“Elementary” is a modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. Set in New York, Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) takes up the role of sober companion to Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller). Sherlock is a former drug addict and fresh out of rehab, ready to take on more cases for the NYPD. Joan quickly discovers that Sherlock is like no other client she has ever encountered. This eccentric genius takes her all over the city, solving murders, kidnaps and more; soon she finds herself drawn into his work and his world.

Unfortunately the show received a lot of backlash when the idea was launched. BBC threatened to take legal actions over CBS as they, along with some of their fans, believed that “Elementary” was too similar to their own modern day adaptation “Sherlock,” which aired two years earlier and has recently started to prepare for its third season. CBS fought back against allegations, stating that “Our project is a contemporary take on Sherlock Homes that will be based on Holmes, Watson and other characters in the public domain, as well as original characters. We are, of course, respectful of all copyright laws and will not infringe on any stories or works that may still be protected.”

Further criticism came from the decision to cast Lucy Liu as a female version of John Watson. Some people considered this move as destructive to the famous relationship between Holmes and Watson, while others said that this decision was fueled by the producers’ desire to turn their relationship into something romantic. Writer and Executive Producer Robert Doherty defended this decision, saying “There’s this idea that a man and a woman can’t be together on a show especially without needing to be together sexually or in love or whatever, and this is really about the evolution of a friendship and how that happens.”

“Elementary” has so much to offer fans: not only as it is based on much loved character’s from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic but because it is a funny, charming series with great potential.

The dynamic between Sherlock and Holmes as they move from simply a client and his sober companion to friends is wonderful to watch. They argue, they laugh, and they benefit each other. Joan finds passion in detective work while Sherlock gains a friend he can confide in. In fact, most of the relationships on the show are thoroughly enjoyable. The relationship between Sherlock and Captain Gregson, which is sometimes close to that of father and son, contrasts greatly with the bitterness Sherlock often voices about his real father. The banter between Sherlock and Detective Bell as they try to outsmart each other while they work cases together adds humor to the show as well as some humility to Sherlock’s arrogant character.

Emotional drama in “Elementary” is handled very well, particularly in episode 12 titled “M.” We get a deeper glimpse into Sherlock’s past and a darker side to his character, which shocks characters and audience alike. And at the end of the episode there is a heart-wrenching scene between Sherlock and Joan in which we see the vulnerability and rawness in these characters that he had not seen before in the show.

There are a few faults to the show. The episodes can be slightly predictable; often it’s not hard to decipher who the killer is half way through the episode. And in more than one occasion they introduce characters, such as Joan’s family, and then they are forgotten.

That being said, “Elementary” is definitely entertaining and there are so many aspects to the show to look forward to. One example is how they intend to further include the villainous Moriarty, infamous in all Sherlock Holmes stories, who they have only just begun to introduce into the show. And there are other charming, original characters they have added into the show who would be interesting to see more of, such as Alfredo who is introduced in episode 8 “The Long Fuse” and becomes Sherlock’s sponsor, and even Clyde, a tortoise that Sherlock takes from a crime scene and keeps as a pet in episode 13 “The Red Team.”

The most charming aspect this season in the show is watching Sherlock take up Joan as his apprentice detective. In the latest episodes he teaches her how to decipher clues at crime scenes, how to trust her own senses and even tries to make her take up martial arts. Obviously no one quite has the skills like Sherlock Holmes, but Joan does show a lot of promise as a consultant detective.

“Elementary” has a lot to live up to concerning other productions of Sherlock Holmes but CBS has put their own interesting twists to the classic which makes for an entertaining new series. So why not give “Elementary” a try?

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North Korea recently announced its intention to launch a long range missile in December. This follows a failed attempt in April 2102. The North Korea State news agency revealed the country’s plans to send another satellite in orbit which might take place between December 10 and December 22, between 11:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.

According to the BBC‘s Lucy Williams in Seoul, “North Korea’s state media have described the rocket launch as being for peaceful purposes, with the aim of putting a polar-orbiting earth observation satellite into space.”

According to the New Scientist in April, North Korea’s endeavor to cast-off a rocket “failed just within a minute after a 30 metre-long Unha-3 booster blasted off from the sohae satellite launching station at 7:39 am local time on 13 April,” said the official Korean Central News Agency.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado said that “the craft didn’t get anywhere near the orbit.”

After almost seven months of research and analysis over the real cause of April failure, North Korean scientists seem to have identified their mistakes and now they are again ready to launch a rocket into space. North Korea has named the missile Kwangmyongsong-3.

North Korea cautioned the UN shipping agency and international Maritime Organisation about its intentions to launch a rocket into orbit, and released a trajectory of its missile. The first stage of the rocket is expected to dash-off in a western part of the Korean Peninsula and the second stage might drop-off close to the Philippine coast.

China seems to be concerned with the launch and said that all sides should restrain themselves from acts of aggravating tensions in the region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a brief statement, “We hope all relevant parties will do that which benefits peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, hope all sides will respond calmly and avoid exacerbating the situation.”

Russia, on the other hand, raised vocals of disappointment over North Korea’s decision to move forward with the missile launch. The Russian Foreign Ministry said “We urgently appeal to the government (of North Korea) to reconsider the decision to launch a rocket.”

Russia, at the time of the April launch, with a downcast voice had said “North Korea had been warned not to ignore a UN Security Council resolution which ‘unambiguously prohibits from launching rockets using ballistic technology.’”

United States also joined the  league criticizing North Korean missile launch plans and said that the act would be “highly provocative” and would threaten peace and stability in the region.

The sensitivity of the decision to launch the missile by North Korea can be sensed by the fact that Japan has started deploying a surface-to-air missile system in its southern island.

