korea, it is sometimes chilling to watch netizens detecting a trivial flaw from traditional media which would have gone unnoticed few years ago. Several days ago, internet users have scored another one. This time, a small and perhaps intentional error from the nation’s one of biggest networks’ prime time news.
Korea’s one of major broadcasting stations MBC featured a news coverage on Smartphones. On the covereage, a female interviewee appeared and showed how all the technology has converged into a Smartphone. The lady seemed like an ordinary citizen, but was in fact an employee of the Sony Ericsson and by no surprise, a Smartphone she was holding in the news was her company’s.
It is like everyone is a fact checker or a media monitoring agent.
Netizen are proud of themselves that they are not gullible enough to eat up the reality traditional media project. A Netzen ID: MissA (the page has now been deleted) is the one who solved a Smartphone coverage case (images above are from MissA's posting) and blew a lady interviewee’s cover. MissA posted a screen capture images of Jeon Ham, the lady interviewee and her Sony Ericsson phone from the news and a coup de grace, a screen shoot of an internet page noticing new recruits for Sony Ericsson where Jeon was listed as a person in charge of recruiting and her phone number designated as a contact number. Peoples’ response was immediate. Most of them did not hold back their irritations that can be felt after being fooled. A netizen ID: Warota commented right below MissA's article that it is irritating to watch a combination of news and a commercial in a serious news program and pointed out this incident can jeopardize the news credibility.
일반 시민처럼 나와서 마치 아무런 사심없이 소니 에릭슨이 좋아서 쓴다는 것처럼 인터뷰하는게 웃기다는거야 저 사람이 소니에릭슨에 근무하는 사람인데 자사 상품 갖고 나와서 공평하게 평가하겠냐?
Another netizen ID: Zidell said that Sony hit an promotional jackpot, since it is not technically a PPL(Product Placement) thereby no monetary compensation is needed but still, the promotional effect the news coverage will bring can be phenomenal. Zidell later shared a bit of background information on the indirect commercials on TV and concluded there is no legal issue the station is facing. The case is more likely to fall into moral area.
PPL이거나 PPL의 일종은 절대 아닙니다. PPL은 노출에 대한 댓가를 지불하기 때문에 ‘유료로 지면을 지불하여 메시지를 전달'하는 완전한 광고의 영역에 속합니다. PPL은 주로 드라마, 영화, 기타 오락적 미디어에 쓰이며 뉴스에서 PPL비스무리 한다는 것은 말이 되지 않습니다. 기사비슷하게 광고하는 것을 기사형 광고(advertorial)이라하는데 이것 역시 기사와 같은 흉내만 낼 뿐이지 돈을 내고 광고 지면이나 시간대에만 내보냅니다.
즉, 돈을 안 들이고 광고한 PR로 설명을 할 수 있고요.. 기자는 윤리적인 문제에 대한 비판이나 징계에 대해 감당을 해야하며, 소니 에릭슨은 돈 안들이고 엄청난 노출효과를 본 홍보잭팟을 터트린 입장이지요. 보통 기사에 자사 제품이나 브랜드가 언급되기를 바라면서 각 홍보팀이나 대행사들이 보도자료를 계속 배포하는데, 이렇게 대놓고 기사전체가 특정 제품의 장점을 줄줄이 꿰는 홍보사례는 언론 윤리적으로 욕을 좀 먹을만 하죠… 저 전함씨의 차림새나 나레이션 등을 종합했을 때 맘먹고 홍보하려고 나온 것 같은데, 아무런 비판없이 소니에릭슨 측의 입장을 뉴스로 내보낸 것은 문제가 있다고 생각합니다.
Korean portals are notorious for a deluge of the advertorial, a combination of an ad and a news editorial, but basically a commercial in a news format. Many people share a vexing experience of clicking a news article with an enticing title and read though the end only to check a last sentence that read ‘this is a news release from the company’. In most Korean major portal sites, the news articles are place right in the middle of the main page and keep updating on timely basis. This is where the advertorials swoop in. A blogger the3rdman expressed an anger on this harassing ads. A advertorial the blogger mentioned was placed in a sweet spot of a portal’s main page and disguised as if it is a new article from Yonhap news agency giving tips on economizing space. It was later turned out to be an ad from a home décor company.
언론과 포털이 짝짜궁이 되어 추한 짓을 벌이는 것을 보니 기가 막힌다. 오늘 포털daum의 ‘메인화면’ 에 나온 기사다. 포털의 메인 화면의 위력은 상당하다… 하물며 상단 제일 보기 쉬운 곳에 ‘사진'과 함께라면 그 효과는 훨씬 크다…아마 최고 1만에 가까운 동접율을 보일 것이다. 그런 기사, 뉴스야 메일 나온다. 문제는 그 ‘내용’ 이다… 이건 ‘기사'가 아니가 ‘광고’ 였기 때문이다.
A blogger Joleng has posted his research on the product placement and some of legal issues. South Korea, starting from January this year, lifted a ban on the product placement and virtual placement. This new move was adopted to contribute to the broadcasting stations’ easy financing and enlarge the advertisement markets and especially, to halt underground product placements markets by making indirect advertisements official. Several specific rules have been added; in case of the product placement, the revised article allows it only in soaps and entertainment shows, but not in educational, kids’ and news program which can risk the programs’ impartiality.
The product placement, as well as the virtual placement has been actively used in soaps operas. As Korea’s soap markets are getting bigger, the product placement has gotten more diverse and discreet. In a KBS’ soap, ‘Cinderella's Sister’ the heroin orders a non-existing alcohol brand that has a very similar name with the actual advertizing alcohol brand and ‘the Man Called God’ from MBC, the main character constantly says ‘Why not?” which was the Samsung Card’s catchphrase from the commercial.
A blogger Designlog wrote in the article titled ‘Soap Operas are like Home shopping’ for displaying too many products on the show to plow more ad money.
이렇게 도가 지나친 간접광고를 남발하는 SBS 인기드라마 ‘유리의 성'을 향해 일부 시청자는 ‘드라마가 아닌 마스카라 광고다. 그리고 다음에는 어떤 제품이 PPL로 나올지 내심 기다려진다'고 간접광고 남발을 비꼬기도 했습니다…물론 드라마 제작비 조달을 위해 간접광고(PPL)가 필요하다는 것은 충분히 공감하고 이해되는 부뷴이지만 이처럼 드라마 흐름을 방해하는 노골적인 간접광고는 피해줬으면 하는 게 시청자들의 작은 바람이 아닐까 생각합니다.
The blogger warned the company of possible backlash from increasingly smarter viewers.
이제는 시청자들 역시 과거에 비해 많이 달라졌다는 것입니다. 보다 똑똑하고 날카로운 눈썰미로 간접광고를 여지없이 지적해 내고 이것을 인지하는 시청자들에게 노골적인 간접광고는 눈살을 찌푸리게 하고 기대하는 광고효과보다 역으로 제품 또는 기업 이미지를 반감시킬 수 있는 결과를 불러 올 수 있다는 것입니다.
Bygone the days when the traditional media wielded its used-up tactics with no one noticing its sly maneuvers. Business are evolving, mutating into discreeter direction as people learn to leverage unlimited access to information.


