Stories about South Asia from December, 2015
32 Stories That Capture the Happiness, Heartache and Resilience of 2015
Global Voices’ community-driven newsroom worked hard this year to build understanding across borders. Take a look back at some of the people and places we learned about in 2015.
The Best Stories of 2015, Handpicked by the Global Voices Community
We asked our editors, authors and translators from around the world which stories published on our site in 2015 were their favorites. Here's what they said.
Millions of Indians Slam Facebook's ‘Free Basics’ App
With two weeks of public advertisements, Facebook would have got the maximum opposition in India so far in rolling a free access to its products called Free Basics.
For Artists, the World Was a Canvas for Change in 2015
As 2016 approaches, revisit 16 stories from the Global Voices' archives of art with a powerful purpose.
Sri Lanka's President Says Enrique Iglesias Concert Organisers Should Be ‘Whipped With Toxic Stingray Tails’
President Sirisena didn't like that female fans hugged and kissed the pop star, nor that someone threw her bra onstage. Sri Lankans didn't take to his "moral policing" kindly.
Many Afghans See Their Future with India, Not Pakistan
A wave of Afghan social media love accompanied Indian PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Kabul.
‘Nobody Knows Their Story': A Bhutanese-American Psychologist Gives Her Refugee People a Voice
Luna Acharya Mulder has a rare window on the refugee psyche. Growing up, she went back and forth between two vastly different worlds--New York and refugee camps in Nepal.
Christmas Around the World in 17 Photos
Many thanks to the Global Voices members who shared photos from their celebrations and Christmas dinner tables.
For Land-locked Nepal, a Year of Natural and Man-Made Disasters
“I have negative thoughts. But if everyone gets positive, I will get the energy to stay positive.”
This Year on GV Face We Took You to Gaza, Budapest, Beirut, Paris and Beyond
This has been a fascinating year on GV Face, our Hangout series where we try to understand the world through discussions with our on-ground experts -- Global Voices community members.
Countries Declare States of Emergency in the Face of El Niño
“This El Niño and human-induced climate change may interact and modify each other in ways which we have never before experienced. El Niño is turning up the heat even further.”
Bangladesh Will Demand Biometric Data From All SIM Card Users
The scheme will create a massive database of citizens' communications data that could give the government unprecedented access to the mobile communications of Bangladeshi citizens.
The History of Royal Hunts in Nepal’s Southern Plains Is Simply Barbaric
'Even Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in 1914 triggered the World War I, came to hunt in Nepal invited by Maharajah Bir Shumsher in March 1893.'
The Nepalese Tiger Conservationist Who Lost an Eye and Gained Leonardo DiCaprio’s Sunglasses
"At first I felt like searching and killing the tiger that attacked me, but then I thought it might have attacked me to save itself from the lurking danger."
The Liberation of Dhaka and the Whitewashing of Pakistan's History
Pakistan's official account of their Armed Forces' surrender in Dhaka 44 years ago ignores the realities of the bloody conflict that resulted in Bangladesh's secession.
A Year on From the Peshawar School Attack, the Wounds are Still Fresh
"The auditorium smelt like an abattoir. “This is where the most children were killed,” we were told." One year later, a journalist revisits the experience of the Peshawar school attack.
Flora and Fauna Signal the Visible Effects of Climate Change in Nepal
From diminished apple production to the movement of several species of birds, Nepal is seeing the dramatic effects of climate change, despite the country's nominal contribution to global warming.
South Indian Singer Prosecuted for Song Critical of State Government
“A law that is repeatedly used to arrest singers, cartoonists and writers has no place in a democracy – and should be repealed.”
Bangladesh Unblocks All Social Media Services (For Now)
Contradictory statements from authorities have left many Bangladeshis wondering what was behind the ban on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and other major communications platforms.
Chhaupadi, the Dwindling Nepalese Tradition That Turns Women Into Outcasts During Their Periods
Even though it's banned, the practice still exists in remote hill villages. Women are forced to sleep outside in huts, exposed to the elements, without warm clothes or blankets.
Climate Change Could Already Be Displacing More People Than War
"We see a narrative of sustained suffering and sustained adaptation until a tipping point is reached and then a decision to migrate is taken.”
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