Author | Lightnews

Nithin Coca

@nithincoca.com

3.6K followers 540 following 130 posts

Asia-focused (🇯🇵🇲🇾🇮🇩 & Tibet) award winning global journalist covering environment, climate, Human Rights & supply chains. DM for Signal 🔑 📍Japan, sometimes California or Indonesia Mastodon: https://social.coop/@ncoca Contact: nithincoca.com

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · Nov 14

An intro post: I'm a Japan-based, Indian-American environment and human rights freelance journalist (for @vox.com @aljazeera.com @nikkei.com @mongabay.bsky.social @thenation.com and elsewhere).

Was quite active on Twitter & still active on Mastodon & looking forward to connecting with people here!

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · 1d

Why is @greenpeaceeastasia.bsky.social releasing an #AI report that doesn't include a single company based in East Asia?

It also does not include an single social factor, only ranking on energy, not in line with @greenpeace.org own core tenet - center communities

www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/pre...

Nvidia Ranks Last on AI Supply Chain Decarbonization, Greenpeace Report Finds - Greenpeace East Asia

HONG KONG – Nvidia, the world's first US$4 trillion firm and a leader in AI chip design, is falling significantly behind other AI giants in cutting emissions and transitioning to renewable energy, esp...

www.greenpeace.org

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It's FOSS @itsfoss.bsky.social · 3d

Is the internet we knew already gone? Dive into how bots, AI, and algorithms are reshaping the web. 🤖🖥️

news.itsfoss.com/internet-is-...

The Internet is Dying. We Can Still Stop It

Almost 50% of all internet traffic are non-human already. Unchecked, it could lead to a zombie internet.

news.itsfoss.com

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · 3d

#Gig workers in #Indonesia are coming together to demand fair compensation and better working conditions, despite immense challenges & an anti-labor government.

Read more in my latest at @equaltimes.bsky.social

www.equaltimes.org/long-silence...

Long silenced, gig workers in Indonesia are organising and fighting for their rights

On 29 August 2024, the streets around the Presidential palace and the headquarters of Grab and GoJek in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, were filled with thousands of striking motorcycle taxi gig workers...

www.equaltimes.org

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 5d

Now is the time to look forward. Those who care about independent journalism - who care about telling the stories of human rights abuses and the struggle for freedom and dignity - must step up and support this vital work.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/u...

Radio Free Asia Will Halt News Operations Amid Shutdown

www.nytimes.com

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · 7d

Very surprised to learn that the far-right wanna dictator of the VVD party, leading in the #Netherlands polls but, thankfully, unlikely to be a part of the next government, is part-Indonesian.

Does that, in some way, explain his politics? Via @politico.com

www.politico.eu/article/geer...

Geert Wilders’ one-man rule — and what that means for the Dutch

How Europe’s smallest party became the Netherlands’ largest political force.

www.politico.eu

Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · 10d

In the #China Pavilion at the Osaka #WorldExpo, robots dance and an #AI character interacts with guests. But the companies features are sanctioned by the US for #trade or #humanrights= violations.

#Chinese tech & the trade war. Read more in @restofworld.org

restofworld.org/2025/osaka-e...

Humanoid robots, astronauts, and huge lines: Photos from China’s pavilion at the World Expo

Chinese firms iFlytek and Hytera highlighted AI translation and public safety tech — sidestepping disputes over surveillance and trade secrets.

restofworld.org

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Reposted by Nithin Coca

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 11d

‘They told me not to speak out’: the woman who took on China – and won her husband’s freedom

After fleeing Chinese repression, Uyghurs Idris and Zeynure Hasan thought their family would be safe. But Beijing’s growing influence led to Idris’s arrest and a long battle to be reunited

www.theguardian.com

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Safeguard Defenders (保护卫士) @safeguarddefenders.bsky.social · 17d

10 years ago today, Swedish bookseller #GuiMinhai was kidnapped by Chinese agents in Thailand.

On this occasion, we republish our blow-by-blow investigation into how Gui was taken, using surveillance camera footage, images, documents, and even a poem.

safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/gui-...

Gui Minhai’s last days in Thailand

[Updated Oct 17, 2025] Some 10 years - or 3650 days - ago, Swedish publisher Gui Minhai was kidnapped from Thailand by Chinese state agents. He’s now serving 10 years in prison on charges of “illegal...

safeguarddefenders.com

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · 18d

Legacy news sources in #Japan aren’t doing their part in engaging younger audiences. I sat down with @japantoday.com to discuss why the new generation is turning to TikTok clips and Line updates instead of mainstream news.

japantoday.com/category/spo...

Japan Today Spotlight #29 | Scrolling for truth: News for the swipe generation

How are younger people in Japan getting their news — and what’s being lost in the process? Is the swipe generation losing touch with journalism — or just reshaping it? This week on Japan Today Spotlight, we explore how younger people in Japan are consuming news — from TikTok clips and…

japantoday.com

Reposted by Nithin Coca

Global Voices @globalvoices.org · 19d

Thailand MP Rangsiman Rome questioned the motive for filing defamation charges: “Is this really about damage to reputation or is it an attempt to silence criticism and protect something bigger?”

Defamation charges filed against those who exposed the billion-dollar scam network in Thailand and Cambodia

Thailand MP Rangsiman Rome questioned the motive for filing defamation charges: “Is this really about damage to reputation or is it an attempt to silence criticism and protect something bigger?”

globalvoices.org

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · 20d

An #India-#Japan alliance could prove monumental for the #solar industry. The International Solar Festival at the #OsakaExpo set an optimistic tone for future partnerships to both counter #China & the increasingly anti-solar #US

More in @japantimes.co.jp

www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/...