Political Representation: A Key Struggle for Afro-descendants in Colombia · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

With 5 million people, or 10.6% of the total population, Colombia has the largest Afro-descendant population in Latin America, behind only Brazil, according to a 2005 census. There are, however, serious difficulties in quantifying blackness, given the mixed ethnic backgrounds of many Colombians. The stigma associated with African descent in much of the country leads mixed-race individuals to identify away from their Afro roots, and unofficial figures place the Afro-Colombian community at as high as 25% of the total population.
Maren Soendergaard in Colombia Reports writes about political exclusion of afro-descendants in Colombia, stating that “a historic lack of political representation in Colombia’s political system is one of the key focuses in the ongoing social, political and economic struggle of the Afro-Colombian community.”


Pakistan:  Opinions divided on Musharraf’s future · Global Voices
Rezwan

All things Pakistan blog conducts the second blog poll on ‘what President General Musharraf should do now’. The results are not only interesting, but also confusing. ATP blog concludes that the public opinion amongst Pakistanis remains divided and uncertain on the future of Gen. Musharraf.


Old mock funeral video viral as Muslims celebrating Amit Shah contracting coronavirus - Alt News
Priyanka Jha
12th August 2020 / 4:23 pm
On August 2, Home Minister Amit Shah informed that he has contracted the coronavirus and has been admitted to the hospital for treatment. Soon after, a 26-second video of members of the Muslim community raising ‘Azadi’ slogans during a mock funeral procession began circulating online. In the video, a man can be heard saying, “Both Modi and Amit Shah are dead. (मर गया भैया, अमित शाह, मोदी दोनों मर गया भैया.)” Social media claims suggest that the procession was taken out to celebrate Shah contracting the viral infection.
इनकी मानसिकता देखिए अमित शाह जी के कोरोना संक्रमित होने पर उनकी शवयात्रा निकाल के खुशी मना रहे है…
कोई बताओ इनको शेर ठीक हो गया है अब कागज तो इनके अब्बाभी दिखाएंगे pic.twitter.com/xJWZVNBa7v
— 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙏𝙞𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙞 (@tiwari_ashis101) August 7, 2020
Vinay Choudhary, who identifies himself as a spokesperson of BJP Delhi (Youth) on Twitter, also shared this video claiming, “When Shri @AmitShah Became Covid 19 positive, Shantidoots were organizing funeral.”
#The_lowest_level_of_mentality…
When Shri @AmitShah
Became Covid 19 positive, Shantidoots were organizing funeral.
सब मोह माया है गद्दारो, अंतिम सत्य यही है कि #कागज तो दिखाने ही पड़ेंगे। @narendramodi@JPNadda@ShyamSJaju@siddharthanbjp @BJP4India @BJP4Delhi pic.twitter.com/3QYvUSWp5D
— Vinay Choudhary (विनय चौधरी) (@Vinay8Chaudhary) August 9, 2020
Posting this video on Facebook, a page called ‘Politics Solitics’ wrote, “Look at their mentality. They have taken out a funeral procession celebrating Amit Shah contracting coronavirus” As of this writing, the video drew more than 1 lakh views. This page has been found circulating misinformation on several occasions. Alt News has received verification requests for the video on its official mobile application.
A reverse image search of a frame of the video revealed that a user had uploaded it on YouTube on July 16, 2020. Thus the video cannot represent an event that took place after Amit Shah informed that he is COVID positive. The title of the video is, “Modi has died – Amit Shah has died.. Tik Tok amazing new video. (मोदी मर गया – अमित शाह मर गया.. टिक टॉक अमेजिंग न्यू वीडियो.)
We also found the same video uploaded on Facebook on December 21, 2019, on the page ‘Young India’ captioned as “Amit Shah has died.”
Amit Shah Mar gaya 😂
Posted by Young India on Saturday, 21 December 2019
At certain points in the video ‘Kolkata Traffic Police’ can be seen written on roadside barricades. This suggests that the video was shot in December 2019 in Kolkata. Some of the people in the clip have placards in their hands and an Indian national flag. They can also be heard chanting ‘Azadi’ slogans. In December last year, the Citizenship Law was being opposed across the country with people raising slogans against Amit Shah and PM Modi. This video may have been shot during the protests.
She specializes in information verification, examining mis/disinformation, social media monitoring and platform accountability. Her aim is to make the internet a safer place and enable people to become informed social media users. She has been a part of Alt News since 2018.
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PM Modi spends Rs 80 lakh a month on make-up? Madame Tussauds video viral with false claim - Alt News
Pooja Chaudhuri
9th May 2019 / 9:16 pm
Information recieved through RTI reveals that, on an average, Rs 80 lacs are paid to the beautician each month for make up of our PM.
Posted by Sunil Dsouza on Monday, 6 May 2019
This clip was also shared earlier this month by the official page of Gurugram Congress.
ये है गरीब का बेटा,मेकअप करा रहा है।
आरटीआई के जरिए खुलासा हुआ है कि इसके श्रृंगार के लिए ब्यूटीशियन को 80 लाख रुपए प्रतिमाह भुगतान किया जाता है।
Posted by Gurugram Congress on Saturday, 4 May 2019
The video is massively viral on Facebook in both English and Hindi.
A similarly-worded claim was also circulated in 2018. However, instead of a clip video, photographs of the PM at the same event were used.
15 लाख रुपये महीने की पगार पर रखी गई मेकअप आर्टिस्ट के हाथों मेकअप कराकर सजधज कर रोने को निकलते नौटंकीबाज।
Posted by Aditya Chaturvedi on Monday, 22 October 2018
The clip used to propagate that the Prime Minister spent Rs 80 lakh on beauticians has been picked up from the video showing the making of PM Modi’s wax statue in Madame Tussauds, Singapore. The clues are hidden in the video itself.
At about 8 seconds into the video, a paper reads out – ‘Madame Tussauds Body Measurement.’
The video of the making of PM Modi’s wax statue was uploaded in 2016. The claim that beauticians were applying make-up on the PM is false as Madame Tussauds employees can be seen taking his body measurements.
Moreover, no such RTI revealing that PM Modi spends Rs 80 lakh a month on beauticians was found in media reports. The social media claims are, therefore, false.
Pooja Chaudhuri is a senior editor at Alt News.
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Metadata 101: Understanding the basics of media metadata
Anastasia Kolobrodova |
March 26, 2024
I have a Polaroid photo on my bookshelf. In it, a friend and I are standing in the sun in a slightly blurry courtyard. There’s no way for anyone but the two of us to recognize the context at a glance, but I know that the photo was taken in the afternoon in the center of Prague on a specific day in 2018. It’s the only copy that exists, and if I gave it to a journalist I’m sure they could track down the who/what/where/when/whys, but it would take some legwork.
I have another photo from later that month on my phone. It’s a close-up of my friend’s dog moping under a chair. The difference is that if I texted or emailed it to you right now, you would immediately be able to determine exactly when and where it was taken – as well as what kind of phone I had at the time.
This is because of the photo’s .
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Metadata is data about data. In short, this is anything that can be found in the file (timestamp, location info, camera type, and more) that isn’t the actual content (dog under a chair).
This type of information is attached by default to all photos taken by a digital device. While inadvertently sharing this type of information can present a safety risk for many of us, for journalists this becomes a serious matter of source protection. In 2012, Vice inadvertently revealed the location of John McAfee – who had been on the run from murder charges – by publishing a photo with its associated location metadata, allowing authorities to find him in Guatemala.
Luckily, it’s possible to easily remove metadata from your photographs:
This isn’t the only type of basic metadata that you need to know about. Your Google Docs, Microsoft Word files, and PDFs are happy to reveal where they originated, who worked on them, and when.
An example of metadata from a Microsoft Word document. This is accessible by going to the File -> Properties menu path on any document. Image credit: Anastasia Kolobrodova (CC BY 4.0)
While you can screenshot each page of these to strip that metadata, there’s an easier solution for larger files. Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) maintains a tool called Dangerzone, which not only will remove most metadata from your documents but also will make any potentially dangerous files safe.
One thing to keep in mind about files, however, is that metadata isn’t always going to be digital. Printed or scanned documents can have printer dots or other nearly undetectable identifiers that can reveal the origin of the document – or even the source.
One high-profile example of this was the Reality Leigh Winner case in 2017. Winner leaked documents to The Intercept, which then showed the original printed document to the National Security Agency. A crease in that original printed document helped the NSA identify Winner as the source and led to her arrest. To keep yourself and your sources protected in particularly sensitive cases, the most responsible move for news organizations is to fully recreate the file in question before publishing it or showing it to another person.
While this article goes into the basics of document metadata, there’s even more to dive deep on. Want to learn more? Check out our more comprehensive guide: Everything you wanted to know about media metadata, but were afraid to ask. Our digital security training team is also always ready to support news organizations who want assistance learning how to handle sensitive files. If you are a journalist in need, reach out to us!


