Stories from November, 2018
Made-in-China fake news overwhelms Taiwan
Last year, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau revealed that a significant volume of disinformation that had circulated on Taiwan social media networks came from “content farms” with China's Communist Party.
Egypt hosts the first UN Biodiversity Convention held in the Middle East
it is now evident that most of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets — to address some of the biggest environmental challenges and due in 2020 — will not be achieved.
How Bangladesh's airport authorities are using YouTube to change public behaviour
Thanks to innovative efforts using YouTube and Facebook, airport authorities have begun to decrease crime and help passengers in Bangladesh's biggest airport.
Tokyo Immigration Bureau accidentally highlights the plight of refugees in Japan
To critics, the pinned tweet wasn't about graffiti at all, but was instead a reaction to criticism of how the immigration body treats refugees, undocumented workers and others in detention.
Civil society organizations decry new legislation that reduces legal rights in Bulgaria
Many fear that changes to Bulgaria’s Administrative-Procedural Code (APC) are a threat to justice.
Winning Taiwanese director calls for independence at the Chinese Oscars
"I really hope one day our country will be regarded as an independent entity. This is my biggest wish as a Taiwanese."
Welcome to the ‘New Turkey': Five years after Gezi park, protesters face new threats of arrest
What seemed like a spike in repression against civil society advocates and intellectuals may actually be the new normal.
How negligence helped the Taliban plunge one of Afghanistan's last peaceful regions into chaos
Local sources in Malistan and Jaghori told Global Voices that F-16s flew over the skies for days without intervening.
Netizens reflect on 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia
Slovakia and the Czech Republic mark 100 years since the establishment of Czechoslovakia.
‘I am prepared to go to jail': Founder of Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement offers hope ahead of trial
"I am prepared to go to jail… So long as we are not crushed by the trial and the prison sentence...then we will come out stronger."
Cultural activist from Guyana's Wapishana tribe tries to revive a near-extinct language
"If we weaken indigenous culture, we weaken an integral part of Guyanese culture."
Former Macedonian strongman's escape to Hungary triggers a flood of disinformation
If the claims circulating in the Balkans media space are to be believed, Nikola Grueski escaped to Hungary on a flight operated by an airline that closed in 2012.
Saudi Arabia's execution of another migrant worker angers Indonesians and strains an already fraught diplomatic relationship
According to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 103 Indonesians were handed death sentences in Saudi Arabia between 2011 and 2018.
Dissident novelist’s close call casts a shadow on Hong Kong's once-vibrant cultural scene
Since the 1950s, Hong Kong has had a proud tradition of exile literature and art. Recent events suggest they're under threat.
Guyana's transgender community celebrates the overturning of an archaic cross-dressing law
Activists called the ruling “a clarion call to engage state actors on how the law engenders social and economic exclusion of disadvantaged groups”.
How do non-native residents of the Netherlands view Zwarte Piet, St. Nicholas’ blackface servant?
“I understand Dutch affection for Zwarte Piet is born out of a warm, and well-meaning Christmas tradition. But I cannot excuse it.”
From prime minister to escaped convict: Macedonia's ex-leader Nikola Gruevski flees to Hungary
"While Gruevski's escape was unprecedented in Macedonian history, his choice of destination wasn’t too surprising."
Netizen Report: Tanzania’s crackdown on free speech targets media advocates from CPJ
Committee to Protect Journalists staffers were detained in Tanzania, China is flagging fake news on Weibo and activists across Africa face arrest on defamation charges.
Mozambique’s new China-funded Maputo-KaTembe bridge, the longest in Africa, comes with high tolls
At 785 million US dollars, the bridge is the most expensive infrastructure project undertaken in Mozambique since its independence in 1975.
Bangladesh's now-postponed repatriation would have turned the plight of Rohingya refugees from bad to worse
"How can repatriation still be an objective, when all the evidence shows that these cyclical influxes into Bangladesh are rooted in Myanmar's persecution and denial of citizenship to Rohingya?"
One year on, Brazil’s ‘unrestricted outsourcing’ law fails to create jobs
A recent Federal Supreme Court's decision to approve unrestricted outsourcing may lead to job instability in Brazil.
