text:
Performing Arts
The Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul / Tylor Boland
Dramatically good arts and theater.
With the Guthrie Theater, Walker Art Center, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and many other stellar venues and groups, Minneapolis-St. Paul is arguably the premier arts center between the East and West coasts. Several outstanding community theaters, art galleries and art centers throughout the state feature regional, national and international artisans and add to the state's reputation as a world-class arts destination.
Find arts events, including theater, dance and musical performances, in the Festivals & Events calendar, or sign up to receive them by email.
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text:
(Redirected from Telep)
telpe[1][2][3] (or telpë[4]), tyelpe[1][2][3] (or tyelpë[5]), tyelep-[2], and telep[4], are Quenya words for "silver".
[edit] Etymology
In a letter, Tolkien stated that the form tyelpe derives from Primitive Elvish kyelepē.[1]
It appears like tyelpe is the most ancient (or "pure") Quenya word for silver; the form telpe, which became the usual form among the Quenya-speaking Elves, was borrowed from (or influenced by) Telerin telpe (itself apparently a later form of the original Telerin form telepi).[1][2][5][3]
Christopher Tolkien has noted that tyelep-, tyelpe derive from root KYELEP.[2] In the Etymologies, telpe, tyelpe derive from root KYELEP/TELEP.[3]
[edit] Cognates
[edit] See also
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 347, (dated 17 December 1972), p. 426
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix E: The Names of Celeborn and Galadriel"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Three: The Etymologies", pp. 366-7
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names" (entry for celeb)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "The Shibboleth of Fëanor", p. 356 (note 4)

subset: commoncrawl


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The ParserFunctions extension provides eleven additional parser functions to supplement the "magic words", which are already present in MediaWiki. (It may be configured to provide additional parser functions for string handling; these string functions are documented elsewhere.) All the parser functions provided by this extension take the form:
{{#functionname: argument 1 | argument 2 | argument 3 ... }}
- ১ #expr
- ২ #if
- ৩ #ifeq
- ৪ #iferror
- ৫ #ifexpr
- ৬ #ifexist
- ৭ #rel2abs
- ৮ #switch
- ৯ #time
- ১০ #timel
- ১১ #titleparts
- ১২ General points
- ১৩ See also
- ১৪ References
|Grouping (parentheses)
( )
e (2.718)
pi (3.142)
|binary operator
e unary
not ceil trunc floor abs exp ln sin cos tan acos asin atan
* / div mod
+ -
= != <> > < >= <=
This function evaluates a mathematical expression and returns the calculated value.
This function is also available in Scribunto via the
mw.ext.ParserFunctions.expr function.
{{#expr: expression }}
The available operators are listed to the right, in order of precedence. See Help:Calculation for more details of the function of each operator. The accuracy and format of the result returned will vary depending on the operating system of the server running the wiki and the number format of the site language.
When evaluating using boolean algebra, zero evaluates to
false, and any nonzero value, positive or negative, evaluates to
{{#expr: 1 and -1 }}→ 1
{{#expr: 1 and 0 }}→ 0
{{#expr: 1 or -1 }}→ 1
{{#expr: -1 or 0 }}→ 1
{{#expr: 0 or 0 }}→ 0
An empty input expression returns an empty string. Invalid expressions return one of several error messages, which can be caught using the
#iferror function:
{{#expr: }}→
{{#expr: 1+ }}→ Expression error: Missing operand for +.
{{#expr: 1 = }}→ Expression error: Missing operand for =.
{{#expr: 1 foo 2 }}→ Expression error: Unrecognized word "foo".
The order of addition and subtraction operands before or after a number is meaningful and may be treated as a positive or negative value instead of as an operand with an erroneous input:
{{#expr: +1 }}→ 1
{{#expr: -1 }}→ -1
{{#expr: + 1 }}→ 1
{{#expr: - 1 }}→ -1
Note, if using the output of magic words, you must raw-format them in order to remove commas and translate the numerals. For example, {{NUMBEROFUSERS}} results in ১,৭২,৬০,৬৪৩, where we want 17260643, which can be obtained using
{{formatnum:{{NUMBEROFUSERS}}|R}}. This is especially important in some languages, where numerals are translated. For example, in Bengali, {{NUMBEROFUSERS}} produces ৩০,০৬১.
{{#expr:{{NUMBEROFUSERS}}+100}}→ Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "১".
{{#expr:{{formatnum:{{NUMBEROFUSERS}}|R}}+100}}→ 17260743
|The operator
mod gives wrong results for some values of the second argument:
Rounds off the number on the left to a multiple of 1/10 raised to a power, with the exponent equal to the truncated value of the number given on the right.
To round up or down use unary
ceil or
floor respectively.
|Test case
|Method of rounding
{{#expr: 1/3 round 5 }}
|Final digit is < 5, so no apparent rounding occurs
{{#expr: 1/6 round 5 }}
|Final digit is ≥ 5, so it is rounded up
{{#expr: 8.99999/9 round 5 }}
|Again, the result is rounded up on the last digit, which results in additional rounding
{{#expr: 1234.5678 round -2 }}
|Rounded to nearest 100 because negative values round to the left of the decimal point
{{#expr: 1234.5678 round 2 }}
|Rounded to nearest 100th because positive values round to the right of the decimal point
{{#expr: 1234.5678 round 2.3 }}
|Decimals in the rounding index make no difference in the rounded result
{{#expr: trunc 1234.5678 }}
|Decimal portion truncated (chopped off)
|Rounding to the nearest integer
{{#expr: 1/3 round 0 }}
|Down to the nearest integer, which is zero
{{#expr: 1/2 round 0 }}
|Up to the nearest integer, which is one
{{#expr: 3/4 round 0 }}
|Up to the nearest integer, which is one
{{#expr: -1/3 round 0 }}
|Up to the nearest integer, which is zero
{{#expr: -1/2 round 0 }}
|Down to the nearest integer, which is negative one
{{#expr: -3/4 round 0 }}
|Down to the nearest integer, which is negative one
|Rounding up or down with ceil and floor
{{#expr: ceil(1/3) }}
|Up to the next larger integer, which is one
{{#expr: floor(1/3) }}
|Down to the next smaller integer, which is zero
{{#expr: ceil(-1/3) }}
|Up to the next larger integer, which is zero
{{#expr: floor(-1/3) }}
|Down to the next smaller integer, which is negative one
{{#expr: ceil 1/3 }}
|Not rounded, since 1 already is an integer
Expressions only work with number-like values, they cannot compare strings or characters. #ifeq can be used instead.
{{#expr: "a" = "a" }}→ Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character """.
{{#expr: a = a }}→ Expression error: Unrecognized word "a".
{{#ifeq: a | a | 1 | 0 }}→ 1
This function evaluates a test string and determines whether or not it is empty. A test string containing only white space is considered to be empty.
{{#if: test string | value if test string is not empty | value if test string is empty (or only white space) }}
{{#if: first parameter | second parameter | third parameter }}
This function first tests whether the first parameter is not empty. If the first parameter is not empty the function displays the second argument. If the first parameter is empty or contains only whitespace characters (spaces, newlines, etc.) it displays the third argument.
{{#if: | yes | no}}→ no
{{#if: string | yes | no}}→ yes
{{#if: | yes | no}}→ no
{{#if:→ no
| yes | no}}
The test string is always interpreted as pure text, so mathematical expressions are not evaluated:
{{#if: 1==2 | yes | no }}→ yes
{{#if: 0 | yes | no }}→ yes
The last parameter (false) may be omitted:
{{#if: foo | yes }}→ yes
{{#if: | yes }}→
{{#if: foo | | no}}→
The function may be nested. To do so, nest the inner #if function in its full form in place of a parameter of the enclosing #if function. Up to seven levels of nesting is possible, although that may depend on the wiki or a memory limit.
{{#if: test string | value if test string is not empty | {{#if: test string | value if test string is not empty | value if test string is empty (or only white space) }} }}
You can also use a parameter as the test string in your #if statement. You need to ensure you add the
| (pipe symbol) after the name of the variable.
(So that if the parameter does not have a value, it evaluates to an empty string instead of the string "
{{#if:{{{1|}}}|You entered text in variable 1|There is no text in variable 1 }}
See Help:Parser functions in templates for more examples of this parser function.
This parser function compares two input strings, determines whether they are identical, and returns one of two strings based on the result. If more comparisons and output strings are required, consider using
{{#ifeq: string 1 | string 2 | value if identical | value if different }}
If both strings are valid numerical values, the strings are compared numerically:
{{#ifeq: 01 | 1 | equal | not equal}}→ equal
{{#ifeq: 0 | -0 | equal | not equal}}→ equal
{{#ifeq: 1e3 | 1000 | equal | not equal}}→ equal
{{#ifeq: {{#expr:10^3}} | 1000 | equal | not equal}}→ equal
Otherwise the comparison is made as text; this comparison is case sensitive:
{{#ifeq: foo | bar | equal | not equal}}→ not equal
{{#ifeq: foo | Foo | equal | not equal}}→ not equal
{{#ifeq: "01" | "1" | equal | not equal}}→ not equal (compare to similar example above, without the quotes)
{{#ifeq: 10^3 | 1000 | equal | not equal}}→ not equal (compare to similar example above, with
#exprreturning a valid number first)
As a practical example, consider an existing template
Template:Timer using the parser to choose between two standard times, short and long. It takes the parameter as the first input to compare against the string "short" – there is no convention for the order, but it is simpler to read if the parameter goes first. The template code is defined as:
{{#ifeq: {{{1|}}} | short | 20 | 40 }}
the following ensue:
{{timer|short}}→ 20
{{timer|20}}→ 40
{{timer}}→ 40
#ifexpr does not report equivalent numerical comparisons with the
#ifeq and
#switch parsers. These latter two are more accurate than
#ifexpr, and do not return equivalent results. Consider these comparison with the final digit changed:
Because PHP used in
#ifexpr is caused because MediaWiki converts literal numbers in expressions to type float, which, for large integers like these, involves rounding.
|When used inside a parser function, any parser tags and other parser functions must be temporarily replaced with a unique code. This affects comparisons:
|Literal comparisons to page-name magic words may fail depending on site configuration. For example, {{FULLPAGENAME}}, depending on wiki, may capitalize the first letter, and will replace all underscores with spaces.
