Australia wildfires: Navy delivers 3,000 litres of beer to fire-ravaged town amid fears of shortages
BECAUSE IT'S AUSTRALIA PRIORITIES, CAN DO WITHOUT WATER BUT NOT BEER

Mallacoota has been entirely cut off during crisis - but emergency shipment means residents won't run out of ale

Colin Drury @colin__drury

Australia's navy has delivered 800 emergency galleons of

 ale to Mallacoota, Victoria ( Getty )

It is an isolated Australian town left devastated by the country’s ongoing bush fires: homes have been destroyed, livelihoods wrecked and the one road in and out entirely cut off.

But, as of Fridays, residents in Mallacoota, Victoria, can at least remove one concern from the list: running out of beer.

The country’s navy has shipped in 800 emergency galleons of ale to a pub in the town to ensure that locals in the coastal community are not forced to go without a weekend pint.

The package was included in a supply run to the town, which has relied on such sea-borne deliveries since wildfires cut off road access on New Year’s Eve.

"A pub with no beer is bad enough at the best of times," said Peter Filipovic, chief executive of Carlton & United Breweries which is supplying the drink.

“The pub is at the heart of regional communities and, after what Mallacoota residents and firefighters have been through, the least we would do is make sure they could enjoy a beer."


Devastating wildfires rage across Australia: In pictures
Show all 40





Certainly, it was a gesture widely appreciated in the town. "God bless the navy," wrote one resident on Facebook. "Not all heroes wear capes" noted another.

It comes after a torrid few weeks for the rural community: Mallacoota was the scene of some of the most dramatic fires the country has ever seen with some 4,000 residents and tourists fleeing to nearby beaches at one point as flames surrounded the town.
About 1,000 vulnerable people were evacuated by the Australian Royal Navy.

Reacting to potential criticism of the move to include beer in the latest supplies run, an Australian Defence Force spokesperson told CNN that the beer would “positively impact the morale of the community” and denied it was "occupying unnecessary space”.

It will be delivered on the 16,000-tonne HMAS Choules.

Unprecedented bush fires have been raging across Australia since September spread by record temperatures. At least 27 people have been killed, along with an estimated one billion animals.

Read more

'Terrifying' video shows bushfire enveloping firefighters in truck

Tens of thousands told to evacuate as Australian wildfires intensify

Firefighters save group of koalas from Australian bushfires

Australia ‘like a furnace’ forecasters warn amid devastating bushfires

Sydney ‘choking in smoke’ as city shrouded in hazardous fumes

Samira Ahmed wins equal pay case against BBC

Corporation’s claims that Newswatch and Points of View are very different programmes are without merit, tribunal rules

Samira Ahmed has won her sex discrimination case against the BBC.

The presenter had argued that her pay for presenting Newswatch should have been on a par with that of Jeremy Vine, who presented Points of View.

A judge at the London Central Employment Tribunal ruled that the BBC had “failed to rebut the presumption of sex discrimination that arose when she proved that her work was like his work”.

Ms Ahmed was paid £465 per episode of her programme, while Mr Vine received £3,000 for his.

In a statement last year, she said: “On the back of my BBC ID card are written the BBC values, which include, ‘We respect each other and celebrate our diversity,’ and, ‘We take pride in delivering quality and value for money’

“I just ask why the BBC thinks I am worth only one-sixth of the value of the work of a man for doing a very similar job.”

A panel of three judges found that both programmes were 15 minutes long, had a magazine format and only differed in that Newswatch restricted its discussion of viewers’ comments to news output, rather than general programming.

“They were minor differences and, more importantly, had no impact on the work that the two presenters did, or the skills and experience required to present the programmes,” Judge Harjit Grewal and the panel members Mr S Godecharle and Mr P Secher wrote.

The panel rejected the BBC’s argument that there was more pressure on Mr Vine because he was presenting a programme that well-known figures, such as Terry Wogan, had previously fronted.

Read more

What is the gender pay gap and how is it different from equal pay?

“We do not accept that Mr Vine’s role had any additional responsibility,” the panel said. “It certainly was no greater than the responsibility of the presenter of Newswatch, having regard to the circumstances which led to the creation of Newswatch.”

Newswatch was launched in the wake of the Hutton inquiry, which investigated the circumstances surrounding the death of the UN weapons inspector David Kelly.

Following her victory, Ms Ahmed said: ”No woman wants to have to take action against their own employer. I’m now looking forward to continuing to do my job, to report on stories and not being one.’’

