Stories about Politics from August, 2019
China inspects Hongkongers’ mobile phones for protest photos and chats at border checkpoints
In the face of border searches, Hong Kong protesters are picking up new technology tactics to mitigate their risk.
Vitriolic response to art exhibit tests the limits of freedom of speech in Japan
A controversial art exhibition at an arts festival in Japan has led to government criticism, threats, at least one arrest, protests by artists and questions about freedom of expression.
Indian government asks Twitter to remove accounts ‘spreading rumours’ about Kashmir
With the communication blackout inside Kashmir, netizens elsewhere resorted to Twitter to speak out against India's revocation of the region's autonomous status.
Apprehension rises over the abduction of a Nigerian government critic
Dadiyata, a fierce critic of Kano State Governor Umar Ganduje, was abducted on August 1 and nothing has been heard of him since.
How Hungary-funded news sites helped a false story travel all the way from Slovenia through Greece to North Macedonia
Fact-checkers in North Macedonia have traced the original source of the bribe article and uncovered a complex trail of disinformation spanning at least four countries.
Indian-administered Kashmir is like an ‘open prison’, says observers
"What is happening in Kashmir is 'normal' in the sense that state-backed violence, deceit and lies, gag on civilian voices, and govt propaganda have always been a 'normal' in Kashmir."
On activism and the self
"Behind the instagrammable image of the fierce-looking individual with a clenched fist is a person who is constantly rationalizing and reaffirming their fidelity to radical politics."
Oral historians and archivists fill in the record of the 1947 partition of India
Historians are working on getting the remaining survivors of the Partition to recall the events so their stories can be preserved.
Beijing says Hong Kong anti-extradition protests show signs of ‘terrorism’
"The bloody crackdown is extending and you cannot see the border or a definitive sign in Hong Kong’s version of June 4..."
Who are the presidential candidates in Mozambique's October elections?
On July 31, Mozambique's Constitutional Council approved four candidates: Filipe Nyusi, Ossufo Momade, Daviz Simango and Mário Albino.
Malaria has affected over 5 million people in Burundi so far this year
In Burundi, so far this year, malaria has affected 5,738,661 million people — that's about half its population. Yet, the government hesitates to declare an epidemic.
A Brazilian journalist uses deepfake to make political satire
"They are not made to forge a reality, but a certain situation, with humour and in a critical way."
Cambodia reduces number of public holidays to attract jobs, but activists are concerned it could undermine democracy
"Omitting the Paris Peace Agreement and Human Rights days from the public-holiday list reflects that the government is unwilling to promote democracy any longer."
Beijing’s loyalists from Fujian province vow to beat up anti-extradition protesters in Hong Kong
Both local media outlets and police authorities have been notified of the Fujianese plan to pick fights with protesters. But only Beijing can stop such violence.
Four possible explanations for Turkmenistan's presidential hide-and-seek
Turkmenistan's publicity-loving president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, has been unusually scarce lately, prompting rumours of political upheaval in the Central Asian republic.
Remembering the '88 uprising’ for democracy in Myanmar
"Government newspapers said over 300 died in the crackdown but independent sources estimated that the actual figure was ten times that."
Dubious CIA plot theory by former Yugoslav army colonel finds a platform in Serbian media
“Fake news, fake media, fake journalists, fake analysts – they have flooded the Serbian media space.”
In Ethiopia, disinformation spreads through Facebook live as political tensions rise
Online conspiracy theories, political rants and rumors laced with communal hatred are now common genres in Ethiopian social media.
China’s hunger for minerals stirs resistance in rural Thailand
Chinese efforts to obtain a cheap source of a crop-boosting mineral are raising fears of an environmental crisis among farming communities in Thailand.
Algeria: A victory on the pitch and in the streets
Algeria's footballers win the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, and inspire protesters calling for political change at home.
Security forces in Guinea now have the right to use deadly force
Human rights and opposition groups fear the law could be used to grant impunity and target dissent ahead of 2020 elections when President Alpha Condé will seek a third term.
