On these pages we summarize more extensive Global Voices coverage of major news events through blogs and citizen media worldwide. If you have suggestions for new special coverage pages, please email us.
China's Pollution Problem
China's obsessive push for economic growth in recent decades has taken a terrible toll on the country's environment. Heavy smog plagues many of China's metropolitan areas. Mining and chemical waste...
Pakistan Votes 2013
Pakistan's 2013 general elections, scheduled for May 11, 2013, will be the first time a democratic government has succeeded another democratic government in the country's history. The weeks leading up to the voting day have been plagued with violence, dozens of people have been killed in bombings targeting campaigns, rallies and crowded places. In April, the Pakistani Taliban warned voters and vowed to step up attacks against secular politicians.
Europe in Crisis
This special coverage aims to give a voice to those normal people living with the social, political and financial consequences of Europe's financial bailouts, in Greece, Ireland and Portugal. But the series will not just be about protest - we hope to capture the breadth of reflection and debate that have been provoked in these countries by the bailouts, and feature ideas and alternatives that respond to the difficult times.
Bangladesh's #Shahbag Protests
Hundreds of thousands are occupying Shahbag, an intersection in the heart of capital city Dhaka, and demanding the death penalty for war crimes committed during Bangladesh's liberation from Pakistan in 1971.
International Relations & Security
This special series is the result of a partnership between Global Voices and the International Relations and Security Network (ISN) in Switzerland who have commissioned Global Voices authors to seek out citizen voices worldwide
Death of Hugo Chavez
On 5 March 2013, after 14 years as president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías died at the age of 58. Chávez had been battling cancer since 2010. His illness prevented him from...
Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia
Two prominent reformists and human rights activists in Saudi Arabia are on trial. Mohammad al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid are being prosecuted for "breaking allegiance to the ruler and his successor" and "trying to impede the country’s developments".
China's Press Censorship Protests
Rare protests against press censorship in China are taking place online and offline. The protests were triggered after an editorial of the newspaper Southern Weekend (also known as Southern Weekly) was censored and re-written by a provincial propaganda department.
Israel-Gaza Conflict 2012
The civilian death toll is rising in the latest hostilities between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Rocket fire by Palestinian militants into Israel is being countered with severe air raids on Gaza targeting Hamas.
Myanmar's Rohingya
The Rohingya are a Muslim group from the Rakhine State (formerly Arakan) in western Myanmar (Burma). According to the United Nations, they are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, but opinion in Myanmar is divided.
Global Views on Obama's Re-election
What does the world think of President Barack Obama four years later? Tempered by the reality of economic crisis, drones and wars, world citizens now look to the United States with some degree of hope but also trepidation.
Syria Protests 2011/12
Following protest movements in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt, some Syrians called for their own "Day of Anger" on February 5, 2011. Real protests did not flare until until March 15 however; since then up to 150 demonstrators have been reported as being killed as security forces clamp down.
Refugees
It's hard to put a figure on the number of displaced people in the world and there are different reasons as to why they relocate. Here we collect Global Voices coverage on this topic, and provide selected resources.
Online Censorship
Limitations vary from country to country, but for those waging the battles for free speech online, there is much to learn from studying the challenges and successes of netizens in other countries. This page collates Global Voices coverage of online censorship around the world and also highlights the work of our Global Voices Advocacy project dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and free access to information online.
#Occupy Worldwide
A series of global protests against economic inequality and corporate greed calling for the “occupation” of different cities, banks, and public squares began in September 2011 with “Occupy Wall Street” in New York City. Soon after, similar demonstrations were organized around the world in a decentralized and leaderless movement organized by citizens.
Indigenous Rights
There are up to 370 million indigenous people in the world, speaking more than 4,000 languages, and living in more than 70 countries. Indigenous peoples have resisted time, colonization, genocide, epidemics and wars, and are now reemerging with louder voices across the globe.
Russia's Protest Movement
Russia's political opposition has struggled to define itself in the aftermath of widely criticized elections for the national parliament and presidency. Over the past year, RuNet Echo extensively covered the response to those elections: mass protests, which constituted some of the greatest social turbulence to visit Russia in more than a decade.
Venezuela Elections 2012
Venezuela's October 7, 2012, presidential election was the most contested and intense in the last decade. Despite the opposition's hopes for a change, President Hugo Chávez gained a clear victory, adding six more years to his current 14-year rule. Traffic on social networks --particularly on Twitter-- was extremely intense before, during, and after the vote.
Yemen Protests 2011/12
Protests against Yemen's President Saleh that began in February 2011 have ignited strong protests which have led to attacks, clubbings, and shootings of anti-government protesters across the country. Severe poverty and corruption, accompanied by historic rifts between north and south that lead people to fear for the future of the country, both if and if not Saleh is deposed.
Languages and the Internet
The arrival of the Internet age has already radically changed the way we communicate. We have developed this page to track the relationship of languages and the Internet, looking at use of language online, and the development and preservation of language in an increasingly digital world.
Bahrain Protests 2011/12
Bahrain is one of several countries to stage protests in the so-called Arab revolution time-table inspired by uprisings in Tunisa and Egypt. Police have forcibly quashed demonstrations across the country. Both videos and photos of the crackdown are dodging internet censors and making their way around the web.
London 2012 Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games are scheduled to take place in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August, 2012. With 26 sports, 10,500 athletes and millions of spectators, the Olympics is the world's biggest sporting event.
#SudanRevolts
Isolated protests in Sudan first began in early 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring movement. Since then, drastic rises in food and fuel prices have fuelled further unrest. Demonstrators in Sudan have been met with repression by the authorities.
Egypt Elections 2011/12
An overview of Egypt's first post-revolution parliamentary and presidential elections. New parties have been formed and banned groups are being allowed to enter the elections for the first time; the remnants of Mubarak's regime are also fighting for their place.
Eurovision Azerbaijan 2012
Azerbaijan's victory in 2011's competition means Eurovision will descend on capital Baku in 2012, and as a result issues surrounding human rights, corruption and democracy in the country have come under the spotlight. Some activists in the oil-rich former Soviet republic hope that the staging of such an international competition might yet result in some positive change. With Azeri activists and journalists continuing to be imprisoned for their views, others are less than convinced.
SlutWalks 2011/12
In April 2011, a new type of protest march evolved: the SlutWalks represent a debate against the idea that women induce rapes by dressing sexually, like ‘sluts’. The first march took place after a representative of the Toronto police, Canada, called for women to avoid dressing like sluts to stay safe from rapes. It has since been replicated around the world.
Kony 2012
A video and campaign aimed at making Ugandan guerilla leader and wanted war criminal Joseph Kony "famous" in order to raise support for his arrest has swept the Internet by storm, prompting a wave of backlash.
Caucasus Conflict Voices
Peace is elusive in the South Caucasus. With media in the region often resorting to propaganda and misinformation, few opportunities exist for objective reporting or moderate voices on the conflict to be heard. Global Voices has set up this special coverage page to help address the information gap.
Russia Elections 2011/12
Russia's 2011 parliamentary election triggered what no one expected - mass demonstrations protesting the numerous reports of vote rigging and election violations. The overwhelming numbers (over 60,000 protesters in Moscow alone and around 100,000 protesters all over the country), have created an energy and feeling of empowerment that Russians have not experienced for nearly two decades. Looking forward, 2012 will see the presidential election in March.
Perchance, immaturity creates distrust.....