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On Tuesday, July 31 India experienced what is being called the largest blackout ever. Twenty of the twenty-eight Indian states were without power for hours, leaving 620 million people, twice the population of the United States, without power.

Three regional grids completely collapsed on Tuesday, and one – the northern grid – also collapsed on Monday which is considered the second largest blackout ever after affecting 370 million people. The grids affected include the northern, eastern, and northeastern grids as well as the areas of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Jharkhand.

It is not uncommon for India to experience small, local power failures, but power failures of this scope are almost unheard of. The last time the northern grid failed completely was 2001. Recently officials have announced that the northeastern grid is completely operational, while the northern and eastern grids are at 75% and 40% capacity respectively.

The power outage has affected both those who do not have access to electricity in their homes – about one-third of the country – and those who do. Trains stopped and hospitals began running on backup generators. According to BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan, “more than half of India’s population has ground to a halt.” Many of the trains have started running again recently but now they are extremely backlogged.

Two hundred miners in West Bengal were also trapped because the lifts they use run on electricity. One mine official, Nildari Roy, stated, “We are waiting for the restoration of power to bring them up through the lifts, but there is no threat to their lives or any reason to panic.” No one so far has been reported as injured.

Anu Chopra, a shop-worker in Delhi said “I can understand this happening once in a while but how can one allow such a thing to happen two days in a row? It just shows our infrastructure is in a complete mess. There is no transparency and no accountability whatsoever.”

The Indian Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde claims that the power failure is due to the states taking too much from the national grid. “Everyone overdraws from the grid. Just this morning I held a meeting with power officials from the states and I gave directions that states that overdraw should be punished. We have given instructions that their power supply could be cut.”

Shinde was promoted to Home Minister, the top internal security official, on July 31 during a cabinet shuffling that was planned before all of these events occurred.

One state, Uttar Pradesh, has several officials protesting, claiming it is not their fault. One official from Uttar Pradesh stated that there is “no reason to believe that any power operations in Uttar Pradesh triggered it.”

The Chairman of the Power Grid Corporation of India also made an announcement stating, “we have to see why there was a sudden increase in load… we will make sure that such a situation is not repeated. Our message to people is that they are in safe hands, we have been in the job for years.”

Many believe that the power shortages are also related to the shortage of energy in India and the aging grid system. Past power failures have caused protests and unrest, according to the BBC.  Additionally, the economy of India has been growing but the power infrastructure has not been doing the same, meaning that the growing demand for power is not being met.

Bharatiya Janat Patry spokesman, Prakash Javadekar, criticized the government handling of the power failures and energy crisis. “It is a huge failure of the management in the power sector by the UPA government. Their failure is twin failure. It is management failure as well as the police failure.”

The power deficit at India in recent months has been as high as eight percent. Additionally, a lot of power is pirated through illegal wiring woven into the electrical system.

A weak monsoon season may also have added to the strain on the system. The hydroelectric generation was down and temperatures were higher which caused electrical usage to increase.

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Aung San Suu Kyi is taking an historical trip through Europe where she will visit Switzerland, Norway, Britain, Ireland, and France. She is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in her native home of Myanmar and will be delivering her acceptance speech more than a decade after being awarded the prize. She has been under house arrest for almost a quarter of a century in Myanmar (Burma) because the government – a military junta that ruled the country – viewed her as dangerous to the stability of the country and its regime.

Her father was General Bogyoke Aung San, the founder of modern Burma. He was assassinated when Aung San Suu Kyi was only two years old.

While under house arrest Kyi was isolated from her supporters and her family. She claims that her sanity was maintained with the help of her piano and the BBC, which she listened to every day. Having the support of the world also helped. She stated, “it’s all of you, and people like you who have given me the strength to continue.” Her husband died in 1999 of cancer, eleven years after she left the United Kingdom. While in Britain, Kyi will have a family reunion with her sons Kim and Alexander Aris and her grandchildren.

Kyi returned to Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1988 to look after her sick mother. While she was in the country, protests broke out and she has remained in the country under house arrest since. She was a political prisoner in Myanmar until late 2010 when the new government began to release political prisoners as part of its democratic reforms. She then ran for and won a seat in parliament in April. Previous to 2010 she refused to leave Myanmar – even when she received the Nobel Peace Prize and when her husband was dying of cancer in the United Kingdom – because she was afraid that the government would not let her back into the country.

Kyi officially accepted her Nobel Prize on June 16. In her acceptance speech she warned that world leaders should be cautious of “reckless optimism” in regards to the democratic reforms occurring in Myanmar. She argued, “unless justice is done, and seen to be done, we cannot believe in genuine reform…the progress that we hope to make with regard to democratization and reform depends so much on an understanding and acceptance of the importance of the rule of law.”

In addition to receiving her Nobel award Kyi will receive Amnesty International’s Human Rights award in Dublin from Bono.

This is the second time Kyi has left the country since being released from house arrest; she traveled to Thailand in May and vowed to help the Myanmar refugees there. Before she left for Europe she expressed her excitement to reporters stating, “each country will be different. I will know how backward [Burma] is when I reach the other countries…[I] would like to do my best for the interests of the people.”

Shortly before Kyi arrived in Europe the International Labor Organization (ILO) lifted restrictions on Myanmar for the progress the country has made in getting rid of forced labor. In 1999 The ILO banned Myanmar from meetings and assistance because the government would use forced labor for infrastructure projects. The Myanmar government signed an agreement with the ILO in March to end forced labor by 2015. The ILO issued a statement saying, “The International Labor Organization has lifted its restrictions on the full participation of Myanmar in its activities and decided to review the progress on the elimination of forced labor in the country next year.” This decision from the ILO could help to lift the remaining sanctions from the European Union nations according to the Chicago Tribune.

