Global News Posts

Global News Post #6 – Netherlands

https://nltimes.nl/2018/03/30/passwords-33-million-dutch-online-search-engine

PASSWORDS OF SOME 3.3 MILLION DUTCH ON ONLINE SEARCH ENGINE

This article by Janene Pieters of the NL Times reports on the existence of a search engine where users can look up sensitive information, like emails and account passwords, that have been exposed via hacking. The victims of the hack are mostly employees of large Dutch companies and organizations, and include government workers as well. Dangerously, numerous emails from the Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs can be accessed through the search engine.

This hack comes at an interesting time in Dutch political environment as a referendum on allowing security services more access to civilian information, mostly in the form of phone taps was just posed. The referendum was voted down by the Dutch public but will still probably be enacted as legislation after minimal changes by parliament. I’d be interested to see if government workers, including parliamentarians, having been involved in this recent search engine hack will change their opinion on giving security services more access to civilian information that could be considered private.

Hacker_-_Hacking_-_Symbol

Cybercrime file image. (Rendering: elbpresse/Wikimedia Commons)

Source:

Pieters, Janene. “Passwords of Some 3.3 Million Dutch on Online Search Engine.” NL Times, 30 Mar. 2018, nltimes.nl/2018/03/30/passwords-33-million-dutch-online-search-engine.

Global News Post #6 – Germany

Polizei verhindert Terroranschlag auf Berliner Halbmarathon

This article, translated as Police prevent terrorist attack on Berlin half marathon, covers the events that occurred at a Berlin half marathon this past Saturday April 7, 2018. According to Die Welt publishing organization, seven men were detained and arrested after police heard of their plans to attack runners and bystanders during the marathon. Police told the reporters that they believed these men were linked to Anis Amri, a Tunisian man that orchestrated the Berlin truck attack in December 19, 2016. After searching the houses of the men who attempted the attack, police found explosives and knives located in one man’s home.

The article talked a lot on one man in particular. Although he was not named, police saw that he had the most ties to Anis Amri. The assailant was thought to be seeking revenge for Amri’s death after he was shot to death in Milan following the terrorist attack in Berlin. Police found knives on person. The man admitted on planning an attack on the some 32,000 runners and bystanders on the day of the marathon.

Overall, this article is concise and to the point. Although I chose this traditional outlet (Die Welt) as one of my right leaning sources, it did well in only observing the facts and details about the arrest of several men and what the police force did to prevent the occurrence as well as why it was so successful. The police used search dogs and past information on possible attackers.

The story of the Berlin half marathon arrest is a pivotal event for Germany. With immigration a heated debate and security demanding to be bolstered, it will be interesting to see the civilian’s reactions to everything. Germany is a leading contributor to immigration. With polarizing opinion of the subject already at the forefront of German politics (see Germany’s Grand Coalition article via Financial Times),  more change is sure to come now that the Grand Coalition has been signed and ready to be put into work.

 

Works Cited:

Behrendt, Michael. “Festnahme: Polizei Verhindert Terroranschlag Auf Berliner Halbmarathon – WELT.” DIE WELT, WELT, 8 Apr. 2018, www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article175256562/Festnahme-Polizei-verhindert-Terroranschlag-auf-Berliner-Halbmarathon.html.

 

Chazan, Guy. “Subscribe to the FT to Read: Financial Times Germany’s Parties Reach Grand Coalition Deal.” Financial Times, www.ft.com/content/7469ad50-0be3-11e8-8eb7-42f857ea9f09.

 

Society, Run. “34th Berlin Half Marathon To Attract Over 30,000 Runners To Germany.” via RunSociety – Asia’s Leading Online Running Magazine, 28 Mar. 2018, www.runsociety.com/news/34th-berlin-half-marathon-to-attract-over-30000-runners-to-germany/.

