In an effort to recognize our writers and translators and be more transparent about our readership each month, we are continuing our Stats4Community series, where we share monthly updates about our most popular stories. We will also be highlighting the top Lingua posts for different languages to showcase the linguistic diversity across the GV community. This month's stories are from our Portuguese, Spanish, Bangali, and Japanese Lingua sites.

Our English site saw over 293,000 viewers in January. All statistics here are drawn from Google Analytics and do not necessarily represent the total number of views due to adblockers and other privacy settings.

GV English top stories January 2024

‘The will of the Chinese people’: Beijing’s narrative of invading Taiwan 

Ahead of Taiwan’s general election on January 13, 2024, Beijing launched a massive propaganda campaign to push its narrative that Taiwanese voters needed to favor the pro-Beijing candidate, as opposed to those looking to further assert Taiwan’s independence. This article explored the cross-straight tensions and narratives Beijing was promoting. (1,828+ views)

What is red-tagging, and why is it dangerous in the Philippines?

This piece from April 2023 explains the concept of red-tagging, a system in the Philipines where dissenters, journalists, civil society workers and more are “red tagged,” aka labelled as communists and barred from many public services and opportunities. In some cases, the consequences of red-tagging can even be death or imprisonment.  (1,087+ views)

National broadcaster axes Australian journalist Antoinette Lattouf over Gaza social media post

Australian journalist Antoinette Lattouf was fired from The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) after sharing a Human Rights Watch video about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza on her personal Instagram account.  ABC fired her on the grounds that they told all staff to “not share anything political.” The move was condemned by her fellow journalists, international media watchdogs, and Australian citizens. (1,066+ views)

What is contributing to St. Lucia's spike in violent crime?

St. Lucia, a popular international tourist destination in the Caribbean, has been making headlines this year for a spike in violent crime, including a few high-profile murders. The increase in crime is allegedly linked to the drug trade and human trafficking. Authorities are still working to bring down the crime rates and get gang activity under control. (757+ views)

Portuguese 

Um ritual de proteção para “fechar o corpo” liga tradições religiosas diferentes no Brasil (A Protection Ritual to ‘Close the Body’ Links Different Religious Traditions in Brazil)

In this piece from 2016, Adam Lee discusses how an Afro-Caribbean ritual connects people across religions and backgrounds in Brazil. The “closing of the body” ritual is supposed to ward off evil and is practised among Afro-Brazilian religions of Candomblé and Umbanda, as well as some Catholic denominations. (1,958+ views)

Spanish

D Billions, grupo de Kirguirstán que causa furor en YouTube, inicia su gira mundial (Kyrgyzstan's YouTube sensation, D Billions, kicks off its global concert tour)

This story talks about D Billions, a Kyrgyz music group that makes educational songs for children. The group has gathered millions of views on YouTube with their catchy songs, including “Left, Right” and “Yummy, Yummy Fruits and Vegetables.” On June 9, they kicked off their global concert tour. (702+ views) 

Bangali

নেলসন ম্যান্ডেলার ১৭টি জ্ঞানগর্ভ উক্তি যা সকলের পাঠ করা উচিৎ (​​17 Pieces of Wisdom from Nelson Mandela that Everyone Needs to Read)

In this wholesome piece from 2013, the author showcases 17 quotes from the great Nelson Mandela, offering advice on how to reach and maintain peace, live responsibly, show compassion. His wisdom touches on topics such as conflict, imprisonment, hate, leadership, and more. (398+ views)

Japanese

ハンガリーの養蜂家はキルギスタンにミツバチたちの楽園を見た (Hungarian beekeepers found paradise for bees in Kyrgyzstan)

In this piece from May 2023, Global Voices explores the apiaries in Kyrgystan where Hungarian beekeepers produce some of the most unique honey int he world, renowned for its white cream honey. The flora in Kyrgyzstan’s remote mountains are responsible for the honey’s distinctive color and taste, leading to what some call the world’s penultimate honey. (350+ views)