Currently Myanmar has seen violence in the western Rakhine state between the Rakhine Buddhists and the Rohingya Muslims. The Rohingya Muslims have been persecuted for many years by the government and majority groups within Myanmar. Many Rohingya Muslims living in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh have asked Aung San Suu Kyi for help.

Mahammad Islam, a Rohingya Muslim refugee, has stated, “Aung San Suu Kyi hasn’t done or said anything for us, yet the Rohingyas including my parents, campaigned for her in the 1990 elections. Like most other Burmese people, she is silent about the rights of Rohingyas.” According to Islam she has yet to mention the conflict in the Rakhine state and the plight of the Rohingyas.

Aung San Suu Kyi is also featured in the documentary entitled “The Lady” which was released in 2011.

Image Courtesy of the UK Department for International Development

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The European Championships, a showpiece event in the soccer calendar that comes around just once every four years, has rightfully been hitting the headlines this week; however it has been for all the wrong reasons. Hosted in the Eastern European nations of Poland and Ukraine, serious concerns have been raised about the possibility of racist abuse against both visiting players and fans by a minority of local ‘fans’.

The tournament organizer, UEFA, has faced a high level of criticism for allowing these countries to host the tournament when racist and prejudicial behavior is displayed with alarming frequency in their stadiums. The BBC’s ‘Panorama’ show conducted a research into the behavior in stadiums of both Poland and Ukraine and the resulting television documentary shocked viewers. The documentary showed black players being subjected to monkey chants and thrown bananas, whilst some Asian fans were brutally attacked by other fans in the stadium and were given very little assistance by the stewards present at the game. There were also frequent incidents of anti-Semitism and pro-Nazi attitudes that also extended outside of the stadiums.

Whilst UEFA president Michel Platini has vehemently defended their decision to host the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, other soccer luminaries have condemned the decision and taken their own action. Former England centre-back Sol Campbell is one such person and has warned England fans of all ethnicities to stay at home and watch the tournament on television rather than risking abuse and violence by travelling to support the team. Controversial Italian striker Mario Balotelli also voiced discontent with UEFA’s decision, stating that if he is subjected to racist abuse whilst playing at the European Championships, he will simply walk off the pitch.

In the wake of these statements and similar comments from footballers of both past and present, Platini confirmed that any player walking off of the pitch because of racist abuse will be booked. Platini then qualified this by saying that referees would have the discretion to end a match prematurely if they believe racist abuse is occurring. Although Platini’s fairly cavalier attitude to a complex problem has won him very few fans in the last month, the ire of some fans was cooled by his declaration that referees would be able to stop matches early, and should do so, if witnessing racist abuse from fans.

This lessening of tensions did not last long however, with preparations for the opening game of the tournament between Poland and Greece overshadowed by claims the Dutch team were subject to racist chanting during their first open training session in the Polish city of Krakow. Although the Dutch FA will not file a complaint with UEFA, due to the presence of political chanting at the time also, the case has raised an ominous shadow over the entire tournament. All eyes will now be on both the training sessions and matches of the likes of England and France, both of whom have a large number of black players in their squads.

Needless to say, if there are any more reported cases of racism in either country, whether it be in a stadium and directed at players, or on the streets against fans of the visiting teams, strength will be lent to the condemnations of UEFA for allowing a tournament such as this to be hosted in these countries. Platini is likely to bear the brunt of these accusations and will not be able to use ignorance as an excuse, with concerns about racism in the Eastern European leagues having been well publicized for years now.

With UEFA firmly in the firing line should any further incidents occur, Platini and Co. will be watching on anxiously as the tournament moves into the group stages and will be hoping that the tournament will be remembered for its football and not its off-the-field controversies.

Image Courtesy Kancelaria Premiera 

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Eight pimps were arrested May 29, 2012 and May 30, 2012 in one of the largest brothel raids in Ireland’s history. The raid, known as “Operation Quest” consisted of searching 140 houses, apartments and flats in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Three women were removed from the raid who were considered possible victims of human trafficking.

Three women were arrested and sentenced in the Northern Ireland raids. Sandra Polewska, Milena Tarnowska, and Marta Kozakowska are all Polish nationals who have received suspended two-month prison sentences after all three plead guilty to running a brothel in Belfast and possession of criminal property. The human trafficking charges have not been brought up against anyone as of yet.

Kozakowska received an extra month to her suspended sentence after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice. Kozakowska swallowed a phone SIM card when police first raided her apartment in order to keep her client information secret.

According to the “IrishTimes.com,” the brothel run by these three Polish nationals was considered “unsophisticated.” It is unclear as to the hierarchy of the brothel and which one of the women, if any of the three, were considered in charge of everything. Instead the three seemed to work together to run the brothel but also acted as prostitutes.

Two other women were arrested in the Northern Ireland raids but were released on bail pending further inquiries. Two women and one man were arrested in the Republic of Ireland, but two of the three have been released without charges. No prostitutes were arrested during the raids because they are considered exploited victims rather than criminals.

In addition to sexual items and condoms around $4,229 were confiscated from the Northern Ireland raids.

The operation was a joint effort of Garda, Serious and Organized Crime Agency, Europol, UK Border Agency and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). A Garda spokesperson claimed, “during the investigation to date it has been established that prostitution is organized on a cross-border basis and today’s joint operation was specifically aimed at individuals and groups intent on making profits from vulnerable members of society across the island of Ireland.”

According to the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, Northern Ireland is the fastest growing sex industry in the United Kingdom. Denise Charlton, CEO of the Immigrant Council stated, “as a member of the Turn Off the Red Light Campaign, a coalition of more than 50 organizations, we want to see the Government act by making it illegal to pay for sex. It is this discrepancy in Irish law which has allowed the brothels to flourish and brought human rights abuses to our communities.”