To work around this, apply the magic word to both parameters:
This function takes an input string and returns one of two results; the function evaluates to
true if the input string contains an HTML object with
class="error", as generated by other parser functions such as
#time and
#rel2abs, template errors such as loops and recursions, and other "failsoft" parser errors.
{{#iferror: test string | value if error | value if correct }}
One or both of the return strings can be omitted. If the
correct string is omitted, the
test string is returned if it is not erroneous. If the
error string is also omitted, an empty string is returned on an error:
{{#iferror: {{#expr: 1 + 2 }} | error | correct }}→ correct
{{#iferror: {{#expr: 1 + X }} | error | correct }}→ error
{{#iferror: {{#expr: 1 + 2 }} | error }}→ 3
{{#iferror: {{#expr: 1 + X }} | error }}→ error
{{#iferror: {{#expr: 1 + 2 }} }}→ 3
{{#iferror: {{#expr: 1 + X }} }}→
{{#iferror: {{#expr: . }} | error | correct }}→ correct
{{#iferror: a | error | correct }}→ error
This function evaluates a mathematical expression and returns one of two strings depending on the boolean value of the result:
{{#ifexpr: expression | value if true | value if false }}
expression input is evaluated exactly as for
#expr above, with the same operators being available. The output is then evaluated as a boolean expression.
An empty input expression evaluates to
{{#ifexpr: | yes | no}}→ no
As mentioned above, zero evaluates to
false and any nonzero value evaluates to
true, so this function is equivalent to one using
#ifeq and
#expr only:
{{#ifeq: {{#expr: expression }} | 0 | value if false | value if true }}
except for an empty or wrong input expression (an error message is treated as an empty string; it is not equal to zero, so we get
value if true).
{{#ifexpr: = | yes | no }}→ Expression error: Unexpected = operator.
{{#ifeq: {{#expr: = }} | 0 | no | yes }}→ yes
Either or both the return values may be omitted; no output is given when the appropriate branch is left empty:
{{#ifexpr: 1 > 0 | yes }}→ yes
{{#ifexpr: 1 < 0 | yes }}→
{{#ifexpr: 0 = 0 | yes }}→ yes
{{#ifexpr: 1 > 0 | | no}}→
{{#ifexpr: 1 < 0 | | no}}→ no
{{#ifexpr: 1 > 0 }}→
This function takes an input string, interprets it as a page title, and returns one of two values depending on whether or not the page exists on the local wiki.
{{#ifexist: page title | value if exists | value if doesn't exist }}
The function evaluates to
true if the page exists, whether it contains content, is visibly blank (contains meta-data such as category links or magic words, but no visible content), is blank, or is a redirect. Only pages that are redlinked evaluate to
false, including if the page used to exist but has been deleted.
{{#ifexist: Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn | exists | doesn't exist }}→ exists
{{#ifexist: XXHelp:Extension:ParserFunctions/bnXX | exists | doesn't exist }}→ doesn't exist
The function evaluates to
true for system messages that have been customized, and for special pages that are defined by the software.
{{#ifexist: Special:Watchlist | exists | doesn't exist }}→ exists
{{#ifexist: Special:CheckUser | exists | doesn't exist }}→ exists (because the Checkuser extension is installed on this wiki)
{{#ifexist: MediaWiki:Copyright | exists | doesn't exist }}→ exists (because MediaWiki:Copyright has been customized)
If a page checks a target using
#ifexist:, then that page will appear in the Special:WhatLinksHere list for the target page. So if the code
{{#ifexist:Foo }} were included live on this page (Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn), Special:WhatLinksHere/Foo will list Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn.
On wikis using a shared media repository,
#ifexist: can be used to check if a file has been uploaded to the repository but not to the wiki itself:
{{#ifexist: File:Example.png | exists | doesn't exist }}→ doesn't exist
{{#ifexist: Image:Example.png | exists | doesn't exist }}→ doesn't exist
{{#ifexist: Media:Example.png | exists | doesn't exist }}→ exists
If a local description page has been created for the file, the result is exists for all of the above.
#ifexist: does not work with interwiki links.
ifexist limits
#ifexist: is considered an "expensive parser function"; only a limited number of which can be included on any one page (including functions inside transcluded templates). When this limit is exceeded, any further
#ifexist: functions automatically return false, whether the target page exists or not, and the page is categorized into Category:Pages with too many expensive parser function calls. The name of the tracking category may vary depending on the content language of your wiki.
For some use cases it is possible to emulate the ifexist effect with css, by using the selectors
a.new (to select links to unexisting pages) or
a:not(.new) (to select links to existing pages). Furthermore, since the number of expensive parser functions that can be used on a single page is controlled by
$wgExpensiveParserFunctionLimit, one can also increase the limit in LocalSettings.php if needed.
ifexist and wanted pages
A page that does not exist and is tested for using #ifexist will end up on the Wanted Pages.
This function converts a relative file path into an absolute filepath.
{{#rel2abs: path }}
{{#rel2abs: path | base path }}
Within the
path input, the following syntax is valid:
.→ the current level
..→ "go up one level"
/foo→ "go down one level into the subdirectory /foo"
If the
base path is not specified, the full page name of the page will be used instead:
{{#rel2abs: /quok | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ Help:Foo/bar/baz/quok
{{#rel2abs: ./quok | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ Help:Foo/bar/baz/quok
{{#rel2abs: ../quok | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ Help:Foo/bar/quok
{{#rel2abs: ../. | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ Help:Foo/bar
Invalid syntax, such as
/. or
/./, is ignored.
Since no more than two consecutive full stops are permitted, sequences such as these can be used to separate successive statements:
{{#rel2abs: ../quok/. | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ Help:Foo/bar/quok
{{#rel2abs: ../../quok | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ Help:Foo/quok
{{#rel2abs: ../../../quok | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ quok
{{#rel2abs: ../../../../quok | Help:Foo/bar/baz }}→ Error: Invalid depth in path: "Help:Foo/bar/baz/../../../../quok" (tried to access a node above the root node).
This function compares one input value against several test cases, returning an associated string if a match is found.
{{#switch: comparison string | case = result | case = result | ... | case = result | default result }}
{{#switch: baz | foo = Foo | baz = Baz | Bar }}→ Baz
{{#switch: foo | foo = Foo | baz = Baz | Bar }}→ Foo
{{#switch: zzz | foo = Foo | baz = Baz | Bar }}→ Bar
#switch with partial transclusion tags can effect a configuration file that enables an editor unfamiliar with template coding to view and edit configurable elements.
default result is returned if no
case string matches the
comparison string:
{{#switch: test | foo = Foo | baz = Baz | Bar }}→ Bar
In this syntax, the default result must be the last parameter and must not contain a raw equals sign.
{{#switch: test | Bar | foo = Foo | baz = Baz }}→
{{#switch: test | foo = Foo | baz = Baz | B=ar }}→
Alternatively, the default result may be explicitly declared with a
case string of "
{{#switch: comparison string | case = result | case = result | ... | case = result | #default = default result }}
Default results declared in this way may be placed anywhere within the function:
{{#switch: test | foo = Foo | #default = Bar | baz = Baz }}→ Bar
If the
default parameter is omitted and no match is made, no
result is returned:
{{#switch: test | foo = Foo | baz = Baz }}→
Grouping results
It is possible to have 'fall through' values, where several
case strings return the same
result string. This minimizes duplication.
{{#switch: comparison string | case1 = result1 | case2 | case3 | case4 = result234 | case5 = result5 | case6 | case7 = result67 | #default = default result }}
Here cases 2, 3 and 4 all return
result234; cases 6 and 7 both return
Comparison behavior
As with
#ifeq, the comparison is made numerically if both the comparison string and the case string being tested are numeric; or as a case-sensitive string otherwise:
{{#switch: 0 + 1 | 1 = one | 2 = two | three}}→ three
{{#switch: {{#expr: 0 + 1}} | 1 = one | 2 = two | three}}→ one
{{#switch: a | a = A | b = B | C}}→ A
{{#switch: A | a = A | b = B | C}}→ C
case string may be empty:
{{#switch: | = Nothing | foo = Foo | Something }}→ Nothing
Once a match is found, subsequent
cases are ignored:
{{#switch: b | f = Foo | b = Bar | b = Baz | }}→ Bar
|Numerical comparisons with
#switch and
#ifeq are not equivalent to comparisons in expressions (see also above):
Raw equal signs
"Case" strings cannot contain raw equals signs. To work around this, create a template {{=}} containing a single equals sign:
=, or replace equals sign with html code
{{#switch: 1=2
| 1=2 = raw
| 1<nowiki>=</nowiki>2 = nowiki
| 1{{=}}2 = template
| default
}}→ template
{{#switch: 1=2
| 1=2 = html
| default
}}→ html
Note: For a simple real life example of the use of this function, check Template:NBA color. Two complex examples can be found at Template:Extension/bn and w:Template:BOTREQ.
Replacing #ifeq
#switch can be used to reduce expansion depth.
