Latest news with #Duma
The South African
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The South African
eThekwini residents build shacks on cemetery graves
More than 400 community members are living in informal settlements at Seaview Cemetery in Ward 64, under the eThekwini Municipality. KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, said some residents erected shacks directly on top of graves. Duma said that on Sunday, he instructed the Head of the Department of Human Settlements, Max Mbili, to work with the municipality to expedite the profiling of families living at the cemetery on Coedmore Road. He reminded residents that the democratic government under Nelson Mandela prioritised housing construction in the area shortly after 1994. 'Priority was given to families who had lived in the area since 1981. It is unfortunate that despite having relocated communities, some came back to the area and others built new informal settlements in the same area,' Duma said. Around 2000, officials relocated families from the cemetery area to new homes in Welbedacht, Chatsworth. These officials included the late KZN MEC for Housing, Dumisane Makhaye, former MEC for Housing, Mike Mabuyakhulu, former eThekwini Mayor, Obed Mlaba, and Nigel Gumede, former Chair of the Human Settlements and Infrastructure Committee. Duma acknowledged that people migrate to eThekwini in search of socio-economic opportunities due to housing and land shortages, but stressed the need to respect burial grounds. 'Cemeteries are sacred places where the dead must be allowed to rest in peace. We call on communities to respect the departed soul,' he said. The Department of Human Settlements continues to engage with Ratepayers Associations regarding state-owned land where housing projects face delays. According to The Citizen , Duma confirmed that the department is conducting comprehensive research into housing needs across four priority groups: Households living on privately owned land facing eviction Households in rural or informal settlements in disaster-prone areas Households living in graveyards, such as Seaview Cemetery Farm dwellers The research will involve institutions such as the Moses Kotane Research Institute, National Home Builders Registration Council, Stats SA, CSIR, and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. While research continues, the department has identified the Greater Kokstad Local Municipality as the pilot site for the Agri-Village programme. The initiative, involving the Department of Land Affairs and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, aims to improve living conditions for farm dwellers by ensuring access to decent housing, water, electricity, roads, and socio-economic opportunities. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Korea Herald
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Russia passes law punishing searches for 'extremist' content
Russians will face fines if they search online for "extremist" content under a new law that tightens censorship and could have sweeping ramifications for digital privacy and the fate of WhatsApp in the country. The legislation, approved on Tuesday by parliament's lower house, the State Duma, has drawn criticism from some pro-government figures, as well as opposition activists. Opponents say the fines it prescribes, of up to 5,000 roubles ($63.82), could open the door to tougher charges and penalties. The Ministry of Justice's list of extremist materials stretches to more than 500 pages. Entities banned in Russia for carrying out "extremist activities" include late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, the "international LGBT movement" and US tech giant Meta Platforms. On Friday, lawmakers who regulate the IT sector said Meta-owned WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market as it was likely to be added to a list of restricted software. The new legislation targets people who knowingly search for extremist materials online, including through virtual private networks that millions of people across Russia use to bypass censorship and access banned content. "This bill concerns a very narrow group of people, who look for extremist content because they themselves are already one step away from extremism," Sergei Boyarsky, head of the Duma's information technology committee, told Duma TV. Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev said law enforcement would have to prove that users intended to view extremist materials and that merely accessing platforms would not be penalised. It was not immediately clear how the authorities would determine intent in an online search. The lack of clarity has left many feeling uneasy. Yekaterina Mizulina, head of Russia's League for a Safe Internet, a body founded with the authorities' support, criticized the law's "vague wording" and warned the law could spark a wave of fraud, blackmail and extortion. "For now, the law applies only to the search for extremist materials, but there is no guarantee," Mizulina wrote on Telegram. "The list could be expanded in a couple of days." Sarkis Darbinyan, founder of digital rights group Roskomsvoboda, said he expected people to start unsubscribing from certain channels and deleting apps. "I think this is one of the main tasks that has been set: to create fear, to create such uncertainty so as to increase the level of self-censorship among the Russian internet audience," Darbinyan told Reuters. Shadaev told the Duma that fines on the Russian population were preferable to banning platforms like WhatsApp and Google in Russia. Moscow has long sought