testing
zu testzwecken > this is my favorite alt acc on the fedi
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1·9 months agofrom the article:
The deductions over the last fortnight range between US$26 and US$80 (K100 and K300).
“Frustrations boiled over so they got into their vehicles and stormed parliament…they opened the gates and went into parliament,” RNZ Pacific’s Papua New Guinea correspondent Scott Waide said.
“There was no real resistance to stop them…it was a rowdy crowd, the defence minister had attempted to speak to them outside of parliament before they walked in,” he said.
He said he has been told by government that the deductions are the result of tax glitches.
"They are currently at parliament right now. I think somebody is addressing them, I’m not sure to sure whom as I’ve just seen the videos.
"There’s a large group of police, army and correctional services personnel at parliament house right now, protesting over the deductions.
“The public is relatively quiet, nobody from the public has joined the protest in large numbers. Everything has remained calm.”
@jlow this is a lovely south-south cooperation indeed :)
i felt reminded of the mid/late 2000s, when luke douglas rae painted all over honiara airport in solomons, and when his rival john to’o would go all the way to bandung (indonesia), writing and playing music there everyday, and he also painted great murals, fusing pacific and indonesian motives > the world needs more of this! kudos to gonzalo aldana from mexico :)
2·9 months ago@ThatOneKirbyMain2568
moreover, i would love to see kbin and mbin devs joining forces, thereby reducing each other’s workload :)
@ThatOneKirbyMain2568
can’t tell how much i enjoy kbin fr 😊i hope that the project itself will become more stable, and that ernest will find someone to admin kbin.social, so that ernest can focus on software development
from the article:
40 percent of the 33 seats in parliament have changed hands as a result of the November 20 national election.
Among high-profile incumbents losing re-election bids were fisheries and climate Minister John Silk, a 24-year parliament veteran who has been in the cabinet of multiple administrations, and Speaker Kenneth Kedi, who has been an outspoken advocate for justice for nuclear test-affected people of Rongelap, his home atoll, and the entire Marshall Islands.
Voting data provided by the electoral office shows extremely low voter turnout, based on the number of registered voters.
There is no way to determine if the number of voters listed on the Electoral Administrations eligible list of voters is accurate. But based on the available data, only 33 percent - 17,998 - turned out to vote of the 55,167 registered voters.
The postal absentee ballots were particularly problematic. With nearly half the Marshall Islands population now residing in the United States, postal absentee voters could have a major impact on the outcome of national elections. As a result of only a few ballots arriving in time to be counted, only one parliament race was changed by offshore voters.
The Electoral Administration mailed out 3,752 postal ballots to voters - over 1,600 less than one week before the deadline for voters to mail them back to the Marshall Islands - and only 1,469 returned before the December 4 deadline. But only 1,117 postal absentee ballots - 30 percent of those mailed out - were ultimately accepted and counted.
from the article:
The undated letter outlines several concerns, including “the increasing state of public corruption; the high level of violent crime; the [Government’s] failure to provide promised service delivery; unfulfilled promises to the diaspora regarding its involvement in the political process; and the legal defence that diaspora members do not have standing to sue the Government”.
It came above the signature of Dr Rupert Francis, who was identified as chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora Crime Intervention & Prevention task force.
According to the retired Jamaica Defence Force captain, the letter was written on behalf of concerned Jamaicans living in Jamaica and the diaspora and is a call to action.
“I wish to inform you, and by extension, the Jamaican Government, that the diaspora will engage Jamaica’s international partners to seek redress of our grievances. These international partners will include donor countries and organisations and Congressional/Parliamentary committees,” Francis wrote in the letter.
“We recognise that there are issues of corruption. Of course we recognise that there are issues of crime and violence. Of course, we recognise that there are issues with education. But this is where we have to build the country with our capacity as Jamaicans living overseas. To help with best practices and to invest in those start-up entrepreneurs,” said Peat.
from the article:
The proposed Constitutional change directly concerns New Caledonia’s sensitive issue of the electoral roll, which had been “frozen” since 2007, as prescribed by the autonomy Nouméa Accord signed in 1998.
The Accord saw fit to disqualify French citizens who had not resided in New Caledonia before 1998, in a move that, at the time, was seen as a step to ensure indigenous Kanaks were not at risk of becoming a minority in their own country.