For example:
{{#switch:{{{1}}} |condition1=branch1 |condition2=branch2 |condition3=branch3 |branch4}}
is equivalent to
{{#ifeq:{{{1}}}|condition1 |branch1 |{{#ifeq:{{{1}}}|condition2 |branch2 |{{#ifeq:{{{1}}}|condition3 |branch3 |branch4}}}}}}
i.e. deep nesting, linear:
On the other hand, the switch replacement could be complicated/impractical for IFs nested in both branches (shown with alternatives of indentation, indented on both sides), making full symmetrical tree:
|Current output
(Purge this page's cache to update)
|4-digit year.
|2-digit year.
|1 if it's a leap year, 0 if not.
o[note 1]
|ISO-8601 year of the specified week.[note 2]
|২০২০[note 3]
|Month index, not zero-padded.
|Month index, zero-padded.
|An abbreviation of the month name, in the site language.
|The full month name in the site language.
|Output the full month name in the genitive form for site languages that distinguish between genitive and nominative forms. This option is useful for many Slavic languages like Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Ukrainian, etc.
|For Polish:
{{#time:F Y|June 2010|pl}} → czerwiec 2010
{{#time:d xg Y|20 June 2010|pl}} → 20 czerwca 2010
|Day of the month or the year
|Day of the month, not zero-padded.
|Day of the month, zero-padded.
|Day of the year (January 1 = 0).
Note: To get the ISO day of the year add 1.
|Week and day of the week
|ISO 8601 week number, zero-padded.
|ISO 8601 day of the week (Monday = 1, Sunday = 7).
|Number of the day of the week (Sunday = 0, Saturday = 6).
|An abbreviation for the day of the week. Rarely internationalized.
|The full weekday name. Rarely internationalized.
|"am" during the morning (00:00:00 → 11:59:59), "pm" otherwise (12:00:00 → 23:59:59).
|Uppercase version of
a above.
|Hour in 12-hour format, not zero-padded.
|Hour in 12-hour format, zero-padded.
|Hour in 24-hour format, not zero-padded.
|Hour in 24-hour format, zero-padded.
|Minutes and seconds
|Minutes past the hour, zero-padded.
|Seconds past the minute, zero-padded.
|Unix time. Seconds since January 1 1970 00:00:00 GMT.
|Timezone (as of 1.22wmf2)
|Timezone identifier.
|Whether or not the date is in daylight savings time.
|Difference to Greenwich time (GMT)
|Difference to Greenwich time (GMT), with colon
|Timezone abbreviation.
|Timezone offset in seconds.
|Number of days in the current month.
|ISO 8601 formatted date, equivalent to
|RFC 5322 formatted date, equivalent to
D, j M Y H:i:s +0000, with weekday name and month name not internationalized.
|Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:48:55 +0000
|অগ্রেগরীয় পঞ্জিকাসমূহ
|Day of the month.
|Full month name.
|জমাদিউস সানি
|Month index.
|Full year.
|Iranian (Jalaly)
|Number of days in the month.
|Day of the year.
|Day of the month.
|Full month name.
|Month index.
|Full year.
|2-digit year.
|Day of the month.
|Full month name.
|Number of days in month.
|Genitive form of the month name.
|Month number.
|Full year.
|Thai solar
|Full year in Thai solar calendar.
Note: For years before 1941 the dates in Jan-Mar range are not calculated properly.
|Minguo/Juche year
|Full year.
|Japanese nengo
|Full year.
|Format the next numeric code as a raw ASCII number.
|In the Hindi language,
{{#time:H, xnH}} produces ०६, 06.
xn, but as a toggled flag, which endures until the end of the string or until the next appearance of
xN in the string.
|Format the next number as a roman numeral. Only works for numbers up to 10,000
(upto 3,000 in pre MediaWiki 1.20).
{{#time:xrY}} → MMXX
|Format the next number as a Hebrew numeral.
{{#time:xhY}} → ב'ך'
This parser function takes a date and/or time (in the Gregorian calendar) and formats it according to the syntax given. A date/time object can be specified; the default is the value of the magic word
{{CURRENTTIMESTAMP}} – that is, the time the page was last rendered into HTML.
{{#time: format string }}
{{#time: format string | date/time object }}
{{#time: format string | date/time object | language code }}
{{#time: format string | date/time object | language code | local }}
The list of accepted formatting codes is given in the table to the right. Any character in the formatting string that is not recognized is passed through unaltered; this applies also to blank spaces (the system does not need them for interpreting the codes). There are also two ways to escape characters within the formatting string:
- A backslash followed by a formatting character is interpreted as a single literal character
- Characters enclosed in double quotes are considered literal characters, and the quotes are removed.
In addition, the digraph
xx is interpreted as a single literal "x".
{{#time: Y-m-d }}→ ২০২০-০১-২৯
{{#time: [[Y]] m d }}→ ২০২০ ০১ ২৯
{{#time: [[Y (year)]] }}→ ২০২০ (২০UTCamWed, 29 Jan 2020 11:48:55 +0000)
{{#time: [[Y "(year)"]] }}→ ২০২০ (year)
{{#time: i's" }}→ ৪৮'৫৫"
date/time object can be in any format accepted by PHP's strtotime() function. Both absolute (eg
20 December 2000) and relative (eg
+20 hours) times are accepted.
{{#time: r|now}}→ Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:48:56 +0000
{{#time: r|+2 hours}}→ Wed, 29 Jan 2020 13:48:56 +0000
{{#time: r|now + 2 hours}}→ Wed, 29 Jan 2020 13:48:56 +0000
{{#time: r|20 December 2000}}→ Wed, 20 Dec 2000 00:00:00 +0000
{{#time: r|December 20, 2000}}→ Wed, 20 Dec 2000 00:00:00 +0000
{{#time: r|2000-12-20}}→ Wed, 20 Dec 2000 00:00:00 +0000
{{#time: r|2000 December 20}}→ Error: Invalid time.
language code in ISO 639-3 (?) allows the string to be displayed in the chosen language
{{#time:d F Y|1988-02-28|nl}}→ 28 februari 1988
{{#time:l|now|uk}}→ середа
{{#time:d xg Y|20 June 2010|pl}}→ 20 czerwca 2010
local parameter specifies if the date/time object refers to the local timezone or to UTC.
This is a boolean parameters: its value is determined by casting the value of the argument (see the official PHP documentation for details on how string are cast to boolean values).
$wgLocaltimezone is set to
UTC, there is no difference in the output when
local is set to
true or
See the following examples for details:
{{#time: Y F d H:i:s|now|it|0}}→ 2020 gennaio 29 11:48:56
{{#time: Y F d H:i:s|now|it|1}}→ 2020 gennaio 29 11:48:56
{{#time: Y F d H:i:s|+2 hours||0}}→ ২০২০ জানুয়ারি ২৯ ১৩:৪৮:৫৬
{{#time: Y F d H:i:s|+2 hours||1}}→ ২০২০ জানুয়ারি ২৯ ১৩:৪৮:৫৬
{{#time:c|2019-05-16T17:05:43+02:00|it}}→ 2019-05-16T15:05:43+00:00
{{#time:c|2019-05-16T17:05:43+02:00|it|0}}→ 2019-05-16T15:05:43+00:00
{{#time:c|2019-05-16T17:05:43+02:00|it|true}}→ 2019-05-16T15:05:43+00:00
If you've calculated a Unix timestamp, you may use it in date calculations by pre-pending an
@ symbol.
{{#time: U | now }}→ ১৫৮০২৯৮৫৩৬
{{#time: r | @১৫৮০২৯৮৫৩৫ }}→ Error: Invalid time.
|Without the
@ prefix before numeric timestamp values, the result is an error most of the time, or is an unexpected value:
|The range of acceptable input is 1 January 0111 → 31 December 9999. For the years 100 through 110 the output is inconsistent, Y and leap years are like the years 100-110, r, D, l and U are like interpreting these years as 2000-2010.
Year numbers 0-99 are interpreted as 2000-2069 and 1970-1999, except when written in 4-digit format with leading zeros:
Full or partial absolute dates can be specified; the function will "fill in" parts of the date that are not specified using the current values:
{{#time: Y | January 1 }}→ ২০২০
|The fill-in feature is not consistent; some parts are filled in using the current values, others are not:
{{#time: Y m d H:i:s | 2003 }} → ২০০৩ ০১ ২৯ ০০:০০:০০ Gives the start of the day, but the current day of the year.
A four-digit number is always interpreted as a year, never as hours and minutes:[1]
{{#time: Y m d H:i:s | 1959 }}→ ১৯৫৯ ০১ ২৯ ০০:০০:০০
A six-digit number is interpreted as hours, minutes and seconds if possible, but otherwise as an error (not, for instance, a year and month):
{{#time: Y m d H:i:s | 195909 }}→ ২০২০ ০১ ২৯ ১৯:৫৯:০৯ Input is treated as a time rather than a year+month code.
{{#time: Y m d H:i:s | 196009 }}→ Error: Invalid time. Although 19:60:09 is not a valid time, 196009 is not interpreted as September 1960.
The function performs a certain amount of date mathematics:
{{#time: d F Y | January 0 2008 }}→ ৩১ ডিসেম্বর ২০০৭
{{#time: d F | January 32 }}→ Error: Invalid time.
{{#time: d F | February 29 2008 }}→ ২৯ ফেব্রুয়ারি
{{#time: d F | February 29 2007 }}→ ০১ মার্চ
{{#time:Y-F|now -1 months}}→ ২০১৯-ডিসেম্বর
The total length of the format strings of the calls of
#time is limited to 6000 characters[2].
Time Zone issue
There is a bug in this #time parser function (more specifically in PHP DateTime) that does not allow the passing-in of non-integers as relative time zone offsets. This issue does not apply when using an on-the-hour time zone, such as EDT. For example:
{{#time:g:i A | -4 hours }}→ ৭:৪৮ AM
However, India is on a +5.5 hours time offset from UTC, and thus using its time zone will not normally allow the correct calculation of a relative time zone offset. Here's what happens:
{{#time:g:i A | +5.5 hours }}→ ১১:৪৮ AM
To workaround this issue, simply convert the time into minutes or seconds, like this:
{{#time:g:i A | +330 minutes }}→ ৫:১৮ PM
{{#time:g:i A | +19800 seconds }}→ ৫:১৮ PM
(Tim Starling, the developer of this function, provided the exact syntax for this solution.)