 

 

President Buhari to depart Nigeria for London on April 9 by Akinyemi Akinrujomu

This article from Naij.com breaks the news that President Muhammadu Buhari will be departing Nigeria this Monday, April 9th for the United Kingdom. Buhari is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May and other prominent leaders. This official visit comes ahead of the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGOM), which is scheduled for the 18th-20th of April. In the official statement from the office of the president, Buhari is there to discuss Nigerian-British relations with Prime Minister May, as well as with the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Plc, Ben van Beurden in a plan to invest $15 billion into Nigeria’s oil industry.

According to the statement, “These investment ventures will lay the foundation for the next 20 years production and domestic gas supply, bringing with it all the attendant benefits both to the economy and the wider society.” This trip will also include conversations on religion: “President Buhari is due to renew discussions with the Archbishop of Canterbury…on inter-religious harmony in Nigeria and World-wide.”

Nigeria is a country under the British Commonwealth, an intergovernmental system of member states formerly part of the British Empire. According to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth, this system dates back to the end of colonization of the British Empire through the increased self-governenance of its territories. Member states have no obligation to one another, however share a common history and elements of democracy, rule of law, and human rights.

This article is important because it showcases the deep connection between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, even though Nigeria is no longer under British rule as a colony. The leaders of Nigeria and Britain still meet annually to discuss shared interests, investments, and trade policies. It is interesting to note, however, that many Nigerians have opposing views on the authenticity of Buhari’s democracy, as his administration has had several corruption scandals. So despite these close ties to Britain, the Commonwealth value of “freedom of speech” might be prioritized differently outside of Britain in places such as Nigeria (as discussed in previous global news posts).

Related image

President Buhari (Source: http://theinfonerds.com/benue-killings-i-wasnt-aware-igp-disobeyed-my-directive-buhari/)

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Kazakhstan Global News Post 6

As I wrote in my Country Report on access to information and cybersecurity, Kazakhstan’s media has faced new amendments that restrict publications against any individual and government documents. The other large event that was addressed in my country Report was the detainment of journalists and seizing of computers and files at Kazakhstan’s Forbes branch and a small new source called Ratel.kz. The buildings were searched and journalists intensively question on April 2nd and 4th.

Ratel.kz cite shut down currently

All of this is due to ‘defamation’ of the past Minister of Finances for the state and his son, most likely embezzlement. Anonmymous sources informed the police that the cites published this knowing-false information, which would go against the amendments set in place. Human Right Watch has protested the questioning and ‘defamation’ of these two independent sources during all of this, suggesting the publications go to court and sue for said ‘defamation’.

Kazakhstan still calls itself a free press nation, this event shows that this is not the case. Government regulation on the press has been increasingly restrictive, as an attempt to crush any public dismay at the current administration.

Source:

RFE/RL. “HRW To Kazakhstan: Stop Using Libel Laws To ‘Harass Journalists’.” RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, 6 Apr. 2018, www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-hrw-urges-stop-using-libel-laws-to-harass-journalists/29149978.html.

Google Image Result for Http://F.azh.kz/News/051/303/Ratel.jpg, goo.gl/images/npjp13.

Global News Post #5: Argentina

42 Years After the Coup, Massive Mobilizations Said No to Impunity and Repression

http://www.laizquierdadiario.com/A-42-anos-del-golpe-masivas-movilizaciones-dijeron-no-a-la-impunidad-y-a-la-represion

Archivo. “El sábado se cumplen 42 años del último golpe de Estado.” La Nación. 23 Mar. 2018, https://www.lanacion.com.ar/2119618-dia-de-la-memoria-los-puntos-de-encuentro-de-la-marcha-del-24-de-marzo

Demonstrations took place on Saturday, March 24th on the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice at the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires. The day was the 42nd anniversary of the 1976 right-wing military coup in which Isabel Perón, Argentina’s president, was deposed and replaced with Jorge Rafael Videla, a dictator who lead the genocidal “Dirty War” in which around 30,000 Argentinians were “disappeared” or killed.

