Stories about Weblog from October, 2019
30 October 2019
Protesting domestic violence, Azerbaijani women take to the streets and social networks
One girl's story of domestic violence has sparked a nationwide conversation.
Zanzibar zooms in on the future of visual arts in Africa
Visual Arts Festival Zanzibar brought together artists from Zanzibar and across Africa for a week of conversations, workshops and panels on the current state of visual arts.
29 October 2019
Tanzania tech startup fights fake drugs through new online platform
Hawa Dagaa, a pharmacist in Dar es Salaam, believes that the new online system will help her track the pharmaceutical products, reducing her chances of purchasing fake drugs.
Taiwanese court rules no jurisdiction in Vietnamese marine disaster case, victims to appeal
Taipei District Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by nearly 8,000 Vietnamese fishers against Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) over the marine disaster in Vietnam in 2016 out of jurisdiction concern.
Australians respond to media campaign that calls out “creeping culture of secrecy”
Mixed reactions to the Australian media's #righttoknow campaign range from broad community support to denial by government ministers and senior public servants, plus some predictable cynicism on social media.
28 October 2019
DreamWorks’ ‘Abominable’ film banned in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines for showing China’s claim over disputed seas
"We have to engage with them, and they are sensible people...They are just being misled."
Netizen Report: How are protests in Lebanon affecting digital rights?
Protests continue in Lebanon, phone service is back in Kashmir (but the internet is still down) and Egyptians are getting censored on Twitter.
Angolan president's reforms drive positive impact on media — but limits persist
Under Angola's former regime, JES, prosecutions of activists and journalists were common. In 2017, João Lourenço (“JLO”) succeeded JES and journalists began to see reforms to press freedoms. But is it...
27 October 2019
From camps to prisons: Xinjiang’s next great human rights catastrophe
While most of the world’s attention has been focused on the region’s “re-education” camps, an incredible number of those detained in 2017 and 2018 are now being given lengthy prison...
26 October 2019
Yugoslavia wasn't a Soviet ally—so why does that misconception persist in Western media?
The Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia's independence from both the Eastern and the Western blocs was a key feature of its national identity.
25 October 2019
Cry of ‘Free the [bleeping] weed!’ leads to arrest of Trinidadian cannabis advocate
"To those who say the war is over, Rowley has promised to decriminalise, tell that to the citizens of this country who are packed 15 man to one stinking cell."
The struggle of the Bolivian feminist chola is now online
Yolanda Mamani, a feminist chola who started fighting for her rights as a child domestic worker, now take her talkative style to her radio show, blog and YouTube channel.
A mud volcano might explode in Trinidad: Are villagers prepared?
When the volcano last erupted in 1997, the village of Piparo was unprepared; if it happens again, residents are doing everything they can to ensure the response will be different.
Soon Bangladesh's capital may have two more reasons to complain about the traffic
"People are suffering a lot for the traffic jams, the people want respite, please finish the first Metrorail project."
24 October 2019
Kanye West's use of Jamaican symbols sparks national dialogue on ‘branding’
"Successive political administrations have never fully appreciated the economic value of the brand ‘Jamaica’ nor the symbols that [represent] that brand including its flag and its coat of arms..."
Portuguese rapper causes controversy for portraying domestic violence in music video
Dozens of women's rights associations criticized the rapper Valete, who responded saying the controversy was "empty".
23 October 2019
Mexican feminist groups fight for the right to stay safe online
After falling victim to the dissemination of intimate images without her consent, Olimpia Coral Melo Cruz, together with feminist organizations, fights for the adoption of laws to make this behavior...
Nigerian journalist under threat of arrest for exposé of police and prison corruption
The intimidation of journalist 'Fisayo Soyombo exemplifies the precarious state of press freedom and free speech in Nigeria.
How football-mad Cameroon is lifting up the sport in the country
After years of regression and neglect, the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) has decided to put domestic football league business back on track.
22 October 2019
Australian newspapers ‘censor’ their front pages in protest against government secrecy laws
"Journalists and whistleblowers in Australia live in fear of criminal charges, police raids and damaging court battles that threaten their professional careers and personal freedom."