This function is identical to
{{#time: ... }}, when the
local parameter is set to
true, so it always uses the local time of the wiki (as set in $wgLocaltimezone).
Syntax of the function is:
{{#timel: format string }}
{{#timel: format string | date/time object }}
{{#timel: format string | date/time object | language code }}
$wgLocaltimezone is set to
UTC, there is no difference in the output when
local is set to
true or
For instance, see the following examples:
{{#time:c|now|it}}→ 2020-01-29T11:48:56+00:00
{{#time:c|now|it|0}}→ 2020-01-29T11:48:56+00:00
{{#time:c|now|it|1}}→ 2020-01-29T11:48:56+00:00
{{#timel:c|now|it}}→ 2020-01-29T11:48:56+00:00
|Be aware that U for both time and timel will return the same number of seconds since 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC on Wikipedias with different timezones than UTC (formerly known as GMT)
This function separates a page title into segments based on slashes, then returns some of those segments as output.
{{#titleparts: pagename | number of segments to return | first segment to return }}
If the number of segments to return parameter is not specified, it defaults to "0", which returns all the segments from the first segment to return (included). If the first segment to return parameter is not specified or is "0", it defaults to "1":
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok }}→ Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | 1 }}→ Talk:Foo See also {{ROOTPAGENAME}}.
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | 2 }}→ Talk:Foo/bar
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | 2 | 2 }}→ bar/baz
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | | 2 }}→ bar/baz/quok
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | | 5 }}→
Negative values are accepted for both values. Negative values for the number of segments to return parameter effectively 'strips' segments from the end of the string. Negative values for the first segment to return translates to "start with this segment counting from the right":
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | -1 }}→ Talk:Foo/bar/baz Strips one segment from the end of the string. See also {{BASEPAGENAME}}.
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | -4 }}→ Strips all 4 segments from the end of the string
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | -5 }}→ Strips 5 segments from the end of the string (more than exist)
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | | -1 }}→ quok Returns last segment. See also {{SUBPAGENAME}}.
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | -1 | 2 }}→ bar/baz Strips one segment from the end of the string, then returns the second segment and beyond
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bar/baz/quok | -1 | -2 }}→ baz Start copying at the second last element; strip one segment from the end of the string
Before processing, the pagename parameter is HTML-decoded: if it contains some standard HTML character entities, they will be converted to plain characters (internally encoded with UTF-8, i.e. the same encoding as in the MediaWiki source page using this parser function).
- For example, any occurrence of
", or
"in pagename will be replaced by
- No other conversion from HTML to plain text is performed, so HTML tags are left intact at this initial step even if they are invalid in page titles.
{{PAGENAME}} and similar) are known to return strings that are needlessly HTML-encoded, even if their own input parameter was not HTML-encoded:
The titleparts parser function can then be used as a workaround, to convert these returned strings so that they can be processed correctly by some other parser functions also taking a page name in parameter (such as
{{PAGESINCAT:}} but which are still not working properly with HTML-encoded input strings.
For example, if the current page is Category:Côte-d'Or, then:
{{#ifeq: {{FULLPAGENAME}} | Category:Côte-d'Or | 1 | 0 }}, and
{{#ifeq: {{FULLPAGENAME}} | Category:Côte-d'Or | 1 | 0 }}are both returning
1; (the #ifeq parser function does perform the HTML-decoding of its input parameters).
{{#switch: {{FULLPAGENAME}} | Category:Côte-d'Or = 1 | #default = 0 }}, and
{{#switch: {{FULLPAGENAME}} | Category:Côte-d'Or = 1 | #default = 0 }}are both returning
1; (the #switch parser function does perform the HTML-decoding of its input parameters).
{{#ifexist: {{FULLPAGENAME}} | 1 | 0 }},
{{#ifexist: Category:Côte-d'Or | 1 | 0 }}, or even
{{#ifexist: Category:Côte-d'Or | 1 | 0 }}will all return
1if that category page exists (the #ifexist parser function does perform the HTML-decoding of its input parameters);
{{PAGESINCAT: Côte-d'Or }}will return a non-zero number, if that category contains pages or subcategories, but:
{{PAGESINCAT: {{CURRENTPAGENAME}} }}, may still unconditionally return 0, just like:
{{PAGESINCAT: {{PAGENAME|Category:Côte-d'Or}} }}
{{PAGESINCAT: {{PAGENAME|Category:Côte-d'Or}} }}
The reason of this unexpected behavior is that, with the current versions of MediaWiki, there are two caveats:
{{FULLPAGENAME}}, or even
{{FULLPAGENAME|Côte-d'Or}}may return the actually HTML-encoded string
Category:Côte-d'Orand not the expected
Category:Côte-d'Or, and that:
{{PAGESINCAT: Côte-d'Or }}unconditionally returns 0 (the PAGESINCAT magic keyword does not perform any HTML-decoding of its input parameter).
The simple workaround using titleparts (which will continue to work if the two caveats are fixed in a later version of MediaWiki) is:
{{PAGESINCAT: {{#titleparts: {{CURRENTPAGENAME}} }} }}
{{PAGESINCAT: {{#titleparts: {{PAGENAME|Category:Côte-d'Or}} }} }}
{{PAGESINCAT: {{#titleparts: {{PAGENAME|Category:Côte-d'Or}} }} }}, that all return the actual number of pages in the same category.
Then the decoded pagename is canonicalized into a standard page title supported by MediaWiki, as much as possible:
- All underscores are automatically replaced with spaces:
{{#titleparts: Talk:Foo/bah_boo|1|2}}→ bah boo Not bah_boo, despite the underscore in the original.
- The string is split a maximum of 25 times; further slashes are ignored and the 25th element will contain the rest of the string. The string is also limited to 255 characters, as it is treated as a page title:
{{#titleparts: a/b/c/d/e/f/g/h/i/j/k/l/m/n/o/p/q/r/s/t/u/v/w/x/y/z/aa/bb/cc/dd/ee | 1 | 25 }}→ y/z/aa/bb/cc/dd/ee
- If for whatever reason you needed to push this function to its limit, although very unlikely, it is possible to bypass the 25 split limit by nesting function calls:
{{#titleparts: {{#titleparts: a/b/c/d/e/f/g/h/i/j/k/l/m/n/o/p/q/r/s/t/u/v/w/x/y/z/aa/bb/cc/dd/ee| 1 | 25 }} | 1 | 2}}→ z
- Finally the first substring is capitalized according to the capitalization settings of the local wiki (if that substring also starts by a local namespace name, that namespace name is also normalized).
{{#titleparts: talk:a/b/c }}→ Talk:A/b/c
|You can use #titleparts as a small "string parser and converter", but consider that it returns the first substring capitalized:
If lower case is needed, use lc: function to control output:
You can prepend a 'dummy' slash at the beginning of the string to get the correct first substring capitalization (uppercase or lowercase). Use
|Certain characters that are illegal in a page title will cause #titleparts to not parse the string:
|If any part of the title is just "
." or "
..", #titleparts will not parse the string:
|This function does not degrade gracefully if the input exceeds 255 bytes in UTF-8. If the input string is 256 bytes or more, the whole string is returned.
General points
Parser functions can be substituted by prefixing the hash character with
{{subst:#ifexist: Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn | [[Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn]] | Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn }}→ the code
[[Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn]]will be inserted in the wikitext since the page Help:Extension:ParserFunctions/bn exists.
|The results of substituted parser functions are undefined if the expressions contain unsubstituted volatile code such as variables or other parser functions. For consistent results, all the volatile code in the expression to be evaluated must be substituted. See Help:Substitution.
Substitution does not work within
</ref>, you can use
}} for this purpose.
Especially {{
now-…}} could be handy in redirects to pages including dates, but this does not work.
Escaping pipe characters in tables
Parser functions will mangle wikitable syntax and pipe characters (
|), treating all the raw pipe characters as parameter dividers. To avoid this, most wikis used a template Template:! with its contents only a raw pipe character (
|), since MW 1.24 a
{{!}} magic word replaced this kludge. This 'hides' the pipe from the MediaWiki parser, ensuring that it is not considered until after all the templates and variables on a page have been expanded. It will then be interpreted as a table row or column separator. Alternatively, raw HTML table syntax can be used, although this is less intuitive and more error-prone.
You can also escape the pipe character for display as a plain, uninterpreted character using an HTML entity:
| .
|You type
|You get
|Escaping pipe character as table row/column separator
|Escaping pipe character as a plain character
Stripping whitespace
Whitespace, including newlines, tabs, and spaces, is stripped from the beginning and end of all the parameters of these parser functions. If this is not desirable, comparison of strings can be done after putting them in quotation marks.
{{#ifeq: foo | foo | equal | not equal }}→ equal
{{#ifeq: "foo " | " foo" | equal | not equal }}→ not equal
To prevent the trimming of then and else parts, see m:Template:If. Some people achieve this by using <nowiki> </nowiki> instead of spaces.
foo{{#if:|| bar }}foo→ foobarfoo
foo{{#if:||<nowiki /> bar <nowiki />}}foo→ foo bar foo
However, this method can be used to render a single whitespace character only, since the parser squeezes multiple whitespace characters in a row into one.
foo{{#if:||<nowiki></nowiki> bar <nowiki></nowiki>}}foo
→ foo bar foo
In this example, the
white-space: pre style is used to force the whitespace to be preserved by the browser, but even with it the spaces are not shown. This happens because the spaces are stripped by the software, before being sent to the browser.
It is possible to workaround this behavior replacing whitespaces with
  (breakable space) or
(non-breakable space), since they are not modified by the software:
foo{{#if:||   bar   }}foo→ foo bar foo
foo{{#if:|| bar }}foo→ foo bar foo
See also
- Help:Parser functions in templates
- m:Help:Calculation
- m:Help:Newlines and spaces
- m:Help:Comparison between ParserFunctions syntax and TeX syntax
- Help:Magic words
- Module:String obsoleting Extension:StringFunctions
- Extension:PhpTags
- ↑ Prior to r86805 in 2011 this was not the case.