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During a recent investigation carried out for BBC World Service and Radio 4, Natalia Antelava gathered direct evidence of what seems to be a state-run secret program of forced sterilization in Uzbekistan. Uzbek women victims of sterilization and doctors gave their own account to the BBC journalist, uncovering the details of this absurd secret policy pursued by the ex-Soviet state.

Bakhor, a 32-year-old Uzbek woman, said that for some months after she gave birth to her second baby she “kept bleeding heavy black lumps, and the pain was unbearable.” She understood something was wrong, but she could not imagine what it was. Then, when she was able to afford an ultrasound check, the shocking news was unveiled. She had had a hysterectomy during the cesarean section. The doctor explained to her, “You don’t have a uterus anymore” and added “What do you need more children for? You already have two.”

The same thing happened to Adolat. She always dreamed of having four children, but after her second daughter she realized she could not get pregnant. When she consulted a doctor, she found out she had been sterilized during the cesarean section when giving birth to her daughter.

“I was shocked. I cried and asked: ‘But why? How could they do this?’ The doctor said, ‘That’s the law in Uzbekistan,’” she said. Nigora, 24, is another victim. She had an emergency cesarean section, and the day after, her baby died. She was also told she was sterilized, and now she will not be able to have children.

These are just some of the hundreds of stories of the victims who have been surgically sterilized without their knowledge or consent under the Uzbek regime’s abominable policy. It is very likely that the majority of these stories will remain obscure and that most of the victims are still unaware of what happened to them, especially those in the rural areas.

The first reports of forced sterilization cases in Uzbekistan emerged in 2005, when the pathologist Gulbakhor Turaeva gathered evidence of around 200 uterus removals. This practice became a state policy only in 2009, although it seems to have originated in the late ’90s. Instead of promoting contraceptive methods, the government adopted forced sterilization and reproductive organs removal as a means of birth control and to curb fertility.

President Islam Karimov introduced the surgical contraception policy under presidential decree PP-1096 called “On additional measures to protect the health of the mother and child, the formation of a healthy generation.” The Ministry of Health argues that the sterilization program is intended to control the country’s growing population and, also, that it is carried out only on a voluntary basis, with the consent of both parents and after specialist consultation. The government strongly denies allegations of forced mass sterilization and says it has “nothing to do with reality.”

Nevertheless, doctors and medical professionals who were interviewed stated the opposite. They said that over the last few years, the number of cesarean sections has dramatically increased in relation to the practice of sterilization. Cesarean birth “makes it very easy to perform sterilization and tie the fallopian tubes,” said an Uzbek surgeon at a hospital near Tashkent.

There is an official directive not to let the birth rate rise above a certain figure, and doctors have a quota for the women to sterilize each month. There is a plan for each district health department, and doctors are ordered to persuade women and convince them about sterilization procedures.

“On paper, sterilizations should be voluntary, but women don’t really get a choice,” stated a doctor. “It’s very easy to manipulate a woman, especially if she is poor. You can say that her health will suffer if she has more children. You can tell her that sterilization is best for her. Or you can just do the operation.”

The doctors who fail to reach their quota risk reprisal and fines, so because of this, they often opt for sterilization during cesarean sections. Under the pressure of a dictatorial government, doctors become party to an abhorrent crime of which women are the victims, being unconsciously mutilated and slaughtered like animals.

While the world keeps a deafening silence, and Western countries pretend not to care for lurking interests and economic ties, you can take action, and sign the petition of Avaaz  to call U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to publicly condemn Uzbekistan’s forced sterilization and human rights violation. It is time to break the silence.

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The sixth edition of the International Journalism Festival (IJF) in Italy has just started. For five days, from April 25 to 29, the city of Perugia will become “the capital of journalism” hosting journalists, bloggers and media organizations from all over the world, with over 200 volunteers and thousands of guests coming from every corner of Italy and from abroad.

More than 500 speakers, 250 accredited journalists, 200 free entry events, not to mention workshops, exhibitions, documentaries, awards;  the International Journalism Festival is a goldmine for enthusiasts of media and communications, and for those interested in and concerned about the future of journalism, freedom of speech and the right to information.

The issues to be discussed are plentiful, from journalism ethics to journalist activism, from civic media and citizen journalism to democracy, from the use of mobile phones and videocameras for reporting to economic sustainability, from hacking to social networking, and much more. A rich and varied program based on participation, discussion, free exchange of ideas, confrontation between experts and citizens, professionals and students, researchers and users.

The International Journalism Festival is a five day journey into the world of media and journalism, a look into the mass media of tomorrow, strategies, tools, and platforms of reporting and into the endless possibilities of civic engagement offered by new media and social networks.

Among the guests of the IJF 2012 are:

• Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson
• Aron Pilhofer, New York Times
• Robert Philomé, France 24
• Simon Rogers, The Guardian
• Dan Nguyen, Propublica
• David Aaronovitch, The Times
• Adam Baker, Blottr
• Tony Curzon Price, openDemocracy.net
• Clive Edwards, BBC
• Ibrahim Hamdan, Al Jazeera
• Hada Messia, CNN
• Riccardo Noury, Amnesty International Italy
• Mohamed Ali Zakaria, photo-reporter
• Wolfgang Blau, Zeit Online
•  Ali al-Bouazizi, political activist
•  Kristinn Hrafnsson, Wikileaks
• Martin Dawes,  UNICEF
• Herman Burt, Storify & Hacks/Hackers,
• Mark Johnson, The Economist
• Per Mikael Jensen, Metro International

For the complete list of speakers please visit http://www.journalismfestival.com/speaker-list/2012.