to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services, including a new state-backed messaging app, MAX, but many people across Russia still rely on foreign platforms. Opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who tried unsuccessfully to run against Vladimir Putin in a presidential election last year, led a protest outside the Duma on Tuesday and promised to continue protesting the bill's passage through the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, before it becomes law on Sept. 1. "These amendments have caused a level of resistance in Russian society that has not been seen for a long time," Nadezhdin said, pointing to the surprisingly high number of lawmakers voting against the proposed legislation in the Duma, which rarely sees serious dissent. The law was approved with 68 percent of the vote. There were 67 votes against the legislation, or 14.9 percent, and 22 abstentions. (Reuters)
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Russian lawmakers pass a bill punishing online searches for information deemed to be 'extremist'
MOSCOW — Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed 'extremist,' the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent. The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation punishes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64. The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBT movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Officials and lawmakers said ordinary internet users won't be affected and only those who methodically seek outlawed content will be targeted. They didn't explain how the authorities would differentiate between them. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers. The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services and fines for VPN resources that fail to comply with government regulations, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN as an 'aggravating circumstance' in case of other violations of the law. Russians widely use VPN services for access to banned content, but authorities have sought to tighten restrictions, trying to close the loopholes. The state communications watchdog has increasingly used technology to analyze traffic and block specific VPN protocols. The Russian authorities have ramped their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges. The new legislation has sparked broad public criticism. The Duma, which unanimously supports most government initiatives, was markedly divided in Tuesday's vote, with 306 backing the measure, 67 voting against it and 22 abstaining. Among those who opposed the bill were some members of the Communist Party, Just Russia and the liberal New People party who usually follow the Kremlin's wishes. Liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who sought to challenge Putin in last year's presidential election but was denied a spot on the ballot, told reporters outside the State Duma that he opposed the new legislation. 'It creates real problems for tens of millions of people,' he said. Nadezhdin's aide, Dmitry Kisiev, who picketed the parliament building with a poster likening the legislation to the world of George Orwell's dystopian '1984,' was quickly rounded up by police, who also detained several reporters covering the protest. Even some pro-Kremlin figures have criticized the bill, arguing it would make it impossible for them to track down and deflect comments by Kremlin critics. Margarita Simonyan, head of the state-funded RT channel, has spoken against the legislation, questioning how her media group could 'investigate and bring to shame' anti-Kremlin outlets 'if we are forbidden to even read them.' And Yekaterina Mizulina, whose group Safe Internet League has frequently reported dissenters to authorities, also strongly condemned the new bill, arguing it would make it impossible for her group to monitor 'extremist communities' on the web.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia passes law punishing searches for 'extremist' content
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the headquarters of the lower house of Russia's parliament, State Duma, in central Moscow, Russia, July 22, 2025. REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File Photo Russians will face fines if they search online for "extremist" content under a new law that tightens censorship and could have sweeping ramifications for digital privacy and the fate of WhatsApp in the country. The legislation, approved on Tuesday by parliament's lower house, the State Duma, has drawn criticism from some pro-government figures, as well as opposition activists. Opponents say the fines it prescribes, of up to 5,000 roubles ($63.82), could open the door to tougher charges and penalties. The Ministry of Justice's list of extremist materials stretches to more than 500 pages. Entities banned in Russia for carrying out "extremist activities" include late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, the "international LGBT movement" and U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms. On Friday, lawmakers who regulate the IT sector said Meta-owned WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market as it was likely to be added to a list of restricted software. The new legislation targets people who knowingly search for extremist materials online, including through virtual private networks (VPN) that millions of people across Russia use to bypass censorship and access banned content. "This bill concerns a very narrow group of people, who look for extremist content because they themselves are already one step away from extremism," Sergei