- ↑ ExtParserFunctions.php at phabricator.wikimedia.org


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text:
Safety Tips for Men's Organic Exhibition for Exhibition
Exhibitionism is a common sensual fantasy for men and women. Exposing some of the body's body suddenly can feel the release and sensual thrilling. But showing off must be careful when playing fantasinya. For men, exposure to a male organ can easily become a legal problem, not to mention a moral one. Seeing the sensual organs of others is a sensual act and, as such, requires explicit consent. While it may seem like a most enduring fantasy, one should not forget that satisfying sensual life is important in many areas, from the health of the male organs to the mental well-being. Therefore, it is important for men to learn about safe, legal and moral ways in which they can indulge their desires. (And if that does not work, men should seek help from sensual therapists.) Safety Tips for Men's Organic Exhibition for Exhibition
Rotate Roles
If the idea of exposing oneself in the public sphere is very attractive to a man, he or she may want to find a partner who agrees, or some couple, who should act according to that scenario. They may, for example, place chairs in rows to imitate a bus or train, and "passengers" can engage themselves in reading newspapers or listening to music while showing off unzipping his trousers. He may draw different reactions from different passengers, and how far he takes his exposure depends on his fantasies. She may just want her male organs to be seen; he may want to play with him; He may want someone else physically with him.
This is just one example of role play. Men can do scenarios at the club, on the beach, in the locker room, and others. A man may play with different levels of exposure in every scenario, from touching his maturity to self-indulgence to engaging in sensual activities with one or more partners.
Partner Surprised
If the element of surprise is important to a man, he may want to consider looking for a partner who likes to be surprised. Such a couple may feel the sensation of an unexpected dick photo or enter the room to find an exhibitionist who is suddenly exposed. In such settings, boundaries need to be laid out and made clear. Two people should talk about limits before engaging in any sensual activity, and should touch base along their relationship and update the parameters if necessary. Safety Tips for Men's Organic Exhibition for Exhibition
Find Party / Club
Sometimes there is nothing like a stranger to watch, and a man with such a desire may find fulfillment by attending a club that provides an open space for open or sensual activity. A man may also find himself invited to a party at another like-minded house where couples can gather and enjoy themselves.
Finding out about such places and events may be a difficult part. One resource that can be tried is FetLife, the online community consists mainly of kinksters. Seeing what kind of community in a person's area can be a good place to start. Many communities hold back "snacks" – informal and sensuous meetings to make connections in one's area. One might find himself informed of the places and events he likes at such meetings.
Proper organ care is very important for any man, but the man who likes to get the maximum exposure should pay special attention to what he is dealing with in the prime condition. Along with regular washing, a man should maintain his skin condition by using a healthy male organ quality creme (health experts recommend Man1 Man Oil) every day. Such moisturizers, specially designed for male organs, will keep skin supple and radiant without irritation from harsh chemicals or fragrances. Look for a combination of Shea butter, vitamin E and vitamin C, which will provide plenty of natural hydration while improving the clarity of tissue agility and youthful appearance. Treat members well, and show them proudly! Safety Tips for Men's Organic Exhibition for Exhibition


text:
Pulp & Paper Industry – Pages of a fascinating product
Solutions for the paper industry
It is doubtful that Ts'ai Lun, the Chinese man commonly credited with the discovery of paper, ever imagined that an entire industry would be the result of his discovery. The way he made paper was completely unheard of at the time: he mixed together fishing nets, old rags and tree bark, boiled it into a fibrous pulp, skimmed the pulp with a sieve and as soon as it was dry he pressed it and smoothed it out.
Today, wood is the most important raw material in industrial paper production. The main processes used to obtain wood include the processing of tree trunks into wood chips and subsequent pulp production.
When it comes to the amount of processed timber and when it comes to guaranteeing consistent paper quality, it comes down to the right mixture. This is where KROHNE measuring technology comes into play, especially in difficult applications such as the level measurement of aggressive acids and bases as used in felt washing. Or when measuring the flow of slightly adhesive substances like glue and paste or highly abrasive slurries and pulps.
Many well-known paper manufacturers rely on KROHNE solutions throughout the entire production process – from stock preparation to the sieve and press section right down to reeling and wastewater measurement.


text:
Army Sgt. Adrian Patterson has deployed overseas to a forward operating base to serve in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name given to anti-terrorism military operations involving U.S. troops and allied coalition partners. Active duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces have been deployed to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. U.S. troops serve in South, Southwest and Central Asia, the Arabian peninsula, the Horn of Africa, islands in the Pacific, and Europe.
He is a 2009 graduate of Estero High School, Estero, Fla.


text:
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea nominally is a multiparty constitutional republic; however, in practice President Teodoro Obiang Nguema and the small Mongomo sub-clan of the majority Fang tribe, which has ruled since the country's independence in 1968, dominated the Government. President Obiang, who has ruled since seizing power in a military coup d'etat in 1979, was re-elected with 97.1 percent of the vote and 98 percent of registered voters participating in a December 2002 election marred by extensive fraud and intimidation. The President's Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) controlled the judiciary and the legislature; the latter was chosen in elections in 1999 that were criticized widely by the international community as seriously flawed. The judiciary was not independent.
President Obiang exercises control over the police and security forces through the Minister of the Interior. The Director General of National Security is the President's brother, Armengol Ondo Nguema. Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces; however, there were some instances in which they acted independently of government authority. The security forces committed numerous serious human rights abuses.
Although the 2002 census estimated the population at approximately 1 million, credible estimates put the number at closer to 500,000. The majority of the population lives by subsistence agriculture, supplemented by hunting and fishing. Unemployment and underemployment were very high. Barter was a major aspect of the economy. The gross domestic product has increased substantially in the last 8 years; the rate of growth was approximately 10 to 14 percent during the year. Per capita income was estimated at nearly $5,000; however, most of the growth in income was due to an increase in crude oil production, which averaged more than 350,000 barrels per day during the year. Poor fiscal management and a lack of transparency in public accounting of national finances have undermined the country's economic potential. Oil companies have paved roads in Malabo, upgraded the island's electricity generating system, and funded a variety of health and environment projects designed to improve citizens' well being; however, there was little evidence that the Government used the country's oil wealth for the public good. Most oil wealth appears to be concentrated in the hands of top government officials while the majority of the population remained poor. Most foreign economic assistance was suspended due to the lack of economic reform and the Government's poor human rights record.
The Government's human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, numerous serious problems remained. Citizens' ability to change their government peacefully remained restricted. The security forces committed numerous abuses, including torture, beating, and other physical abuse of prisoners and suspects, which at times resulted in deaths; however, there were fewer reported incidents of torture and abuse than in previous years. Prison conditions remained harsh and life threatening. Prisoners often were tortured to coerce confessions. Members of the security forces generally committed abuses with impunity. Security forces used arbitrary arrest, detention, and incommunicado detention. The judicial system repeatedly failed to ensure due process. The Government released more than 30 political prisoners during the year. The Government restricted the right to privacy. The Government severely restricted freedom of speech and of the press. The Government continued to restrict the rights of assembly and association and limit freedom of religion and movement. There were no effective domestic human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Violence and discrimination against women remained serious problems. Discrimination against ethnic minorities, particularly the Bubi ethnic group, and foreigners continued. The Government restricted labor rights. Child labor persisted and forced prison labor was used. There were reports of trafficking in persons.
a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life
There were no reports of political killings; however, security forces killed several persons through abuse and excessive force. For example, on July 2, border guards shot and killed Ana Isabel Sanchez Torralba, a Spanish aid worker, after firing on a bus that pulled away from a roadblock in Bata.
There were no developments in the 2002 killings by security forces of Juan Odo Nguema, Dimas Bueriberi, and Luis Obiang. In addition, there were no developments in the 2002 deaths by torture of three prisoners at the Black Beach prison.
The Government did not prosecute any members of the security forces considered responsible for extrajudicial killings in previous years, nor is it likely to do so.
b. Disappearance
There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances.
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
The law mandates respect for the liberty and dignity of persons, but does not specifically prohibit torture, cruel, or inhuman punishment, and members of the security forces tortured, beat, and otherwise abused suspects, prisoners, and opposition politicians. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) Special Representative Gustav Gallon has described torture as a "normal means of investigation." The Government does not provide medical care to prisoners or detainees.
Unlike in the previous year, there were no reports of deaths of prisoners due to torture and abuse by prison authorities.
There were reports that officials tortured opposition political activists prior to the 2002 coup trial. There were numerous reports that police authorities tied prisoners' arms and legs behind their backs and suspended them from a bar. During the trial, there was evidence that prisoners suffered dislocated wrists and elbows, and many walked with a limp.
Torture commonly was used to extract forced confessions, particularly from the group of 144 alleged coup plotters arrested in March 2002. For example, Felipe Ondo Obiang, leader of the banned Republican Democratic Front (FDR), reportedly was tortured at Black Beach Prison in Malabo and at Evinayong Prison, where he was moved without notice on June 9 (see Section 1.d.). His whereabouts were unknown for more than a day. According to reports, Ondo Obiang was chained to a wall by his leg in late July. He has reportedly received no treatment for medical problems including a swollen leg, frequent severe head pain, earaches, and depression.
Local authorities singled out foreigners from neighboring countries for harassment such as verbal intimidation and arbitrary arrest. Police routinely extorted money from citizens of Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
Security forces continued to harass oil company employees during the year (see Section 1.d.).
No action was taken against members of the security forces responsible for the following 2002 cases of abuse: The July beating at Black Beach prison of Bibiana Mico and the beating of an oil company employee for refusing to pay a bribe.
