Stories about Politics from June, 2020
No medicine, no healing: Sudan’s pharmaceutical crisis
Since 2016, medicine prices in Sudan have risen exponentially. To make matters worse, the government’s central bank lacks the foreign currency necessary to import essential drugs from abroad.
Serbian parliamentary vote campaign taps Greek beaches, Chinese robots
"I love Serbia. Considering the fact that I am a kind of smart technology, it is obvious why I choose to be in Serbia."
Philippines media faces ‘eternal threat of punishment’ after cyber libel convictions
"If we can’t hold power to account, we can’t do anything," Rappler CEO Maria Ressa said after her conviction.
Taking Hong Kong's temperature: What future for the protest movement?
From last year's two million protest to today's "yellow economic circle", local resistance has taken many shapes.
How Trump's ‘game-changer’ drug is boosting nationalism in Brazil and India
The claim that there’s a cure for COVID-19, but that powerful actors prevent access to it, allows these leaders to cast themselves as saviors.
A new game plays with ideas about how disinformation works in East Africa
"Chose Your Own Fake News" is an online game that teaches new internet users how to be more discerning about the information they receive and encounter in digital spaces.
Remembering Marco Leung, the first to die in Hong Kong's anti-China extradition protests
"It has been a year since you left us. I remember that you were the first person who said the Five Demands."
COVID-19 is rapidly exhausting Bangladesh healthcare system amidst alarming rise of infected people
As Bangladesh tries to figure out which lockdown measure is the answer, public healthcare systems are failing largely, resulting in no signs of the COVID-19 contraction curve plateauing.
Surprise in Papua New Guinea as Prime Minister rejects the renewal of license for major gold mine
Papua New Guinea's decision not to renew a major mining lease has ignited an intense discussion about its economic impact and the future of the country’s mining sector.
Malaysia’s new government probes journalists, critics despite free speech pledge
Civic groups argue that the Communications and Multimedia Act is being wielded as a weapon against free speech.
Afghan migrants continue to die in the hands of Iranian authorities
While millions of Afghans have found refuge in neighboring Iran, some of them also die in the hands of Iranian authorities as they cross the country to reach Europe.
War in Darfur: Wanted by the ICC, militia leader Ali Kushayb surrenders
Ali Kushayb, a renowned war criminal wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan, finally surrendered himself after years in hiding to the courts on June 9, 2020.
Mozambicans take to social media to piece together the truth about the Cabo Delgado attacks
Over 900 have been killed since the start of the attacks and over 150,000 have been affected, according to a government report.
Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza unexpectedly dies, but the political party continues
Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza unexpectedly died, but the CNDD-FDD political party — in power since 2005 — continues.
These officials flouted lockdown rules in Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines
From "pagoda renovations" to "mananitas", the region's politicians are finding a language to bypass harsh lockdowns.
Censorship tactics overshadow Vietnam's successful COVID-19 response
Dinh Thi Thu Thuy faces from five to 12 years in jail if she is convicted for disseminating critical Facebook posts.
Israel appoints its first Ethiopian-born minister, Pnina Tamano-Shata
Israel has just appointed its first black minister from the Ethiopian Jewish community. Despite this encouraging gesture, the community still faces discrimination and racism in Israel.
What next for Taiwan after pro-Beijing mayor ousted in recall vote?
"The international message behind the successful recall of Han Kuoyu is that Taiwan people have said no to China."
The mural will not be whitewashed: How dissident poet Joseph Brodsky continues to inspire free-thinking Russians
The 80th anniversary of the birth of Russian poet Joseph Brodsky was marked in Russia by an incident highlighting the special place writers still hold in Russian political culture.
The future of protest in Uganda
There are parallels between police brutality in the US and Uganda, a country still haunted by the ghosts of its violent past.
Silicon Valley tech giants race to build Africa's internet infrastructure. Should Africa worry?
Google and Facebook are building undersea internet cables for Africans with access to high-speed internet — but 33 nations in Africa still don't have comprehensive data privacy laws.