Stories about Governance from February, 2020
What do we know about the ‘Great Firewall of India’?
After a six-month-long internet shutdown, access to only 301 white-listed websites has been granted in Jammu and Kashmir, whereas social media, VPNs and many other sites remain banned.
Slow progress on Moldova's thorny judicial reforms
Last year, disputes over judicial reform brought down Moldova's coalition government. Now the country's new rulers bring new proposals — which experts fear are designed to keep prosecutors under political control.
Controversy in Malaysia: Do Facebook posts about the coronavirus amount to ‘circulating rumors’?
"...while I agree some restrictions are necessary in times of crisis, dragging someone under the Penal Code is unjustified. Restrictions need not be through punitive measures in this case."
Tanzania slapped with US travel ban, individual sanctions amid deteriorating human rights situation
Tanzania's inclusion in the US travel ban speaks to intensifying diplomatic strain between the two countries due to Tanzania's rapid decline in human rights.
The battle of numbers in the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak
Several medical and academic institutions have run models on the Wuhan coronavirus, and all conclude the real figures - of infected and killed victims - are much higher than the official figure.
Nigeria on defensive after US travel ban casts accusations of security noncompliance
The travel ban came as a surprise to Nigeria, which has been a long-time partner with the US in the global fight against terrorism.
What happened during the deadly land dispute clash in Dong Tam, Vietnam?
For years residents resisted relinquishing their land for the construction of a military airport. Tensions peaked this year after two civilians and three officers were killed during a police raid.
Nigeria's digital ID scheme may benefit those ‘with access'— but what about everyone else?
"Without an adequate data privacy or protection law, how can we safeguard against some of the greatest risks that such a system could incur?"
Will Venezuela exclude Haiti from the PetroCaribe relaunch?
The regional energy programme was intended to provide petroleum products to member states under preferential terms; instead, the Haitian government frittered away the gains.
Bengali, Pakistani, and Amazon indigenous women perform ‘The rapist is you’ song
The flashmob by Chilean collective Las Tesis is still making waves around the world.
Chen Qiushi: A citizen journalist on the frontline of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak
Chen risks his life by reporting from the center of the epidemic outbreak in Wuhan. He vowed to stand with Wuhan people by bearing witness to the situation inside the quarantined city.
‘Françafrique': A term for a contested reality in Franco-African relations
Like many colonial and post-colonial constructs, "Françafrique" remained mostly unchallenged for decades, but developments such as a new West African currency have reinvigorated debate in both France and Africa.
Can Moldova ever win its gruelling fight against corruption?
Much has changed in Moldova. Politicians have come and gone, but one thing remains static: their ability to draw Moldova into international corruption scandals. Can that ever change?
Pakistani students under lockdown in Wuhan are appealing for assistance
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, nearly 500 Pakistani students studying in China's Hubei province are under lockdown; their government has not yet decided to bring them back home.