BBC FAILS TO APOLOGIZE, REALLY 
A BBC spokesperson said: “Samira Ahmed is an excellent journalist and presenter and we regret that this case ever had to go to tribunal.

“We’re committed to equality and equal pay. Where we’ve found equal pay cases in the past, we’ve put them right. However, for us, this case was never about one person, but the way different types of programmes across the media industry attract different levels of pay.

“We have always believed that the pay of Samira and Jeremy Vine was not determined by their gender. Presenters – female as well as male – had always been paid more on Points of View than Newswatch.

“We’ll need to consider this judgment carefully. We know tribunals are never a pleasant experience for anyone involved. We want to work together with Samira to move on in a positive way.”

Carrie Gracie, the BBC’s former China editor who quit over unequal pay and is now a newsreader, tweeted that she “could not be more proud” of her colleague, adding: “I hope your victory gives courage to women everywhere to stand up for the value of their work.”

---30---

EDITORIAL
Samira Ahmed’s historic victory over the BBC is a watershed moment for gender equality

The broadcaster’s arguments as to why Jeremy Vine was paid more than Samira Ahmed were rightly dismissed as nonsense. Other employers failing to pay their people properly should consider themselves warned

Sean O'Grady @_seanogrady

The presenter is due some £700,000 in back pay; no doubt other, similar cases will follow

While not quite binding in case law, Samira Ahmed‘s successful equal pay claim against the BBC sets an important precedent, morally and politically. It will make subsequent cases brought under the equalities legislation easier to win, and will radically alter pay structures. It is an historic moment.

Ms Ahmed always had a strong case, legally and morally, and the employment tribunal was right to decide in her favour. It was a straightforward example of unfair discrimination according to the law, and as the judges found, she was grossly underpaid for work of equal value compared with a male comparator, Jeremy Vine.

It did not matter, it seems, that Mr Vine is more famous than Ms Ahmed – the defining characteristic is the nature of the job, not market forces, which, in this area as in others, appear to be working patriarchally.

UK woman sacked for being pregnant

There are hundreds more like me, says woman sacked for being pregnant

‘Scope and breadth’ of pregnancy discrimination still emerging, says Helen Larkin

Maya Oppenheim

Women's Correspondent @mayaoppenheim

Helen Larkin was awarded £17,303 from an employment 

tribunal over her dismissal from Liz Earle ( Helen Larkin )

A woman who was sacked by a leading beauty brand because she was eight months pregnant has been contacted by hundreds of others who say they have also faced discrimination at work while expecting a baby.

Helen Larkin was awarded £17,303 by an employment tribunal on Thursday over her unfair dismissal from the Liz Earle Beauty Company​.

The 38-year-old, from Portsmouth, told The Independent a new senior employee saw her pregnancy as “standing in the way” of a company restructure, and her applications for two other positions were rejected without interview because she would soon be taking maternity leave.

She said the “sexist treatment” the company subjected her to is part of a wider problem in which women across the UK face unfair discrimination because of their pregnancy.

Ms Larkin, who represented herself in the tribunal, said: “I have had hundreds of women reach out to me from different companies, across all sectors, saying they have also experienced similar treatment. So many have been silenced or did not know what to do.

“Hopefully my case will raise awareness of the scope and breadth of the problem of pregnancy discrimination and make businesses look at their processes and procedures, as well as encouraging other women to speak up and realise they can take these companies on by themselves.”

Ms Larkin, who had been working at the beauty firm for five years and has 14 years of digital marketing experience, said she was only given two weeks’ notice of her redundancy in June 2018.

The mother-of-two said the ordeal has had a “huge impact” on her mental health and that she was very stressed about the case while pregnant.

Read moreWomen being plagued with debt ‘due to skyrocketing childcare costs’

“I was worried about finances because I was the main earner,” she said. “I was also worried about the stress it was putting on my own health and my unborn. Being stressed while pregnant can be dangerous and have long-term health implications for the baby. The day before my C-section I had to do forms for the employment tribunal.

“I feel shocked and angry that they took something which should have been a special time with my new-born baby away from me and I’ll never get that time back.”

The Liz Earle Beauty Company, which was set up in 1995 but later sold, is owned by US-based pharmaceutical giant Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Joeli Brearley, founder of campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “This is a monumental win not only for Helen but for women everywhere. Hundreds of thousands of women across the UK are cheering Helen on: women who have faced their own version of pregnancy or maternity discrimination but, due to cost, time limits, stress, mental-health issues or the sheer complexity of managing a tribunal claim and a new baby, were unable to challenge their employer.

