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23 October 2018
Landslide victory for Bhutan's centre-left party following peaceful general elections
This is only the third democratic elections to take place in the tiny, landlocked South Asian country since it abolished its Monarchy and adopted a new constitution in 2008.
As China legalizes Xinjiang ‘re-education camps’, Weibo netizens cheer on
China has switched its public relations tactics from denying to defending the camps, and the u-turn immediately reflected back on the social media conversation.
19 October 2018
White saviors, Liberian schools
For some African nations, the allure of outsourcing their education systems to well-funded foreign NGOs is hard to resist. But it's the most vulnerable who end up paying the price.
Serbian authorities clamp down on a health charity after it exposed state negligence
The methods of pressure against Serbian civil society organizations bear resemblance to those used by governments in Central and Eastern Europe, in particular in neighboring Hungary and Macedonia.
18 October 2018
Six red carnations and one severed ram’s head: Deadly threats sent to Russian independent newspaper
The recipient of these grisly messages, the independent investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta, holds the record for the most of its reporters murdered on the job: six, including Anna Politkovskaya.
For Calypso History Month in Trinidad and Tobago, six tunes for the #metoo era
In a genre that has often painted women in a negative light, the tunes that broke the mould are etched forever in the national consciousness.
How much blood will the right to vote cost Afghans?
Elections set for October 20 are a cause for celebration but also an excuse for militants to ramp up attacks.
17 October 2018
Nationwide far-right protests in Japan met with vigorous anti-racism opposition
The main organizing force behind the racist marches is Japan First Party, a political party founded in 2016 who is the direct successor of a much older anti-Korean hate group.
Macedonian propagandist calls for rape of female journalist, sparking outrage
The threat came from Cvetin Chilimanov, a well-known propagandist and dogged promoter of Macedonia's former ruling party.
Hong Kong Free Expression Week features Umbrella Movement activists and political cartoonist Badiucao
In recent years, Hong Kongers who support democratic rights and territorial independence have faced fierce repression.
16 October 2018
When will Egypt release photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan?
More than one month after a Cairo court verdict that many saw as the end to his ordeal, Shawkan remains in jail.
15 October 2018
Pashtun human rights activist detained at Islamabad airport, released after social media pressure
Gulalai Ismail is a well-known Pashtun human rights activist and founder of Seeds of Peace network.
14 October 2018
For these Iranian twin-sister artists, collaboration is “like one person working with her other self”
"'Reincarnation' implies a new life. If we can make the audience wake up and realize the world around them and see the beauty in it, it is a huge success."
13 October 2018
Mozambicans react: decriminalisation of marijuana in South Africa
South Africa is a major destination for young Mozambicans for jobs and studies, and many were left wondering how the ruling will affect them.
Will fake news carry Brazil's favored far-right candidate to victory?
Facebook and WhatsApp have seen a flurry of false and misleading posts promoting Jair Bolsonaro, who is likely to be Brazil's next president.
12 October 2018
The 19th century best-selling author excluded by the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Writer and novelist Júlia Lopes de Almeida was "the first and most emblematic example of [an] institutional vacuum caused by the gender barrier" in Brazil.
Why are African governments criminalising online speech? Because they fear its power.
The noise we make on digital platforms scares oppressive regimes. In some cases, it can even force them to rescind their actions.
11 October 2018
‘Gabbie’ chatbot helps victims of sexual harassment in the Philippines
"Gabbie provided an additional platform for victims who want to keep a level of anonymity, or when Facebook is more accessible to them compared to phone or face-to-face counseling."
10 October 2018
Japanese television program turns migrant raids and deportations into entertainment
"With no deep insights, without even a shred of critical analysis and the stupidity of superficial entertainment, [this] is the worst television program on Japanese television today."
8 October 2018
I, Xenophobe: Chronicle of a migratory displacement
"The migrant's life is solitary in the extreme. Your friends live on WhatsApp, you do nothing but work and, in our case, watch the crisis unfold from afar."
