Stories about English from July, 2014
#GazaNames: Celebrities and Activists Remember Gaza's Dead
GazaNames campaign features dozens of celebrities and activists holding signs with the names of the victims of the war on Gaza which has so far killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.
Israel's Protective Edge Has Killed More Palestinians in Gaza Than Operation Cast Lead Did in 2008
A total of 1,437 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as Israel continues its offensive against the enclave for the 24th day, surpassing that in Cast Lead, six years ago.
Why July 25 Is a Tragic Date in Puerto Rican History
Constitution Day is celebrated on July 25, but it is also the date of the U.S. invasion in 1898 and the murder of two young pro-independence activists.
Indian Scientists Are Preventing Wild Elephant Attacks With Text Messages and TV
A small team tracks elephants during the day and gives the information to TV channels. Text messages are sent to those who are within a two-kilometre radius of elephant movement.
#FreeZone9Bloggers: On July 31, We Tweet for Human Rights—and Human Beings
If convicted, they will find themselves in the company of at least eighteen other journalists who have suffered the same fate. All remain in prison today.
Vanity Military Selfies Are Spoiling Russia's Attack in Ukraine
"We shelled Ukraine all night long." These are the words a young Russian soldier wrote online last week, where he published a photograph of military equipment in an open field.
[Warning: Graphic] Video From Gaza Documents the Killing of Journalist Ramy Ryan by Israeli Missiles
At the time of writing, Gaza's death toll is 1,361, among whom 315 are children.
As Another School and Shelter in Gaza is Bombed, a UN Spokesman Breaks Down in Tears in a Video Interview
"Last night, children were killed as they slept next to their parents on the floor of a classroom in a UN designated shelter in Gaza. Today the world stands disgraced."
The Angriest Man in Odessa is on the Front Lines of Ukraine's Information War
Odessa's vigorously anti-Moscow LiveJournal star, Zloy_Odessit, has his work cut out for him. Indeed, open dialogue with pro-Russian bloggers is still a long way off.
Camera Phones vs. Kalashnikovs in Ukraine's Separtist-held Luhansk
How "streamer" journalism both empowers and endangers civic reporters in eastern Ukraine.
The Mouthpiece of Totalitarian Propaganda — Crimea's Colonel Cassad
Colonel Cassad has little love for Vladimir Putin. Despite this his blog has become massively popular among Putin's supporters. It has also earned him the ire of Ukraine's intelligence services.
With Doctors on Strike and Boko Haram on the Loose, Nigerians Fear an Ebola Outbreak
A Liberian man infected with Ebola has died in Lagos, a city of 21 million. Nigeria is the fourth country in the current outbreak to diagnose the disease.
China Monitors the Internet and the Public Pays the Bill
Experts say the billion-yuan “stability maintenance industry” is designed to help the government tighten its grip over public opinion online -- and to turn a profit.
Russian Government IP Address Caught Editing German Wikipedia MH17 Article
IP addresses inside the Russian government continue to be active on Wikipedia, where a computer at the Russian Secret Service, the FSO, revised the German entry for Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, changing the word “separatists” into “rebels.” The Twitter bot @RuGovEdits, which automatically logs all Wikipedia edits made from Russian government IP...
Highway Africa 2014 Extends Deadline for Registration
The deadline for registration for the 18th annual Highway Africa Conference has been extended to Friday, 08 August 2014: Due to the influx of interest in the 18th annual Highway Africa Conference, the deadline for registration has been extended to Friday, 08 August 2014. The world’s largest annual gathering of...
Spinning the MH17 Tragedy, Moscow's Victory Isn't What You Think
Kyiv and Moscow trade evidence and conspiracy theories about whose BUK surface-to-air missiles downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. What game is the Kremlin playing online?
PHOTO: Crowds Outside a Cairo Liquor Store
A photograph showing crowds outside a popular Cairo liquor store is making the rounds online. On Twitter, Tom Gara shares it with his 27.9K followers: Pic doing the rounds on FB of the scene at Drinkies, a popular Cairo liquor store, now that Ramadan is over. pic.twitter.com/VMsbiNtInH — Tom Gara...
Massive Amounts Paid Out in Trinidad & Tobago's LifeSport Programme
As more details come out about the corrupt LifeSport programme in Trinidad and Tobago, Wired868 focuses its satirical energies on Adolphus Daniell, a contractor who was reportedly paid TT$34 million (just under US$5.5 million) for doing nothing – and says he won't pay back the money: The people now under...
Bangladesh Authorities Shut Down a 200-Year-Old Brothel, Evicting Hundreds of Sex Workers
Pressure from religious leaders and conservative politicians is the suspected reason behind the closure. But the national platform of sex workers of Bangladesh accused local officials of land grabbing.
China's State Media Reveals Unapproved Genetically Modified Rice Is on the Market
A deteriorating environment and decreasing arable land threaten China’s ability to feed the world’s biggest population. The country is looking into GMO technology, but rice remains in a research stage.
Why Some Caribbean Authors Are Accusing a Trinidad-Born Novelist of Being a ‘Latter Day Columbus’
After a U.K.-based writer wrote a blog post exploring modern Caribbean writers, some authors accused her of ignorance about the region's literary history.