Stories about English from August, 2018
‘Fake news’ is in the eye of the beholder: China is centralizing efforts to stop online ‘rumors’
In July 2018, Chinese state internet regulators received 6.7 million reports of illegal and false information.
A path to independence paved with marijuana
"Trinidad and Tobago is well positioned to harness the immense technical capacity and infrastructure of this oil and gas producing nation to become a leader in a CARICOM-wide cannabis industry."
Is Russian social media giant VKontakte sidestepping the GDPR? One user is trying to find out.
Russia's largest social network VKontakte is in hot water again for playing fast and loose with their users' privacy — this time allegedly violating the GDPR regulations.
Can a controversial in-vitro fertilization process save the northern white rhino?
"A practical concern for any future Northern white rhinos successfully bred through IVF is...where they would live. Much of the sub-species’ former range has lost rhinos in its entirety..."
The ‘Khan Meter’ will assess the new Pakistani prime minister's performance
"It’s time to start monitoring our government, discuss where they went wrong as well as appreciate what they did right. It helps us think logically about the new government’s performance..."
Syrian refugees in Lebanon continue to play the resettlement waiting game
After five months of waiting, Abu Adel finally received a call: 'Apologies for the delay, but France did not accept your file.' The family is still under consideration for resettlement.
Remembering Kofi Annan's forgotten efforts in Timor-Leste
"Dozens of Timorese conducted a candle-light vigil in remembrance of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his contribution to the Independence process of East Timor."
Another Australian prime minister deposed by internal party coup
"Funny how they call young people snowflakes and entitled when they are the most emotional, inconsistent and self-serving lot in this whole country."
Russian social media giant evades hard questions about privacy failures
One user challenged Vkontakte: "How many times have you challenged the security services in court over their demands to hand over user information? You have that right."
The artist ‘Headache Stencil’ uses graffiti to criticize military rule in Thailand
"If people see my work and start noticing that things aren’t fair, I’ve achieved my aim."
Anatomy of a Trinidad earthquake
"I was silenced, diminished and at the same time in total awe. This was nature and I understood myself to be at the very heart of it."
Facebook admits it has been slow in addressing hate speech in Myanmar
"The ethnic violence in Myanmar is horrific and we have been too slow to prevent misinformation and hate on Facebook."
Netizens flood the internet with support for monsoon victims in Kerala, India
"Kerala is striving together...to overcome the catastrophic flood. However...some are trying to malign this great effort with misinformation in the form of fake messages on social media."
Kerala floods: Tech-savvy Indian citizens mobilize to minimize the damage
"The spirit of unity, willpower, compassion, and dedication of thousands of volunteers belonging to state and non-state agencies in Kerala are indescribable."
Fearing reprimand, student protesters in Bangladesh go silent
The government has blamed social media users and activists for trying to create unrest by sharing provocative posts and content on Facebook.
Facebook bans 196 pages in Brazil, attempting to rein in abuse and disinformation
Free Brazil Movement is accusing the platform of censoring right-wing groups.
In Pakistan's elections, animals were tortured for the sake of political stunts
"A donkey beaten to pulp, punched in the face and abdomen several times, nose broken, kicked all over his body until he collapsed."
The capture of Mozambique’s notorious criminal Nini Satar meets sceptical public reaction
"Ms Prosecutor, is somebody on conditional release a fugitive?"
Lebanon ramps up interrogations of online activists
“You cannot bring us up with a mentality of freedom and then try to oppress us.”
Romania's paediatrician shortage crisis signals red flags about its healthcare system
Several hospitals in towns outside the capital Bucharest operate with only one pediatrician on duty. When they take a vacation, the unit has to shut down.
His world was what it was: the enigma of V.S. Naipaul
"There are books of Naipaul’s I hope never to read again, and books of his without which I can’t understand the world I was born into."