International news

A joint investigation of 100,000 leaked documents revealed that Chinese company Geedge Networks has been exporting internet censorship and surveillance technology similar to China's Great Firewall to several autocratic regimes. Founded in 2018 by Fang Binxing, known as the "father of the Great Firewall," Geedge has provided these systems to governments in Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan, while also conducting testing projects within China, particularly in Xinjiang. The technology enables website filtering, real-time surveillance, internet blackouts, VPN blocking, malware deployment, and user tracking capabilities. Research teams discovered that Geedge maintains remote management of these systems, with client countries' user data being shared with Chinese research institutions, raising serious privacy and national sovereignty concerns.

Haiti is experiencing one of the Western Hemisphere's most severe security crises, with gang violence causing mass displacement and deaths, particularly in Port-au-Prince where gangs control 90% of the city. The Organization of American States (OAS) has introduced a plan called "Towards a Haitian-Led Roadmap for Stability and Peace," which outlines five pillars of action: security stabilization, political consensus, electoral legitimacy, humanitarian response, and sustainable development. The Roadmap aims to empower Haitian leadership while acknowledging the need for international support, with UN officials emphasizing that security measures must be paired with pressure on those fueling violence and adequate funding for humanitarian aid.

Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party is intensifying crackdowns on opposition groups, with the government freezing bank accounts of civil society organizations and summoning NGO leaders for investigation. Authorities have detained hundreds of protesters, sentenced numerous individuals to prison terms, and targeted journalists, including a recent assault on Hungarian journalist László Mézes during a Tbilisi rally. The European Commission has warned of potential consequences, including expulsion from the Council of Europe and suspension of visa-free travel, if Georgia fails to implement key reforms, while the U.S. has passed legislation that could lead to sanctions against Georgian officials undermining democratic processes.

Surveillance technology has evolved dramatically from the era of East Germany's Stasi to today's digital landscape, where monitoring is often framed as protection or care. Modern surveillance capabilities dwarf historical precedents, with the NSA able to store nearly a billion times more data than the Stasi once collected. This surveillance expansion affects numerous sectors including education, where "ed-tech" tools monitor students; workplaces, where employee surveillance doubled between 2020-2022; and even automobiles, with 84% of car brands selling personal data to brokers. These monitoring systems disproportionately impact marginalized communities and raise significant privacy concerns despite being marketed as beneficial security measures.

Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), is facing a significant political crisis after a court ruling on September 2 annulled the party's Istanbul Provincial Congress and dismissed its current provincial chair. The situation escalated on September 8 when police escorted a court-appointed trustee into CHP's Istanbul headquarters amid protests and internet restrictions. This comes ahead of a crucial September 15 court hearing that could potentially annul the November 2023 party congress that elected Özgür Özel as party leader, replacing long-time chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Critics view these developments as government interference in opposition politics, with the CHP's leadership calling the rulings invalid and scheduling an extraordinary congress for September 24.

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) remains a widespread human rights violation affecting over 230 million girls and women worldwide, with high prevalence in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. This harmful practice, which involves partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons, causes severe physical trauma, psychological damage, and lifelong health complications including childbirth difficulties and chronic pain. Despite international laws and advocacy efforts to eliminate FGM by 2030, cultural traditions, social pressure, and inadequate enforcement of bans allow the practice to persist, although some countries like Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Ethiopia have made significant progress in reducing prevalence rates through community-led initiatives and changing attitudes.

Afghan refugees worldwide are facing a new crisis as countries increasingly adopt deportation policies, abandoning prior humanitarian commitments. Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Western nations including the US, Germany, and the UK are all participating in mass deportations that separate families and violate international principles of non-refoulement. These deportations are sending vulnerable people back to an Afghanistan suffering from extreme poverty, gender apartheid, climate crisis, and food insecurity affecting over 15 million people. The deteriorating situation represents both a humanitarian crisis and a failure of international protection systems as nationalistic policies gain momentum globally.

Brazil's Supreme Court has convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro and seven others for plotting a coup d'état following his 2022 election loss, with sentences ranging from 2-27 years in prison. This historic ruling marks the first time Brazil has not granted amnesty for a coup attempt, with Justice Alexandre de Moraes arguing that Bolsonaro had been plotting since 2021, escalating attacks on the electoral system that culminated in the January 8, 2023 storming of government buildings. The conviction comes under the Law of Crimes Against Democracy, which Bolsonaro himself signed in 2021, and has created diplomatic tensions with the United States under President Trump, whose allies have threatened responses to what they call a "witch hunt."

