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Hundreds succumb to extreme temperatures as severe heatwave engulfs Pakistan
This May and June, Pakistan faced an unusual heatwave that has claimed hundreds of lives. The extreme temperatures, especially in Karachi and surrounding areas, have overwhelmed healthcare systems and emergency services. As the global climate crisis worsens, Pakistan stands at the forefront of climate change impacts. This year, the country experienced abnormal pre-monsoon weather before the heatwaves. Heavy rains and…
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Minority journalists are under threat in South Asia
The 2024 Press Freedom Index revealed concerning trends for South Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, indicating a significant decline in press freedom levels. Sri Lanka saw a steep drop from its previous position of 135 in last year’s Reporters Without Borders (RFS) report to 150 within just one year. India’s rank stands at 159 out of 180…
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South Asia sizzles: Record heatwave and extreme weather blamed on climate crisis
A scorching heatwave is ravaging South and Southeast Asia, impacting hundreds of millions with its intense heat. With April temperatures shattering previous records, the region is witnessing extreme weather patterns, wildfires, and tragic heat-related deaths. Schools have been forced to close, agricultural production and storage of perishable foods have been disrupted, and the risk of heatstroke and other health problems has risen significantly. Climate…
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Kenyan rural business owners embrace solar power to overcome decades of electricity shortages
It is a hot and windy afternoon in Mogotio, Kenya’s Rift Valley, near the equator. Walking down a marram-stoned road in Morop village, the wind howls, lifting dust from the bare and dry ground and creating a white smoke cloud in the sky. The road leads to the home of Justine Kiogor, a 40-year-old father of…
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Independent media wage losing battle against censorship in Azerbaijan
March 12 marks the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, a day to champion the free and open internet, as designated by Reporters Without Borders in 2008. The day draws attention to the digital repression across the globe, especially in countries where governments silence and censor freedom of expression online. Often, in such environments, the repression does…
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Uzbekistan’s recent anti-religious measures present a worrisome trend for its Muslims
On February 2, the police in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, arrested at least 10 bearded men and took them to a police station, where they were forced to shave off their beards under the threat of imprisonment. The incident occurred at the Malika market, specializing in selling home appliances and electronics, when the shop owners returned to their workplace after…
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Navigating the media landscape in Zambia
Zambia, a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, has a media landscape that is fairly rich and diverse. The media sphere in Zambia encompasses a wide array of communication platforms, including television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and web-based internet sites. This article provides a curated selection of informative sources to…
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What to make of the Taliban’s increasing engagement with China
From October 17–18, a Taliban delegation participated in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum in Beijing. This became the highest-level international event attended by the Taliban since they took power in Afghanistan in 2021. The delegation was led by the acting Minister of Commerce Haji Nooridin Azizi, who shared that the Taliban requested China allow Afghanistan to officially join the…
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Unfreedom Monitor Report: Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan, famously the only “island of democracy” in Central Asia, has fallen to the rise of the nationalist and populist regime of Sadyr Zhaparov following the mass protests in October 2020. Since the adoption of the Law on Protection from False Information (aka the law against the spread of fake news) in Kyrgyzstan in August…
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New report uncovers the first documented case of Pegasus spyware used in an international war context
A new investigation reveals the use of Pegasus spyware in an international war context. The report, released on May 25, is a joint investigation between Access Now, CyberHUB-AM, the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto (the Citizen Lab), Amnesty International’s Security Lab, and an independent mobile security researcher Ruben Muradyan. According…