India: Media Biased About Elite And Middle Class · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sans Serif comments: “although it is easy to find instances of media manufactured struggles in India if the victims are elite, educated or middle class but to say the same for this very media taking up the causes of the underprivileged, oppressed or rural masses is difficult.”


Applauding Humanitarian Investment · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Nabetz of New Mongols discusses and applauds Mercy Corps for encouraging small-scale investments in economic activity over awarding grants in rural Mongolia.


2019 Election: Afenifere Leader Says He Has Evidence That Buhari Rigged Polls - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Editor 2
May 1, 2019
A factional leader of the Pan-African Yoruba group,Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo said he has evidence that Nigeria’s President MuhammaduBuhari rigged his re-election in February.
Adebanjo had, in February, described the 2019 presidentialelection as a joke.
He insisted he will not recognise Buhari, who wasdeclared the winner of the election by the Independent National ElectoralCommission,INEC, as president.
But Buhari was declared the winner of the election.He polled 15, 191, 847 votes while Abubakar, a former Nigerian vice presidentbetween 1999 and 2007, got 11, 262, 978 votes.
Unsatisfied with the election result, Atiku, whoalleged the election was rigged is currently challenging the presidentialelection result at the Election Tribunal.While the tribunal is still hearing the case,Adebanjo said Buhari would only be clear of the election rigging allegations ifhe is declared as the winner by the Supreme Court.