Amid fossil fuel shift in U.S., hope emerges for India and Japan tie-up on solar

As the Trump administration shifts back to gas and coal, solar power stakeholders in Japan and India are seeking new ways to collaborate.

www.japantimes.co.jp

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Kerim Friedman 傅可恩 @kerim.one · 23d

In 2 Years of Gaza Genocide, Sunday Shows on NBC, ABC and CNN Have Not Featured a Single Palestinian Guest

In a microcosm of the U.S. coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, since Oct. 7, 2023, influential Sunday news shows have not seen fit to book any Palestinians.

inthesetimes.com

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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Oct 4

In one of her final interviews before she died, Jane Goodall emphasized that we know what’s killing the planet: industrial agriculture, including livestock, and burning fossil fuels.

She also reminded us that we don't have much time to save our planet.

Jane Goodall’s final, urgent, message

"Intelligent creatures don’t destroy their only home.”

www.motherjones.com

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · Oct 2

What happens when stakeholders along the #supply chain join forces to eliminate #genderbased violence? Find out how investigations by @4workerrights.bsky.social led to a unique labor impact story in my latest feature for @triplepundit.bsky.social.

www.triplepundit.com/story/2025/g...

TriplePundit • Landmark Gender Justice Agreement for Indonesian Garment Workers Shows the Power of Research and Campaigning

Landmark Gender Justice Agreement for Indonesian Garment Workers Shows the Power of Research and Campaigning

www.triplepundit.com

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Reposted by Nithin Coca

Pierre-Yves Baubry 博磊 @pybaubry.bsky.social · Oct 2

Jane Goodall visited Taiwan numerous times and was very well-known and respected here. Her last visit was in June of this year. Here are photos of a public dialogue with then-president Tsai back in 2016.

(Photo : Presidential Office)

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · Oct 2

Jane Goodall was one of perhaps a handful of people I've ever heard speak, like the Dalai Lama, who you just feel their presence and aura as someone truly special.

Truly was glad I got to be around her in person, once - something I won't ever forget. 🙏

news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

Jane Goodall, primatologist who taught the world to hope, has died at 91

Jane Goodall, who revealed the intimate lives of chimpanzees and gave the modern world a language of hope, has died at the age of 91. When she stepped into the forests of Gombe, Tanzania, in 1960, she...

news.mongabay.com

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · Sep 30

I always get overwhelmed by the sheer number of cafes (5-10X as many cafes here compared to Tokyo or Osaka) in #Seoul #Korea.

It's so hard to tell which ones are good for #coffee & which ones aren't - most are mediocre but some are amazing.

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Turquoise Roof @turquoiseroof.org · Sep 29

“ .. #Tibetans, #Uyghurs, and others who speak out for minority populations can expect even greater government repression.” @mayawang.bsky.social (HRW)

www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

China: Draft ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law Tightens Ideological Control

A newly proposed law in China would provide a broad legal framework to justify existing repression and force assimilation of minority populations throughout the country and abroad.

www.hrw.org

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Mong Palatino @mongpalatino.bsky.social · Sep 24

The trigger, context, meaning, and impact of the massive anti-corruption protests across the Philippines. We gathered 100,000 people in Manila on September 21. My latest piece for @thediplomat.com

thediplomat.com/2025/09/mass...

Massive Protests Condemn Corruption in the Philippines

The anti-corruption protests, which took place across Manila and other cities, are the largest to take place since the “Million People March” in 2013.

thediplomat.com

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · Sep 23

As 🇯🇵 Japan's #LNG imports peak, #China 🇨🇳 now dominates #naturalgas imports ⛽.

This will have profound implications for #climate & the #energy transition for #Australia & countries in #SoutheastAsia 🌏

My latest for @japantimes.co.jp

www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/...

China is eroding Japan's LNG dominance. How does that affect Japanese buyers?

Japanese companies have long held the leading position in the buying and trading of one of the world's key energy sources, but that era of hegemony has come to an end.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Reposted by Nithin Coca

Yenni Kwok @yennikwok.bsky.social · Sep 20

This week, some Indonesian media outlets picked up an article published by an Indian newspaper pushing a conspiracy theory that Nepal's Gen Z protests were funded by the US. It is the same old tune deployed to delegitimize pro-democracy movements. The article was also picked up by Iran's state media

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Progressive Voice @pvamplify.bsky.social · Sep 16

China has no genuine interest in peace or stability in #Myanmar & its interests come at a devastating cost. Any tie with the illegal junta undermines & blocks Myanmar’s people efforts to a democratic future.🚨

Stop prioritizing money over people’s lives.

progressivevoicemyanmar.org/2025/09/16/c...

China’s Bloody Red Carpet for the Bloodthirsty Junta - Progressive Voice

China is playing with the lives of the people of Myanmar, further propping up the Myanmar military junta by rolling out the red carpet for war criminals while bullying and pressuring resistance forces...

progressivevoicemyanmar.org

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · Sep 16

Hi JJWalsh - Would be happy to join the podcast - can you email me at [email protected] to discuss further?

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Turquoise Roof @turquoiseroof.org · Sep 15

At 15, Namkyi protested Chinese rule in Ngaba. She was tortured, imprisoned, then kept under #surveillance even after release. In 2023 she escaped Tibet on foot, reaching India where she finally met the Dalai Lama. Now she speaks out for #Tibetan rights.

mainichi.jp/english/arti...

Tibetan refugee in India recalls Chinese brutality - The Mainichi

DHARAMSALA, India (Kyodo) -- When Namkyi was 15 years old, she and her sister Tenzin Dolma dressed in traditional Tibetan attire and began a protest

mainichi.jp

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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · Sep 15

I like over there a lot better than here. social.coop is a great instance (democratically run and user-friendly) in case you want to give it a try.