Founded in 2006 by Arianna Ciccone and Christopher Potter with the aim “to set up an event which would break the mould” and to create “an opportunity for you to engage with leading journalists from all over the world”, the IJF is an informal and accessible festival open to everybody completely free of charge. A chance to discuss a wide range of current interest topics, to aggregate and involve a broad variety of media organizations, journalists, aspiring journalists, experts, and all those curious persons interested in media and its role in society.

Located right in the heart of Italy, Perugia is a beautiful medieval city of Etruscan origins and an artistic center situated on a hilltop, with a reputation for fine cuisine, beautiful landscapes and rich history. The Umbria’s capital is also famous for its universities, University of Perugia and University of Foreigners, which host more than 40,000 students every year. The perfect perfect place to enjoy food, arts, landscapes and, why not journalism.

For more information on the International Journalism Festival visit www.journalismfestival.com.

To see the whole program www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2012

For updates you can follow IJF on Facebook and Twitter and if you want to watch IFJ events from the web, go to webtv.festivaldelgiornalismo.com/

Image Courtesy of   International Journalism Festival

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In Africa, homosexuality is frequently treated as a taboo subject, and outspoken opposition to it is a political vote winner. However, according to Richard Dowden, director at the Royal African Society, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that homosexuality was accepted in many societies throughout Africa in pre-colonial times. In his article, ‘Getting Gay Rights Wrong in Africa,’ Dowden wonders if the missionaries in Africa were to blame.

“So, is it the fault of the missionaries? But, the missionaries also preached against theft and corruption, against sex before marriage, against marrying several wives, or covetousness. Why do so many Africans get outraged and censorious about homosexuality, something that isn’t even one of the Ten Commandments, while tolerating so many sins that are?” ponders Dowden in his article.

Homosexuality on the African continent is frowned upon, and those suspected of being gay face dire consequences. Thirty-eight African countries criminalize same-sex conduct, and LGBT people run the risk of lengthy prison sentences for expressing their sexuality. Sudan, Mauritania, and northern Nigeria even impose the death penalty. Despite variations in enforcement, what many African countries have in common is the criminalization of private acts between consenting adults whose sexuality and gender identity are considered “abnormal.”

Like many other nations, new legislation in Liberia calls for punishing homosexuality with longer jail time. Anti-LGBT rhetoric is escalating outside of the Liberian government with a group calling itself the Movement Against Gays in Liberia, or MOGAL, distributing a hit list of people who support gay rights, stating that these people “should not be given space to get a gulp of air.”

Gay rights debate in Liberia began getting this sort of unprecedented attention in the newspapers and radio stations after the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, announced in December 2011 that America’s foreign aid budget would promote the protection of gay rights. This, according to Tamasin Ford—a freelance reporter for the BBC and Britain’s newspaper, The Guardian, based in Monrovia —prompted speculation that funds would be tied to countries’ rights records and prompting two new laws.

In the two new bills, one would amend the penal code to make a person guilty of second degree felony if he or she “seduces, encourages, promotes another person of the same gender to engage in sexual activities, or purposefully engages in acts that arouse or tend to arouse another person of the same gender to have sexual intercourse.” The second bill put forward by Jewel Howard Taylor, a senator in Liberia, would make gay marriage a first degree crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Over the years, gay people have been attacked and activists for gay rights killed. In 2010, at least four gay men were attacked in Uganda after a newspaper ran a front-page story listing 100 ‘top’ homosexuals with a heading that read ‘Hang Them’, and a gay activist was killed in 2011.

Image Courtesy of    jerekeys

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Aspiro TV, the multi-screen video enabler announced it’s implementing social TV features as part of its services. The seamless social integration into Facebook Timeline will open up new possibilities for Aspiro’s customers.

Integrated into the Aspiro TV platform, the new social TV feature enables end-users to show their friends what they’re watching on their Aspiro-enabled video service. The integration will provide Aspiro’s customers with additional intel on the end-users. This will also allow for new sharing, marketing, integration tools and business opportunities. While watching TV or Video via a service delivered by Aspiro TV, users can also chat with their friends at Facebook directly within the app.

“We believe that social is the next evolution of the TV-experience and as such have chosen to deeply integrate it across our product offering, making it easy for our customers to leverage,” said Aspiro CEO Erling Paulsen. He continued: “It’s what new generation end-users want. Opportunities like this provided by new devices will enhance the experience and help create a more dedicated user.”

Aspiro TV enables multi-screen video experiences on consumer devices. From being a mobile centric company, it has over the last years transformed into delivering to any online device, including tablets, desktop computers, Set-top-boxes, connected TV’s and virtually any screen with internet access.

Aspiro’s open framework integrated with leading industry standards enables companies to connect to their existing platforms and systems and leverage technologies they’ve already invested in. Based in Oslo, Norway, Aspiro TV is a leading multi-screen TV and video enabler powering services for network operators and broadcasters such as Deutsche Telekom, Telenor, TeliaSonera, Nextel, Hi3G, BBC and Entel.

Aspiro in Brief Aspiro has unique positioning as the world’s only provider of complete TV and music streaming services for partners that want to put their own branding on the service. Aspiro also provides the music streaming service WiMP directly to consumers on selected markets. Aspiro has over ten years’ experience in mobile technology and retail in northern Europe, and delivers services to partners worldwide like Deutsche Telekom, Telenor, 3, Entel and Canal Digital. Aspiro is listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm.

Aspiro TV will be demonstrating this and its complete multi-screen TV solution at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit us at our stand number 2A67 in hall 2, 27 February – 1 March 2012. For further information, contact: sales.tv@aspiro.com

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The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has revealed that over half of its television schedule is comprised of repeat programming, sparking concerns over the efforts made by the Corporation to develop new and original material.