Boyarsky, head of the Duma's information technology committee, told Duma TV. ONLINE SELF-CENSORSHIP Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev said law enforcement would have to prove that users intended to view extremist materials and that merely accessing platforms would not be penalised. It was not immediately clear how the authorities would determine intent in an online search. The lack of clarity has left many feeling uneasy. Yekaterina Mizulina, head of Russia's League for a Safe Internet, a body founded with the authorities' support, criticised the law's "vague wording" and warned the law could spark a wave of fraud, blackmail and extortion. "For now, the law applies only to the search for extremist materials, but there is no guarantee," Mizulina wrote on Telegram. "The list could be expanded in a couple of days." Sarkis Darbinyan, founder of digital rights group Roskomsvoboda, said he expected people to start unsubscribing from certain channels and deleting apps. "I think this is one of the main tasks that has been set: to create fear, to create such uncertainty so as to increase the level of self-censorship among the Russian internet audience," Darbinyan told Reuters. Shadaev told the Duma that fines on the Russian population were preferable to banning platforms like WhatsApp and Google in Russia. Moscow has long sought to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services, including a new state-backed messaging app, MAX, but many people across Russia still rely on foreign platforms. POLITICAL PROTEST Opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who tried unsuccessfully to run against Vladimir Putin in a presidential election last year, led a protest outside the Duma on Tuesday and promised to continue protesting the bill's passage through the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, before it becomes law on September 1. "These amendments have caused a level of resistance in Russian society that has not been seen for a long time," Nadezhdin said, pointing to the surprisingly high number of lawmakers voting against the proposed legislation in the Duma, which rarely sees serious dissent. The law was approved with 68% of the vote. There were 67 votes against the legislation, or 14.9%, and 22 abstentions. REUTERS
IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Nomusa Dube-Ncube's remarkable return to the national Cabinet as deputy minister
Former KwaZulu-Natal premier Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube's political career has been revived following her appointment to the national Cabinet on Monday. Image: Supplied Former KwaZulu-Natal premier Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube's political career appears to be on the rise again following her appointment to the national Cabinet as Higher Education and Training deputy minister. After dismissing Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, the troubled minister of Higher Education and Training, on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa once again looked outside the National Assembly for a replacement. Buti Manamela, who had been the deputy minister for the same department for years, was promoted to the full ministerial portfolio for the first time in his life and was announced alongside Dube-Ncube. She was also appointed to chair one of the Sector Education and Training Authority boards; however, after revelations that Nkabane had lied about the independence of the panel, her name and other ANC members were withdrawn. Dube-Ncube, with her vast governance experience, was almost written off politically when the ANC, under Siboniso Duma and Bheki Mtolo as chairperson and secretary, respectively, placed her at number 31 on the party's members list to the provincial legislature last year. This meant that if she made it back to the legislature, she would have moved from the front row to the back seat of the chamber, let alone not even getting a Cabinet position. Although not guaranteed, MEC positions are usually allocated to the top 10 list members. The first-ever woman premier of the province was also not on the province's national list, which would have taken her to Parliament at least as a backbencher. With ANC getting only 14 seats after last year's general elections, Dube-Ncube went into political wilderness until the national party leadership reconfigured the provincial executive committee, removing both Mtolo and Duma from their positions of power. She was appointed to the provincial task team's top five, taking the deputy coordinator's position, which is equivalent to the deputy secretary's. Dube-Ncube, who had served in several departments as an MEC, was appointed to the premiership after Sihle Zikalala resigned following his political defeat by Duma in a chairmanship contest in 2022; however, rumours of her ill-treatment emerged. There have been rumours of a rift between her and ANC KZN chairperson Duma, and people have been accusing the ANC chairperson of being a shadow premier of the province. The big outcry, which saw the ANC Women's League intervene, was during the World Cup tour in Durban when the Springboks' Eben Etzebeth lifted the Webb Ellis Cup with Duma, instead of the premier, as the programme director had announced. In a hard-hitting statement issued then, the Women's League lambasted Duma, calling on the leaders to uphold the values of non-sexism and gender equality. The league said gender equality was not an ideal but a fundamental principle that the ANC identifies with, saying the actions of Duma demonstrated a regrettable departure from this essential value. [email protected].