“Taking a case of pregnancy or maternity discrimination to tribunal isn’t easy. You have three months less one day to raise the claim; the costs can be horrifically expensive with a straightforward case costing between £5,000 and £10,000, and more complex cases costing upwards of £30,000; and the stress and strain on new mums can be totally overwhelming. Companies often have finances and legal representation that far outweigh that of the victim, making it feel like David vs Goliath.”


These factors lead to only one per cent of those who experience pregnancy or maternity discrimination raising a tribunal claim, the campaigner said.
Read more
 

‘Punitive’ childcare costs mean almost fifth of parents quit jobs

“Even fewer make it to tribunal, as once the company realises their previous employee is serious about legal action, they will offer a financial settlement tied to a non-disclosure agreement which prevents them speaking publicly,” she added.

Ms Brearley said the public rarely hears about cases such as Ms Larkin’s due to firms using “powerful and legal tools” to “gag and silence” their victims.


The Liz Earle Beauty Company, which denied discrimination at the employment tribunal, told the hearing: “The wellbeing of our people is of the highest importance to us and we always aim to ensure they are treated fairly.

“Over the course of the tribunal hearing ... it seemed that we fell short of our standards in some areas, which we sincerely regret.”

A study by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy previously found that one in nine women have been fired or made redundant, or were treated so badly they felt forced out of their job, after going back to work from maternity leave. The report estimated that about 54,000 women each year may lose their role at work because of pregnancy or maternity.

It also found that one in five mothers said they had experienced harassment or negative comments in the workplace that were linked to pregnancy.

---30---

WOMEN ARE THE PROLETARIAT 

UK

Gay man doused in bleach in vile homophobic attack while volunteering at a charity shop

Moya Lothian-McLean in news



Today it emerged that homophobic hate crimes in London have increased by 55 per cent in just five years.

That figure represents harrowing and traumatic experiences suffered by more than 3,000 LGBTQ+ individuals just trying to live their lives.

Like the story reported on Twitter yesterday by Alex Redfern, whose partner Joe Shannon became the victim of a horrifying homophobic attack while working in a charity shop.

“Today Joe was attacked,” wrote Redfern in a post on Twitter.

“He was covering a charity shop on what was meant to be his day off, someone came in doused him in bleach whilst shouting homophobic abuse.”

Redfern went on to say that his partner had been given immediate first aid when the incident happened but had suffered minor burns and eye damage.

Shannon was released from the hospital that evening, thankfully with no lasting physical injuries, and the event was reported to the police.

But Redfern highlighted his worry that the attack – which he said was completely unprovoked – would set back progress his partner had made after receiving treatment for PTSD.

Shannon suffers from dissociative seizures and amnesia as a result of his condition and has found gardening helps manage the stress of symptoms.

Together, he and Redfern have created an award-winning garden in their South London home and command a big social media presence under the handle @Gardening_Guys.

It’s where they reported details of the terrible incident to their seven thousand followers.

In response, the pair received an outpouring of solidarity and support.

They say the deluge of well-wishes has helped to restore their hope in people.

And they're determined not to let hatred win, today resuming posting updates on the latest garden developments.

Hate withers, love blooms.

News Corp. employee quits with damning all-staff email savaging company's 'dangerous misinformation' on climate change and wildfires

'I find it unconscionable to continue working for this company, knowing I am contributing to the spread of climate change denial and lies,' Emily Townsend says

A News Corp employee has condemned the media company’s coverage of the Australian bushfires as “dangerous and damaging”, announcing her resignation in a damning all-staff email.

Commercial finance manager Emily Townsend said she could no longer work for an organisation she claimed had run a “misinformation campaign” around the wildfires “that has tried to divert attention away from the real issue which is climate change to rather focus on arson (including misrepresenting facts).”


Ms Townsend, who had been with the company for five years, urged executive chairman Michael Miller to consider the impact of information in News Corp’s publications The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun and “think about the big picture”.


The email was forwarded to all employees in the Australian arm of the the Rupert Murdoch-owned company but has since been removed from staff inboxes.

“I have been severely impacted by the coverage of News Corp publications in relation to the fires, in particular the misinformation campaign that has tried to divert attention away from the real issue which is climate change to rather focus on arson (including misrepresenting facts),” Ms Townsend said, explaining that she had been left anxious and disappointed by the bushfire coverage to the extent she felt unable to do her job.

