Stories about Politics from August, 2019
30 August 2019
Hong Kong police conducts massive and unprecedented arrest of leading anti-extradition activists
The Hong Kong government has shifted its crackdown tactics from detaining demonstrators on protest sites to arresting a wider network of pro-democracy activists and leaders.
29 August 2019
Winning a literary award won't set you free: An interview with author and asylum-seeker Behrooz Boochani
Australia's detention camps whistleblower describes conditions as hellish
Contrary to Serbian government's claims, fact-checking initiative shows that journalists are far from being ‘all safe’
According to Istinomer's research, threats against individual journalists or editorial teams have become rather frequent over the past few months.
28 August 2019
Mozambique signs third peace accord amid divisions in opposition and public indifference
While the ceremony that ended Mozambique's third civil war took place, the majority of Maputo's residents were at work, or trapped in the capital’s chaotic traffic.
The case for reforming the Sudanese Access to Information Act
As Sudan launches a three-year transition to civilian rule, the country's freedom of information law should be amended to serve the public's right to know.
26 August 2019
A study of Bulgarian far-right proto-militias dismantles the theory of the lone-wolf extremist
Research shows that the members of far-right extremist groups don’t necessarily believe the narratives promoted by their networks about “migrant invasion” or “islamization,” but consider hate speech as useful weapon.
Inspired by the 1989 ‘Baltic Way,’ Hong Kong protesters form human chain to demand freedom and democracy
"The light of freedom transcends time, place. Truly magnificent. #StandwithHongKong #BalticWay"
25 August 2019
Moscow’s revolution will be memed, online and on canvas
An anonymous RuNet user has a found a creative way to criticise recent police violence in Moscow: photoshopping riot police into dozens of famous Russian and foreign artworks.
Indonesia sends in troops and cuts internet as West Papua protesters denounce racist treatment of students
"Blocking and restricting access to the internet in Papua and West Papua will make it harder for people living outside of the two provinces to verify facts."
‘White terror’ at Cathay Pacific: Flight attendant union head fired for supporting Hong Kong protests on social media
"This is not just about me. This is about the whole industry. This is about Hong Kong. When will this white terror end?"
24 August 2019
An effect of rising deforestation in Brazil, Amazon fires turn into a global crisis
Besides Jair Bolsonaro's policies, experts point to deforestation, seasonal burnings, lack of funding and inspection as the main causes to a record-breaking year in number of wild fires.
23 August 2019
Trinidad & Tobago split over whether services like Facebook should pay local taxes
Global digital giants pose a serious challenge to local media and their ability to earn revenue, especially in small markets like Trinidad and Tobago.
In Prague, a bleeding monument reopens old wounds
The statue of Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev is often targeted by protestors on the anniversary of the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia, but this year the controversy is more heated than...
Hong Kong protests through the eyes of a Filipino migrant worker
How have the rallies in Hong Kong affected the lives of Filipino migrant workers? What are their thoughts about the protests?
22 August 2019
Reducing carbon footprint and waste generation is the need of the hour, says Indian environmentalist
Global Voices talked with lawyer and environmentalist Afroz Shah, prominently known for launching the world's largest beach clean-up drive in India's financial capital, Mumbai.
21 August 2019
Remembering the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Over a third of young Czechs are unable to make a link between the date of August 21, 1968 and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
As a top government official is arrested in Trinidad & Tobago, the corruption debate rages
Why was McDonald fired and reappointed so many times? Does Trinidad and Tobago have a culture of enabling corruption? The minister's arrest has prompted a wider debate.
20 August 2019
Twitter reveals China's information operations on Hong Kong protests
A network of 200,000 accounts operated in conjunction to undermine the legitimacy of the Hong Kong movement, Twitter said in a statement.
Tonga threatens to ban Facebook over anti-monarchy posts
"By trying to impose a ban the government will simply make itself look foolish or ineffective."
19 August 2019
Pakistan's government suspends relations with India in show of solidarity with Kashmiris
After Narendra Modi's government in India scrapped Article 370, many Pakistanis asked the ruling party to take action.