Kuwait: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

This week's posts swing from good to bad .. sometimes just plain ugly.
We will start with the good.
philq8 shares with us news of the Filipino expats  celebration  of the Philippines National Day in Kuwait.
Filipinos in Kuwait shared a day of fun and games with their families, friends and acquaintances in a day long affair Friday during celebrations held at the Kazma gym in Adailiya on the occasion of their country’s 109th Independence Day.
Fahad Alaskr talks about news he read on the Kuwait News Agency.
I was amused by news I read today on Kuna (Kuwait News Agency) and I knew that our future is bright because the grandson of the Elder Emir (Elder Emir is a title that was given to Shaikh Sa'ad when he receded his title as Emir to the current Emir Shaikh Sabbah) has graduated with honors from the American School
The news snippet says: “His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah has met this morning in Bayan Palace with Amiri Diwan Advisor Shaikh Fahad Sa'ad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah accompanied by his son Shaikh Abdullah Fahad Sa'ad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah on the occasion of his graduation from the American School in Kuwait with honors and his acceptance at MIT in the United States of America.
On this occasion, as a citizen, I have got to ask: on whose expense is his scholarship?
intlxpatr snaps a few shots  of Kuwait's skyline.
Kuwait in the 1970’s was called the Paris of the Gulf. People who lived here then talk about it with great nostalgia, they call it paradise. Kuwait was an old trading city, full of merchants and traders. Kuwaiti men went out on fishing boats, and pearling boats, and the love of the sea is still deep in the Kuwaiti soul. The women were strong and adventurous, and took care of all the family business while the men were out to sea.
We move on to the bad news.
And on his blog , Z district talks about a strange phenomenon with most Kuwaiti businesses.
I have noticed this in Kuwait, but a lot of businesses face this problem when they are trying to move old stock. The way good businesses think is how to get rid of old stock and when it is more useful to discount below cost.
The one thing you notice in Kuwait is that even if something is old they really don’t lower the price because they don’t want to lose a fils on the item.
yo_ghurt talks about a new kuwait ban  on women working after 8pm.
“The Kuwaiti parliament has passed a law which bans women from working at night, Gulf News reports.
“The law, passed unanimously, prohibits women working between 8pm and 7am, with the exception of the medical profession. It also bans women from jobs that “contravene with public morals and in all-men services places at any time.”
Qias over at Io81 talks about  more bad news for Kuwait.
Again Kuwait has reached the charts of International Human Trafficking Report, again and again nothing is being done about Human Trafficking in Kuwait and we have been listed in the reports as a tier 3 country.
It's an ugly thing to see dead animals but Mini-R did not stand by when he saw a dead Police dog.
I found this body right outside my building when I looked out the balcony. After calling 777 and reporting it, they asked me to call the appropriate department. Of course, nothing was done about it. So much for our Ministry of InFerior.
Mini-R didn't stop there either .
I decided to pursue the mystery of the dead German Shepherd found outside my building. On my lunch break I went to the nearby Guard & Tracking Dogs Dept. for the Ministry of Interior.
Click on the link to read more about the mystery dog.
That's all from me this week. See you next week!


Madagascar: Exiled President Returns as a Government of National Unity Forms   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Andrianjorar reflects on the recent return of exiled former president Ratsiraka in Madagascar [fr]. In the meantime, a government of national unity headed by PM Beriziky has been formed [fr] but its final composition is still disputed regarding the attribution of several key ministries.


Guinea: Of the “Good Old Days” and Guinea’s Future   · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Ma Guinée Plurielle  wrote the following [fr] on the  Salte Afrique blog : “I became downright pessimistic about the future of Guinea. When I was a little boy, I heard that yesterday was better than today but tomorrow will be alright eventually. Twenty-five years later, I am still hearing the same old song. I wonder when tomorrow will arrive  and I would love to live in this inaccessible “yesterday”. Meanwhile, I gnaw on my brake living in this painful present.”


Survey shows 60 percent of Hongkongers support same-sex marriage · Global Voices
Hong Kong Free Press

2014 pride parade in Hong Kong. Image taken from doctorho via Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
The original version of this report was written by Mandy Cheng and published in Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) on May 17, 2023. The following edited version has been published on Global Voices as part of a content partnership agreement with HKFP.
Sixty percent of Hong Kong people now support same-sex marriage nad believe it should be legalized, according to a joint study published by three universities on May 17, 2023, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOT). Same-sex marriage remains illegal in Hong Kong.
The new report was jointly issued by the Centre for Comparative and Public Law at the Faculty of Law at the  Hong Kong University (HKU); the Sexualities Research Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK); and the Human Rights Law Program at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
The telephone survey has been conducted in 2013, 2017, and 2023. In this year’s poll, the Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey (CCPOS) at CUHK questioned 1,551 Hong Kong residents aged 18 and over between January and February 2023.
“It [is] the longest-running research project to track public opinion concerning same-sex marriage using representative samples of Hong Kong residents,” the report said.
Report screenshot via HKPF. Used with permission.
The report said that, by 2023, 60 percent of residents surveyed favoured same-sex marriage; only 17 percent said they did not support it, whilst 23 percent were neutral. Meanwhile, in 2013 and 2017, only 38 percent and 50.4 percent of people agreed with same-sex marriage, respectively.
The survey also asked about same-sex couples’ rights in connection to issues including hospital visitation rights, housing discrimination, fatal accidents, and property inheritance.
In 2023, 85 percent of Hong Kong people surveyed said that same-sex couples should have some or all of the rights enjoyed by different-sex couples, up from 73 percent in 2013 and 78 percent in 2017.
Meanwhile, 71 percent of respondents in 2023 said that Hong Kong should have a law to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation, compared with 58 percent in 2013 and 69 percent in 2017.
“Over the past ten years, the share of Hong Kong people who favour protecting gay and lesbian rights has grown markedly,” the report said.
But as highlighted by Hillary Leung, Hong Kong Free Press reporter on Twitter, the state policies are not following public opinion:
🏳🌈 Today is #IDAHOT, so it’s as good a time as any to learn that the HK government – under an “equality” scheme – has been funding groups promoting conversion therapy for two decades. My reporting from last month: https://t.co/Ou9PCsAoCk
— Hillary Leung (@hillary_leung) May 17, 2023
Around 10 percent of funds from the Equal Opportunities (Sexual Orientation) Funding Scheme since 2017 have been distributed to groups that reportedly encourage sexual orientation change efforts. A university student who attended one of the conversion therapy funded by the Hong Kong government told HKFP:
They amplified the message that I had internalised growing up: that same-sex attraction was not normal, that it was unnatural, that it was not right.
IDAHOT is observed annually on May 17 to draw attention to violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people.


Taiwan, China: Full text of Li Ao · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

EWSN posts a full-length English translation of the controversial speech by Taiwan writer Li Ao, and urges readers to make up their own minds, rather than relying on imperfect summaries in the Western press.