States of emergency declared as bushfires rage across Australia
Show all 15





“I find it unconscionable to continue working for this company, knowing I am contributing to the spread of climate change denial and lies.

"The reporting I have witnessed in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun is not only irresponsible, but dangerous and damaging to our communities and beautiful planet that needs us more than ever to acknowledge the destruction we have caused and start doing something about it.”

While Ms Townsend did not cite any specific examples of reporting that she felt was irresponsible, News Corp’s approach to the bushfires has been the subject of widespread discussion following claims in The Australian that appeared to overstate the role of arson in the blazes.

Another article in the same newspaper suggested the fires were no worse than in previous years, prompting The New York Times to publish an article on the role of News Corp and other conservative media outlets in what it suggested was controlling the narrative surrounding the bushfires.

Watch more

Hamilton gives $500,000 to charity as 1bn animals killed in Australia

However, there were also articles featured in News Corp publications that did acknowledge the role of climate change in the fires, which have left more than a billion animals dead, burned 10.3 million hectares and claimed the lives of at least 25 people.

News Corp executive chairman Mr Miller said the organisation stood by its coverage.

“Ms Townsend resigned in December and was due to leave News Corp shortly," Mr Miller said.

"News Corp stands by its coverage of the bushfires. The dedication and professionalism of our journalists and photographers have kept the community — particularly those Australians affected directly — informed and supported.

"We respect Ms Townsend's right to hold her views but we do not agree with them."

---30---

 Rebellio

Counter-terrorism police list Extinction Rebellion as extremist group

AFTER 9/11 WITH PASSAGE OF THE PATRIOT ACT THE FIRST GROUP THE FBI LISTED AS TERRORISTS WERE ANARCHIST ECO ACTIVISTS.

'How dare they? Children up and down the country are desperately fighting for a future,' say climate activists after inclusion in official report alongside banned Islamist and far-right groups

Vincent Wood
Friday 10 January 2020 
The document includes 'tell the truth' among the slogans to watch out for as part of the guidance on extremist ideologies ( AFP/Getty )
Extinction Rebellion have accused police of a "deliberate attempt to silence" them after the climate protest group was included on a list of extremist organisations in a counter-terrorism report.

Guidance issued by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) as part of its anti-radicalisation training warned vulnerable young people and adults might be encouraged by climate activists to “perform acts of violence” by climate activists.

Extinction Rebellion was included in the list alongside banned far-right and Islamist terror groups.

The group, which uses peaceful protest and non-violent disruption to campaign for urgent action to address the climate emergency, called their inclusion “astonishing” and a "terrorism slur".
It added in a statement: "How dare they? Children up and down the country are desperately fighting for a future.

"Teachers, grandparents, nurses have been trying their best with loving nonviolence to get politicians and big business to do something about the dire state of our planet. And this is how the establishment responds."


Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London road
CTPSE, which co-ordinates police forces' counter-terrorism strategies in the South East, described the inclusion of Extinction Rebellion in the report as an "error of judgement" and said it would be reviewing the material.

The document, first reported on by The Guardian, warns those influenced by the group’s ideology may begin “speaking in strong or emotive terms about environmental issues like climate change, ecology, species extinction, fracking, airport expansion or pollution”.

It adds students “may neglect to attend school” in order to attend protests, as well as taking part “in planned school ‘walk outs’” – the latter a style of protest popularised by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg.

In a section headed “Why are they a threat?” the guidance says “an anti-establishment philosophy that seeks system change underlies its activism,” adding that “while non-violent against persons, the campaign encourages other law breaking activities”.
It also says police forces should watch out for the group’s logo and associated slogans.

The same pamphlet includes advice on spotting signs of radicalisation from neo-nazi group National Action and Al Muhajiroun – an Islamist terror group with links to attacks including the 2019 London Bridge stabbing, the 2017 London Bridge attack and the 2013 murder of Lee Rigby.

The guidance makes up part of the Prevent programme – which trains and facilitates teachers, youth workers and others who work with young and vulnerable people in spotting and flagging up radicalisation. Critics have long held that the programme has a chilling effect on free speech and education.

Paul Stephens, an Extinction Rebellion activist who was previously at Metropolitan Police detective sergeant, said: “When are the police going to wake up? The climate and ecological emergency is the most serious threat to public safety in history and the longer this government fails to address it and continues to invest in fossil fuels, the greater the problem will be for the police.