The Daily Mail first reported on this topic and showed that while the percentage of repeat programming is less on the BBC’s main television channel, BBC One, there is still data which proves that the percentage is growing during peak viewing hours. At present, 61% of the BBC television schedule consists of repeats, encompassing such classic shows as ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and ‘Dad’s Army’ as well as nightly repeats of the cult animated series ‘Family Guy’ and ‘American Dad.’

These figures were commissioned by Freedom of Information who made a claim suggesting that the BBC is failing in its duty to provide ‘original programming,’ an obligation which is a clear part of the Corportation’s Royal Charter – an agreement which establishes its duties in detail.

It is thought that increasing budget cuts are a part the reason for the number of repeats currently offered on any one of the BBC’s networks (at present this consists of: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC HD and BBC CBeebies). However, with recent additions to the corporation’s broadcasting services, namely BBC iPlayer, it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of viewers who have taken issue with this ‘repeat’ situation.

Regardless, this is not the first time that the BBC has come under fire for its failure to focus on developing new comedies and dramas. David Jason, the star of the long-running and frequently-repeated BBC sitcom ‘Only Fools & Horses’ publicly lambasted the BBC back in 2005 over its constant showings of past programmes:

“If I were in charge I’d not allow Only Fools and Horses to be repeated so often … British TV is too safe and too cheap these days. We’ve got to be careful not to dumb down for the audience. They shouldn’t be sitting at home on the sofa vegetating.”

In the seven years since Jason first made his feelings known, it would appear that the problem has only become more severe. According to the BBC’s figures released to Freedom of Information, “just 15.8 per cent of programming on BBC3 and only 21.2 per cent on BBC4 was new” over the last 12 months. While these two networks have significantly shorter broadcasting hours than the two main BBC networks, the fact remains that there is a clear imbalance at work in the way that the BBC creates its schedule.

Rival network ITV has already made one move towards addressing similar scheduling concerns by removing the Saturday omnibus edition of its flagship series ‘Coronation Street.’ Such a move has surprised audiences and those involved with the series, according to The Sun, but it is possible that the move towards digital viewing services has eliminated ITV’s need to re-broadcast an entire week’s work of episodes on its schedule.

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In an interview with the BBC, Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s democracy campaigner and Nobel peace laureate, said she believes Burma will hold democratic elections “in my life time”. She is the most prominent Burmese opposition politician and general secretary of the National League for Democracy.

Suu Kyi has been revered as a symbol for the democratization of Burma, an icon for the removal of injustice, and has been fighting for political reforms for more than 20 years. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, she said she is hopeful about democratic elections in Burma but was unsure when would take place.

Recently, Aung San Suu Kyi formally registered her National League for Democracy (NLD) as a political party and last week government approved NLD as political party and to run in the upcoming by-elections.

The year 2011 was significant to the people of Burma as a year of reforms and transformation in the economic and political as well as administrative sphere. One of the most magnanimous and unparalleled action taken towards democracy and freedom by the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has been the release of Suu Kyi from house arrest. In November 2010, the first polls in a period of 20 years were held, replacing military rule with a military-backed nominally civilian government.

To Associated Press, Aung San Suu Kyi said that she is cautiously optimistic about the progress to be made. She cautioned that democratic reforms started by the nominally civilian government are unstoppable. Nevertheless, she clearly reminded the West not to get carried away with these reforms, as Burma’s military still hold considerable power to derail democratic efforts.

Burma’s civilian government has initiated a series of reforms, including the establishment of a national human rights commission, deployment of new labor laws, initiating dialogue with the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and relaxation of press censorship and regulation of currency practices.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague recently visited Burma, a British first since 1955. Mr. Hague said to the BBC that the momentum for change in Burma is “real.” Mr. Hague further said, “This is a very exciting time because there is a chance that what she and her colleagues have hoped and longed for so long will actually take place in this country.”

Democracy has been hailed as a constructive and instrumental source of economic and political freedom around the world. Its effect on the economy, however, should not be the main focus, rather, democracy plays a key role in human life and freedoms. With hope unshaken and a determination in fight for democracy, Burma may have a real chance at removing itself from the shackles of military rule.

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The Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi spoke of unity as she visited Bago, north of Rangoon, in what was her first political trip since the end of her house arrest nine months ago.

Ms Suu Kyi was met by cheering crowds while her cortege drove through the countryside. Financial Times could report that she visited a temple and opened a library funded by her outlawed National League for Democracy party (NLD).

“I know what the people want and I am trying my best to fulfill the wished of the people,” she said during the library inauguration. “However, I don’t want to give false hope.”

The last time Ms Suu Kyi, 66, went on a similar trip, her convoy was attacked by a mob which was widely considered to be affiliated with the old military government. The incident left up to 70 NLD supporters dead and resulted in the opposition leader’s seven-year-long house arrest. The regime initially argued that the detention was for her own protection.

The Burmese had warned about similar consequences today and security agents were present to monitor the convoy. However, BBC reported that recent talks between the de facto opposition leader and a government minister revealed interest from both sides to move closer for a more stable and democratic Burma.

The signs of relaxation on behalf of the government were apparent as Ms Suu Kyi managed to reach the library safely and delivered a speech to about 600 people who had turned up in hopes of seeing the living legend.

“We can develop this country only when we all work together,” she said. “Unity is a strength, unity is needed everywhere and it is needed especially in our country.” She also vowed to continue her work “as much as I can,” wrote the BBC.

Last years elections were boycotted by Aung San Suu Kyi’s party on grounds that it was riddled with intimidation and vote-rigging. Critics of the current government say that little has changed since November because the civilian administration is led by retired military figures — and thus a proxy for the former junta, according to Financial Times.