Internet Activa: Online Course for Digital Activists · Global Voices
Lully

From September 14, 2012 to February 15, 2013, the Karisma Foundation [es] (supported by Google Colombia and RedPaTodos [es]) will teach a free, open and digital course [es] “on civil liberties, digital rights, freedom of expression, collective financing for projects, among other topics.” Read more about the course on the Internet Activa (Active Internet) [es] website and follow them on Facebook, Google + and Twitter.


South Korea: Petition Filed to Punish Brutality against Animals · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Public anger rose as an animal TV show aired a story of a dog brutally beaten with a stick by a stranger for no reason. Net users have filed an online petition [ko], calling the authority to focus more on capturing the culprit. Over 50 thousand people have signed the petition in less than two days.


Indonesia: Jakarta’s Next Governor? · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Martin Manurang is hoping that an exceptional candidate wins the election for  Jakarta's next governor and helps bring in positive change.


Ukraine: Yet Another Flu Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

More updates on the flu situation – Greetings from Kyiv: “Flu is all anyone is talking about in Ukraine right now.” Ukraine Today: “Ukraine's best hope now is to pray for an early winter in hope that the virus will not survive Ukraine's bitter cold winters.” Ukrainiana: “People are dying because the hospitals don't have enough oxygenators.”English Russia: photos of Ukrainians in masks. What's up, Ukraine?: WHO's first press release from Kyiv.


China: Industrial Towns in Southern China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

David from Silk Road International depicts the threatening situation in industrial areas outside of Shenzhen due to unemployment.


Ukraine: Orange Revolution 2 Years On · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Leopolis writes about the meaning and the second anniversary of the Orange Revolution.


Kenya: Parliament resumes · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Pundit comments on the Kenya's current parliament which resumed yesterday which she describes as “Congregation of fools“.


Bahamas: Beyond Naipaul  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In response to Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul's comment to a British journalist that he considers no female writer his equal, Womanish Words writes: “We do not wish to be equal to you. We are far more ambitious than that.”


Morphed photo shows Subhas Chandra Bose reading news of his own death - Alt News
Priyanka Jha
28th September 2021 / 4:38 pm
Alt News recently received a request to verify a purported image of Subhas Chandra Bose on our WhatsApp number (+91 76000 11160). It is being circulated with the claim that Bose was reading the news of his own death in the papers. The viral message says that the circumstances around Bose’s death are the “biggest lie by Congress”. The newspaper in the photo shows a story about the leader’s death.
It is widespread on WhatsApp with the accompanying claim. We received numerous requests to fact-check this picture.
The same photo was being circulated online in 2019 with an identical claim but in Bangla.
We performed a reverse image search after cropping the text out of the photo, which led us to the original version. It was posted by a user named Anuj Dhar on May 27, 2018. Dhar is the author of the book ‘Kundrum: Subhas Bose Life After Death’. The caption stated that it showed Netaji reading the Nippon Times, Japan’s largest English newspaper, and the daily can be seen in the image.
Subhas Chandra Bose reading Nippon Times (now The Japan Times), Japan’s largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper @japantimes pic.twitter.com/6A7YMXGEkW
— Anuj Dhar (@anujdhar) May 27, 2018
This picture was posted by the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Memorial in Delhi in May 2018. In addition, an outlet named ‘My City Links‘ carried it in a January 23, 2020 report in remembrance of the Indian revolutionary.
In August 2019, Anuj Dhar had tweeted that the photograph was edited by @BiplabC2. The handle is now suspended.
Original picture with some reimagination by @BiplabC2.#Netaji #DeathThatWasnt #TheBoseMystery #Gumnaami @prosenjitbumba @srijitspeaketh @chandrachurg @PanickarS @koushikzworld @SayakSen6 @Sayani_Pandit pic.twitter.com/ep8T70g6Uj
— Anuj Dhar (@anujdhar) August 18, 2019
An edited photo of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was, therefore, circulated with the claim that he was reading the news of his own death. It is noteworthy that Bose’s death is shrouded in mystery. It is believed that he died in a plane crash in 1945, but this wasn’t confirmed since his remains were never found.
She specializes in information verification, examining mis/disinformation, social media monitoring and platform accountability. Her aim is to make the internet a safer place and enable people to become informed social media users. She has been a part of Alt News since 2018.
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In Brazil, since Bolsonaro, attacks on journalists fell while lawsuits against them increased · Global Voices
Pública - Agência de jornalismo investigativo

Image by Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/Agência Brasil, used with permission.
This text, written by Fernanda Diniz, was originally published on Agência Pública's website on January 31, 2024 in the section ‘Entrelinhas do Poder’. An edited version is republished on Global Voices under a partnership agreement.
The Annual Report on Violence Against Journalists and Press Freedom in Brazil, by the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ), revealed a considerable reduction in cases of direct violence against media professionals across 2023 but showed greater use of lawsuits by those trying to hinder journalistic work. The report was released at the end of January.

The data reveal that there were 181 aggressions of various types against media professionals, which is a reduction of half from the 376 recorded cases in 2022.

On the other hand, lawsuits targeting journalists increased by 92.31 percent last year. In this context, censorship is one of the most worrying impacts, with Agência Pública itself being among those affected.

The survey is based on reports made by victims or journalists to unions from across the country, as well as by collecting news reports.
The current state of anti-media violence has changed from the situation under former president Jair Bolsonaro, when constant attacks by the country’s highest authority were common. This period was characterized by attempts to discredit the press, along with attacks instigated by supporters of former president Bolsonaro (PL, Liberal Party), and himself while still in office.

One survey by FENAJ in 2021, the third year of his government, pointed to the then-president as responsible for one in three attacks against the press that year.

