by News Decoder | 20 Aug 2019 | Europe, Future of Democracy
By Robert Hart Nearly four months have passed since Spain voted in a general election, but Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has still not been able to form a new government. The hiatus is causing frustration at home and concern in the European Union, which is...
by Atiq Rahimi | 19 Aug 2019 | Asia, Eyewitness, Youth Voices
In Afghanistan, people love to express themselves on their cars. The messages range from the personal to political to philosophical. In Afghanistan, people love to write messages on their cars. Messages about all sorts of things — love, politics, philosophy, you...
by Colin McIntyre | 7 Aug 2019 | Europe, Future of Democracy, Nationalism
The UK will leave Europe no matter what, says new British PM Boris Johnson. But his hard-line Brexit stance is exposing cracks within the UK itself. A Stop Brexit campaigner protests in London, 1 August 2019 (EPA-EFE/Andy Rain) Can the United Kingdom leave the...
by News Decoder | 5 Aug 2019 | Asia, China, Discovery, Identity, Personal Reflections, Youth Voices
By Kaitlyn-Lee Mun It was a Sunday afternoon in early June at Hong Kong’s Kowloon Park. Cicadas buzzed incessantly, delivering a deafening chorus. On this humid day, the air like soup, people gathered to watch a weekly Kung Fu performance. I was in the crowd,...
by Miki Yang | 1 Aug 2019 | Africa, Miss Porter's School, Nationalism, Student Posts
Secessionist Biafra lost a war that divided Nigeria. But songs aimed at motivating troops in a lost cause have given the Igbo group a lasting heritage. Biafran army volunteers train with rifle-sized sticks, Owerri, Nigeria, 1 August 1968 (AP Photo/Kurt Strumpf) Songs...
by Ivonne Flores Kauffman | 31 Jul 2019 | Asia, Human Rights, Media Literacy, Ryerson University, Youth Voices
Filipino journalists Fermando Sepe Jr. and Maria Ressa have exposed government corruption and abuse — and persist despite threats to their safety. Human rights activists demonstrate in front of an office where Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was detained, Manila, 14...
by Jonathan Sharp | 30 Jul 2019 | Asia, China, Future of Democracy
As protests against Hong Kong authorities become more violent, worries that China’s army might intervene are mounting. A protester confronts Hong Kong police near land just transferred to the People’s Liberation Army, Hong Kong, China, 29 June 2019...
by Lizan Nijkrake | 29 Jul 2019 | Africa, Human Rights
Soaring youth unemployment has forced Kenya to reform its education system. Now, it’s focused on providing technical training. Will it work? Boys play football in a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, 22 May 2010 (EPA/Dai Kurokawa) Kenya is overhauling its higher education...
by News Decoder | 25 Jul 2019 | China, Culture, Future of Democracy, Ryerson University, Youth Voices
By Ashley Fraser I recently returned from a class trip to Hong Kong, where I reported on disappearing fishing villages in the semi-autonomous territory. I met with Wong Wei King, a curator of the Tai O Culture Workshop and community member of Tai O, a...
by Madison Wong | 23 Jul 2019 | Asia, China, Discovery, Ryerson University, Youth Voices
Wet markets are an integral part of Hong Kong’s culture and communities. But will they survive as China’s economy modernizes? (Photo courtesy of Madison Wong) I’ve grown up in Canada and, despite being Asian-Canadian, had never stepped foot in Asia...