Stories about Weblog from June, 2022
The Republic of Buryatia: invasion of Ukraine is an extension of Russia’s domestic dominance over the country's ethnic minorities
Despite constituting a small portion of the Russian population, ethnic Buryats have become scapegoats during the war in Ukraine. Political solidarity is vital, to move past Russian historical abuses.
Turkey's former mayor claims officials discovered hidden jellybean reserves
The former mayor was answering questions about recently discovered oil reserves when he made the comment about a major jellybean discovery.
The Caribbean's ‘looming’ food security storm suddenly seems more threatening
It is estimated that there are as many as 2.8 million people — nearly 40 percent of the population — suffering from food insecurity in the English-speaking Caribbean, most of them from low-income households.
Climate change and rapid urbanization blamed for the worst flood in over a century in northeastern Bangladesh
Heavy rainfall in the hills of neighbouring India caused flash floods in the northeastern districts of Bangladesh. Various organisations and volunteers have come forward to help the flood victims.
Bulgarian culinary traditions as a way to restore cultural memory: Grandma's unforgettable tarhana
Eastern influences are evident in the cuisine of South East Bulgaria, near the borders of Turkey and Greece. Temenuzhka Mateva promotes tarhana pastry based on recreated recipe of her grandma.
Aussie 14-year-old leads a trailblazing online news service
"Mate, I’m just seeing your broadcasts now and they are bloody fantastic! I tried doing what you’ve done when I was young and got nowhere near your professionalism."
Tajik government crushes restive region amid deep economic and security concerns
The government's response to recurrent protests and riots in the region is almost exclusively confined to the use of force and coercion, totally ignoring dialogue or mutual concessions.
Hong Kong paints the city red for the 25th anniversary of its handover to China
The city has been adorned with China’s national flags and Hong Kong’s regional flags, creating a sea of red. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the grand celebrations
How the economically marginalised navigate digital adoption in India amid the pandemic
COVID-19 drove the shift to digital services in India, but this has left informal workers struggling to access basic services and protect their personal data within an incomprehensible system.
The southern Caribbean prepares for a tropical storm
With predictions for an "above normal" 2022 transatlantic hurricane season, the latest weather system teetering of the brink of hurricane status is the one organising itself in the southern Caribbean.
The Africa Film Festival gives cosmopolitan Trinidad & Tobago a chance to reshape its own world view
Festival director Asha Lovelace says that the themes, techniques and approach of African films can help inform how local filmmakers tell their own stories.
Filming for the rights of the Papuan people and land
"I cried when I saw the nature around me being destroyed. I felt called to make films about the environment that motivated me to join the Papuan Voices film community."
Malaysian lawyers behind ‘walk for judicial independence’ facing police probe
"The actions of the police have set a bad example for the citizenry, as it conveys the message that citizens are not free to exercise their constitutional rights ..."
The overturning of Roe vs. Wade unsettles the Caribbean, most of which doesn't have progressive abortion laws
"Apart from women deeply inculcated with religious dogma, the time cannot be far off when women throughout the Caribbean will use their voting power to demand the right to choose."
A corny TV exorcism possesses Turkish social media
In Turkey, a woman named Pelin Hürman who describes herself as metaphysics expert, performed an exorcism on a TV show and quickly became a laughing stock on social media.
Istanbul police violently break up PRIDE March and arrest over 300 people
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Istanbul LGBT+ Pride Week. While local authorities banned all PRIDE events, protestors still took to the streets, marched, and chanted slogans.
Memes, mourning and metaphors as Hong Kong's iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant sinks in South China Sea
Hongkongers have been sharing memes and metaphors, as well as conspiracy theories in reaction to the sinking of the city's iconic floating restaurant in the South China Sea.
Undertones: Is there a perversion of decolonial narratives in Mali?
With the military junta and Russia's increasing presence in the region, Mali is undergoing an information warfare
In Tbilisi, thousands attend the ‘march for Europe’ to support Georgia's EU bid
The march comes days after Georgia's bid for EU membership was deferred by the European Commission.
In Sri Lanka, state-sponsored disinformation and suppression of dissent taint COVID-19 response
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sri Lankan government has used the digital space to further an authoritarian agenda, affecting the digital rights and freedoms of citizens.
Illegal timber trade persists in The Gambia's Upper River Region
A large number of trees were illicitly felled in Kundam, a village in Tumana District in the Upper River Region, by 'unknown culprits' allegedly working with forestry officials, who denied the claim.