The French government’s draft Constitutional bill is described as restoring the universal voting rights of French citizens, especially with regards to local elections such as the election of members of the Congress (territorial parliament) as well as the three provincial assemblies.
It is believed that due to the previous restrictions, some 20,000 French citizens (most non-Kanaks) residing in New Caledonia are being denied their voting rights for these local elections.
The Paris government was also invoking France’s adherence to world-recognised democratic universal rights as enshrined in its Constitution.
France has attempted, for the past year, to get all of New Caledonia’s local political parties to come to the discussing table and come up with a new agreement on New Caledonia’s political future after the Nouméa Accord, signed in 1998, is now regarded as having expired.
But to date, despite several attempts on the part of the French government and five trips by French Home Affairs and Overseas minister Gérald Darmanin, one component of the pro-independence FLNKS umbrella, the Union Calédonienne (UC), even though it has participated in discussions at some level, is still refusing to join inclusive talks.
One of the main figures in the pro-French part of the political spectrum, Sonia Backès (head of the “Les Loyalists” party) said the French constitutional reform plan was “very good news”.
“This means New Caledonia will go from a transitional to a permanent status in the French Constitution”, she said.
But she regretted that a minimum of ten years (“too long”, she said) was now to become the rule to become an eligible voter.
On the side of the pro-independence FLNKS front, its current “animator”, Victor Tutugoro (who also leads the moderate pro-independence Union of Melanesian Parties -UPM-, one of the members of FLNKS), said he was “not surprised” but that his priority was now to find a “local agreement” between “local political stakeholders” which could be a successor to the Nouméa Accord.
He however expressed doubts on whether the Constitutional Amendment will get sufficient support in the French Congress (three-fifths of the votes are required).
“Things are a bit difficult if you look at the concept of government majority. Will the French government muster enough support? We don’t know.”
#newCaledonia #france #pasifika #colonialism #constitution #elections #independence
1·9 months agofrom the article:
At the time of his death, he was serving an eight-year prison sentence for a graft conviction.
His attorney, Petrus Bala Pattyona, said Lukas had been diagnosed with acute kidney failure since the start of his legal proceedings and he died at around 10:45 a.m. at 56 years old.
“He was first diagnosed with kidney failure amid the court hearings in October,” Petrus said.
Enembe was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Jan. 10, 2023, as he was trying to flee the country. Since his arrest, Lukas Enembe had been in poor health, leading to his hospitalization. Lukas claimed to have suffered a stroke and kidney failure. After his condition improved, Lukas was detained at the KPK Detention Center.
The Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court found former Papua Governor Lukas Enembe guilty of corruption and sentenced him to eight years in prison on Oct. 19, 2023. In addition to the prison term, he was ordered to return Rp 19.7 billion ($1.2 million) in embezzled state funds and fined Rp 500 million.
During his tenure, Lukas has been accused of accepting Rp 47 billion in bribes from private companies that secured contracts with the Papua government. He also faces a separate indictment related to money laundering allegations after the KPK seized a substantial sum of banknotes worth Rp 82 billion in various denominations from him.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) revealed that Lukas made payments totaling 55 million Singapore dollars (US$39 million) to overseas casinos since 2017. This information came to light after analyzing the governor’s financial records at the KPK’s request. At one point, Lukas made a single casino payment of 5 million Singapore dollars, according to the PPATK.
KPK was also investigating allegations of the purchase of a private jet by Lukas Enembe. The KPK suspected that the purchase of the jet was related to the alleged receipt of gratuities and money laundering offenses.
#papua #papuaBarat #westPapua #indonesia #obituary #corruption #colonialism
from the article:
The reporters found 1,482 areas in the Apurinã Indigenous land registered as NFTs, which are digital certificates of ownership of unique (non-fungible) assets such as works of art, collectibles or properties. In this case, buyers make virtual purchases of plots in the territory, which they can sell to others anytime. It works like a stock exchange. NFT prices vary according to the prices of encrypted virtual money — cryptocurrencies — and the value of the environmental asset that is supposed to be contributing to preserve the forest. At least 665 clients purchased forest land plots and continue trading them as NFTs on specialized platforms.
According to Nemus, NFT holders can navigate the area they acquired and detect wildlife or environmental threats, monitoring and auditing the conservation of the area.