The violence goes beyond individual cyberattacks or physical assaults, and seemingly represents deliberate attempts to silence journalists’ voices. The use of lawsuits in attempts to intimidate journalists and avoid the publication of reports that discuss politicians or government officials has also come from politicians themselves.
One example was the legal action taken by Arthur Lira (PP, Progressives Party), president of the Chamber of Deputies and a federal deputy from Alagoas state, against a report by Pública. This resulted in the preliminary ruling that ordered the removal of the reports and columns from their website or face a fine of BRL 100,000 (around USD 20,000).
The content in question, which is of public interest, involved accusations by Arthur Lira's ex-wife, Jullyene Lins, and was supported by facts and documents as well as showing a commitment to contact all those involved.
Lira's lawsuit was dismissed in the first ruling by Judge Luis Carlos de Miranda of the 14th Civil Court of Brasilia. However, in the second ruling, Pública was prohibited from publishing other reports with the same content. The story was first published on June 21, 2023, and then taken down on September 18, 2023. The case is under consideration by the Supreme Court.
In an official statement presenting the report's findings, FENAJ's president, Samira De Castro, described the situation as ”very worrying.” She said:
Mostra o uso do Judiciário para calar os jornalistas. E o efeito dessa prática, mais à frente, certamente será a autocensura de profissionais e veículos de mídia porque esse tipo de abuso do poder de litigância tem efeito não só individual, mas coletivo. Os profissionais acabam devastados emocional e financeiramente, tendo de arcar com defesas em supostos crimes contra a honra que, infelizmente, têm apenas o objetivo de impedir a livre circulação da informação jornalística.
It shows the use of the courts to silence journalists. And the effect of this practice, further down the line, will certainly be the self-censorship of media workers and outlets because this kind of abuse of the power of litigation has an effect which is not only individual, but collective. Media workers end up devastated emotionally and financially, having to bear [the costs of] a defence in alleged crimes against honour that, unfortunately, only aim to prevent the free circulation of journalistic information.
Threats, harassment, and intimidation were the most common types of violence against journalists recorded in 2023. According to FENAJ's report, there were 42 such occurrences, representing 23.21 percent of the cases. In addition, 40 media workers were physically assaulted (22.1 percent of the total).
The data in FENAJ's report show that the Federal District, where the federal capital Brasilia and the main governmental institutions are located, recorded 21 cases. This indicates that it is the most difficult place for journalism, level with São Paulo, Brazil's most populous state, with the same number of cases. Together, the two federal entities represent 22.3 percent of total cases.
According to the survey, one in four attacks was committed by politicians, the largest single group undermining freedom of expression. Following them are: members of the public (9.39 percent); judges and magistrates (8.84 percent); police officers (7.73 percent), and football managers, players, and fans (6.08 percent), as well as online aggressors.


China: Jasmine Protest · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Junling Hu from Democracy in China reports and reflects upon the Jasmine Protest on 20 of February 2011.


Election Result: Atiku Explained Why He Want INEC To Surrender Materials For Inspection - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Editor 4
March 7, 2019
The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDPAtiku Abubakar has given reasons why he applied for an order to compel theIndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC to surrender all the materialsused for the February 23 presidential election, forinspection.
He said the request was to establish that the exercise wasfraught with manifest irregularities, including multiple thumb-printing ofballot papers, saying he intends to engage forensic experts to analyse theelection materials.
Atiku prayed the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sittingin Abuja, for leave to be allowed to obtain some of the sensitive materialsthat INEC deployed for the presidential election.


Ethiopia: Tell your stories · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Weichegud!ET Politics  calls on her fellow Ethiopians to “tell the story” of the Ethiopian elections and provides a list of sites supporting Ethiopia Day – 15th May


Japan: Why are American researchers so productive? · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Japanese researcher id:kaz_ataka at Being between Neuroscience and Marketing describes his surprise at the productivity of science researchers in the U.S., those at the blogger's lab in the U.S. producing 5-6 papers per year. Unlike Japanese researchers, who kaz_ataka explains stay up until the early hours in the morning working until they collapse, American researchers at his lab arrive in the morning and normally leave by 7 o'clock at night. “As far as I know,” the blogger writes, “I've never seen or heard of any lab like this in Japan.”


· Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Mirwais at Afghan Reality says that the donor agenda for Afghanistan is neglecting pressing needs of most Afghans.


‘Latino Wisconsin’ takes home the Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy for best documentary | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 10, 2021
“Latino Wisconsin” won the outstanding documentary award at the 63rd Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards. (Photo provided by Ralph Pabst)
Georgia and Ralph Pabst have had a busy year.
They moved to a different state, aired their documentary on PBS Wisconsin, brainstormed ideas for their next project.
Oh, and they’ve won an Emmy.
The couple’s documentary, “Latino Wisconsin,” won the award for “outstanding achievement for documentary programs- topical”  at the 63rd Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy Awards, which took place on Sunday, Dec. 5.
The show was livestreamed, so the couple, who moved from Milwaukee to Chicago earlier this year, watched the broadcast in their living room. Upon hearing they won, Georgia broke into tears.
“I thought: Well, we have a 1 in 3 chance of winning, and the fact that we won after all the years we spent on it and not knowing if anybody would watch it or care about it, all the emotions came rolling up, and it was really, really thrilling,” she said.
Georgia and Ralph Pabst plan to make another documentary, but for now, they’re celebrating their win. (Photo provided by Ralph Pabst)
The documentary highlights the important roles Latinos play in the state from the farm and rural communities to art and activism to education and the future.
The story was specific to Wisconsin, Ralph said, so winning the Emmy shows that the story has value and significance beyond the state.
“We just hope that more people will be curious to see it,” Georgia said. “That’s the whole goal: that people watch and hopefully learn something they didn’t know before about the importance of the Latino community.”
The Pabsts aren’t sure what their next documentary will cover, but they plan to focus on a simpler topic. This first one was ambitious, Ralph said. In the meantime, Georgia plans to work on a book that will include additional interviews from the documentary.
Their advice to budding documentarians? Choose a topic that is focused. And finish what you start.
“If you do something simple the first time around, rather then a monster like this one was, then it’s a little easier to get through it,” Ralph said.
For more information
The documentary is available to watch for free on the film’s website.
In case you missed it: Documentary tells the story of ‘Latino Wisconsin.’