While the bulk of the march took place in Buenos Aires, there were also sizeable demonstrations in other main cities across Argentina. At the beginning of the event, a communiqué was read demanding justice for the murder of Marielle Franco, a Brazilian politician and human rights activist, and denounced the militarization of Rio de Janeiro ordered by Brazil’s president, Michel Temer. The document read also expressed strong criticisms of the Argentine government and its policies of impunity, adjustment, and repression, specifically claiming that impunity allowed the advancement of the genocide following the 1976 military coup. Furthermore, it denounced the government’s defense of the controversial Chocobar shooting that generated discussions of a new security doctrine that would put less blame on police officers in confrontations so that so that officers will be more likely to intervene in situations that they otherwise would not for fear of being put in jail (Bubble Staff).

The article notes that this initial document did not criticize Peronist governors who apply the same adjustment policies as Macri, and criticizes this omission, saying that it would not hurt to remember that these adjustment policies include Macri’s pension reform which the source feels robbed retirees. The article also states that the first document redeemed the Kirchner governments for turning human rights into “state policy.” The article disapproves of this choice, providing evidence against the integrity of the Kirchner administration by pointing out that former Army General Milan, who served during Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s presidency, has been detained for crimes against humanity during Argentina’s military dictatorship.

The article then discusses a separate document read at the demonstration. The article believes that unlike the first document, this document marks a clear criticism not only towards the government of Macri but also towards governors, including Peronists, who apply or are complicit with the adjustment policies of Macri’s Cambiemos coalition. Additionally, this documents retains the position of the first document in condemning repression and impunity, claiming that anti-terrorism laws implemented during the former military government persecuted popular struggles, and decrying the repression of people from the following groups: the Wichí and Qom communities in Formosa, the miners of Río Turbio in Santa Cruz, as well as the factory workers from La Esperanza in Jujuy and those of the El Tabacal sugar mill in Salta.

A variety of groups, organizations, and parties were present for the march. According to the article, some of the leading figures participating were members of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an association of mothers of the children who disappeared during the military government and the Center of Professionals for Human Rights. Workers from organizations such as SUTEBA (Unified Syndicate of Education Workers of Buenos Aires), NITI (National Institute of Industrial Technology) and railroad workers were also present. Additionally, Argentina’s Workers’ Left Front, including workers, women, and young people among the front’s leaders, such as Nicolás del Caño, participated.

At the end, the article concludes that this massive demonstration expressed citizen anger and discontent against impunity and repression that continues in Argentina and remarks that “Los gobiernos nunca han regalado nada”—the government has never given away anything.

For the most part, this article seemed to provide an overview of the demonstration and the ideas that were communicated there by providing direct quotes from the respective documents presented; However, there were moments in the article, such as the last quote that I included, that revealed a far-left tone that is expected from this source. Given that the source clearly emphasized and critiqued the differences between the two documents presented, it further aligns itself with its far-left viewpoint.

Works Cited:

“A 42 Años Del Golpe, Masivas Movilizaciones Dijeron No a La Impunidad y a La Represión.” La Izquierda Diario, 24 Mar. 2018, www.laizquierdadiario.com/A-42-anos-del-golpe-masivas-movilizaciones-dijeron-no-a-la-impunidad-y-a-la-represion.

Bubble Staff. “The Chocobar Case and the Government’s New ‘Police Doctrine,’ Explained.” Thebubble.com, 9 Feb. 2018, www.thebubble.com/the-chocobar-case-and-the-governments-new-police-doctrine-explained/.