Following his college graduation, 23-year-old photographer Daniel Bainbridge documented the conditions of approximately 18,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's Kutupalong camp. Bainbridge's mission was to humanize the refugees rather than defining them solely by their suffering, aiming to draw attention to this urgent humanitarian crisis through photography and first-person accounts. He observed severe overcrowding, inadequate food supplies, limited education opportunities, and environmental hazards such as flooding in the camp, where refugees rely almost entirely on aid rations. Despite these hardships, Bainbridge was moved by the hospitality he experienced from families who welcomed him into their homes, reinforcing his goal to highlight both the urgent needs and the humanity of the Rohingya people.

The article presents a collective perspective on the Palestinian struggle, emphasizing connections between Palestine and other statelessness struggles worldwide. Contributors from various backgrounds share personal experiences of solidarity with Palestinians, drawing parallels to their own experiences of statelessness, displacement, and colonial oppression. They highlight how Palestine represents one of the world's longest and largest cases of statelessness, arguing that this issue reveals the limitations of international legal frameworks and the complicity of global powers. The writers collectively frame Palestinian resistance as inspiration for global solidarity movements against colonial violence, while expressing concerns about the inadequate international response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Hong Kong's Legislative Council has rejected the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill with only 14 lawmakers supporting it while 71 voted against it and one abstained. This marks the first time the opposition-free legislature has voted down a government bill, which aimed to provide limited rights to same-sex couples with marriages or civil unions registered overseas. The bill was introduced in response to a 2023 Court of Final Appeal ruling requiring the government to establish a framework for recognizing same-sex relationships by October 27, 2025. Despite support from some independent lawmakers and the New People's Party, most legislators opposed the bill, arguing it would undermine Hong Kong's traditional heterosexual marriage system.

The article investigates how American investors, particularly the Blattner family, have controlled large tracts of land in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Isangi territory since 2004, first through logging concessions and later through carbon offsetting projects. Around 30 villages, including Yafunga with 8,000 residents, signed away their land rights in exchange for promised development benefits such as schools, healthcare facilities, and roads, but most of these promises remained unfulfilled. Despite generating millions from carbon credit sales through their Isangi REDD+ project, the Blattners provided minimal compensation to displaced communities, and in January 2024, DRC's Ministry for Environment terminated several of their conservation concessions due to procedural violations. The investigation reveals the Blattners' extensive business empire in DRC spanning multiple sectors, with at least 40 connected companies managing assets including mining, banking, logging, and carbon offsetting projects.

Azura Nasron's film "Hai Anis" confronts the hidden issue of cyber grooming in Malaysia by exposing how predators manipulate vulnerable youth online. In an interview with Izzah Dejavu for EngageMedia, Nasron reveals her personal experiences with cyber grooming and discusses the challenges of creating authentic content that resonates with younger generations while addressing sensitive topics. Nasron emphasizes that predatory behavior often disguises itself as genuine care and attention, making it difficult for victims to recognize danger. She advocates for comprehensive systemic changes, including better education, stronger enforcement of existing laws, and shifting cultural attitudes that currently silence victims and protect perpetrators.

Frei Betto, an 81-year-old Dominican friar, writer, and political activist, has maintained his advocacy throughout a life that included imprisonment during Brazil's military dictatorship. He played a crucial role in President Lula's Zero Hunger program, which successfully addressed food insecurity in Brazil before the country regressed under Michel Temer's government. Betto has been outspoken about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, characterizing Israel's actions as genocide and comparing the significance of Gaza to that of Auschwitz in marking a historical turning point. In this interview, he discusses hunger as a human rights violation, criticizes international spending priorities favoring weapons over humanitarian aid, and advocates for Palestinian statehood.

In September 2025, youth-led demonstrations against corruption in Nepal resulted in over 19 deaths and 350 injuries after security forces cracked down on peaceful protesters. The protests were triggered by government corruption, nepotism, and a recent ban on 26 major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, which the government implemented after these companies failed to comply with the 2023 Social Media Directive requiring registration and local offices. While international media often portrayed the demonstrations as primarily about social media restrictions, protesters emphasized their movement (known as the "Nepo Kid" movement) was fundamentally about combating corruption, nepotism, and demanding accountability from political leadership. Following the widespread protests, the Nepali government ultimately reversed its ban on social media platforms.

Dr. Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, an anesthesiologist who was acquitted of false sexual assault allegations in Canada, claims that Canadian authorities and media have refused to clear his name despite his exoneration. The doctor, who established the Salem Anesthesia Pain Clinic in British Columbia to serve Medicare patients without out-of-pocket costs, alleges he was falsely accused by multiple patients after he confronted or refused their inappropriate requests. Despite court rulings that found significant inconsistencies in the accusers' testimonies and ultimately acquitted him of all charges, Dr. Bamgbade maintains that he suffered severe professional and personal damage due to systemic racial bias in Canada, which he compares to discrimination in the United States.