The conditions of jails and prisons in the country remained harsh and life threatening; inmates were not provided with food, medical care, working toilets, drinkable water, clean and healthful living space, and minimum equipment, such as beds. There were credible reports that conditions at Black Beach prison continued to improve; however, there also were credible reports that prison authorities tortured prisoners. Placido Mico, secretary general of Union for Social Democracy (CPDS), who was released in August under an amnesty (see Section 1.d.), described prison conditions as overcrowded, with prisoners kept in cells the size of cupboards. They were only allowed out for 1 to 2 minutes a day and forced to do labor. However, Mico said conditions had improved during the year, and he was allowed regular visits from his family.
Prison authorities and male prisoners sexually assaulted female prisoners. Credible reports were received of police gang-raping female prisoners in Malabo. Prisoners were used habitually as labor and as workers on construction projects for certain officials, without pay or other compensation. There were unconfirmed reports that judges used prisoners as domestic workers.
Male and female prisoners were not held in separate facilities, nor were juveniles held separately from adult prisoners. Pretrial detainees and political prisoners were not held separately from convicted prisoners.
Based on an October 2002 agreement with the Government, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited detainees and prisoners at prisons and police stations three times during the year. The ICRC historically has made recommendations to the Government. In the past, the government-controlled National Commission on Human Rights of Equatorial Guinea (CNDH) has reported that jail and prison conditions were harsh. Although the CNDH reported that prisoners were not mistreated, CNDH reports indicated there were food shortages and a lack of medical care. CNDH officials have taken partial credit for the improved conditions at Black Beach Prison.
d. Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile
There were nominal legal procedural safeguards regarding detention, the requirement for search warrants, and other protection of citizens' rights; however, security forces systematically ignored these safeguards, and continued to arrest and detain persons arbitrarily and with impunity. Security forces often detained individuals "on orders from superiors" without any further formality.
Responsibility for policing is divided between the police, who are primarily responsible for security in urban centers, and the gendarmes, who have responsibility for the areas outside the cities and for special events within cities. Both are under the control of the Ministry of Interior. Corruption is endemic within these forces. Members of the security forces were rarely held accountable for abuses; impunity for police officers and gendarmes was a problem. There were no known reforms of the security forces proposed or enacted during the year.
In December, police arrested more than 30 civilian members of the Mongomo sub-clan and military personnel in Bata following rumors of a planned coup. They were reportedly transferred to Black Beach Prison in Malabo where they remained at year's end.
Police routinely detained prisoners incommunicado. Foreigners from neighboring countries sometimes were targeted for arbitrary mistreatment and random arrest (see Section 1.c.).
During the year, security forces harassed oil company employees. For example, in August, police arrested and detained for 2 hours two expatriates and asked then to pay $100,000 (50 million CFA francs) to settle a dispute between their company and the Labor Ministry. They were not permitted to contact their embassies or lawyers.
Expatriate religious workers also were subject to harassment, ranging from demands for special documents and fees when entering the country to imprisonment. On April 25, Paul Young Hwa Stephan, whose parents were missionaries with the Unification Church in Malabo, was arrested and held without formal charge for 26 days at the central police station in Malabo. He had entered the country with a valid passport and an expired residency permit. Police informed Stephan's family that he would be released if they paid a bribe of approximately $1,000 (500,000 CFA francs). The family did not pay the bribe. After a 26-day detention and an intervention with the Government by a Western diplomat, Stephan was released.
During the year, authorities reportedly detained members of political opposition parties for short periods. Some political detentions lasted more than a few months. It was difficult to estimate the number of political detainees, although it was believed to be fewer than 100 persons. The Government used the psychological effects of arrest, along with the fear of beatings and harassment, to intimidate opposition party officials and members.
FDR leader Felipe Ondo Obiang, arrested in March 2002 in connection with an alleged coup plot, was detained at Black Beach Prison in Malabo until June 9, when he was moved to Evaniyong Prison on the mainland where he remained at year's end (see Section 1.c.). It was believed that fellow opposition leader Guillermo Nguema Ela remained detained at Black Beach Prison at year's end.
Security forces detained relatives of prisoners and criminal suspects in an attempt to force the prisoners or suspects to cooperate (see Section 1.f.).
The Constitution does not permit forced exile; however, the Government used forced internal exile, including against five men reportedly restricted to Mongomo (see Section 1.f.). The Government did not use forced external exile; however, some persons have fled the country for political reasons. During the year, President Obiang urged exiled opposition figures to return to the country and to legalize their parties. The leaders of National Resistance of Equatorial Guinea Group reported that their attempts to return to the country were unsuccessful, and there were no reports of returnees during the year.
e. Denial of Fair Public Trial
The Constitution provides for judicial independence; however, the judiciary was not independent. Judges served at the pleasure of the President, and they were appointed, transferred, and dismissed for political reasons. Judicial corruption was widespread.
The court system is composed of lower provincial courts, two appeals courts, a military tribunal, and a Supreme Court. The President appoints members of the Supreme Court, who report to him and take their orders from him in practice. The President was the most powerful influence on the judicial branch. There were no objective criteria for the selection of judges below the Supreme Court; the law allows the Ministry of Justice to undertake periodic inspections and name judges. Some judges were regularly absent from their posts, resulting in delays in judicial proceedings. As a result of these absences, prisoners often remained in detention at police stations awaiting hearings for longer than the 72 hours prescribed by law; in addition, jails became even more overcrowded and unsanitary (see Section 1.c.). The Parliament's Complaints Commission was a de facto judicial authority, although it had no formal legal jurisdiction. According to local media, the Parliament's president acted as a court of last resort.
Tribal elders adjudicated civil claims and minor criminal matters in traditional courts in the countryside.
The Constitution and laws provide for legal representation in trials and the right to appeal; however, in practice the authorities often did not respect these provisions. Civil cases rarely came to public trial. Cases involving national security were tried by a military tribunal. Cases that essentially were political in nature frequently were referred to military courts, even when the defendants were civilians and the charges were not related to the military. The Code of Military Justice permits persons who disobey a military authority to be tried in a military tribunal whether or not they are military personnel. Military courts did not provide due process or other procedural safeguards, and proceedings were not made public.
In May 2002, a special tribunal convicted 68 prisoners and their relatives and sentenced them from 6 to 20 years in prison for a purported coup d'etat plot against President Obiang. There were numerous irregularities associated with the trial, including evidence of torture and a lack of substantive proof (see Section 1.c.). Since the trial, the presiding judge has been appointed to the Supreme Court. On August 3, the Government released CPDS Secretary General Placido Mico from prison as part of a general amnesty for 31 people convicted in May 2002 of coup conspiracy. The pardons, announced on the eve of the 24th anniversary of President Obiang's seizure of power in a coup, were granted on the condition that none of the pardoned men commit "crimes or errors" under amnesty for a period of 10 years. Of the approximately 144 persons tried in May 2002 for coup conspiracy, 76 were acquitted, 30 were pardoned in October 2002, 31 were pardoned in August, and 3 died in 2002, reportedly of injuries received during detention and interrogation. Members of the Bubi group, convicted following a 1998 revolt in Luba, were also included in the August amnesty.
Even with these releases, the Government continued to hold a number of political prisoners.
f. Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence
The law prohibits such actions; however, the Government did not respect these prohibitions in practice. There continued to be reports that security forces regularly searched homes and arrested occupants without warrants, generally with impunity.
There continued to be reports of government surveillance of members of the opposition parties and of foreign diplomats. During the year, journalists and citizens continued to report that they strongly suspected monitoring of their telephone calls and e-mails by the Government.
In December, police in Malabo rounded up a significant number of foreign nationals, mostly West Africans, to review their immigration status. Most were quickly released, although many complained about having to pay "fees" of $100 to $200 (50,000 to 100,000 CFA francs) to gain their release.
In 2002, approximately 500 Cameroonians were displaced or repatriated following a new government policy to prevent foreign nationals from benefiting from increasing petroleum wealth.
In December, one government official and one member of the legislature fled to Spain and requested asylum. It was unclear if they left because of criminal or political problems. In January 2002, UP Secretary General Nguema reported that authorities gave seven high ranking military officials, who had been forced to retire because of their affiliation with the UP, 4 days to leave Malabo for their respective villages. Nguema said the injunction was "without apparent reason" and contravened an accord signed by the Government prohibiting extrajudicial confinement. The officials reportedly went back to their villages voluntarily.
Membership in the PDGE generally was a prerequisite for hiring and promotion, both in the public and private sectors. Membership in a rival political organization was considered grounds for dismissal from any position, public or private. Opposition politicians who were not participating in the Government often claimed to have been dismissed from their jobs after joining alternate political groups.
Security forces detained relatives of prisoners and criminal suspects in an attempt to force the prisoners or suspects to cooperate. For example, during the March 2002 arrests of 144 alleged coup plotters, family members of Felipe Ondo Obiang, including his pregnant niece, were detained incommunicado and tortured.
Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including:
a. Freedom of Speech and the Press
The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press; however, the Government severely restricted these rights in practice. Journalists practiced self-censorship.
The Government did not tolerate criticism of public institutions and public sector mismanagement and permitted no criticism of the President or the security forces. Expatriates dependent on the Government did not voice complaints about the frequent abuses against them, ranging from the police demanding bribes for imaginary offenses to city, provincial, and federal officials extorting money for "licenses" for which there was no statutory basis. Complaints about official conduct in the country continued to be accompanied by requests not to be identified to avoid reprisals.
Radio was the most important and influential medium of mass communication. During the year, the Government continued to effectively dominate domestic radio broadcasting. It owned and operated the station Radio Malabo. In July, state radio described President Obiang as "the country's God" who has all power over men and things. The program said the President is in permanent contact with the Almighty and "can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account." The President's son, Teodorino Obiang Nguema, who also was Minister of Forestry, Environment, and Fisheries, owned the only private local radio station, Radio Asonga. The Government has not approved the other applications for private radio stations that have been pending for several years.