South Africa – Global News Post #5

Ramaphosa – love him but watch him

Cyril Ramaphosa is the president of South Africa

This article pertains to current president Cyril Ramaphosa, who was appointed upon the removal of former president Jacob Zuma. It urges the supporters of president Ramaphosa to be cautious of this man as opposed to fawning over him. Although their likeness for him is understandable, some people are holding reservations because of the fear that many of the issues that need to be taken care of are being place on the back burner by the Ramaphosa administration and left unattended. Thus, this group of individuals is urging the population, especially fans of President Ramaphosa to remain vigilant at all times due to the presidents lack of political strength in comparison to the former president. In fact, there are speculations of the removal of President Ramaphosa’s removal in the year 2019 because certain people in power may lose their positions of power if the Ramaphosa administration is actually able to pull through for their supporters.

In all, this article is quite enjoyable but biased in a way. It is geared towards an audience with an active background on the ongoing political issues and parties in South Africa. Although the author of this article, Solly Moeng, tries to show both sides of the argument, they lean more towards the skepticism of President Ramaphosa by voicing their opinions in first person.

 

https://www.fin24.com/Opinion/ramaphosa-love-him-but-watch-him-20180320

Army reacts over Sergeant David Bako’s involvement in Dapchi Girls abduction by Nwafor Sunday

This article from Vanguardngr.com shares another story about the abduction of the Dapchi girls and the government’s reaction towards the media coverage. The news report that was making rounds in the media (this article does not specify the source of the original report) implicated Sergeant David Boko of the Nigerian Army in the abduction plot.

The Nigerian Army issued a statement via its Army Public Relations spokesperson, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, who denied knowing Sergeant David Bako and according to this article, noted that “such publication was targeted to hear and drag the Nigerian Army into politics of calumny by mischief makers,” implying that these so-called mischief makers are in the media. The Army claims that is has crossed checked its own personnel records and cannot find a Sergeant David Bako who has ever served in the Army.

In the statement, the Army seems to suggest that fake news had a factor in the spread of this story: “It is imperative to know that these baseless and inane allegations are not new in the cyber space, knowing the fact that we are in the age of information warfare. Open Source Intelligence reveals that the website Dailyglobewatch.eu with country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .eu used in publishing stories is obviously fake and therefore not correct…However, it is really worrisome to the level at which some people could condescend so low to fabricate facetious allegation against the Nigerian Army and the military at large for cheap political gains or simply an act of pure wickedness, thus the public should disregard such facetious allegation.”

This article showcases yet again the contentious relationship between the Nigerian government and Army with the media, as well as their handling of an embarrassing accusation. Although the Army strongly denies any claims of Sergeant David Bako serving in any capacity, the Nigerian people are left to decide who to trust (the government or the media) for their information, because the government has such a strong history of corruption. This article also shows the global impact of the fascination and misappropriation of the term “fake news,” which has quickly become a global obsession following the election of Donald Trump in the U.S. This article also discusses the Nigerian Army’s focus on the idea of living in an age of “information warfare,” which we know from our Active Reading is a term that is sometimes used to further political agendas.

David Bako Source: Gist36.com

Kazakhstan Global News 5

Source: http://kazakh-tv.kz/en/view/blog/page_191560_zhaina-forum-empowers-kazakh-women-to-become-leaders

It is beautiful to see that female activism is a global movement, the Time’s Up Movement has gone beyond American popculture and mediated many other nations’ movements. Kazakhstan had an International Women’s Forum on March 4th based off the female activism movement, the focus was on female entrepreneurship. Ambassadors for Canada and the U.S. spoke on the need for greater safety for women in the work space, including sexual harassment training, and the potential that women serve within the workplace.

Reimagined version of Rosie the Riveter

The most notable speaker in the forum, to me, was Megan Tetrick. The Attache of Culture and Education at the U.S. Embassy in Astana described the inherent power, independence, and intelligence that is a birth right for men, but something women must reach for in a patriarchal society. Female empowerment starts with the removal of competition between females, fighting over the affection of a male or the progression in a career. Women must build each other up, Megan suggests including other female’s feedback or ideas during meetings and promoting the economic gain of fellow female workers. Careers and entrepreneurship is hard to achieve due to gender roles, worldwide but very implicated in Kazakhstan’s culture, suggesting that females may economically progress after all domestic chores are completed. Female-lead companies and companies that are dominated by female workers perform better than other companies according to a spokesperson for the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction, possibly due to the challenges that these women face in atttaining an economic presence.

