/2017

In India, Class and Gender Inequities Impede Justice for Sexual Harassment Victims · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/11/14/in-india-class-and-gender-inequities-impede-justice-for-sexual-harassm

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The #MeToo campaign that encourages women to speak up about their experiences of sexual assault harassment has been a catalyst for such accusations across political, professional and geographic spectrums.

An especially powerful and controversial trend in this moment is one among people who have created public lists of accused perpetrators of sexual misconduct.

#inde #viol #harcèlement_sexuel

How Chinese See the Fall of Their Country’s Old Friend Robert Mugabe in #Zimbabwe · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/11/21/how-chinese-see-the-fall-of-their-countrys-old-friend-robert-mugabe-in

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As political and military forces in Zimbabwe moved to push longtime President Robert Mugabe from power, Chinese were watching the path of removal of a man many described as a dictator with interest.

#Mugabe, 93, has ruled Zimbabwe for more than 30 years since the country’s independence from British colonial rule until today. When the majority of western countries started to sanction Zimbabwe for Mugabe’s land seizure policy and human rights abuses in the early 2000s, China stepped in and became Mugabe’s most important ally.

#chine #chinafrique

Not Without a Fight: The Battle for Affordable Housing in Cape Town · Global Voices

►https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/15/not-without-a-fight-the-struggle-for-affordable-housing-in-cape-town

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I have always said there are two types of people who travel to Cape Town. There are the ones who are enthralled by the mountains, beaches, and endless kilometers of wineries. And then there are those who cannot get over the harsh contrast between the shacks and the mansions, or the scarcity of black and brown people as they go about their tourist activities, except on the township tours.

#afrique_du_sud #résister #résistance #logement cc @fil

Not Without a Fight: The Battle for Affordable Housing in Cape Town · Global Voices
►https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/15/not-without-a-fight-the-struggle-for-affordable-housing-in-cape-town

https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Reclaim-the-City-2-800x450.jpg

I have always said there are two types of people who travel to Cape Town. There are the ones who are enthralled by the mountains, beaches, and endless kilometers of wineries. And then there are those who cannot get over the harsh contrast between the shacks and the mansions, or the scarcity of black and brown people as they go about their tourist activities, except on the township tours.

#afrique_du_sud #logement #résister cc @fil

The World’s First ‘EleFriendly Bus’ Curtails Human-Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/13/the-worlds-first-elefriendly-bus-curtails-human-elephant-conflict-in-s

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This post by Anya De Saram-Larssen, a student of the British School in Colombo, appeared in Groundviews, an award-winning citizen journalism website in Sri Lanka. Ms. Saram-Larssen attended the anniversary of the launch of the EleFriendly Bus and talked with different stakeholders. An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement with Global Voices.

#sri_lanka #éléphants #transport #sécurité #enfants #enfance

‘The Position of Women in Science Has Changed for the Better’, but ‘Is Still Far From Ideal’ · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/12/the-position-of-women-in-science-has-changed-for-the-better-but-is-sti

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As part of a two-pronged series of interviews with medical researchers based in Africa (read the first part here), Global Voices reached out to Dr. Shilpa Iyer, who is currently working in Zambia.

Iyer grew up in Pune, India, where she obtained her bachelor’s and masters degrees in zoology and molecular biology, respectively. She then moved to the US and obtained her PhD in microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Yale University with a Fogarty Global health research fellowship to conduct research in Lusaka, Zambia.

#sciences #femmes #discriminations #inégalités

Burundian Refugees Face a Difficult Choice: Stay in Overburdened Camps or Return to Uncertainty · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/10/burundian-refugees-face-a-difficult-choice-stay-in-overburdened-camps-

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On 7 September a convoy of 301 refugees from Nduta camp in Tanzania drove back into Burundi, with more Burundians following days after. Overall, 12,000 are registered to voluntarily return this year. While not the first returnees, the number is large; and their journey back is organized by Burundi and Tanzania’s governments and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

However, the crisis, sparked by 2015 election turmoil, that led so many Burundians to flee is far from resolved. While some refugees, impatient with waiting to return, held sit-ins in Tanzania to demand the process be sped up, many others fear going back.

#réfugiés #burundi

Sexual Harassment in Greece Is Basically a Woman’s Problem · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/05/sexual-harassment-in-greece-is-basically-a-womens-problem

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Back in June this year, angry social media debates were sparked after a female student claimed she was sexually harassed by a priest on a public bus in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. The viral Facebook post was corroborated by another passenger who posted photos of the incident. Many reached out with comments of support, while others accused the student of fabricating the situation and posting fake photos to “grab attention and publicity”.

Although the website, Hellenic Hoaxes, later went on to post an analysis trying to prove the veracity of the photos and the story, the immediate public skepticism of the student’s claims speaks to the larger issue of sexual harassment towards women in Greek society.