Instagram question on the intersectionality of Pride and religion in Trinidad & Tobago raises issue of gender ideology · Global Voices
Flora Thomas

Male and female signs. Photo by Marco Verch Professional Photographer on Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Trinidad and Tobago's Roman Catholic archbishop, Jason Gordon, recently raised the ire of some LGBTQ+ activists when he dismissed the concept of gender ideology as a “diabolical” social construct and “neo-colonial tool.”
In the June instalment of the diocese's #askthearchbishop sessions on Instagram, a member of the country's LGBTQ+ community asked how was the church creating safe spaces for members of that community (scroll to 48:40 on the timeline), which is holding Pride-month celebrations from June 25 to July 25.
The archbishop prefaced his response by saying that Pride encompassed two things—social justice and gender ideology—and the church had to make a distinction:
No one should be bullied, no one should be discriminated against […] On the social justice side, we have to 100 percent work towards an inclusive world where everyone is a child of God […] and has a space, a place, an identity. and is safe.
The multiple gender theory […] is a little more complicated because for us, [God] made them male and female, and no matter what you do to the body by operations, you don't change your sex because you will remain either XX or XY […] the chromosomes in your body don't change […] and the body doesn't lie.
Explaining that the more “modern notion” of multiple genders stems from a philosophy that “is not in keeping with our understanding of the human person,” the archbishop maintained that there are “fundamental differences between the philosophy and anthropology undergirding Pride and [those] undergirding the Catholic church:
You're not defined by your desire, which is what the gender ideology is saying. […] The problem with that is that the core identity of the Christian has to be Jesus Christ. […] You are replacing what is substantial, which is Christ, for that which is passing. And you can see that: we started with LGBT…LGBTQ…LGBTQIA…and now we have another set of letters. Your sexual desire cannot be your identity. Your identity comes from another place; it comes from being a child of God—and that does not deny your sexual desire, but that can't be your core identity.
Archbishop Gordon's stance on the issue echoes the Vatican's position that gender theory “denies the difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman,” rendering them as “merely the product of historical and cultural conditioning.” As a result, it believes, identity would then “become the choice of the individual, one which can also change over time.”
As such, there was no distinction made between sex and gender, which scientists have established are different concepts and that determining biological sex on the basis of chromosomes alone is simplistic. The United Nations has also recognised intersex people—defined as those “with sex characteristics (including genitals, gonads and chromosome patterns) that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies”—as being at the crossroads of sex and gender, with many of them being vulnerable to human rights abuses.
The Facebook page JONES v TnT, established when the gay man it is named for, Jason Jones, took the government of Trinidad and Tobago to court over laws that criminalised homosexual acts, commented:
The Catholic Church is riddled with serious issues of sexual improprieties, but still involve themselves with denying human rights & equality to LGBTQ+ people. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN HOUSE […] & LEAVE MINE ALONE!
On April 12, 2018, Trinidad and Tobago's High Court ruled that Sections 13 and 16 of the country's Sexual Offences Act Chapter 11:28, which criminalise anal sex between consenting adults, were “unconstitutional.”
Jones wrote a guest column in the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday on July 21 this year in which he said that the archbishop can't have it both ways:
How on earth can Gordon uphold the dignity of all human beings while also calling our diverse gender identities ‘diabolical?’
This is religious hypocrisy at its worst, and Gordon also conveniently ignores the beliefs and values of other civilisations and religious beliefs dating back thousands of years.
Are Hindus ‘diabolical’ for worshipping multiple gods that have diverse genders beyond the binary male or female?
Are people in India, Hawaii, Indonesia, Pakistan, Samoa, Tonga ‘diabolical’ for giving legal recognition to their third-gender citizens?
Are Americans, British, German, French people ‘diabolical’ for protecting trans and intersex people’s human rights?
Jones also called the archbishop's assessment of gender ideology as a form of neo-colonisation a “red herring”:
Archbishop Gordon stated that ‘gender theory’ was being used as a ‘neo-colonial tool’ in order to suppress freedom of speech and freedom of religion, yet here he is speaking freely in our media on the subject, and as far as I am aware no one in the LGBTQ+ equality movement is calling for an end to religious freedom. […]
We are a secular nation and everyone deserves an equal place in TT. The separation of Church and State is a vital function of our democracy.
Writer Andre Bagoo weighed in:
Imagine: Churches and religious officials in TT decline to see LGBT+ people as equal human beings, while a bank—yes, a bank—has done the right thing and taken the lead in helping to end discrimination here in TT. Wonders never cease.
Bagoo was referring to Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago's April 14 announcement that it would extend its health benefits to the partners of employees in same-sex relationships.
Accusing the archbishop of using the vulnerable LGBTQ+ community “as a scapegoat,” Jones concluded:
LGBTQ+ Trinidadians/Tobagonians are not the enemy. Stop making us that.
Jones has previously thanked Archbishop Gordon for his messages of support during Trinidad and Tobago's first Pride month in July 2018.


Hungary: Revolution on Wikipedia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Pestcentric informs that the ordeal with the Wikipedia article on the Hungarian Revolution is over.


UAE Honours Naama Al Qassimi as Country’s “First Teacher” · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Blogger and commentator Sultan Al Qassemi today received an award from the state on behalf of his mother, Naama Bint Majid Al Qassimi, for being “first teacher” in the United Arab Emirates. The avid Twitter user, who has 309k followers, shares those old and rare photographs featuring his mother as a student and then a teacher, some 50 years ago.
He tweets:
Photos of mom when she was a student and when she was a teacher 50 years ago. Mom was awarded today for her work. pic.twitter.com/p4hw9I0gg9
— سلطان سعود القاسمي (@SultanAlQassemi) December 1, 2014
Mrs Al Qassimi graduated from a university in Kuwait in 1964 before returning to the UAE to teach. She shares the award with Amina Al Suwaidi.


Estonia: Lennart and Arnold Meri · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes: “One Meri cousin, Lennart, just had an airport named after him to coincide with the annual foreign policy conference that bears his name. […] The other Meri cousin, Arnold, spent his twilight years on trial for the deportation of the men, women, and children of Hiiumaa while being defended to the bitter end by the Kremlin and its media. […]” Eric Dickens guest-blogs at A Step At A Time about Arnold Meri, too: “Arnold Meri, who died a couple of days ago, shared his surname with the late President of Estonia, Lennart Meri. They were indeed cousins, but what they did for Estonia could hardly be more different.”


Turkmenistan: A Central Asian Gas Ultimatum · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula reports on the ultimatum given to Gazprom – and therefore to the Western consumers – by Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and wonders about its impact on the Central Asian geopolitical situation.


