White House among targets /Hondurans Mount ‘Tele-coup’ to Counter / Women, Health, Peace and Conflict Maximizing thePower of Local Media in Afr..and o

White House among targets of sweeping cyber attack:

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer – 46 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The powerful attack that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government agencies for days was even broader than initially realized, also targeting the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange.

Other targets of the attack included the National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department, State Department, the Nasdaq stock market and The Washington Post, according to an early analysis of the malicious software used in the attacks. Many of the organizations appeared to successfully blunt the sustained computer assaults.

The Associated Press obtained the target list from security experts analyzing the attacks. It was not immediately clear who might be responsible or what their motives were. South Korean intelligence officials believe the attacks were carried out by North Korea or pro-Pyongyang forces.

The attack was remarkably successful in limiting public access to victim Web sites, but internal e-mail systems are typically unaffected in such attacks. Some government Web sites — such as the Treasury Department, Federal Trade Commission and Secret Service — were still reporting problems days after the attack started during the July 4 holiday. South Korean Internet sites began experiencing problems Tuesday.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service, the nation's principal spy agency, told a group of South Korean lawmakers Wednesday it believes that North Korea or North Korean sympathizers in the South were behind the attacks, according to an aide to one of the lawmakers briefed on the information.

The aide spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the information. The National Intelligence Service — South Korea's main spy agency — said it couldn't immediately confirm the report, but it said it was cooperating with American authorities.

The attacks will be difficult to trace, said Professor Peter Sommer, an expert on cyberterrorism at the London School of Economics. "Even if you are right about the fact of being attacked, initial diagnoses are often wrong," he said Wednesday.

Amy Kudwa, spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said the agency's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued a notice to federal departments and other partner organizations about the problems and "advised them of steps to take to help mitigate against such attacks."

New York Stock Exchange spokesman Ray Pellecchia could not confirm the attack, saying the company does not comment on security issues.

Attacks on federal computer networks are common, ranging from nuisance hacking to more serious assaults, sometimes blamed on China. U.S. security officials also worry about cyber attacks from al-Qaida or other terrorists.

This time, two government officials acknowledged that the Treasury and Secret Service sites were brought down, and said the agencies were working with their Internet service provider to resolve the problem. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

Ben Rushlo, director of Internet technologies at Keynote Systems, said problems with the Transportation Department site began Saturday and continued until Monday, while the FTC site was down Sunday and Monday.

Keynote Systems is a mobile and Web site monitoring company based in San Mateo, Calif. The company publishes data detailing outages on Web sites, including 40 government sites it watches.

According to Rushlo, the Transportation Web site was "100 percent down" for two days, so that no Internet users could get through to it. The FTC site, meanwhile, started to come back online late Sunday, but even on Tuesday Internet users still were unable to get to the site 70 percent of the time.

Web sites of major South Korean government agencies, including the presidential Blue House and the Defense Ministry, and some banking sites were paralyzed Tuesday. An initial investigation found that many personal computers were infected with a virus ordering them to visit major official Web sites in South Korea and the U.S. at the same time, Korea Information Security Agency official Shin Hwa-su said. Associated Press writers Hyung-Jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea; Andrew Vanacore in New York; and Pan Pylas in London contributed to this report.
(Courtesy: AP)

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JOURNALISM IN THE AMERICAS

Hondurans Mount ‘Tele-coup’ to Counter One-sided Media

Young Hondurans opposed to the expulsion of President Manuel Zelaya are uploading amateur videos and cell-phone photos to YouTube in what they have branded a “tele-coup,” France’s AFP news agency reports.

Under control by the interim government, national channels have offered biased political coverage and have often cut off cable channels to broadcast their message, AFP’s Henry Orrego says.

"We call it 'tele-coup' because on the national channels you can't see the reality of what's happening," a university student explains. The most popular of the more than two dozen videos, called “Nothing’s Happening in Honduras,” shows soldiers firing tear gas and hitting protesters, as well as bloodied soldiers and protesters.

Students quoted by Orrego say they are using word of mouth and leaflets to spread news of the site. In a country where only 11 percent of homes have computers, the students are taking their laptops into the streets of some middle-class districts to show their neighbors the other side of the crisis, Orrego says.

TV Channel 36, kept off the air for a week because it was considered loyal to Zelaya, was permitted to return to the air over the weekend, EFE adds.

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Women, Health, Peace and Conflict
Maximizing the Power of Local Media in Africa

Building radio stations for communities in Chad and Sudan... training journalists to report on HIV/AIDS accurately and sensitively in Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia...helping build more peaceful societies in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Sudan... In Sub-Saharan Africa, Internews empowers local media to tell the stories that need to be heard and provide people with the information they need to improve their lives.
“Now I Want to Speak Too”
Women Refugees from Darfur Get a Radio Program Just for Them Seide sits cross-legged on a straw mat, surrounded by a dozen other refugee women in the training center of the Djabal camp for Darfur refugees in Eastern Chad. She reaches over for the bright blue radio set which is the center of attention, unfolds the handle of what looks like a child’s toy and winds it vigorously to hear another 10 minutes of Women’s Crossroads, a program on 89.9 FM, Radio Sila. (More)
Crossing Borders to Share Airwaves
In Sudan, a Radio Exchange Program Fosters Peace The eight reporters jammed into the studio of Nhomlaau FM were dancing, laughing, singing − full of spirit. Luka’s fervor on the microphone was infectious to the others. Deng picked up the energy, and the community in this remote corner of Northern bar el Ghazal, Southern Sudan heard radio like they’ve never heard before − eclectic, mixed, dynamic. What was incredible about this jam session was not the music itself, but rather the exchange taking place. (More)
Media Play Key Role in Ethiopia’s Development

