Democracy

Forced to follow a “no vaccine, no classes” policy, the Philippines has implemented distance-learning programs that exacerbate existing inequalities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s first State of the Union speech showed an ambitious and a strategic approach to the many crises hitting Europe and the world. However, words are not enough. They must be backed up by actions and coherent policy measures.

As contact-tracing apps prove less useful than hoped in many countries, other digital tools such as wearable fitness trackers are gaining in popularity for detecting or tracing coronavirus infection. But a reliance on such technologies comes with big questions about effectiveness and privacy.

In Asia, the pandemic has accelerated efforts to keep citizens informed through prompt and extensive data sharing. However, this new openness has also led to concerns regarding transparency, data protection, and democratic participation.

Conspiracy theories might seem funny in ordinary times. But against the backdrop of escalating far-right attacks worldwide in recent years and now the pandemic, these myths have spiraled into a dangerous pattern of radicalization.

Further arrests and acts of repression in Belarus: Lawyer Maxim Snak arrested; Nobel Prize for Literature winner Svetlana Alexievich harassed – Pressure on Minsk and Moscow must be raised and activists in danger allowed into Germany.

The small Adriatic state and EU candidate Montenegro is at a historic crossroads after the parliamentary elections on 30 August. After 30 years of permanent rule by Milo Đukanović and his DPS, a change of power is possible for the first time.

In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union faces major challenges. Considering that the conditions and circumstances will constantly change, and that the EU will face increasing uncertainty and unpredictability, we need to reflect on how it should respond to vital challenges in the long term.

How can the European Green Deal,  aimed at transforming the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, become a vehicle for gender equality and women’s empowerment?

False news is a major threat to the Covid-19 response in DRC. Government distrust, lockdown, and increased social media access accelerate the spread of misinformation and disinformation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.