Bangladesh: Kali Puja In Shakharibazar · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladeshi Photoblogger Ideas R Bulletproof posts pictures of Kali Puja, a festival dedicated to Hindu Goddess Kali, which were taken in Shakharibazar, Dhaka.


LASUBEB adopts 'cluster training model' in public primary schools | EduCeleb
3rd December 2020
The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, (LASUBEB), in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission, (UBEC) has adopted a new model of training into public primary schools.
While disclosing this on Wednesday December 2, 2020, the Chairman LASUBEB, Mr. Wahab Alawiye-King stated that the model will ensure that head teachers, teachers and education managers are given specific training that is in tandem with their assigned responsibilities.
The new model called “Cluster Training Model” is an improvement on the former “Cascade Model”, which focuses on training head teachers alone, who in return cascade the training to other teachers in form of a “train-the-trainers” approach.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement organised by LASUBEB and UBEC to sensitise stakeholders in the state’s primary education sector in Lagos, Alawiye-King disclosed that the clustering model being introduced will promote efficient and effective learning in public primary schools in Lagos.
The Chairman described the existing “Cascade model” as an abstract replica of reality.
He added that the model is now being replaced with an all-encompassing model in line with the education and technology pillar of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.
He explained that the sensitisation programme will provide an avenue to prepare, advocate and collaborate with the stakeholders in delivering constructive, impactful and resourceful basic education in the state.
Alawiye stated, “The clustering system was developed as a strategy that will help enhance the capacity of teachers and education managers to improve learning at the national, regional and local level of the basic education system through mandatory professional development, weekly cluster meetings, regular lesson observation, experience sharing and lesson success evaluation.”
“The new model being adopted now is encompassed with the hierarchical model, clustering model, density-based model and model clustering models which will not only improve digital education but will also promote advocacy and sensitisation in addition to the provision of action plan and selection of participants,” he stated.
“We have moved from analogue to digital teaching and learning. That is, we no longer practise summative assessment; we have adopted the quality assurance model where we provide support for teachers rather than finding fault in them”, he added
Alawiye-King, therefore, urged the stakeholders to take ownership of the model and sensitise other relevant stakeholders within their immediate communities on the clustering system aimed at promoting quality assurance in basic education system.


“Tweet-debate” on the Benefits and Drawbacks of Citizen Journalism · Global Voices
Elena Arrontes

The Press Association of Madrid (APM) organized a debate on Twitter about citizen journalism in its third “Tweet-debate” of the #Tuitsyperiodigno (#Tweetsanddignifiedjournalism) cycle put forth by the association in February 2013 with the goal of addressing various aspects of journalism.
Through its account, @apmadrid [es], the association launched a series of questions under the hashtag #pciudadano [es] (#citizenjournalism) upon which users began to reflect. As scheduled, Spanish media professionals [es] including Felipe Sahagún, Jaime Jiménez, Juan Varela, Juan Ramón Lucas, Pau Llop y Óscar Espiritusanto, fueled the discussion and responded to the participants’ doubts and comments. Some came from traditional media and others citizen media, thus providing varied perspectives.
The topic of the conference, “Citizen journalism,” and its format are of great interest to members of Global Voices and its readers. As such, the author of this post participated in the “tweet-debate” and shares a selection of messages. (A Storify of the debate can be found here [es]).
Influence of the debate according to Tweet-tag.com
Among the virtues of citizen journalism, users cited the coverage of events and local happenings, the proximity and general interest in the handling of information, recovering the function of anti-establishment that traditional media has lost, while, on the other hand, others felt that the lack of rigor, contextualization, depth, and contrast are flaws that, in their opinion, should be addressed by professional journalists despite the valuable information citizen journalism may provide. Some participants even questioned the term “citizen journalism” and preferred to call it “citizen collaboration.”
@espiritusanto: La info ciudadana, a veces, es mas honesta que la de los periodistas y medios censurados o afines al régimen #pciudadano @globalvoices
@espiritusanto: Citizen info is sometimes more honest than that of journalists and censored media or those related to the regime #pciudadano (#citizenj) @globalvoices
@desplazados_org: @aprensamadrid. Desventaja: el espejismo de que cualquiera es periodista, la mejor excusa para prescindir de profesionales #pciudadano
desplazados.org: @aprensamadrid. Disadvantage: the illusion that anyone is a journalist, the best excuse to dispense with professionals #pciudadano (#citizenj)
@periodistas21: @aprensamadrid#pciudadano El periodismo es más rico cuanto más refleja la ciudadanía. Integrarla es una herramienta de gran valor
@periodistas21:@aprensamadrid #pciudadano (#citizenj) The more citizens reflect, the more rich journalism is. Integrating citizens is a tool of great value.
The majority of the comments with respect to this issue pointed out that traditional media and journalism by citizens are complementary, and can and should coexist. In this sense, various tweets advised journalists not to distance themselves from citizens and keep them in mind. “Ways that traditional media can interact with citizen journalism” [es] came to illustrate this part of the debate. The following were some conclusions:
This question generated another debate on the causes of the journalism crisis, transformations of the current media model, and possible new models. Nevertheless, some responded directly and emphatically to the posed question:
Does media produced only with citizen collaboration have credibility?
There were no unanimous responses but rather an exchange of diverse opinions, and once again a debate about the informative rigor and definition of citizen journalism: Among the supporters:
Projects that work on the basis of citizen collaboration like Global Voices, Periodismo Ciudadano [es] and Journalism 21 [es] were mentioned as examples throughout the conversation on Twitter, in addition to articles, videos [es] of conferences, and concrete examples [es] of success.
Participants in the tweet-debate. Source: Tweet-Tag.com
Online debates supported on social networks are a format that is expanding. They are open spaces in which users can share thoughts, and interact on different issues. Thanks to recently created tools like Storify or Tweet-Tag.com, messages sent during these types of online events are channeled and shared with a wider audience. These tools make it possible to see who participated in the exchange, how often, the messages spread, key words, and data on the audience.
One of the main advantages of online debates is that the reflection can involve large groups of citizens, put them in contact with experts with whom they would not normally interact any other way, sustain arguments supported by graphic and audiovisual material, and overcome barriers of space and time.