Stories about South Asia
16 August 2019
Indian government asks Twitter to remove accounts ‘spreading rumours’ about Kashmir
With the communication blackout inside Kashmir, netizens elsewhere resorted to Twitter to speak out against India's revocation of the region's autonomous status.
Indian-administered Kashmir is like an ‘open prison’, says observers
"What is happening in Kashmir is 'normal' in the sense that state-backed violence, deceit and lies, gag on civilian voices, and govt propaganda have always been a 'normal' in Kashmir."
15 August 2019
Nepal’s only folk musical instrument museum is struggling to save rare instruments
Nepal's only museum on musical instruments is facing eviction amidst lack of support from researchers and general visitors. Global Voices talks to Ram Prasad Kadel, the founder, and curator.
14 August 2019
Oral historians and archivists fill in the record of the 1947 partition of India
Historians are working on getting the remaining survivors of the Partition to recall the events so their stories can be preserved.
‘The external world doesn't know how rich Nepali literature is': An interview with author Dr. Sangita Swechcha
"Not only is [the number of] Nepali writers who write in English slowly growing but the translation of literary works from Nepali to other languages is gaining momentum too."
9 August 2019
#MeToo catches on in Pakistan's entertainment industry
Amidst the #MeToo movement, Pakistani showbiz has been caught up in a hurl with accusations of sexual misconduct, domestic violence and much more.
6 August 2019
Indian government abolishes Kashmir's special status, announces bifurcation
"It's basically like England walking into Scotland with troops and getting rid of the Scottish Parliament and arresting all the Scottish nationalists. This is just not acceptable."
Witch-hunting still claims lives in rural India
Witch-hunting is a practice that still exists in some parts of India where people, mostly women, are branded witches and treated inhumanly often leading to mob-lynching.
4 August 2019
Hashtag campaign against Pakistani religious minority group during PM Khan's US visit
An online hate campaign targeting the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan started after an 82-year-old Ahmadiyya Abdul Shakoor shared his community's ordeal in a meeting with US President Trump.
29 July 2019
Lack of diverse media ownership leads to censorship in Pakistan says new report
In Pakistan, a small number of companies dominate the country's media landscape in terms of both ownership and audience share.
25 July 2019
Bangladeshis use social media to tackle a dengue outbreak
With the lack of initiative and awareness campaign from the government, people are resorting to social media to educate and spread awareness about Dengue fever
Twitter campaign by Pakistani ruling party warns media against anti-state criticism
According to the government, the idea behind the series of tweets was not to ridicule but to ‘educate’ the media. However, the activists feel otherwise amidst troll attacks.
23 July 2019
Acute water shortage hits Chennai in India
The lives of 9 million people are affected in southern India, as Chennai, one of the six fastest-growing cities in the world, faces the worst water crisis in its history.
20 July 2019
Fake news about “human sacrifices” for the Padma Bridge leads to violence in Bangladesh
Eight people have been detained across Bangladesh for spreading ‘Human heads and blood will be sacrificed for Padma Bridge pillars’ rumors on Facebook.
17 July 2019
In Bangladesh, a rickshaw ban for major Dhaka city roads spurs protests and debate
A rickshaw ban on three major roads in Dhaka city saw a huge protest from the rickshaw-pullers and some netizens who use this convenient mean of transport.
16 July 2019
‘No VAT on Pad’ protests prompt Bangladesh government to remove proposed tax
Amidst protests, the Bangladesh government decided to scrap the proposed increase of VAT and supplementary duty on the manufacturing materials for locally made sanitary pads.
14 July 2019
Why are people debating the proposed car-free day in Colombo?
A car-free-day in Colombo sounds like a good idea from an environmental point of view, but there are other concerns -- and exposure to street harassment tops the list.
9 July 2019
‘A dangerous trend': Pakistani journalists critical of the government and military targeted in Twitter campaign
As if threats from the authorities against press freedom in Pakistan were not enough, online nationalist vigilantes are also on the pry against journalists.
5 July 2019
In India, opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi steps down after losing elections to Narendra Modi
India's opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, announced his resignation as the president of the country's oldest party, Indian National Congress, after losing general elections earlier in May.
4 July 2019
Interview with former Pakistani president taken off air, journalists and activists decry censorship
A recorded interview of former president Asif Ali Zardari was taken off air shortly after its broadcast began on Geo News television in another incident of censorship in the country.
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