Stories about Governance from October, 2022
Kathmandu’s street-smart dogs — worshipped for a day
The Kukur (dog) Tihar festival inspires compassion towards all animals, including dogs, but animal rights groups are advocating for better treatment of stray dogs in Nepal.
Undertones: Brazil copes with ‘digital militias’ ahead of tense elections
Some are asking the courts to not sacrifice what is urgent (stopping the flow of disinformation) for what is important — safeguarding democratic processes.
Police detains scores of activists at an opposition party rally in Azerbaijan
According to local media reports, police started rounding up members of the party and other attendees hours ahead of the scheduled rally.
Klinika Bernardo pioneers, innovates community health care for HIV patients in the Philippines
"I thought my life had become meaningless. But here I am, helping others live on."
Activists predict homophobic and transphobic violence in Russia, but most avenues of escape are slammed shut
The law on prohibiting "propaganda" from the LGBTQ+ community might trigger homophobic and transphobic violence. Time is running out, and the plea to help needs to be urgently heard.
Turkish lawmakers ratify new disinformation bill
Aimed to combat fake news and disinformation, the 40-article legislation passed by Turkey's parliament, is a threat to freedom of speech say critics of the bill.
Citizen journalists face challenges in Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar
"To provide coverage of the protests, citizen journalists stepped up do the job themselves. The result was a truer coverage of events."
‘The fight for human rights begins in the kitchen': Interview with Czech writer Radka Denemarková
Following a brutal hate murder in Slovakia, Czech author Radka Denemarkova discusses the models of patriarchy that still shape societies in Central Europe.
Murder of two queer people by far-right teen signals worsening plight of Slovakia's LGBTQ+ community
The October 13 shooting took place at a bar that was a rare safe haven for LGBTQ+ people in Slovakia.
The true colours of Truecaller in India: app accused of being negligent about data privacy
According to recently published research, the popular app TrueCaller is plagued with constant breaches and data security failures, and the company is avoiding regulations and taxes in India.
Digitization of public services in Albania has increased their quality, digital rights analyst claims
Albania’s digital "revolution" started in 2013 when government provided 14 electronic services online; today its government provides 1,225 e-services.
Can citizens of democracies still trust the law? A Global Voices Insights discussion
The flip side of regulating the internet is that this enables the state to mobilise itself and erase the existence of these communities and their identities from popular culture and discussion.
Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity
The peace talks were mediated by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and French president Emanuel Macron.
‘When the porridge is hot, one eats it on the side': Haiti's current protests, explained on Twitter
'I challenge anyone to make a case for [international] military intervention in Haiti [...] it wouldn’t solve the problem [and] it would be an escalation of the crisis.'
Why most Salvadorans want Bukele's re-election despite his growing authoritarianism
Despite accusations of human rights violations, authoritarianism, power grabs, and gang negotiations, most Salvadorans want the re-election of Bukele.
Indian farmers are pushed to despair with huge bank loans
The farmers in India often get trampled on, either from erratic climate patterns or exploitative financial institutions or other forms of injustice. A VideoVolunteers Community Correspondent reports from Nashik, Maharashtra.
Is the ‘water machine of Bengal’ preventing more flood disasters in Bangladesh?
A recent study shows that pumping groundwater to irrigate agricultural lands in Bangladesh can create available subsurface storage for excess floodwater to be stored during the next monsoon.
Twiplomacy: Uganda's General Muhoozi's tweets threaten peace in East African Region
Many, including former presidential contender Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, see this series of events as further grooming of Muhoozi to succeed his father president Yoweri Museveni as Uganda's next leader.
Blood and democracy: the fight for animal rights in Azerbaijan
In Azerbaijan, animal rights activists are protesting the culling of strays in the face of legal challenges and police brutality.
Unfreedom Monitor report: Data Governance
Advox research on data governance as a tool of digital authoritarianism is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Women in Turkey stand in solidarity with women of Iran
In Turkey where women’s rights keep deteriorating, the murder of Mahsa Amini hits close to home. Women from across all walks of life express solidarity with the protests in Iran.
