Stories about English from July, 2013
Transgender Teen's Murder Raises Spectre of Jamaican Homophobia
The mob murder of a transgender youth has got bloggers discussing the country's homophobic laws and Jamaicans' attitude towards gay people.
What Does a “Green Party” Win Mean for Trinidad & Tobago Politics?
Trinidad and Tobago‘s hotly contested Chaguanas West by-election ended with a resounding victory on Monday night for Jack Warner, who reclaimed his seat with a convincing win.
Caribbean: E-waste Ethics
ICT Pulse blogs about e-waste in the Caribbean.
Zimbabweans Vote as President Mugabe Seeks Seventh Term
Mugabe is the only president the country has had since its independence from Britain in 1980.
Back from Germany, Workers Demand Promised Wages in Mozambique
Every Wednesday, dozens of Mozambican citizens march in the main streets of the capital city, Maputo, wearing German flags or raising them in their hands. They are called ‘Magermans’, meaning those who returned from Germany. For more than 20 years they have been protesting for outstanding wage claims from the...
An Undeniably Racist Song, ‘Asian Girlz’ Sparks Controversy
Packed with Asian stereotypes and fetishes, song ‘Asian Girlz’ by ‘Day Above Ground’ has invited controversy and angry comments. Blogger Angry Asian Man typed down the entire lyrics to comment [if they have not] ‘run out of stereotypical Oriental stuff to list off, the song would have gone on for another ten minutes”. The...
Last Day for Submitting Applications for Highway Africa New Media Awards
Today, July 31, 2013 (16:30, Pretoria Time) is the closing date for submitting applications for the Telkom- Highway African New Media Awards.
#FreeSafy – Bahrain Arrests Blogger in Dawn Raid
Bahraini blogger Mohammed Hassan was arrested at dawn today. His telephone and computer were confiscated. Netizens call for his release.
India Sees Dolphins as “Non-human Persons”
The eco-friendly blog Treehugger salutes the Indian law that now sees dolphins as “non-human persons”. This law shows India's leading role in many rights-based arguments: (…) India became the largest of four countries to ban the practice — which includes Costa Rica, Hungary, and Chile. (…) [The] (…) thoughtful reasoning...
Racist Slur As A Brand Name
Abdul Halik writes about reactions to a brand of dates marketed in Sri Lanka which sounds like a well-known and highly derogatory term referring to Muslims. The blogger analyses the situation in the context of the recent rise of racism and hate speech against Muslims in Sri Lanka from a...
Brutal Attack on Moscow Cop Reignites Russian Ethnic Tensions
Russia rarely enjoys any stretch of time without some news event involving ghastly violence between ethnic Russians and ethnic minorities.
Colombia: Welcome to Downtown Medellín
Downtown Medellin, my home, is one of the most colorful places I have known in my life. It’s not the prettiest or safest place on earth, but it’s very interesting, vibrant and exotic. Adriaan Alsema writes about downtown Medellín, or “el centro”, in Colombia Reports. He lists reasons to love...
Serbia, Turkey, Slovenia and Brazil on Winning Streak at Girls’ U18 Volleyball World Championship
As the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) blog reports, the Serbian, Turkish, Slovenian and Brazilian under-18 girls’ national volleyball teams showed outstanding results on the weekend of July 27-28, some with a perfect win-loss ratio. Full stats and results are available and regularly updated on the Federation's website.
Macedonia: Ohrid's Hidden Medieval Masks
A traveling blogger and communications specialist in the tourism industry, Tricia A. Mitchell, tells of her curious find in Macedonia's UNESCO registered Ohrid old town.
Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Border Shooting Prompts Theories, But No Answers
Despite the fact that the two sides regularly meet to discuss border issues and work together to demarcate unmarked sections of the border, shootings keep occurring.
Ugandans Take Digs at Kenya's Bestiality Trend on Twitter
Following a news report of Kenya's supposed increase in bestiality cases, Ugandans took to Twitter to lampoon their neighbors.
Brazil: ‘Real Men Don't Beat Women’
If you deepen into the figures of domestic violence against women in Brazil, you will find that one in five women are victims.
Top Ten Eateries In Dhaka Town
Expat Mikkela Thompson completed her goal of trying 100 eateries in Dhaka in 18 months. She compiles a list of top ten restaurants in the Bangladesh capital in her blog M's Adventures.
Slim Majority for Ruling Party in Cambodian Polls
Cambodia's Opposition party may have gained more seats in this year's National Assembly elections but the ruling party, which has been in power in almost three decades, continued to dominate the overall results. Election fever is over, the results are out and nothing changes afterall, despite massive gains by the...
Student Movement in Taiwan
“The Far Eastern Sweet Potatoes” has written a review and analysis of the development of student movement in Taiwan in reaction to issues such as media monopoly and land justice against the background of cross-strait relation.
Is India Biting Off More Than It Can Chew with its New Food Security Bill?
The National Food Security Ordinance 2013 recently effected by India's government will provide food subsidies for two out of three Indians. Can India afford it?