Nemus’ businesses are associated with European investors and ASF BRAZIL LTD, a London-based holding company founded by Italian businessman Maurizio Totta. In Brazil, Totta is a partner of Pedro Ruhs da Silva and Flávio Meira Penna, who appear as owners of Nemus and other companies in partnership with ASF. The group’s main investments in the Amazon are focused on timber extraction, with the recovery of bankrupt or indebted companies.
In an interview on American TV in the Break It Down Show, Nemus’ founder Meira Penna said the Indigenous people “are sort of like squatters” in the areas acquired by Nemus, but he stated that “they’ll live there forever” and “they will jump to the digital world very quickly.”
In the video, which can be seen in full on YouTube, the businessman details his NFT project in the area claimed by the Indigenous people. The deal is meant to raise up to $5 million, with NFTs selling for $150-$51,000. With that money, Nemus would buy more areas in the region to launch more NFTs, as explained in the video.
In addition to Manasa, Meira Penna also acquired a timber company, Laminados Triunfo, in Acre state and exported the product to the U.S. In April, the company was the target of a “timber laundering” investigation by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA).
ILO Convention 169 provides for the right to consultation on any project that interferes with Indigenous lands. Regardless of whether or not the territory has already been officially recognized, the entire recognized Indigenous community must be aware of what is being proposed and has the right to approve the project or not. The matter must be discussed internally by the Indigenous people, with the adoption of a consultation protocol that allows everyone in the territory to have access to information about the projects.
To the Prosecution Service, Nemus said the property was not on “actually demarcated Indigenous land,” and therefore the company’s understanding was that “no article of ILO 169 convention on consultation applies.”
In the same document from August 2022, Nemus said it was not yet developing economic activities in the area. However, at the time, the company had already launched its NFTs on the market, for which sales began in March 2022.
#amazonas #brazil #nft #indigenous #indigenousRights #landgrab #colonialism
@itsaj26744
misskey and its cutlery set of forks all have rss support > among them, rss support of firefish and iceshrimp could easily be labeled “rss eye candy of the fediverse”rss feeds on the *keys follow the model:
https://instance.name/@user.rssatom feeds are also available:
https://instance.name/@user.atom
from the article:
Surfing’s world governing body has said it opposes construction of a controversial new judges’ tower for the 2024 Olympics event in Tahiti which has sparked a backlash from locals and environmentalists over fears it could irreparably damage the local coral reef.
“The International Surfing Association (ISA) will not support the construction of the new aluminum judges’ tower at Teahupo’o,” the body said in a statement, a week after construction began.
In a bid to reduce the environmental impact and appease locals some, changes have been made to the original plan proposed by Olympic organisers. The new design is smaller and does not include flushing toilets or an underground water network. Instead, judges will have to return to the main island to use the toilet, and portable drinking fountains will be used for water.
Teahupo’o is a small coastal community and much of the lagoon and land area are protected natural heritage areas. Aside from its wave, the area is known for its pristine environment.
The controversy surrounding the new tower has gained momentum since the first peaceful protest against it in Teahupo’o in October, which attracted about 500 people from around Tahiti.
Since then, over 200,000 people have signed an online petition to stop the tower and prominent surfers including Kelly Slater and Carissa Moore have lent their support. Surfers in France also organised a protest on Sunday, swimming out off the beach at Guéthary on the Atlantic coast.
#tahiti #pasifika #france #olympics #environmentalism #colonialism
from the article:
These policemen do all the planning and then engage the ‘wanted boys’ to carry out the main criminal holdups … even the firearms belong to them," the leaders claim in a petition sent to the government.
Mike Piau is one of the “wanted boys”.
He said he was bashed up and arrested by police in 2020 when he refused to take part in a robbery.“They almost shot me with a pistol. When I didn’t do what they asked, they turned on me and arrested me and beat me up,” he told the ABC.
Mr Piau told the ABC he had been approached by police because he was an influential resistance fighter during the Bougainville crisis from 1988 until 1998.
At the time, local dissatisfaction with a major mining project sparked an armed uprising against the PNG government in which 20,000 people died.
Other “wanted boys” the ABC has spoken with say they are now hiding out in villages to escape arrest.
Mr Piau said the alleged police misconduct could hurt Bougainville’s independence bid.