Ms Suu Kyi was released in November shortly after the elections, after seven years of house arrest. Two thousand political prisoners have yet to be granted their freedom.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/35803015@N03/

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Pixar started out with a bang with its first feature film Toy Story in 1995.  Shattering box office records, the animation company grew into the multi-billion dollar company it is today.  Coming out with critically acclaimed film after film, Pixar showed no signs of faltering.  Recently, there have been rumors floating around that the story of our beloved toy heroes has not concluded.

Pixar has an interesting past.   It started out as an animation studio for Lucas Films Inc. in the 1970’s.  Around the 1980’s up-and-coming computer engineer and businessman, Steve Jobs bought the company who, in 2006, sold the company for 7.4 billion dollars to Disney.  Right now, it technically is part of the Disney Empire, but most of the creative control is still in the hands of the people at Pixar.

Tom Hanks, who plays Woody in the Toy Story trilogy, recently went toured around England to promote his new movie Larry Crowne.  BBC’s own Tim Muffet caught up with Hanks to talk about his new film.  However, during the interview, the topic had rapidly switched to the Toy Story franchise when Muffet asked about a Toy Story 4.

In a fast, low tone voice with a blank expression plastered upon Hanks’ face he responded, “I think there will be, yeah. Yeah, yeah, think they’re working on it now. There you go.”  When reporters reached out to Pixar for comments, they only found closed lips and closed doors.

With Pixar not saying a peep, Toy Story 4 is not really officially a movie as of yet.  With the rumor spreading, people are beginning to get up in arms about the fourth installment.  Many moviegoers who grew up with the franchise were ready for the story to end and to them it could not have ended more perfectly with the third film.

With a fourth movie they fear that the nostalgic magic that the movie gives them will be turned to dust.  Others believe this fourth piece is just a result of a money hungry production company, knowing that they will cash in on the profits.

First off, there is a very good chance this could be a nail in the coffin for Toy Story.  Three sequels are a bit much and with their first flop with Cars 2 it raises speculation on how good it could be.  Yet, to those who doubt, look at Pixar’s track record.  For over a decade and a half Pixar has not made one single flop.

They were bound to make one bad movie sooner or later.  Pixar is known for working on projects for years: Up! took more than five years to make.  So with such a high bar for the Toy Story series, and with ample time to perfect the story, Pixar creating a bad Toy Story film should be the least of people’s troubles.

With Pixar protecting their Toy Story 4 ambitions like it was the Declaration of Independence details and idea leaks are scarce to none.  So really, Toy Story 4 could be great or terrible at this point in time.  With judgments already made about the movie, people are already showing resentment but remember, anyone can be angry, but as the old saying goes, do not count your chickens before they hatch.

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The police in California recovered a stolen laptop after a software program sent the owner of the laptop the suspect’s information and picture – taken by the installed camera in the laptop. A thief had broken into his apartment through a window while the owner was not home in his Oakland apartment on March 21^st. Joshua Kaufman, an Oakland interaction designer, reported the theft in March, according to BBC news. The suspect, a cab driver named Muthanna Aldebashi, 27, has been charged with felony possession of stolen property.

Kaufman told the BBC how excited he was to get his Macbook back. He was “very happy and relieved that I don’t have to sit and watch someone else use my old computer.”

A program named Hidden, supplies the owner of the computer with the location and photographs taken by the Macbook’s internal camera, as well as shots of the Macbook’s screen display.

The program sent Kaufman pictures of a “bearded man with shaggy dark hair sleeping on a couch, sitting shirtless on a bed in front of the computer, and driving.”

Kaufman describes how “the photos were pretty boring – just some guy staring into a screen or sleeping or watching Youtube videos on his bed.” After failing to get a serious response from the Oakland investigators, Kaufman started blogging about the theft on his personal site http://thisguyhasmymacbook.tumblr.com/ where readers could follow Kaufman as he followed the bearded man’s use of his stolen computer – in both words and images.

Kaufman’s monitoring of the potential suspect started to attract attention of the US news media. Officer Joshi was contacted by ABC television’s Good Morning America, which revealed that Kaufman’s initial report had been filed in “error with theft reports for which no leads existed to aid the investigation.”

Officer Joshi describes how “law enforcement is always looking at technology as a way to be smarter with capturing criminals and solving crimes”, <showing that> technology that could be useful for us”.

When authorities eventually tracked down the new owner of the stolen Macbook, Mr. Aldebashi was not charged with the burglary and Mr. Kaufman has indicated that Mr. Aldebashi might have bought the laptop on the streets. However, had it not been for the information gathered through the program Hidden which Kaufman himself provided, investigators might never have found the stolen hardware. He wrote on his blog how he had provided an e-mail address linked to a car service. Since the media attention following the tracking and repossession of the stolen computer, the Hidden program has received a lot of attention by other consumers, who are willing to invest in this type of software as an extra guarantee in case of burglary.

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A decade after the tragic events of 9/11, the backwash of US effort to prevent any future terrorist attacks keeps turning up new revelations about questionable practices and unpleasant realities. Recently, a former Guantanamo inmate gave an interview to the BBC, describing some of the things he endured during his captivity between early 2002 and 2008. Saad Iqbal Madni was known as an Islamic scholar and prize-winning reciter of the Quran when he, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, was bundled into a plane during a visit to Indonesia and flown to Egypt. In Cairo, Egyptian intelligence agents were allegedly waiting to extract information under the auspice of US agents. “The place they put me was smaller than a grave,” Mr Madni told the BBC, “They asked me questions about [shoe bomber] Richard Reid, and if I had any information about 9/11. When I denied it, they gave me electric shocks in my knees. A few times I passed out.”

After Cairo, Mr. Madni explains he was taken to Bagram Air base in Afghanistan where they deprived him of food and kept him in isolation for 10 months. By March 2003, he was transferred to Guantanamo as classified as an enemy combatant. The main accusation was connections to al-Qaeda and planning terrorist acts – charges he denies.