The only domestic television station was government-controlled, and broadcast only a few hours a day. Television Asonga, owned by President Obiang and run by his son in coordination with Radio Asonga, broadcast by cable only in Bata. Foreign cable television was available, and provided the Cable News Network, French news, movies, sports events, and cartoons; however, relatively few citizens could afford cable. Satellite reception increasingly was available.
International electronic media was available and included Radio France International, which broadcast in Malabo, and Radio Exterior, the international short-wave service from Spain. Radio Exterior often broadcast news about the country and interviews with opposition politicians and was virtually the only means for the opposition to disseminate its views and positions widely. Its editorials, like those of most of the Spanish media, frequently were highly critical of the Government. The Government regularly accused Radio Exterior, sometimes with justification, of misrepresenting the situation in the country.
All journalists must be registered with the Ministry of Information. According to the Ministry, in 2001, there were 18 independent reporters registered, and between 35 and 45 reporters employed by the PDGE or the Government. Foreign journalists were allowed to travel and report independently. The law requires foreign media to obtain ministerial accreditation before entering the country. During the year, the Government permitted a crew of investigative journalists and cameramen from a foreign news program to report on the country. President Obiang and other members of the Government consented to on-camera interviews.
On November 2, police in Malabo arrested Rodrigo Angue Nguema, a correspondent for Agence France Presse, after he filed an October 29 report about an alleged coup plot. The Information Minister said publicly that the report was "completely wrong." Police filed no charges against Nguema and detained him at the central police station for 8 days. The prosecutor's office requested that Nguema remain available for further questioning. During the 2002 trial of alleged coup plotters, police authorities banned Nguema from entering the courtroom, even after Nguema showed his press card.
The law authorizes government censorship of all publications. The Ministry sometimes required publishers to submit copy for approval prior to publication during the year. In addition, all local publications exercised self-censorship and were subject to prior restraint.
The Government generally withheld access to domestic broadcasting from opposition parties and rarely referred to the opposition in anything but negative terms when broadcasting the news.
The Association of the Press of Equatorial Guinea (ASOPGE), prevented in previous years from organizing exhibitions and conferences, reported more freedom during the year and organized at least one conference and several other events. ASOPGE president Pedro Nolasco Ndong remained outside the country. Roberto Martin Prieto was the acting head of the association.
The Government did not appear to restrict Internet access; however, it was expensive, and computer ownership was not widespread. Private cyber cafes provided fairly reliable Internet access. In 2002, Reporters without Borders noted that several associative and political journalists complained of increasing difficulties accessing the Internet. There was one Internet service provided, which was affiliated with the Government.
The Government did not restrict academic freedom.
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association
The Constitution provides for the right of assembly; however, the Government restricted this right in practice. Government authorization must be obtained for private home meetings of more than 10 persons for discussions that the Government considers political in nature. Although the Government formally has abolished permit requirements for party meetings within party buildings, in practice, opposition parties must inform the authorities in order to hold gatherings of any kind, regardless of location. Security forces generally monitored gatherings in public places, even small gatherings. The Government required notification for public events; however, it usually granted permission for such events.
In 2002, the Government required the Catholic NGO Autonomous Rural Development (DAR) in the diocese of Ebibeyin to inform the locally appointed official delegate of each board meeting. The DAR complied with the requirement and received permission to meet, but the local delegate insisted on being present during the meetings. Subsequently, the DAR avoided the Ebibeyin order by meeting in Bata. During the year, there were no reports of problems between DAR and Ebibeyin officials.
The Constitution provides for the right of association; however, the Government restricted this right in practice. The law prohibits the formation of political parties along ethnic lines. The law prohibits coalitions between political parties; however, five opposition groups formed a coalition (see Section 3). Opposition party members complained of disruption of meetings.
There were 12 political parties that the Government called "opposition parties"; 11 have allied themselves with the ruling PDGE. The Government pointed to these opposition parties as examples of the country's multiparty democracy.
The Government reportedly applied pressure to persuade opposition members or officials from most, but not all, opposition parties to join the PDGE party; opposition members joining the PDGE during the year suggested that such practices persisted. Reportedly the Government bribed members of the opposition.
A number of opposition parties, including the FDR still were seeking recognition at year's end.
c. Freedom of Religion
The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice.
The law includes a stated official preference for the Catholic Church and the Reform Church of Equatorial Guinea due to their traditional roots and historic influence in the social and cultural life. For example, a Roman Catholic Mass normally was part of any major ceremonial function, such as the October 12 national day.
A religious organization must be formally registered with the Ministry of Justice and Religion before its religious activities are allowed. While religious groups must be approved and registered to function legally, there were no reports during the year that the Government had refused to register any group. The approval process usually takes several years, due primarily to general bureaucratic slowness and not as the result of a policy designed to impede the operation of any religious group.
The Government continued to restrict the freedom of expression of the clergy, particularly regarding any open criticism of the Government. During the year, church representatives reported that they practiced self-censorship on these issues. The Government required permission for any religious activity outside the church building, but in practice this requirement did not appear to hinder organized religious groups.
Religious study was required in schools and was usually, but not exclusively, Catholic.
For a more detailed discussion, see the 2003 International Religious Freedom Report.
d. Freedom of Movement Within the Country, Foreign Travel, Emigration, and Repatriation
The law provides for these rights; however, the Government limited them in practice. Local police routinely extorted bribes from occupants of vehicles traveling outside the capital. The police routinely stopped citizens at roadblocks, subjected them to searches, and extorted money from them. Police and solders continued to target foreigners (see Section 1.c.). The Government justified these roadblocks as customs controls to compensate for its inability to control the country's borders effectively. These checkpoints effectively restricted the freedom of movement of members of the opposition.
All citizens were required to obtain permission to travel abroad from the local Police Commissioner, and some members of opposition parties were denied this permission. Those who did travel abroad sometimes were interrogated upon their return. Exit visa were no longer required for citizens traveling outside the country.
The Government also provides temporary protection to certain individuals who fall outside of the definition of the 1951 U.N. Convention Related to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol.
Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens to Change their Government
The Constitution provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully; however, in practice there have been no free, fair, and transparent elections since independence in 1968. The President exercised strong powers as head of state, commander of the armed forces, and leader of the government party, the PDGE. Impeachment of the head of state is forbidden in the Constitution. Leadership positions within the Government in general were restricted to the President's Mongomo sub-clan of the Fang ethnic group and its closest supporters. The Government completely dominated the elected Chamber of Deputies, and the Minister of the Interior also acted as President of the National Electoral Board.
President Obiang won the December 2002 election, with 97.1 percent of the vote and 98 percent of registered voters participating. Opposition leaders charged that census results showing a twofold population increase were flawed and that numbers were inflated to perpetuate election fraud. Prior to the elections, there were reports that arrests and harassment of opposition party members increased. Four of the leading opposition candidates published a statement that rejected the vote and called for new elections. There were widespread reports of irregularities on election day, including intimidation at the polls. For example, in some towns, commission members gathered voters and asked whether any intended to vote for the opposition. When none responded affirmatively, their votes were counted for the President. Voters were discouraged from voting in secret, ballots were opened, and ruling party representatives reportedly cast votes in their own right as well as on behalf of minor children and the deceased. There also were reports that security forces intimidated voters by their presence in polling booths. The European Union (EU) expressed concern regarding the democratic process, severely criticized the way the presidential election was carried out, and recommended that the Government invite the U.N. or the EU to send an electoral assistance mission.
The most recent legislative elections were held in 1999. International observers considered them seriously flawed and characterized by numerous irregularities and restrictions on the ability of the opposition to campaign. Roadblocks impeded the opposition's ability to travel, and opposition leaders were detained intermittently and sometimes mistreated, tortured, or assessed stiff fines. The UP and CPDS opposition parties won 5 of the 80 seats, refused to take their seats in the new legislature, and called for the results to be annulled and new elections held. Legislative elections are scheduled for March 2004.
In late August, the Government invited representatives of the 13 political parties to a 4-day meeting in Mbini to discuss democratization. In November, the Government enacted legislation implementing the accord reached at the August meeting, mandating secret ballots in elections, increasing the number of representatives in the legislature from 80 to 100, and undertaking to complete the electoral registers and hand out voter registration cards prior to convoking the elections. The stated objective in increasing the number of members of the legislature was to give opposition parties a greater opportunity for representation. The Government made virtually no effort to implement an earlier pact to create a multiparty electoral commission and an observance commission to monitor compliance with the agreement and to end various other political and electoral abuses. In 2002, arrests of CPDS and UP party leaders further undermined the Government's claims that it abided by the pact, as did its continued restrictions on freedom of movement and the continued lack of access to government media by the opposition (see Sections 2.a. and 2.d.).
The electoral law prohibits coalitions between political parties; however, at year's end, all legal political parties except the CPDS were aligned with and were part of the Government. Significant segments of the political opposition either remained banned or had yet to be recognized by the Government by year's end.
During the year, the Government moved its executive seat from Malabo to Bata for 6 months in an effort to provide more of a presence on the mainland. Ministers and key party officials moved, but the bureaucratic infrastructure remained in Malabo.
There were no legal restrictions on the participation of women or minorities in politics. There were 5 women in the 80-member legislature and 3 women in the 41-member cabinet.
Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
There were no effective domestic human rights NGOs. The law restricts NGOs and identifies specific areas in which they may operate; human rights were not one of these areas.
There were no local NGOs, other than the government-controlled CNDH, that monitored respect for fundamental human rights throughout the country. The CNDH concentrated primarily on prison conditions. Unconfirmed sources have said that the Parliament appointed CNDH members.
No international human rights NGOs were resident in the country; however, there were signs of improvement in the relations between some international organizations and the Government during the year. In 2002, the Government signed a convention providing the ICRC regular prison access (see Section 1.c.).