“Who hasn’t criticised our system of government in recent years? Are we all extremists?

”I have never seen anyone in Extinction Rebellion encourage violence in any way to anyone. Quite the reverse. As a former police officer of 34 years experience, I seriously doubt the political independence of those who published this nonsense.”

According to The Guardian, the group featured in a version of the document that was issued in November. It has since been recalled and the group is not classed as extremist.

Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, head of CTPSE, said: “I would like to make it quite clear that we do not classify Extinction Rebellion as an extremist organisation.

“The inclusion of Extinction Rebellion in this document was an error of judgement and we will now be reviewing all of the contents as a result.

“It was produced by CTPSE to assist our statutory partners – including police forces and government organisations – in identifying people who may be vulnerable as a result of their links to some organisations.

“The document was designed for a very specific audience who understand the complexities of the safeguarding environment we work within and who have statutory duties under Prevent. We are in the process of confirming who it has been shared with and recalling it.

“We as Counter Terrorism Policing, along with our partners, have a responsibility to protect vulnerable people. Officers are trained to spot those who may be vulnerable, and the membership of an organisation that supports environmental or animal welfare issues alone would not be a trigger.”

Video shows Ukrainian plane being hit over Iran

Published 09 JANUARY, 2020

NEW YORK — Video verified by The New York Times appears to show an Iranian missile hitting a plane near Tehran’s airport, the area where a Ukrainian jet crashed on Wednesday (Jan 8), killing all 176 people on board.

As investigators work to determine an official cause of the accident, the video offered new clues about the crash, which came hours after a violent confrontation between Iran and the United States. American and allied officials on Thursday said they believed an Iranian missile had accidentally brought the plane down.

A small explosion occurred when what appears to be a missile hit the plane above Parand, a city near the airport, but the plane did not explode, the video showed. The jet continued flying for several minutes and turned back toward the airport, The Times has determined. The plane, which by then had stopped transmitting its signal, flew toward the airport ablaze before it exploded and crashed quickly, other videos verified by The Times showed.

Visual and sonic clues in the footage also matched flight path information and satellite imagery of the area near where the plane crashed. The satellite images were taken on Thursday and provided to The Times by Maxar Technologies, a space technology company.

In the video, approximately 10 seconds pass between the flash of impact of what is believed to be a missile and the sound of the explosion reaching the camera. The sound delay indicates the plane was a little over two miles from the camera at the time of impact. That distance lines up with the path of the Ukraine International Airlines flight, as recorded by the flight tracking company FlightRadar24.

Read also: Iran likely downed Ukraine airliner with missiles, Canada's Trudeau says, citing intelligence

Other details in the video help verify its9999999999999999999999999999 authenticity. Buildings seen in the background are at least five stories high and have a distinctive design. Several rows of evenly spaced buildings are visible, consistent with the aerial view of the building compound in satellite imagery.

The small building seen to the left of the video, and the upright metal frame beside it, can both be seen in satellite pictures.

This equipment is seen briefly at the end of the video. It is positioned less than 10 yards (9.14m) from the small building, and can also be seen in satellite imagery of the site. 



A still image from video verified by The New York Times which appears to show an Iranian missile hitting a plane above Parand, near Tehran’s airport, the area where a Ukrainian airliner stopped transmitting its signal before it crashed on Wednesday, Jan 8, 2020.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
Read more at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/video/iran-plane-missile.html 

Eruption of protests around the globe in 2019 could be the new norm
By EUGENE K B TAN

REUTERS

Hong Kong anti-government protester Fiona, 16, during
 a march organised by the Civil Human Rights Front in
 the protest-racked city on Dec 8.

Published 18 DECEMBER, 2019

2019 will be remembered as a year of mass street protests, including violent ones. The sharp disruptions to normalcy highlight the resistance to the dysfunctional status quo and the quest for political and socio-economic change in increasingly polarised societies.

While taking to the streets in protest is not new, this year’s unrest in at least 18 countries in different corners of the world is characterised by the breadth and intensity of the protests.  

What else can we glean from these protests and what do they say about governance today?

At its core, protests challenge governmental authority and state power. Protests are a means of demonstrating social, economic and political discontent, often in the quest for change to safeguard the protestors’ individual and collective futures.

What is unique this time is the pervasive use of social media and the significant participation of young people, who are themselves adept in using social media.

But each protest has a different spark. It could be about corrupt, repressive, or inept governments, high costs of living, inequality and social injustice, or inaction over climate change.

