Stories about Asia
Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders take tentative steps toward peace
The EU's Charles Michel said the leaders focused on "the situation in the South Caucasus and the development of EU relations with both countries as well as the broader region.”
What overseas Chinese citizens make of Xi Jinping's resignation rumours
Rumours of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s potential resignation have swirled on Chinese social media in the past two weeks and prompted a lot of speculations among overseas Chinese dissidents.
The elephant whisperer of Nepal
Each year, human–elephant conflict results in the destruction of crops and dwellings, human injury and death, and the retaliatory killing of elephants. Conservationists like Shankar Chettri Luitel are changing the scenario.
Activists rally for marriage equality in Thailand
A petition was launched proposing amendments to the Civil and Commercial Code to allow marriage registration between two people of any gender.
In Georgia, veteran journalist sentenced to 3.5 years in jail
Gvaramia was first charged in 2020 with abuse of power, embezzling property at Rustavi 2, commercial bribery, and forging documents. He was found not guilty on the last three counts.
A Uyghur journalist's demand: Bring an end to my family’s decades of suffering
"I urge UN staff to help get information on whether my 11 relatives are alive and, if so, where are they and why and how they were punished?"
Covering the economic crisis in Sri Lanka: The cost of pursuing journalism
Journalists and media houses in Sri Lanka are facing many challenges covering the ongoing economic crisis and growing public protests; some newspapers have suspended publication and many journalists were injured.
Central Asia’s fears of rising militancy in Afghanistan as Moscow invades Ukraine
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the three Central Asian states that border Afghanistan intended to defend their borders through security reinforcement and diplomacy, primarily relying on Russian initiatives.
The most desperate response to the COVID-19 lockdown in China: ‘We are the last generation.’
Some interpreted the “we are the last generation declaration” as the most desperate resistance against tyranny.
India pushes for storage of private data using technology built for anonymity
As VPNs and blockchain-based services are often designed to assure user anonymity and privacy, this direction might force many service providers to shut down operations in India.
In Azerbaijan's capital, calls for an end to impunity against activists
A group of civil society activists held a rally in Baku, demanding an end to impunity against government critics, political activists, and journalists.
Podcast: The state of press freedom
This week, we head to China, India, Colombia, Indonesia and Serbia to hear from journalists and researchers about what challenges the media faces in those countries.
Pakistan drops 12 points on World Press Freedom Index 2022
A report by Pakistani rights organization Freedom Network reveals that journalists in Pakistan were subjected to violence, legal cases, abductions, detentions and threats last year, mostly from the state actors.
The Philippines: Protests erupt as a former dictator’s son leads the presidential election tally
"It is difficult for voters to be confident in election proceedings marred by machine errors and breakdowns."
In Sri Lanka, a people’s uprising for system change
Sri Lankan jurist, author, poet, and activist Basil Fernando contemplates what lies ahead of Sri Lanka amidst the intensified anti-government protests and the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Thugs attacked peaceful protesters, Sri Lanka in turmoil
After 30 days of peaceful protests, the Rajapaksa regime unleashed its thugs on the anti-government protesters in Colombo. The resignation of the Prime Minister followed and violence broke out amid curfew.
How accurate is Nepal’s COVID-19 death toll?
Questions regarding what exactly constitutes a COVID-19 death remain elusive. With the lack of comparable data, it's hard to know the true number of COVID-19 deaths in Nepal.
Does Indonesia have a healthy free press? Not according to West Papua
This World Press Freedom Day, we review the human rights violations, free speech barriers, and media abuses in Papua, which has been annexed by Indonesia for almost 60 years.
Sri Lankan state of emergency condemned locally and internationally
In the span of five weeks, the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared another state of emergency amid ongoing anti-government protests highlighting the economic crisis in Sri Lanka.
How the Fiji Meteorological Service uses social media
Global Voices interviewed the Fiji Meteorological Service about the role of social media in informing citizens about the weather and climate science in the South Pacific nation.
Exploring the Mariko Aoki phenomenon: Do bookstores make you poop?
"The intensity of the information that you encounter in museums and libraries—or the sudden quiet of a garden—can trigger an autonomic response in your gut."