#grèce #viol #violence #violence_sexuelle

Tajikistan Authorities Invite Ridicule with Demand Wikipedia Correct ‘Spelling Mistakes’

Tajikistan urges Wikipedia to correct Tajik content – apparently unaware it could do it itself v @RFERL ▻https://t.co/sATv38xSs4 Joanna Lillis (@joannalillis) October 4, 2017

▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/05/tajikistan-authorities-invite-ridicule-with-demand-wikipedia-correct-s

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Tajikistan’s leader Emomali Rakhmon is looking to grow a reputation as a fastidious man who likes his house in order, so it might not come as a surprise that the authoritarian Central Asian country’s language committee has blasted Wikipedia over spelling mistakes on its Tajik language entries. That government officials either do not realise that they can correct the mistakes themselves, or are too lazy to do so, might also not surprise.

#tadjikistan #wikipedia #asie_centrale

Spanish Court Case Tests the Challenges of Universal Jurisdiction on Syrians · Global Voices

▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/02/spanish-court-case-tests-the-challenges-of-universal-jurisdiction-on-s

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For many years now, Syrian activists have been risking their physical and psychological well-being to document the Assad regime’s violations. Thanks to these efforts, the Syrian conflict “is going to be one of the most documented national conflicts in history, more than the Holocaust,” say lawyers for Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers, a legal advocacy group.

Nonetheless, the road to justice for the victims and their families is fraught with political and legal obstacles, as the case of Amal H. in Spain has proven.

Amal’s brother, Abdul-Mumen, disappeared during the war, and like thousands of other Syrians, the only source of information she had about the fate of her loved one were photos leaked by a former Syrian military photographer known as Caesar.

Abdul-Mumen happened to hold Spanish citizenship, which allowed Guernica 37 to invoke universal jurisdiction in Spain against regime officials responsible for his abduction, torture, and consequent death.

#espagne #syrie #réfugiés

Russians Get Territorial After Chinese Newspaper Tweets Photos of the Remote Altay Region · Global Voices

▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/03/russians-get-territorial-after-chinese-newspaper-tweets-photos-of-the-

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On October 2, the English-language state newspaper China Daily tweeted some beautiful photographs of Altay, a remote region in the northwestern part of the country.

Check out some of the autumn scenery in Altay, a remote and sparsely populated part in NW China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. pic.twitter.com/d3frx7h8cx

— China Daily (@ChinaDailyUSA) 2 октября 2017 г.

China Daily regularly tweets promotional photographs from various Chinese regions, but this time it caused an unexpected backlash from Russian Twitter users who thought China was claiming parts of Russia as its own.

This is Russia

— Pasik Plastikbrains (@mrplastikbrains) 2 октября 2017 г.

#c_est_à_moi #russie #chine

As China Restricts Home Sales, Netizens Ask If This Serves the People’s Needs · Global Voices

▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/02/as-china-restricts-home-sales-netizens-ask-if-this-serves-the-peoples-

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To cool down the overheating property market, China has banned the resale of apartments within two to five years of purchase in more than 50 cities.

The restriction was first introduced in April 2017 covering mainly 14 first and second tier cities. However, the latest round of announcements on September 22 and 25 has extended the regulation to many third tier or even fourth tier cities.

As the tiered city system is used to classify Chinese cities so as to formulate and fine tune economic and political strategies based on local consumer behaviour, income level, politics, and local trends. The implementation of home-sale restriction in all four city tiers implies that it is a national strategy in dealing with property bubbles.

#chine #urbanisation #urban_matter

Myanmar Government Vows to Address Refugee Crisis in Rakhine State, but Avoids Saying ‘Rohingya’ · Global Voices

▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/09/23/myanmar-government-vows-to-address-refugee-crisis-in-rakhine-state-but

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On September 19, 2017, Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a widely anticipated speech in front of diplomats, United Nations officials, and members of the media to speak about what the government is doing to address the refugee crisis in Rakhine State.

Since August, about 400,000 Rohingyas have escaped to Bangladesh after the Myanmar government intensified its crackdown of insurgents belonging to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which attacked several police and military outposts.

#birmanie #rohingyas

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan: Once Deadly Foes, Now BFF? · Global Voices

▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/09/13/kyrgyzstan-and-uzbekistan-once-deadly-foes-now-bff

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t wasn’t just about the first ladies and their matching shoes, although that didn’t go unnoticed; Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Kyrgyzstan last week marked a sea change in relations between two Central Asian countries that up until recently, lived in the long shadow cast by his uncompromising predecessor.

Islam Karimov, who ruled Uzbekistan from before independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 until his death last year, had few nice things to say about Kyrgyzstan.