Read also: Hong Kong needs to do more to stop violence, resolve problems: government

In Lebanon, a tax on WhatsApp calls sparked the country’s largest protests in over a decade, as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets.

Similarly, each protest has different objectives even if they evolve and produce different outcomes. Bruce Lee’s aphorism on adapting to the circumstances comes to mind: “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water.”

In Hong Kong for instance, originally peaceful opposition and protests have degenerated into manifestly violent ones. Protestors, even without leaders, succeeded in forcing the government to reverse its course on the proposed law on extradition of criminal suspects to China.

Read also: Thai protesters confront police, anti-government march blocked

The protests have now evolved into a riot act of the government’s failings in dealing with basic needs such as housing, social inequality, and broader questions on Hong Kong’s future.

Emboldened, protestors are insisting that China honours, in form and in substance, the high degree of autonomy promised under the “one country, two systems” formula for Hong Kong.

Social media amplifying divisions

Read also: Youths as young as 11 lead the way for Singapore’s inaugural climate rally

The adroit use of encrypted communication platforms enables the protests to scale up efficiently and effectively. Social media enables the swift and widespread articulation of grievances; it can also rapidly mobilise supporters, communicate messages and coordinate strategies, share evocative memes, and crowd source ideas and funds. 

This year’s many protests also underscored the growing concern, particularly among the young, with climate change. As the scientific prognosis for our planet worsened, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teen activist, became the face of anguished opposition to “business as usual”.

At this year’s United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York, she denounced the lack of urgent and real action by governments and businesses to deal with the climate emergency.

Her call for stronger action on global warming inspired other students to organise similar protests in other parts of the world. There were at least two coordinated multi-city protests this year involving over one million students.

Such protests also seek to promote greater awareness of the climate emergency, which would result in unborn generations and hers paying the existential price for environmental inaction

This year’s protests showed how they can spread like a contagion.

They also demonstrated remarkable resilience despite the initial lack of grassroots mobilisation that was the hallmark of durable protests of the past.

In France, the Yellow Vests Movement — named after the fluorescent vests the protesters wear during their demonstrations to signal their working class background — continues after more than a year.

What started as a protest against higher fuel taxes, they spread across France and now represent a reaction to the government’s overall economic policies and the high cost of living.

The protests this year point to more troubling times ahead given that public institutions globally now enjoy lower levels of legitimacy and support.

The widening gap in trust and confidence between the political class and the public often makes attempts to solve the problems woefully inadequate.

The popular discontent signifies the failures of representational politics where out-of-touch politicians are oblivious or even sneering to the concerns of the masses. On the other hand, the masses may be polarised and susceptible to populist measures that address the symptoms but not the causes of their plight.

As 2020 beckons, there is much for governments and the economic elites to reflect on. But political will to address the concerns is patently needed to help keep a system responsive to people’s concerns, needs and fears.

But deep polarisation means the minimum trust threshold is absent for there to be meaningful engagement.

This is further complicated by the protestors’ diffused demands that are often evolving. Some of the protest movements are also leaderless. It is not clear who the government ought to negotiate with.

Singapore has been spared of such debilitating and divisive protests. While protests are permitted at the Speakers’ Corner, they are not a common mode of expressing discontentment and distress. Political stability remains highly valued by Singaporeans.

Furthermore, the laws provide for and the authorities adopt a no-nonsense approach to protests, such as the rule against foreigners participating and the prohibition against protests on issues relating to race, language and religion.

Trust in the government remains relatively robust and governance remains purposeful. While Singapore is fortunate not to experience protests, that does not mean we are immune. 

Across the world, how those in power respond to the people’s unhappiness, fears and aspirations matters immensely.

Otherwise, in the face of helplessness and hopelessness, the unhappiness will easily transmogrify into violent protests and civil unrest that can develop into full-blown opposition movements.

This year’s protests may well presage a new era of political and societal conflict and protests as a norm. Governance has its work cut out for it in the years ahead.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eugene K B Tan is an associate professor and Lee Kong Chian Fellow at the School of Law, Singapore Management University.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/eruption-protests-around-globe-2019-could-be-new-norm

Indian court: Kashmir indefinite internet shutdown illegal

The clampdown on communications in the disputed Himalayan region has disrupted the lives of millions. Now, India's highest court has demanded the government review all orders imposing a lockdown in Kashmir.