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) confined its programming to health-related issues, citing safety concerns for staff and partners. There have been allegations from CRS, Reporters Without Borders, and the Center for Rural Development that NGO representatives visiting Malabo have had their movements, calls, e-mails, and faxes monitored.
Unlike in the previous year, security forces did not arrest aid workers or deny requests from NGOs to enter the country.
In August, the EU opened an office in Malabo to coordinate human rights and other issues.
In April 2002, the CNDH terminated the mandate of UNHRC Special Representative Gustavo Gallon, despite protest from the international community and the former Special Representative himself. Advisory and technical support in the area of human rights continued.
Section 5 Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Disability, Language, or Social Status
The Constitution prohibits all forms of discrimination; however, both governmental and societal discrimination against women and ethnic minorities continued. Persons with HIV/AIDS were victims of societal discrimination and often kept their illnesses hidden.
Domestic and other societal violence against women, particularly wife beating, was common. The public beating of wives was forbidden by government decree; however, violence in the home generally was tolerated. The Government does not prosecute perpetrators of domestic violence. Women were subjected to sexual abuse both from the authorities and other prisoners while in detention (see Section 1.c.).
Prostitution is illegal; however, the massive influx of single foreign men in the petroleum sector contributed to an increasing prevalence of prostitution. During periodic crackdowns, police arrested prostitutes but allowed their clients, generally expatriates, to go free.
Although the Constitution provides for equal rights, women largely were confined by custom to traditional roles, particularly in agriculture. Polygyny, which was widespread among the Fang, contributed to women's secondary status, as did limited educational opportunity.
There was no discrimination against women in formal inheritance and family law; however, in the Fang, Ndowe, and Bisio cultures, primogeniture was practiced. Because women become members of their husband's family upon marriage, they usually were not accorded inheritance rights. When the husband dies, a widow either remains with his family in a dependent, marginalized position, or she returns the dowry and leaves with nothing.
For an estimated 90 percent of women, including virtually all ethnic groups except the Bubi, tradition dictates that if a marriage is dissolved, the wife (or her father or brother) must return the dowry given to her family by the bridegroom at the time of marriage. Tradition also dictates that if a girl's family accepts a dowry from a man, she must then marry him, regardless of her wishes. If the marriage does not take place, the family is required by tradition to return the dowry, which they sometimes cannot do, which could lead to imprisonment of the bride or a family member for the debt. The law protects women from imprisonment for not repaying the dowry following divorce; however, in practice, many divorced women faced intense family pressure to repay the dowry. If a marriage dissolves, the husband also automatically receives custody of all children born after the marriage, while the mother maintains custody of all children born prior to the marriage.
According to the law, women have the right to buy and sell property and goods; however, in practice, the male-dominated society permitted few women access to sufficient funds to engage in more than petty trading or to purchase real property beyond a garden plot or modest home.
Child prostitution existed but was rare.
Child labor existed primarily in the form of children working as farmhands and market vendors in family businesses.
Persons with Disabilities
There was no constitutional or legal provision to protect persons with disabilities from discrimination in employment, education, or the provision of other state services. While there was no formal evidence of discrimination against persons with disabilities, anecdotal evidence suggested that basic care may be withheld when children have disfiguring diseases such as polio. The law does not mandate access for persons with disabilities to buildings.
National/Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Discrimination against ethnic or racial minorities was not legal, and the Government did not overtly limit their participation in politics; however, the monopolization of political power by the President's Mongomo sub-clan of the Fang ethnic group persisted. In practice, some members of ethnic minorities faced discrimination because they were not members of the Fang ethnic group, or belonged to a Fang sub-clan other than the President's. Differences among clans of the Fang ethnic group, in particular, resentment of the political dominance of the Mongomo clan, also were sources of significant political tensions.
In July 2002, police began forcing approximately 500 Cameroonians out of Malabo following a new government policy to prevent foreign nationals from benefiting from increasing petroleum wealth.
Several thousand citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone Africa continued to reside in the country. Most were small traders and businesspersons. The police reportedly continued to harass and extort money from them as well as harassing asylum seekers on an individual basis.
Section 6 Worker Rights
a. The Right of Association
The Constitution provides for the right to organize unions; however, the Small Farmers Syndicate, was the country's only legally recognized labor union. According to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the Government has never allowed the registration of unions; as a result, the Equatorial Guinea Trade Union has been forced to carry out its activities in secret. There were a few cooperatives with limited power. The law stipulates that a union must have at least 50 members who are from a specific workplace and located in the same geographic area to register; this effectively blocked union formation. The CPDS tried unsuccessfully to legalize its affiliated Syndicated Workers' Union, and an independent union, Independent Syndicated Services, was denied registration despite having met the requirements of the law.
A law has never been enacted to govern unions for civil servants.
During the year, the country's major private employer, the oil industry, which was dominated by foreign firms, continued to take steps to reduce government control of hiring in the industry. Companies employed methods ranging from public advertising of jobs and objective testing to screening of applicants by noncitizens only, to eliminate political bias in the hiring process. According to regional representatives of the International Labor Organization (ILO), these efforts largely have been ineffective, and the Government continued to influence employment in all sectors.
There were instances when the Government retaliated against political opponents by compelling their employers to dismiss them.
In 2001, an ILO team met with the Government to discuss reform of the country's labor laws and ILO assistance for labor inspectors; however, no subsequent action has been taken.
There was no law prohibiting anti-union discrimination.
Labor unions may affiliate with international bodies; however, there were no reports of such affiliation during the year.
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively
The law provides workers the right to organize and bargain collectively; however, the Government placed practical obstacles before groups wishing to organize. The Government and employers set wages, with little or no participation by workers. There was no evidence of collective bargaining by any group; however, the Labor Ministry sometimes mediated labor disputes.
The law provides for the right to strike; however, there were no strikes during the year. The Labor Code contains provisions to uphold worker rights, but the Government generally did not enforce them, in part because of inadequate staffing in the Ministry of Labor. Apart from the Labor Ministry, workers had few other places to seek redress. Members of the National Assembly reportedly tried to mediate employer-worker disputes over wages or dismissals; however, they had no legal authority to do so.
There are no export processing zones.
c. Prohibition of Forced or Bonded Labor
The law forbids forced or bonded labor, including by children, and slavery; however, detainees and convicted felons performed extensive labor outside prison, including for prison officials, without compensation (see Section 1.c.).
There were reports that forced child labor occurred (see Section 6.f.).
d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment
The legal minimum age for employment was 14 years, but the Ministry of Labor did not enforce this law, and child labor was common particularly on family farms and businesses. The Government also did not enforce the law that stipulates mandatory education through primary school. Underage youth performed both family farm work and street vending. While the Ministry of Labor was responsible for the enforcement of labor legislation, the Government did not have a comprehensive policy on child labor.
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work
Employers must pay the minimum wages set by the Government, and most companies pay more than the government-established minimum wage. Early in the year, the Government introduced a two-tier system creating a separate wage system for private sector workers inside and outside of the oil sector. The minimum monthly wage for all private sector workers was approximately $154.00 (77,000 CFA francs). Within each group (oil and non-oil), a multi-tiered system of classification was created, and workers were graded according to education-level, skills, and experience, and the wages increased according to these factors. Companies subcontracted to the oil industry were considered part of the petroleum sector. High-level professional employees of international companies received salaries near to or the same as expatriate workers. Any additional task or duty added to a worker's responsibility required the worker to receive a minimum increase of 25 percent of base pay, and workers received such increases in practice. Neither the minimum wage law nor these additional requirements applied to public sector workers who generally were much more poorly paid. The minimum wage was generally sufficient to provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family.
The law prescribes a standard 35-hour workweek and a 48-hour rest period, which were observed in practice in the formal economy.
The Labor Code provides for comprehensive protection for workers from occupational hazards; however, the Government did not enforce this in practice. The Government had an insufficient number of labor inspectors to oversee local industry. The Government continued training more inspectors during the year.
Employees who protested unhealthy or dangerous working conditions risked losing their jobs.
f. Trafficking in Persons
The law does not prohibit trafficking in persons, and there continued to be reports that the country increasingly was a destination and transit point for trafficked persons.
Children primarily were trafficked into the urban labor sector in Malabo and Bata, mostly from Benin and Nigeria. Nigerian boys worked in market stalls in Bata, often without pay or personal freedom. In 2001, UNICEF reported that the country served as a transit point for children who were trafficked to Gabon. The country was both a destination and a transit point for trafficked women, mostly from Cameroon, Benin, and Nigeria. Women were trafficked for prostitution, especially to Malabo.
The Government has undertaken a project to provide protection and assistance to trafficked and at-risk children, which included construction of two shelters in 2002. Over the past few years, the Government has offered to repatriate and provide assistance to trafficking victims. The Government cooperated with NGOs that provided services to victims and at-risk women and children. In terms of prevention, the Government sponsored radio announcements to promote the law forbidding employment of children under the age of 14 years. The Government also requested the support of international organizations to finance a national study on child trafficking, and to identify measures for its eradication. The Government sent representatives to Libreville to attend a regional conference on trafficking in persons in 2002.


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Valentine's Day Spending Expected to Soar This Year
Americans shelled out more for holiday presents last year, and it looks like that trend will carry over to Valentine's Day — analysts expect spending on gifts like flowers, candy, cards and jewelry to rise eight percent compared to numbers seen in 2011.
In addition, four million Americans are expected to propose marriage — or be the recipient of such a proposal — on the traditionally romantic holiday.
Among them, nearly half think dropping $1,000 to $5,000 on an engagement ring is appropriate. But there are still some big-spenders out there — five percent thought $10,000 or more for the bling was a better number.
The American Express poll of 2,000 US adults about their planned spending on Valentine's Day also found about half of respondents plan to dine at a favorite restaurant, a 7 percent boost over last year.
The most popular gifts? Flowers, followed by gift cards, jewelry and electronics.