China in the news.

[silveradept]

Because everyone likes to talk about it in a "clash of superpowers" sort of way, always carry your salt with you when reading stories like the following...

A man convicted of selling military secrets to China is due up for a potential life sentence. His defense was that he did help design some systems for companies in China, but that the designs he used were not marked secret and were older technology.

Steel from a Chinese firm was convincingly tied to nuclear plants in Iran, which can only make people who think sanctions and blockades work tear their hair out at how much China appears to be for sanctions, and then turns around and sells to Iran anyway. Not that other countries are blameless - the United States offers plenty of waivers to do business with organizations and countries that they're technically banned from.

Perhaps the one that will raise the fear-hackles the most (for those prone to that kind of fear), the possibility that the newly unveiled stealth fighter from China uses technology reverse-engineered from a United States craft shot down in the Kosovo region.

If you're in the United States, all of these things and the general "clash of superpowers" narrative means that you're going to be bombarded with messages saying that defense spending can't be cut just in case China gets worldwide domination ambitions and goes on a conquering tear. Why they would want to, we're not sure, but it probably has something to do with the fantasy that they'll leverage debt holdings to crush the United States and then send all their young men out to conquer and destroy.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program of anti-government demonstrations on the African continent.

Protests blow up in Yemen, ongoing in Egypt and Algeria and Tunisia

[the_future_modernes]

Ok, so this is why I conditionally like Globalpost. It has its issues god KNOWS but it puts together some kickass roundups on occasion. I've been too busy with school to properly pay attention to the full story of the protests that broke out in North Africa and some parts of Asia over the past couple of months. naturally, it turns out I missed some countries. So here's a primer on who is protesting and why. A region in upheaval

First it was Tunisia. Then it was Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Yemen, Albania, Lebanon and Egypt. Suddenly, civil unrest has erupted in countries, some of which have been under authoritarian rule for decades, all over the Middle East and North Africa.

What happened? And what does the future hold for this volatile region of the world? Here’s everything you need to know about the leaders, the protesters and the problems in each of the nations that have been gripped by protests over these last few weeks.MORE

There is gonna be a popup ad asking you to contribute. You should be able to click it off and read that entire article for free.


Meantime, for more indepth reporting starting with Yemen:

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RIP David Kato

[eccentricyoruba]

David Kato was a prominent gay rights activist and human rights defender. He was murdered yesterday, Wednesday the 26th, in his home in Kampala. I've gathered a couple of links;

Brutal Murder of Gay Ugandan Human Rights Defender, David Kato;

David was brutally beaten to death in his home today, 26 January 2011, around 2pm. Across the entire country, straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex Ugandans mourn the loss of David, a dear friend, colleague, teacher, family member, and human rights defender.

David has been receiving death threats since his face was put on the front page of Rolling Stone Magazine, which called for his death and the death of all homosexuals. David's death comes directly after the Supreme Court of Uganda ruled that people must stop inciting violence against homosexuals and must respect the right to privacy and human dignity
 

David Kato, Rest in peace my friend;

The responsibility for the repeated harassment, beatings, death threats and now possibly his murder lies with all those members of Parliament, religious leaders both in Uganda, other countries on the continent and in the US, who have led the campaign of hate against LGBTIQ people: David Baharti, Red Pepper newspaper, Martin Ssempa, Ugandan Minister of Ethics Nsaba Buturu, Archbishop of Rwanda, Onesphore Rwaje , Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda, the All African Bishops Conference, Apolo Nsibambi of Uganda, Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi of Burundi, Archbishop Akinola and Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria, Peter Karamaga, the National Anti-Homosexual Task-force Uganda, President Museveni, Mrs Museveni, President Mugabe. Pastor Mulinde of Trumpet Church Uganda, Lou Engle, Rick Warren, Scott Lively and Dan Schmierer of the ex-gay group Exodus International, Jon Qwelane and President Jacob Zuma who sent him to Uganda, Bishop Lawrence Chai of Free Apostolic Churches of Kenya and Sheikh Ali Hussein of Masjid Answar Sunna Mosque. The African Union [AU] African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights who denied CAL observer status, all those who voted at the UN General Assembly Human Rights Committee to delete the reference to killings due to sexual orientation from a resolution condemning unjustified executions. And all those who hold positions of responsibility and power who refused to speak up against hatred.
 

No form of intimidation will stop fight for gay rights in Uganda - Activists on Kato's death;

Kato was murdered yesterday 26 January at his home in Kampala and witnesses allege that an unknown man was seen entering Kato home in the afternoon, hitting him twice on the head with an object, later identified as a hammer, and then fleeing the scene. “I am shocked, distressed, angry and in pain. David did not deserve to be killed, nobody does. I am in mourning, we have lost a great activist, friend, and colleague. May David’s family have the strength and courage to make it through this difficult time and may Ugandan activists find solace in our solidarity”, Judith Ngunjiri, a Kenyan activist said.

“A long-time activist, Kato had earned the title of grandfather of the kuchus, as gay men in Kampala call themselves, for his work on behalf of people in the LGBT community. In the past he has sheltered many people in his home, visited them in prison and worked for their release”, International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) said in a statement.

Murder of gay activist needs "urgent attention";

Kato, an advocacy officer for SMUG, recently won a court case against a local tabloid, The Rolling Stone, which in October 2010 published his photograph and name in an article claiming to identify Ugandan homosexuals. In November, a court ordered The Rolling Stone to cease publishing. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that it had violated their constitutional rights to privacy and ordered compensation.

"He had told me that he was not feeling safe; he was being harassed in bars and when we went to court people would be waiting for him outside, taunting him," Onziema said.

Cairo

[trouble]

I received this via email from a friend of mine who lives in Cairo. I'm not sure entirely how safe it is for her, so I have edited her information out of it, but I am posting it with her permission. She also emailed me recently to tell me that SMS is now shut down in Egypt.

Hey, guys! So, as expected, Facebook and Twitter have been re-blocked over here. I'll probably be able to tweet still, through ping.fm, but no Facebook. In the meantime, can you read this and forward it? And don't worry, I'm not a journalist; they certainly won't be as violent with me.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted]
Date: 2011/1/27
Subject: Fwd: a personal testimony on police brutality during protests: jan 26 2011 down town cairo--[name removed]


She is asking to forward to foreign journalists....

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted]
Date: 2011/1/27
Subject: a personal testimony on police brutality during protests: jan 26 2011 down town cairo-- [redacted]

round 6.30 pm down town cairo, i joined the demonstration on qasr el nil street along with some friends and other people whom i don't know. the protesters were marching peacefully and politely and decently from one street to another evading the security forces who were some how at a loss at how to stop us, especially when we took to shawarbi street, we were at the back, and the police officers behind and front talking in their walki talki, we could hear them saying they don't know how to besiege us. we kept on moving and more people were joining us from the streets and shops, young men and women. we were chanting the requests of egyptian people " leave " and " egyptian people want the regime out ". we didn't attack any body, or destroy any shops or cars... we were moving in the middle of streets without blocking the traffic, just slowing it down until we reached sherif street and we were heading towards 26 july street, then the security forces appeared from behind and front. we started running, and security police in civilian clothes started grabbing randomly many young men and women. i saw them grab and beat a young innocent man, pushed him to the ground and kept kicking.

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