India's Supreme Court announced Friday that an indefinite blackout of the internet in Indian-controlled Kashmir is illegal and constitutes an abuse of power, ordering authorities to review all restrictions in the disputed territory within a week.

The court said the internet shutdown curbs the freedom of the press, an important component of freedom of speech and expression, adding that the shutdown also violated India's telecom rules.

"Freedom of internet access is a fundamental right," Supreme Court justice N. V. Ramana said.

Defense attorney Vrinda Grover said the court also instructed the government to make public all orders imposing a lockdown in Kashmir.

"This sheds light on the rationale behind internet shutdowns which then can be challenged as being constitutional or proportionate or not," said Nikhil Pahwa, digital rights activist and editor of New Delhi's MediaNama.

"So if the state is forced to be transparent, they will be more accountable," he added.

Read more: Opinion: Modi's India is a bad example for Kashmiris 

Blackout impacts millions

The blackout in Kashmir has been in place for more than 150 days and is the longest in any democracy, according to digital rights group Access Now.

A report by website Top10VPN revealed that India's recorded internet shutdowns lasted more than 4,000 hours in 2019,  costing its economy $1.3 billion (€1.17 billion).

Ghulam Nabi Azad, a leader of the opposition Congress party, and Anuradha Bhasin, editor of The Kashmir Times, were the main advocates in Friday's case. They rebuked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist-led government for severing communications in Kashmir after it revoked the Muslim-majority region's semi-autonomous status in August last year.

Modi's government said the shutdown in Kashmir is necessary to maintain order in the region, which has seen violent clashes between security forces and a separatist insurgency backed by neighbouring Pakistan.

Authorities defend the blackout which they claim helps prevent the breakout of violent mass protests against India's decision to withdraw Kashmir's special status.

Last month, authorities enforced an internet clampdown in parts of the Kashmiri capital as well as in parts of India's eastern state of Assam and Uttar Pradesh in the north, due to protests against a controversial new citizenship law that Muslims perceive as discriminatory.

India's Home Ministry and Department of Telecommunications did not immediately comment on the court's decision.

mvb/ng (AP, dpa, Reuters)
India's Modi says new citizenship law is not against Muslims

Scores of people have been killed as a result of violent protests against a citizenship amendment law, which critics say discriminates against Muslims. Indian PM Narendra Modi says the opposition is distorting the facts. (22.12.2019)  

Cut-off Kashmir resorts to primitive communication methods

People in India-administered Kashmir are being forced to communicate with notes and human couriers after New Delhi cut the region off from the rest of the world by shutting down internet and telephone services. (12.08.2019)  

Kashmir's economy suffers due to continued lockdown

Prolonged shutdowns and a continued ban on the internet have resulted in huge economic losses in India-administered Kashmir. But New Delhi says its "Kashmir integration" would eventually boost the region's economy. (10.12.2019)  

Kashmir: Is Pakistan planning to take direct control over its part?

Kashmiri nationalists have slammed reports that Islamabad is planning to take direct control of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It comes months after India scrapped the special autonomous status of its own part. (30.12.2019)  

Opinion: Modi's India is a bad example for Kashmiris

For almost a year, New Delhi has been trying to pacify angry protesters in Kashmir. DW's Shamil Shams says an intolerant India under PM Modi's leadership cannot bring the disgruntled Kashmiri youth under its fold. (27.04.2017)  

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Germany's Green party riding wave of popularity

Once a motley crew of peace activists, Germany’s Green party is now a firm pillar of mainstream politics. All told, the Greens can look back on a successful journey as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

   

It certainly was a colorful bunch of people that convened in Karlsruhe on January 12 and 13 in 1980. There were veterans of the 1968 students' movement, environmental activists, anti-war protesters, conservatives, animal rights activists, equal rights activists and communists, to name just a few. Many of the men had long beards and wore brightly colored overalls. Many women wore handmade knit sweaters. When all was said and done, the stage had been set for a new political party that would go on to change the political landscape in Germany. The Greens had been founded.

Opening up a closed party system

Germany's other political parties had never seen anything like it. Since the end of World War II, politics in what was then West Germany had more or less been solely defined by a handful of parties: the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

1983: The year the Greens moved into the Bundestag. Otto Schily (second from right) later switched to the center-left SPD party.

