World
Protest as a pillar of democracy
This spotlight is, then, a form of protest in its own right: a way of reasserting that protest is legitimate, important for democracy, and everywhere.
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East Asia
Politics
Hong Kong police launch AI-powered national security platform for school pupils
The tech allows students to generate personalized stories on China’s “holistic approach to national security” – a framework advocated by President Xi Jinping covering areas from politics and economy to ecology and technology.
World
Norway’s Telenor telecom faces lawsuit for giving user data to Myanmar junta
"We hope this will finally lead to accountability for the harms Telenor has caused Myanmar people through its conduct and its dangerous divestment."
World
Poetry book promotes Chabacano, Asia’s only Spanish-based creole language
"The project highlights not only the continued vitality of Chavacano as a language, but also the efforts of its speakers to create new literature and preserve the language through writing.”
World
Subsea cables and oil pipelines: The infrastructure linking AI, empire, and occupation
The growing importance of subsea cables in military and economic policy offers an entrypoint into understanding the corrosive, yet dependent, relationship between AI and oil infrastructure
World
Alibaba sues Pentagon to denounce being classified as a Chinese military affiliate
DoD’s public document describes Alibaba as indirectly affiliated with China State Council's supervision body, and a “military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base”.
Business
World Bank warns of AI concentration risks as it lifts East Asia and Pacific growth outlook to 4.5%
The World Bank now expects the region to grow 4.5% this year, but flagged that trade growth outside AI-related goods has been "weak or negative."
World
How Cambodia’s law on ‘freedom parks’ curtailed people’s right to protest
"It has not only been used to confine peaceful gatherings and demonstrations to Freedom Park, but increasingly, the very use of Freedom Park has been restricted and denied."
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World
West-to-east energy, east-to-west computing: The Uyghur costs of China’s digital order
Beijing is carrying an older geography of extraction into the AI era, turning Uyghur land, energy and labour into computing power while remaining silent about coercion and surveillance.
World
An exiled Myanmar journalist’s story: Echoing public’s voice and resilience
“When our journalism produces positive outcomes, the sense of fulfilment is difficult to compare with anything else.”
World
Movement from behind your gadget
The growth of online activism has given different colors in the movement agendas. There is a debate on how effective it is, and how it could complement each other.
World
Young Japanese find new outlets for peace activism amid rising tensions in the Pacific
GV observed Japanese peace activism shifting from an ideological, often confrontational and hierarchical approach among the older generation to a more individualised, accessible, pop-style approach among young people.
World
Thai student movement forms ‘Hope Theatre,’ making the stage its new battleground
“If you’re a bad student in your school, maybe it’s because you’re rebellious. Maybe it’s because you’re brave enough to question your teacher or challenge their power.“
World
East Asia: How AI is changing the way we bid farewell to loved ones
101 East meets innovators across East Asia using digital technology to transform how we grieve those we love.
World
‘A place of silence, contemplation, and beauty can also become a form of resistance,’ in conversation with Catalan artist Jaume Amigó
Painting is a way of taking a position, through the creation of another possible space: a place of silence and beauty that, precisely by contrast, become a form of resistance.
World
South Korean civil society says no to military deployment in Straight of Hormuz
As the Lee administration said that it would seek public consensus, the anti-war network will continue roaring to stop the country from being dragged into the Iran war.
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World
Who is responsible for protecting and preserving Indigenous cultures?
As I read through the pieces Global Voices’ authors contributed to the August 2026 Spotlight series, “Indigenous Rights,” one common question stands out for me: Who gets to decide?
World
Singapore’s ‘permit regime’ undermines the citizens’ right to protest
"Can Singapore preserve order without over-criminalising peaceful expression? Can we protect cohesion without demanding quiet obedience?"
World
Can the US pry Russia away from China?
Western politicians have repeatedly called on China to limit or cease tacit support for Russia’s bloody war against Ukraine. In response, China’s leadership insists it is committed to peace and respect for the territorial integrity of other nations. But unlike most United Nations member states, China has never condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and their military-diplomatic partnership — from joint bomber flights near the U.S. state of Alaska to votes in the U.N. Security Council — has only helped the Kremlin overcome its international isolation. While President Donald Trump ha
World
Ukraine peace, global security top G7 agenda as diplomats convene in Canada
CHARLEVOIX, QUEBEC — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations gathered Thursday in Charlevoix, Quebec, as host country Canada outlined its top agenda, focusing on achieving a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine” and strengthening security and defense partnerships as the G7 marks 50 years. During the opening remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, “Peace and stability is on the top of our agenda, and I look forward to discussing how we can continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal aggression.” Joly also emphasized the importance of addressi