The article presents a personal reflection on Palestinian identity and the complex relationship with "statelessness," arguing that international legal labels fail to capture the political reality of Palestinian displacement. Dr. Shahd Qannam explains how Palestinians exist across various legal categories - refugees, residents, citizens with limited rights - which are not accidental but deliberate products of settler colonialism. She rejects the reduction of Palestinian identity to legal statuses, asserting that these classifications are mechanisms of control rather than neutral descriptors. The author concludes by emphasizing that regardless of documentation or legal status, Palestinian identity transcends these imposed categories and represents a collective resistance against fragmentation and displacement.

China's DeepSeek R1, launched in January 2025, has disrupted the AI landscape by providing an affordable, open-source AI model that challenges Western dominance in the field. The Chinese government is strategically promoting this technology to developing nations through initiatives like the Digital Silk Road and the proposed Global AI Cooperation Organization, positioning China as a key tech partner for the Global South. However, research indicates DeepSeek aligns its outputs with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) viewpoints and could serve as a vehicle for exporting political narratives and propaganda. Security experts warn that Chinese AI systems are already being used for sophisticated opinion manipulation and surveillance, raising significant human rights and security concerns as China seeks to establish itself as a leader in global AI governance.

Global Voices Insights is hosting an online discussion event in both Arabic and English focused on Palestine, statelessness, and solidarity efforts regarding the Gaza situation. The event, scheduled for September 10, 2025, will feature speakers including Palestinian activist Lubnah Shomali, French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hammouri, and a third unnamed speaker whose identity is withheld for security reasons. Moderated by interdisciplinary scholar Areej al-Khalifa, this one-hour session is organized in partnership with the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion as part of the Standing with Palestine initiative. The announcement emphasizes the importance of Palestinian human rights and invites participants to register for this conversation about statelessness, solidarity, and resistance.

In Mali, where most young women are married before age 18, local communities are taking action to protect girls and support their education. Child marriage rates are particularly high in rural areas due to factors like family traditions, economic challenges, limited education access, and ongoing insecurity from armed conflicts. Community protection committees, such as the one in Diondori village, are working to prevent child marriages through awareness campaigns, mediation with families, and providing educational support. While Mali has ratified children's rights protections, its Family Code still allows exceptions for marriages under 18, prompting organizations like Wildaf Mali, AJM, and UNICEF to advocate for legal reform establishing 18 as the strict minimum age for marriage.

The article critically examines how surveillance technologies, often marketed as "smart" solutions, are being deployed by governments and law enforcement agencies worldwide with mixed impacts. While facial recognition has helped identify child abusers and locate missing Indigenous people in some cases, the same technology has shown significant racial and gender biases, disproportionately misclassifying darker-skinned females and perpetuating existing social inequalities. The piece details how algorithmic systems have been weaponized against vulnerable populations, from asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border to Palestinians in the West Bank, highlighting how technologies reflect and amplify the biases of their human creators and operators. These surveillance tools, regardless of their marketing terminology, ultimately serve to extend existing power structures and can reinforce discrimination when deployed in societies with documented concerns of bias and control.

Sagat B, a former inmate who discovered literature while imprisoned in Rio de Janeiro, has become an advocate for inmates' right to publish books as the Brazilian Supreme Court debates this issue. The case originated when a federal penitentiary director denied an inmate permission to publish a 1,000-page manuscript, citing security concerns about potential coded messages to criminal organizations. While the Federal Prison System Handbook prohibits inmates in maximum-security facilities from disseminating written materials, no Brazilian law explicitly forbids prisoners from publishing their work, making this a constitutional question about freedom of expression. The recently formed Brazilian Academy of Prison Letters (ABLC), which includes both current and former inmates who have published books, is seeking to join the case as an amicus curiae to defend inmates' publishing rights.

In August 2025, northern Pakistan experienced catastrophic flash flooding triggered by heavy pre-monsoon rains and upstream water releases, killing over 800 people since late June and destroying thousands of homes and critical infrastructure. The disaster primarily affected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces, with Buner and Shangla districts suffering the worst devastation as entire villages were cut off from outside contact. Multiple factors worsened the situation, including above-average monsoon rainfall, water releases from Indian dams after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty obligations, and climate change causing accelerated glacial melting, which led to dangerous glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Despite preventive efforts like the GLOF-II project, which installed early warning systems and protective structures, experts emphasize the need for improved disaster preparedness, including community awareness, anticipatory actions, and stronger communication between government levels.