The article included a vast array of quotes about each speaker’s mode of female empowerment. It is very much different than the other articles I have reviewed, this is a social issue rather than governmental. This issue is something that all countries are facing and shows that no matter the governmental type or economic stability, females are fighting to break out of a second-rate citizen position.

Bibiliography:

Sadykova, Makhabbat. “ZHAINA FORUM EMPOWERS KAZAKH WOMEN TO BECOME LEADERS.” Kazakh-Tv.kz, 7 Mar. 2018, kazakh-tv.kz/en/view/blog/page_191560_zhaina-forum-empowers-kazakh-women-to-become-leaders.

“The Top 6 Conferences for Female Empowerment You Can’t Miss.” Worthy Blog, 2 Nov. 2017, www.worthy.com/blog/worthy-living/the-top-6-conferences-for-female-empowerment-you-cant-miss/.

Female Mayor of Oxocana

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/fight-for-womens-rights-was-a-bitter-one/

In 2014 Elisia Zepeda had a meeting about women in the city having their land confiscated illegally. Once the women were in the city square the mayor and his associate attacked these women with the focus on Zepeda. They both fired shots at Elisa Zepeda while screaming obscenities to her. They hit her in the face with a shotgun and continued to physically abuse her. They kept screaming “ Don’t meddle in the towns affairs”. They showered her in public to show other women what would happen. She managed to survive the beating and stumbled to her house. Once home a group of men made up of police and city trustee’s attacked her once again. They killed her brother and family friend who was a police officer from out of town when they tried to help her. This group burnt down her home and brothers shop. They beat her again and her mother was beaten so badly that she lost an eye. Elisia Zepeda stated that she lost everything she knew and loved for simply fighting for the rights of women. After this incident she used it as motivation to continue fighting for women’s rights. One and a half years later she became mayor of the city of Eloxochitlán de Flores Magón, Oaxaca. The city is much more peaceful and people happily approach the mayor without fear. She pioneered womens rights in her city and country.

Russian Presidential Candidates Fight with More than Words

The article I read was about a debate between two of the eight presidential candidates on the ballot for the Russian Federation’s elections in March. The article is from RT News and was published February 28th, 2018.

The article talks about the debate between presidential candidates Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the representative for the nationalist party, and Ksenia Sobchak, who does not align herself with a specific political party. The two were in a debate on Russia TV discussing Russia’s armed forces as well as other defense issues. The article goes on to describe how it descending into bickering and accusations from both sides, and then Sobchak threw the water from a glass nearby onto Zhirinovsky.

The article also comments on how Zhirinovsky has been in situations like this before and even cites an incident in 1995. It ends with some factual information on the presidential elections that are to be held in Russia on March 18th and lists several other candidates, including Vladimir Putin, but does not fully give the names and associated parties of all 8 candidates before closing.

RT News is a news source that is funded by the Russian Federation but reports on more than just events in Russia so their biases are not always evident nor do they typically have an end goal for their informative pieces. This article shows how fractured the political parties in Russia are that are not Putin. It contains hyperlinks in the article to go to other articles that list more incidents with presidential candidates like Sobchak. There is also something to be said about how all 8 candidates were not listed by name, but the ones they deemed important were, including Putin and the two making the headline. The article makes the two candidates in this debate seem childish and unfit to become the next leader of the Russian Federation to those who are reading it.

Slurs & water fly at Russian presidential debate as Lib Dem leader faces off with Sobchak

“Russian Presidential Candidates Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Ksenia Sobchak at the TV Debate Hosted by Rossya 1 Channel on February 28, 2018.” RT Russian Politics, 1 Mar. 2018, www.rt.com/politics/420078-presidential-debate-zhirinovsky-sobchak/.