Sonya De Masi, Internews’ Country Director for Ethiopia, wrote this commentary about the importance of helping Ethiopia’s media to address the country’s enormous development challenges. Internews works in Ethiopia to improve the frequency and quality of media reporting and programming on HIV/AIDS and other critical health issues. (More)
In Kenya, Conflict-Sensitive Reporting Seen As Vital

A year and a half after the post-election violence that rocked Kenya, many of the underlying issues remain unresolved, and thousands of people remain displaced from their homes. Kenya’s media must prepare for the possibility that a new cycle of violence could erupt, requiring great skill and sensitivity in covering events without inflaming the conflict. These were the conclusions of a May 20 emergency roundtable that Internews’ Nairobi office organized for Kenyan journalists, media advisors and political analysts. (More)
Internews Peace-Building Films Featured at Rwanda Film Festival

The 5th Annual Rwanda Film Festival (June 12-28) screened four documentary films made by Internews as part of a peace-building project that has reached thousands of people in Rwanda and the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). (More)
A Male Journalist in Chad Takes Lead in Gender Programs

"I have been working for more than 15 years in journalism," says Nara Hantabou. "When the director of the radio station decided to choose me for this training course, my colleagues laughed at me. I was also reluctant to go. Out of pure ignorance!" Hantabou took part in an training course conducted by Internews on reporting on gender-based violence. (More)
Shunned and Abandoned, HIV+ Woman Tells Her Story

"My mother and younger sister drove me and dropped me far away," said Halima Yassin, an HIV-positive woman in northeastern Kenya, who was abandoned by her wealthy family and left for dead. "I had to crawl to the main road where I was spotted by a good samaritan who brought me here." (More)
HIV-Positive Police Recruits Reinstated After Media Outcry

When 26 young recruits were sacked from the Nigerian Police Academy for testing HIV-positive, local civil society activists turned to Internews for help in reversing the unjust decision. Within weeks of their press conference, 24 out of the 26 were back on the force. (More)

More on Internews' Africa projects

Photos on Flickr from Internews' projects in Africa.

(Courtesy:Internews)
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Journalists can Submit Entries to King of Spain International Awards


Media professionals have until Sept. 30 to apply for the 27th edition of the King of Spain International Journalism Awards. The contest recognizes projects in print, broadcast, digital, and photographic journalism produced in Spanish or Portuguese. The competition is sponsored by the news agency EFE and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).

Entries must have been published or broadcast between Sept. 1, 2008 and Aug. 31, 2009 to be eligible. Specific information about the competition and the application process is available in Spanish and Portuguese from the EFE website.

Other Related Headlines:
» Call for submissions to the 27th edition of the King of Spain Journalism Awards (Portuguese) (Globo)
» Call for submissions to the 27th edition of the King of Spain Journalism Awards (Spanish) (ABC)

* Posted by Eva Menezes/JV at 07/06/2009 - 11:13
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I Saw 'Food Inc.' -- Now What?

By Sarah Newman, Huffington Post. Posted July 3, 2009.

Here's how to transition off of a corn-based diet, lessen your carb(on) footprint, support local farmers and humanely raised meats

To read AlterNet's interview with Food Inc. director Robert Kenner, click here. You can also click here to read an essay by farmer Joel Salatin who's featured in the film.

It's hard to see Food, Inc. and not be inspired. Okay, so most people might not be selling their house and quitting their office job to become full time farmers, but the movie certainly inspires people to change something in their lives. There's a lot of super simple but highly effective things you can do to transition off of a corn-based diet, lessen your carb(on) food/footprint, support local farmers and choose humanely raised meats. We are thrilled by the deluge of emails we've received from people across the country who are inspired by the film and want to make changes but are looking for some help.

Below is a list to some of the most commonly asked questions.

1. Where can I buy organic food? The Eat Well Guide is a handy resource which lists local farmers markets, farms, restaurants and Community Supported Agricultural programs in your area, all of which offer organic and sustainable foods.

2. Where can I buy sustainably raised meat? Eat Wild is a user-friendly resource with listings for grass-fed meat and dairy near you. Do you need some clarification on all of those confusing terms used to describe meat products, such pasture-raised, non-confined or natural? If so, Sustainable Table's wallet-sized glossary of meat production will help you better understand what these each mean.

3. What is the status of Kevin's law? Unfortunately, nothing right now. However, you can support the ongoing work of Barb Kowlacyk and her mom, Pat Buck, for safer food standards nationwide through their organization, Center for Foodborne Illness, Research and Prevention.

4. How can I get in touch with Michael Pollan? Yes, he's a hot commodity right now, but you can chat with him! There will be live-chat with him this Thursday at 3PM PST on Facebook. Click here for details.

5. I didn't see Food, Inc. When is it coming to my town? We're constantly adding new cities and theaters, but if yours isn't listed here, tell your local theater that you want to see it! And, stay tuned for the DVD release date.

Assuming these actions whet your appetite, don't forget to check out the official film site which offers lots of juicy resources. The 10 tips will help to jump start some lifestyle changes you can make now. Learn more about issues raised in the film, ranging from workers rights to genetic engineering and connect with organizations leading efforts to reform our industrial food system. The enthusiasm generated by Food, Inc. is evidence that it is helping to galvanize people across the country who are all committed to making sure we all have access to safe, healthy and sustainable foods.

Sarah's Social Action Snapshot originally appeared on Takepart.com

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N.B. Our announced features on Bangladesh would be released shortly