by Robert Whitcomb | Aug 12, 2016 | Initiative
Rejecting the criticism of rights groups, Pakistan has enacted a cybersecurity law that grants sweeping powers to the government to block private information that they deem illegal, or possibly, simply just critical of the government.
The National Assembly approved the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015 on Aug. 13 after the Senate had unanimously adopted it last month.
Government officials say tha the new Internet restrictions are needed to ensure security against growing threats, such as terrorism.
But human rights and pro-democracy activists worry that its vague language could curn free speech and lead to unfair prosecutions.
“The overly broad language used in the bill ensures that innocent and ignorant Pakistani citizens, unaware of the ramifications of what the bill entails, can be ensnared and find themselves subject to very harsh penalties,” said Nighat Daad, founder of a group called the Digital Rights Foundation.
“There have been no provisions set in place to protect sensitive data of Pakistani users … The state should not police people’s lives in this manner.”
To read the Reuters story on this, please hit this link.
by Robert Whitcomb | Aug 12, 2016 | News
A view toward the beaches of Cannes.
Mayor David Lisnard of the famous Riviera resort city of Cannes has banned the wearing of burqinis on its beaches, in an obvious rejection of a Muslim tradition that scares many non-Muslims because of the current link in many minds of Islam and terrorism.
The order says “access to beaches and for swimming is banned to anyone who does not have [bathing apparel] which respects good customs and secularism,” which is a founding principle of the French Republic.
We suspect that he won’t be the last Western mayor to back such an order.
“Beachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation, when France and places of worship are currently the target of terrorist attacks, is liable to create risks of disrupting public order (crowds, scuffles, etc.) which it is necessary to prevent,” the order says.
Cannes, of course, is home to the famous international film festival named after it. The order comes only a few weeks after a Muslim terrorist murdered 85 people in nearby Nice.
Hit this link to read the whole story.
by Robert Whitcomb | Aug 11, 2016 | News
The Washington Post reported on a story that worries Turkey’s NATO allies:
“The leaders of Turkey and Russia pledged on Aug. 9 to restart key energy projects and roll back sanctions, seeking to rebuild ties as Turkey looks beyond its NATO partners for support following a failed coup attempt last month.
“In his first trip abroad since the attempted takeover by the military, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly courted Russia — in vivid contrast to recent and bitter hostilities with Moscow, especially over Syria’s civil war.
“….The Turkish leader repeatedly thanked Putin for his rapid offer of aid following the coup attempt, and called for relations between the two countries to return ‘to their pre-{Syrian} crisis level, or even higher.”’
To read the article, please hit this link.
by Robert Whitcomb | Aug 11, 2016 | News
In the resort of Yalta, in Crimea.
In what mean more Russian military attacks against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered naval war games in the Black Sea after he accused Ukraine of sending saboteurs into Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
Ukrainian and other observers fear that Russia may plan to ramp up fighting in the war between Ukraine and pro-Russian and Russian armed separatists.
Reuters speculated: “Such an escalation could be used by Putin to demand better terms in the Ukraine peace process, or to inflame nationalist passions at home ahead of Russian parliamentary elections next month.”
To read the Reuters story, please hit this link.
by Robert Whitcomb | Aug 11, 2016 | News
The Guardian and Reuters passed on not totally confirmed reports that Vietnam has fortified several islands it controls in the South China Sea with mobile rocket launchers so that it can strike Chinese military bases in the region. This would be one of the most assertive Vietnamese moves in decades and would be in response to China growing militarization in the sea, which it claims control of in violation of international law.
To read the full article on this, please hit this link.
