Stories about Weblog from April, 2020
Top Japanese pop stars upload music to YouTube to boost spirits during lockdown
With their spring and summer stadium tours canceled, a variety of Japanese pop superstars decided to help lift the spirits of fans who were now largely confined to home.
Malaria vaccine may offer respite from Africa’s greatest health scourge
After three decades of research, the RTS,S malaria vaccine backed by the WHO is getting piloted at a health centre in Kenya for the first time.
COVID-19 is also affecting Venezuela's indigenous migrants
Venezuela's borders with Brazil and Colombia have been closed since mid-March, the use of illegal paths and crossings has increased, with its related dangers.
Six false statements by Serbian government officials on COVID-19
Government officials are helping spread disinformation about the pandemic.
Beijing stages crackdowns on Hong Kong’s opposition amid COVID-19 pandemic
Over a span of just five days, the city saw its legislature, judiciary, legal system and civil society come under threat.
Liberia's President George Weah sings his fight against COVID-19
Despite a message and movement solidarity in the fight against COVID-19 in Liberia, President George Weah still faces critique over a tanking economy and restricted media.
COVID-19 spells disaster for Brazil's overcrowded prisons as first inmate death recorded
The country has over 750,000 people living in prisons. It's the third-largest prison population worldwide, coming behind the US and China.
How to protect Nigerians’ personal information while combating COVID-19
Combatting COVID-19 through all available legal means is urgent. However, such means need not be at the expense of protecting human rights — including the right to privacy.
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: Volunteers collect help messages during the pandemic
Domestic violence is emerging in the pandemic and volunteers are keeping records of their stories.
Life in the time of COVID-19: A Caribbean perspective on isolation
From a COVID-19 survivor to a teenager with autism, here's how some Caribbean netizens are coping with self-isolation.
Caribbean netizens take to ‘extempo’ music to spread COVID-19 safety messages
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, people from all over the region and throughout the diaspora are trying their lyrical prowess in a COVID-19 extempo challenge.
Fighting the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’ in the Asia-Pacific
EngageMedia lists some of the media initiatives addressing the COVID-19 "Infodemic' across the Asia-Pacific region
COVID-19 exacerbates inequalities in Trinidad & Tobago's education system
"The [Ministry of Education] was utterly tone-deaf and did not effectively address my concerns."
Even with a law, São Paulo's municipalities are not fulfilling citizens’ right of access to information
Using Brazil's Law on Access to Information, Agência Mural asked 39 municipalities about their current objectives: Many ignored the requests, and the majority which replied did not send clear data.
In Ecuador, an old family home is revamped as a residence for young mothers
"Some arrived with very low self-esteem and are now more confident and have started to feel more optimistic about their future."
Malaysia orders ‘stern action’ against media misreporting government statements on COVID-19
"Resorting to censorship, especially in its extreme form, in a time of crisis reflects the insecurity of the government of the day."
Sierra Leone lifts 10-year ban on pregnant girls attending school
Sierra Leone finally lifts a discriminatory policy that barred pregnant girls from attending school in a new bid to form a more inclusive nation and address injustices against young women.
From Brazil to Kosovo to the Philippines, confined citizens protest from their windows
People all over the world have been banging pots and pans to attract the attention of politicians and decision-makers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ghost cities in a COVID-19 world
Videos of empty cities from around the world curated by Global Voices' contributors.
A new cross-regional anti-disinformation initiative launches in the Balkans
The network includes members from North Macedonia, Greece, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania, and will work in cooperation with similar groups from other neighboring countries.
Fighting COVID-19 goes hand-in-hand with shuttering newspapers across the Middle East
As part of their measures to counter COVID-19, Jordan, Oman, Morocco, the UAE and Yemen, have all banned print newspapers until further notice.