In Nigeria, where motherhood is deeply entrenched as a woman's primary purpose, a growing number of individuals like Jewel, Oluchi, and Ayanfe are making the conscious decision to remain childfree despite significant social pressure. These individuals face backlash ranging from condescension to outright hostility, with romantic relationships often ending when partners expect them to eventually change their minds about having children. This childfree movement exists against the backdrop of Nigeria's colonial history, which transformed indigenous concepts of "public motherhood" into Victorian ideals of domestic submission, though urbanization, education, and digital communities are now providing support for alternative life choices. For these individuals, choosing to be childfree represents both personal freedom and a feminist reclamation of bodily autonomy in a society where a woman's worth remains largely tied to her reproductive choices.

Journalist and human rights defender Domingos da Cruz has released a new edition of his book "Tools to Destroy the Dictator and Avoid a New Dictatorship," which provides methods for civil resistance in authoritarian contexts like Angola and Mozambique. Da Cruz was previously detained in 2015 after discussing the first edition of his book at a conference, spending nine months in custody or house arrest before being released in 2016. The updated version includes contributions from academics across Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola, and was recently censored in Angola, prompting Da Cruz to make it available for free online. Da Cruz emphasizes that genuine democratic change in Angola requires civil society unity and popular revolution rather than relying on elections organized by authoritarian regimes.

Protests marking the 37th anniversary of Myanmar's 1988 pro-democracy uprising (known as "8888") were held worldwide to oppose the military junta that seized power in February 2021. The "8888 Umbrella Strike" demonstrations, organized by the Yangon Strike Group, aimed to unify global anti-dictatorship movements under the symbolic Burmese number "8" while raising awareness about the ongoing struggle against military rule. Despite tight security, protests were held in Myanmar and international cities including Paris, Prague, and Washington, with participants calling for an end to the junta's brutal crackdown that has resulted in over 7,000 deaths and 29,580 arrests since the 2021 coup. Protest leaders emphasized that unlike the 1988 uprising, today's resistance benefits from digital technology enabling broader participation and organization in the struggle for democracy.

Activists are responding to the escalating crisis in Gaza by organizing humanitarian aid efforts, economic boycotts, and protests. The ongoing violence by Israeli forces against Palestinians since October 7, 2023, has resulted in rising death tolls, increased displacement rates, and growing risk of famine throughout the Gaza Strip. These activist-led initiatives aim to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation and advocate for change amid the continuing conflict. # Who is affected - Palestinians in the Gaza Strip - Displaced people in Gaza - People facing risk of famine in Gaza - Those affected by the rising death tolls # What action is being taken - Activists are organizing humanitarian aid initiatives - Economic boycotts are being implemented - Protests are being conducted - Advocacy work toward change is ongoing # Why it matters The situation matters because of the severe humanitarian crisis developing in Gaza, characterized by increasing death tolls, high displacement rates, and the growing risk of famine. The actions being taken by activists represent efforts to alleviate suffering and potentially influence the course of the ongoing violence that began on October 7, 2023. # What's next No explicit next steps stated in the article.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated into armed border conflict, triggering a wave of nationalism that has resulted in violence against Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand. Right-wing Thai groups are physically threatening and attacking Cambodian workers, causing many to flee Thailand or disguise themselves by using thanakha cream to appear Burmese. Despite official warnings against violence from Thai authorities, the threats continue, with some right-wing groups conducting door-to-door searches and construction site raids targeting Cambodians. The Cambodian government has condemned these actions and called for a boycott of Thai products, while Thai industries that rely heavily on Cambodian labor face potential significant workforce shortages.

of Zimbabwe's Healthcare Crisis Amid Debt Servicing Zimbabwe's massive public debt of approximately USD 21.53 billion is crippling its healthcare system, with only 7.1 percent of public spending allocated to healthcare—far below the 15 percent target of the Abuja Declaration. The shortage of medical equipment and personnel in public hospitals has led to preventable deaths, as illustrated by Memory Ncube's tragic story of losing her preterm baby Tendai while attempting to travel 185 kilometers to reach a hospital with proper equipment. While Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube defends austerity measures as necessary for future prosperity, healthcare advocates argue that these policies disproportionately harm the poor and vulnerable, particularly women, resulting in Zimbabwe's high neonatal mortality rate of 37 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The Bangladesh government's Information and Communication Technology Division has launched a major initiative to digitally preserve 42 endangered languages through the "Multilingual Cloud" website. This project, part of the Enhancement of Bangla Language in ICT through Research & Development (EBLICT) program, has documented 97,782 sentences with proper pronunciation and recorded 12,646 minutes of audio from 214 native speakers. The effort addresses the critical state of endangered languages in Bangladesh, such as Kharia which is spoken by only five people, and aims to preserve not only linguistic elements but also cultural characteristics through comprehensive digital documentation. According to UNESCO, one language dies every 14 days globally, making this preservation work crucial for maintaining Bangladesh's cultural and ethnic diversity.