But as early as 1983 the Greens managed to make the leap into Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, where they were received pretty much as oddballs and misbehaved children. A generation that had come of age during the era of student protests in the late 1960s soon slipped into serious functionary roles within The Greens. Otto Schily, a left-leaning lawyer, became a key player in the party's first parliamentary group. In 1985, Joschka Fischer — who had previously been a far-left militant in Frankfurt — became the first Green Party Environment Minister in the German state of Hesse.

Read more:Opinion: Germany could copy Austria's conservative-Green coalition

Respect for the elders

All that happened a long time ago, but to this day the Greens hold the founding members of their party in high esteem, according to the party's current national managing director, Michael Kellner. "I have great respect for that generation,” he says to DW. "They really changed the country, and themselves too. Now they are growing old with dignity. That's why we're seeing Green party success among voters aged 60 and over.”

The anti-nuclear movement, disarmament and civil rights issues — these were the main platforms that shaped the Greens in the early years.

May 1999: Then-Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer is hit by a paint bag at the party conference in Bielefeld.

In 1998, nearly two decades after its founding, the party advanced into the inner realms of power. Joschka Fischer was named foreign minister, and along with its coalition partner, the SPD, the Greens ruled the country for seven years.

It was during this time that the Green party experienced the first major turning point in its history: Fischer endorsed Germany's participation in the Kosovo War — marking the first time since WWII that German soldiers would be involved in a combat mission. The party of strict pacifists were troubled as they reluctantly followed his lead. The frayed unity was illustrated when a protester hurled a bag of paint at Fischer during a party convention.

Coalescing with an eastern counterpart

At the time, Kellner was brand new to the Green party and strongly opposed Fischer's stance. After Fischer's victory at the 1999 party convention in Bielefeld, Kellner thought long and hard about whether he should resign from the party. He ultimately chose to stay on.

What the Greens stood for, at their core, was more important to him "because we introduced a unique idea to politics,” he says, "namely the idea that it's important to people to bring the issues of environmental protection and the preservation of nature, and climate protection, to the center of politics," says Kellner.

"None of the other parties — the Social Democrats, the conservatives or the free-market liberals — were addressing any of that."

Even before all this, when the party was still part of the political opposition, there was another crucial turning point: when the Greens got an eastern kindred spirit. Various civil rights movements, including the New Forum political movement, formed Alliance 90. But it wasn't until much later, in May 1993, that the two parties joined forces to become Alliance 90/The Greens — as they are officially known today.

Even to this day, however, the Greens have yet to really make their mark in eastern parts of the country. The party's election results there are consistently well below those in the west, especially when compared to the major cities of former West Germany.

Michael Kellner (left) with and Robert Habeck (right) are leaders within the Green party

Read more: Does Germany's weak climate plan reflect a polarized public?

2002: The first nuclear power phaseout 

Another milestone under the Greens-led government was the phasing out of nuclear power in Germany. After a long, hard struggle, business and political leaders reached an agreement in 2002 to shut down reactors and phase out nuclear power by 2020. For current party co-leader Annalena Baerbock, then 22, it was a defining moment.

Looking back, Baerbock says it was an example of how politics can trigger change, even when there is big resistance. When the SPD-Greens coalition achieved nuclear withdrawal, "That's when I saw that Greens participation in government achieved what the party has been fighting for for years."

A subsequent government went on to reverse the decision to phase out nuclear power, but then, in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, the exit was reinstated and made final. The Green party has since experienced an upswing in the polls and then landed a spectacular win in Baden-Württemberg state elections, with Winfried Kretschmann becoming the first-ever Green Minister-President of any German state.

Annalena Baerbock has co-led the Greens for over two years.

Consistent scores of 20 percent and higher

Ever since climate change climbed to the top of the political agenda, the Greens have consistently scored 20% and higher in the polls, and they co-govern 11 of Germany's 16 states. In European elections last year, they achieved a record-breaking 20.5% of votes among Germans.

They've had a surge in popularity over the past five years. Even though their critics often brand them as a "party of prohibition," many young people are signing up to join, with membership now topping 100,000.

Georg Kurz is one of those members. He's a spokesman for the Greens youth party, and he says he experienced a personal turning point last year. It was then, he says, "When you could see how the times are changing and how more and more people are coming to realize that things can't stay the way they are — that we have to make a fundamental shift."

"In fact, right now, we're in the midst of the most crucial phase in Green party history, Kurz adds. He's referring to the fight to stop climate change. Many observers predict that the Green party has a good chance of once again co-governing the country from the seat of power in Berlin after the next parliamentary elections in 2021. That's an outlook that few could have imagined all those years ago when the party first formed in 1980.

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