#asie_centrale #turkmenistan #ouzbekistan #dictatures

Thousands of Rohingyas Fleeing Violence Are Stranded on the Bangladesh-Myanmar Border · Global Voices
►https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/29/thousands-of-rohingya-fleeing-violence-are-stranded-on-the-bangladesh-

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Violence between an insurgent group and Myanmar’s security forces during the last week of August 2017 drove thousands of Rohingya Muslims to enter Bangladesh in search of refuge.

The surge led Bangladesh to begin to restrict crossings, meaning many others were turned away and left to wait on the border.

Members of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) staged a major coordinated attack on around 30 police posts and an army base in Rakhine state, Myanmar. Around 1,000 militants took part in the offensive in the Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships. The military retaliated and at least 59 insurgents and 12 members of the security forces were killed on August 25, 2017 alone.

#rohinga #birmanie

Macedonian ‘Moby-Dick’ Translator Ognen Čemerski, 42, Was a Meticulous Linguist and Engaged Educator
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/30/macedonian-moby-dick-translator-ognen-cemerski-42-was-a-meticulous-lin

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The challenges of translating a maritime novel into a ‘landlocked’ language

Čemerski spent about 12 years working on the translation of “Moby-Dick,” a project initiated during his undergraduate studies at Graceland University in Iowa, USA. He conducted it as a scientific endeavor, and used it as basis of his masters’ thesis in linguistics.

“Moby-Dick or the Whale” by Herman Melville, translated into Macedonian by Ognen Čemerski. Photo by GV, CC-BY.
This was not the first translation of “Moby-Dick” in Macedonian. There was one edition published in the 1980s, translated from Serbo-Croatian, which did not produce a lasting impact.

The main problem of translating a book from 1851 about sailing and whaling was that the Macedonian language lacked maritime terminology. Most of the ethnic Macedonian population had been landlocked during the last centuries, having little contact with the sea in general and sailing in particular. In order to overcome this, Čemerski had to re-construct the vocabulary by first discovering the origins of the English terms, and then trace their equivalents in Macedonian or other Slavic languages.

One Year On: Uzbekistan’s Unhappy Ex-Ruling Family · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/30/one-year-on-uzbekistans-unhappy-ex-ruling-family

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By the time he suffered a reported stroke from which he would not recover, his eldest daughter was under house arrest and his unloved nephew was languishing in a psychiatric prison. In Islam Karimov’s Uzbekistan, families regularly told the pro-government polling company how happy they were, even as authoritarianism flourished and corruption deepened.

His own family, however, could never quite keep up the pretence.

#ouzbékistan #karimov

Thousands of Rohingyas Fleeing Violence Are Stranded on the Bangladesh-Myanmar Border · Global Voices
►https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/29/thousands-of-rohingya-fleeing-violence-are-stranded-on-the-bangladesh-

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Violence between an insurgent group and Myanmar’s security forces during the last week of August 2017 drove thousands of Rohingya Muslims to enter Bangladesh in search of refuge.

The surge led Bangladesh to begin to restrict crossings, meaning many others were turned away and left to wait on the border.

#birmanie #rohingas

A Retired Teacher and Granddaughter of Slaves Gives Her Personal Account of Racism in Modern Brazil · Global Voices
▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/06/a-retired-teacher-and-granddaughter-of-slaves-gives-her-personal-accou

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Diva Guimarães was not a name known to Brazilians until 28 July. The 77-year-old retired teacher, who is black, became the star of the country’s largest literary event when, during a discussion on racism in Brazil, she rose from her chair to explain her own personal experiences.

After a few minutes, her emotional account — her voice was strong, but broke at times — got a standing ovation at the Literary Festival of Paraty (FLIP), which is held every two years in the city on Rio de Janeiro state’s coast. She said later:

#brésil #racisme #esclavage_moderne

As an Economic Crisis Grips Turkmenistan, the President Sings and Bikes · Global Voices

▻https://globalvoices.org/2017/08/01/as-an-economic-crisis-grips-turkmenistan-the-president-sings-and-bikes

Turkmenistan has an abysmal human rights record and is experiencing a difficult economic situation, with unemployment and shortages of basic goods on the rise. But Berdimuhamedov, who in February 2017 “won the hearts” of 97.69% of voters in the country’s presidential election, prefers not to publicly say a word, instead propagandizing the “great achievements of the country and a successful life of his people.”

Many of those achievements are his own: “Yadimda” (Turkmen for “I Remember”) is not the first number written and sung by the Turkmen president, and writing songs and singing are not his only talents.

Berdimukhamedov, deemed “one of worst world dictators” by the Foreign Policy magazine, is the author of more than 40 books on different topics. A work of his on tea last year, for example, was received by his compatriots with almost religious reverence:

#turkménistan #dictature ##asie_centrale