“These sort of men will create bigger problems which will impact our road to independence,” he told the ABC.Despite the 2019 referendum, which was non-binding, Bougainville’s fate lies in the hands of the PNG parliament, which is yet to make a decision on the issue.
The Bougainville Police Service still operates under the auspices of the Royal Papua New Guinea constabulary and is largely dependent on funding sort of coming through the PNG government system," he said.
Dr Dinnen said there was some community mistrust in the police following the Bougainville crisis.
When tensions began to break out in the late 80s, the PNG police deployed mobile squads to the region.
They were later accused of serious human rights abuses.“There’s a kind of memory of that other kind of policing, that Bougainvilleans did not want to duplicate or replicate,” Dr Dinnen said.
Dr Peake said Australia had a role to play in training the PNG police, which it has done for decades.
#bougainville #png #PapuaNewGuinea #pasifika #violence #corruption
@mateomaui
chinese demand for wood has never cared for any regulations, especially not in the pacific region - it’s a catastrophe …
@mateomaui it’s grotesque, isn’t it?
from the article:
He said that they believed that more than 10,000 round or unmilled logs are currently stocked at a former slipway at Palekula.
The land owner said forestry department failed to measure the logs after they have cut down by the Chinese company for transportation to Palekula where they are stocked.
He said to know the price of a log the department has to measure it to evaluate the price but so far nothing has been done.
“Heaps of logs are currently stocked at Palekula and to remove them to take their measurement, it will take more than a month. This is the problem of the company and the department to short it out. For us the land owner we just want the payment of our trees,” said the land owner.
He said under the agreement signed between them, the Chinese company and the department, it was agreed to pay 2500 vatu per cubic metre.
from the article:
“The way in which the government got around the need to have compensation agreements in place before the issue of a special mining lease was to pass a piece of legislation, which basically said, ‘look, the existing compensation agreements before the closure of the mine will allow us to continue in the interim, while New compensation agreements are relocated’.”
A Papua New Guinea academic, who grew up in Porgera in the early years of the mine, Andrew Anton Mako, has called for structures to be put in place to ensure returns from the re-opened mine are not wasted.
The Australian National University staffer has written about what he calls the blessings and the curse the mine brought back in the 1990s.
He said with a bigger stake he hopes the community doesn’t squander the money. “In the past it was only 2.5 percent of the mine equity stake,” Mako said.
"Now the landowners have been given ten percent, free carry, by the government. So, it will be a lot of money. It is estimated around 25 billion kina. That’s a lot of money for the next 20 years.
“So even though the proceeds will increase, the main issue is in the governance, the use of that money, whether it will be used productively to improve the lives of the people or whether it will be used mostly on consumption.”
Mako also wants some focus on what happens when the mine stops producing in 20 years or so.
@Chozo
this is the english machine translation of naskya’s post:Even if you ask me when the next version will be out, I don’t know.
one week ago, naskya stated in another post:
Firefish v1.0.5 を出すために必要にゃ雑用は 2 日くらい前に睡眠時間を捧げてほとんど片付けたのであとは Kainoa さん次第です
english machine translation:
I devoted my sleep time to do most of the chores needed to release Firefish v1.0.5 about 2 days ago, so the rest is up to Kainoa.
source: https://post.naskya.net/notes/9n8d2h0qq12bdzm1 #firefish
2·9 months ago@spaduf mondragon is by far the biggest coop worldwide, and the company is not a classical coop, but rather resembles other big capitalist ventures
from the article:
Lady Moxon said the Crown response “signifies a systematic breakdown of the principles outlined in Te Tiriti o Waitangi across all government levels.”
In its response, the Crown acknowledged it had not consulted with its Treaty partner and it currently had no alternative solution to addressing health inequities for Māori.
The Crown said its decision to dismantle Te Aka Whai Ora was “made by the government at the political level following political parties campaigning on this issue ahead of the recent General Election.”
A submission responding to the Crowns opposition was filed on behalf of claimants on Wednesday which said the Crown “clearly intended to create backlash against Māori.”
It said, the government intentionally created the “false impression of special treatment for Māori” and that “special treatment was presented as a problem politicians could promise to solve if elected, as a means to gain votes.”
@unofficial_kbin_guide
this is sad! i liked the unofficial guide!