Stories about LANGUAGES from March, 2019
A magical image of a Carnival stilt-walker asserts the legitimacy of public breastfeeding in Trinidad & Tobago
"Eating in public spaces is normal and natural regardless of whether you’re eating off of a plate, a banana leaf or your mother’s breasts."
Back-to-back fires in Dhaka trigger concerns over regulation and safety in Bangladesh
Fire remains a persistent safety concern for Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka, the most densely populated city on earth. Agencies trying to change the status quo face an uphill battle.
In the Caucasus, queer people are forced to flee their homes
"There is a point after which you just can’t take it anymore."
Russian regulators ask VPNs to block blacklisted websites, but most have refused
This defeats the purpose of a VPN, a technology used primarily to help people access censored websites.
#WelcomeHomeAlaa: Egyptian revolution activist Alaa Abd El Fattah released after five years in prison
Alaa was a leading voice among Egyptian bloggers and technology activists in Cairo approaching and during the Egyptian Revolution.
Is the Haitian parliament's revocation of Prime Minister Céant another feat of zero-sum game politics?
The no-confidence vote and resulting reshuffle are impacting the government's capacity to provide a timely and effective response to Haiti's socio-economic crisis.
What changed for the Macedonian people after the country changed its name to Republic of North Macedonia
However, that didn't just transform the Balkan country's international relations: it also introduced many changes that affect the everyday lives of its people.
India's elections are right around the corner — and the fake news problem is not going away
Experts have found that many of India's most insidious disinformation campaigns arise from political parties themselves.
In India, a video brings awareness to children suffering from mumps
A video reporting the outbreak of mumps at a primary school in Uttar Pradesh led to setting up of health camps and ensured that children were treated.
Facebook comment about throwing an egg at Singapore minister triggers police probe
"To be honest, I don't feel much regret. I feel it's a matter of freedom of speech, and that we have a right to voice such opinions."
The Slovakian memes that tore apart the first round of presidential elections
Pro-EU candidate Zuzana Čaputová won the first round following an eventful race that was wittily captured by the Slovakian internet on memes.
Growing controversy in Myanmar: A Kachin banana plantation in photos
"Most of the plantations have Chinese backing and are accused of stealing land, damaging the environment and violating their workers’ labor rights."
With elections just days away, Ukraine faces disinformation, cyber attacks and further Russian interference
Ukraine may be home to “the most globally advanced case of computational propaganda.” How will this affect the presidential election?
China’s press freedom crackdown poses a threat to democracies, says media watchdog
“If democracies do not resist, ‘Chinese-style’ propaganda will gradually invade the world’s media, competing with journalism as we know it.”
Censored on WeChat: #MeToo in China
The term “rice bunny”, which sounds similar to “me too” when spoken in Chinese, was used as a replacement hashtag to get around the censors.
Two years after completing his sentence, Emirati activist Osama al-Najjar remains in detention
Al-Najjar was arrested over tweets calling for the release of prisoners of conscience in the Emirates.
Outgoing baseball superstar Ichiro Suzuki's oddball t-shirts make him fan favorite
Ichiro, who has set more records than any other baseball player, recently announced his retirement.
Cyclone Idai almost completely submerged Beira, a city of 500,000 residents in Mozambique
The number of deaths officially confirmed in Mozambique exceeds 200, and more than 350,000 people are in a “state of constant risk."
Burundi: Scribble on the president's picture — go to jail
"If I did this in Nkurunziza’s Burundi, I could be jailed."
In Brazil, 30 million people live in ‘quasi-deserts’ of news
Researchers see a correlation between a lack of information and a lack of good quality public services.
Cote d'Ivoire's chocolate waste spurs second industry in cocoa butter
An Ivorian woman makes cocoa butter to sell to soap makers, using chocolate scraps from Cote d'Ivoire's booming cocoa bean industry, the largest in the world.