During an interview with BBC’s Pakistan correspondent Orla Guerin, Mr Madni gave a detailed description of some of the traumatizing experiences he was forced to make while carrying the number 746 in Guantanamo Bay. “Since they arrest me, up to today, every second night I wake up screaming, yelling and crying,” he confessed, breaking into tears. “I can’t forget what they did to me. No one can do that with the animals. I don’t know how they can do that with human beings.”

Among other things, Mr Madni was exposed to a practice called ‘frequent flier status’. “That means the detainee is not allowed to sleep,” he said. “Every 20 minutes, every half an hour, the guards come and wake up the detainee, they handcuff him, they leg shackle him, and move him from block to block, cell to cell. If we try to get a nap the guards come and kick the doors, yelling, screaming and cursing.” The BBC report acknowledges that much of Mr. Madni’s chronicle of imprisonment cannot be independently verified, but his account echoes those of other former detainees.

Within the first year at Guantanamo, Mr Madni attempted suicide but his actions were punished with increased torture and intimidation. When contracting an ear infection, he claims that he was refused treatment and told to cooperate with interrogators if he wanted medical help. He cites doctors for telling him that he was an enemy, not a patient.

Mr Madni denies having links with extremists groups in Pakistan, though admits having met members of a hardline Indonesian Islamic group – the Islamic Defenders Front – with a scholarly purpose. He claims not to have known the US considered them terrorists. When asking the interrogation personnel about his status during the five years in Guantanamo, he explained “they just said that Washington D.C. need to keep you in here. When they decide to let you free then all the charges will be dropped”. True to word, a US court ordered his release in August 2008 where he returned to Pakistan.

However, the government of Pakistan has placed him under house arrest, listing him under the country’s anti-terror watch. “I am suffering more that I was in Guantanamo Bay,” he says, “I can’t work. I can’t see my family members. I can’t leave the city.” Mr Madni says the situation has left him suicidal. “Over there is a small cage,” he told the BBC, “and Pakistan is the bigger cage. That’s it.”

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On the original British drama, “Being Human” supernatural occurrences don’t just happen in the script.  Sinead Keenan, an Irish actress that plays a werewolf in the BBC Three show, believes the set of the supernatural thriller may also be haunted.  The show, which also has an American adaptation, is about a group of supernatural housemates, including vampires and ghosts.

Sinead recently spoke of some weird incidents on the set.  ”Some strange things happened on the set of Being Human – Alexandra Roach, who played the zombie in episode three, was wearing red nail varnish, but when they took a photo of her and printed it off, two of her nails were black,” Sinead said.  “So there was little goings on like that, but I never had any first-hand experience of that.”

Sinead also reported that she was flattered that the British show has inspired an American counterpart.  “I’ve seen very little of it – just a trailer and a snippet on You Tube. At the end of the day, it’s a huge compliment that they wanted to make their own version, and it can only be good for us,” the 33-year old actress said. “Obviously it would have been good if they’d said, ‘We’ll buy the original and show it in America’, and the British version has been showing in the States on BBC America, which is great. But I’m sure fans of the American version of The Office have gone, ‘Hmm, I wonder what the British version is like’ and bought the box set, so maybe that will happen with Being Human too. And imitation is the highest form of flattery.”

The third series of Being Human is available on BBC DVD from March 28.

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Sufism, or ‘Tasawwuf’ as it is known in the Muslim world, is slowly recovering in Afghanistan after years of suppression and its role in the Afghan society could lend a much needed hand to the continuous effort of bringing a political solution to the country. Sufism or Islamic mysticism has been an integral part of Afghanistan almost as long as Islam itself – more than 1.300 years according to the BBC. The mystics have influenced the life of the Afghan people for so long that Afghanistan is commonly called “the home of Sufi saints”.

People without a Muslim background are said to often mistake Sufism as a sect of Islam but the order is more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of Islam. Ibn Khaldun, a 14th century Arab historian described Sufism as: “dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone”.

Sufis are known to have considerable influence in both rural and urban settings and are considered disinterested mediators in disputes. People in Afghanistan generally respect Sufis for their learning, and their shrines, the so-called Ziyarats, are popular pilgrimage sites all over the country. It is also said that the order possesses ‘karamat’ – a spiritual power that enables generosity and blessing power to a Sufi master. The Sufi order equally has millions of followers in Pakistan and India.

Despite the mysticism’s anchor in Afghan history, the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent armed resistance by the mujahideen introduced Wahabism which challenged the foundation of the Sufis. The ideology of Wahabism insists on a literal interpretation of Islam and view the Sufi ideas as anathema which drove a wedge between the two groups. The big blow came when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 – many Sufis were driven underground or prosecuted. It was especially members of the Chishtiyya Sufi Order who were vulnerable; this group considers music an effective route to reach Allah but as Afghan Culture Minister Sayed Makhdoom Rahin told the BBC “The Taliban invaded Sufi gatherings, humiliated and beat many of them and their musical instruments were smashed.” Sayed Makhdoom Rahin is himself of Sufi background.

Some believe that the revival and continuous respect of the Sufi order could influence the peace process at the grass roots level of Afghanistan. Sufi leader, Ahmad Shah Maududi explained to the BBC; “Influential and knowledgable Sufis can persuade a large number of Taliban to lay down their arms and can also provide guarantees to the Taliban about their safety and peaceful future.” Sufis believe that humans, as creatures of Allah, should be respected. “Tolerance, kindness and love to all and malice towards none are the virtues of Sufi,” a prominent Afghan Sufi master told the BBC. “This is the solution to the nation’s trauma and battle of the past 30 years.”

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