Stories from November, 2018
‘Tuition free for all in public universities in Liberia’, says President George Weah
Mr. Weah’s tuition-free announcement sounds plausible, but neither he nor the Liberian government has the monetary and logistical support for the realization of the policy.
Meet the people saving a 12,000 year-old forest from being turned into a coal mine
The Hambach Forest has existed since the ice age. Since 2012 activists have been occupying what's left of the forest, determined to save it and end coal mining in Germany.
Jamaican dancehall artist hits a nerve by ‘bleaching’ her skin — did fans get the message?
"I wanted to create awareness of 'Colorism' and it was ... done intentionally to create shock value so that I could ... deliver the message in my music," Spice said.
Who is Sérgio Moro, the Brazilian judge who sentenced former president Lula and will be Bolsonaro's ‘superminister'?
Moro is a controversial figure, seen by some as a symbol of the fight against corruption, but by others as having taken partisan actions in persecuting certain figures.
Arrival of the ‘migrant caravan’ lays bare Mexico's own anti-immigration side
"Mexico has a long and proud tradition of open doors to persecuted people, in exile, or victims of violence [...] Why are there first and second class exiles and refugees?"
The Caribbean Court of Justice loses again — this time with voter apathy and distrust
"People do not trust the power institutions, the hierarchies in the region — and that's not going to change for a long time to come."
Mauritania keeps anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid in prison — and far away from parliament
Biram Dah Abeid, who is also an elected government official, is accused of slandering and threatening a journalist with close ties to the Mauritanian government.
Tanzania's stance on homosexuality points to an increasingly repressive political agenda
Even if Tanzania sorts out its mixed messages on homosexuality and human rights — there are other challenges keeping the foreign affairs minister up at night.
Lebanese health practitioners condemn anti-LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy”
The group's HINAD campaign follows multiple reports of gay people being subjected to various forms of conversion therapy, and a urologist's 2017 call for electroshock therapy to be used.
Activists in Macedonia win fight for clean water despite years of dismissal by former government
"Clear drinking water without arsenic is a present for the people of Gevgelija on 7th of November"
A conversation with Gyani Maiya Sen, one of the last speakers of a dying Nepali language
"...her commanding tone was the evidence of the aura she might have carried around when she was young -- powerful like a ‘queen of the jungle'."
The Litani River, Lebanon's main artery, is facing an environmental crisis
"A study has shown that the water extracted from the Litani for irrigation during the drier summer months is basically sewage."
Pakistani right-wing political party meets online backlash after sowing violence in Asia Bibi case
After countrywide violent protests by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, petitions and campaigns are launched against the religious political party.
Amid police raids and vigilante threats, Brazilians fear for freedom of expression in public universities
"There is an empowerment of conservative ideas inside of the state apparatus that is very, very dangerous."
Is Jair Bolsonaro another Rodrigo Duterte? It's more complicated than you think
As Brazilians prepare for a Bolsonaro presidency, they’d do well to look at the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte’s two and a half years in office.
Zimbabwe's black rhinos at risk as China reverses a 25-year ban on horns
Conservationists lack the financial resources required to increase security and boost capacity to monitor and track poachers in Zimbabwe's national parks. China's partial ivory-ban reversal may make matters worse.
Russia’s most progressive media outlet finds itself on the wrong side of #MeToo
Kolpakov is the first-ever man to publicly resign over sexual assault accusations in Russia. And he's a #metoo supporter.
Algerian TV network director files defamation case against independent journalists
"When we denounce corruption and favouritism, it’s an act of patriotism....we are an actor of stability, seeking to drive the country in the right direction".
Western Saharan media activist Bashir Khadda suspends 45-day hunger strike in Moroccan prison
Khadda is among 25 activists prosecuted and jailed by Moroccan authorities for their roles in the 2010 Gdeim Izik protest movement.
Life after Manus: Talking to Iranian cartoonist Eaten Fish about life in and out of Australia's detention camps
"I had to steal papers from workers and it took me more than two years to send my drawings out. It is the only reason why I am still alive."
Africa uncovered: an interview with Aida Muluneh
"[...] being African is really more complex as well and it’s not just one thing. There are different definitions and different interpretations and I just happen to be one of those."
