Stories about English from March, 2020
Great Barrier Reef mass bleaching threatens world heritage icon
"...there is also the most widespread bleaching event in the Great Barrier Reef. Put a fork in us. We're done."
Moldova's meme heroes promote solidarity with Eurosong spoof amid COVID-19 crisis
Titled "Mom, stay home," the spoof encourages citizens to follow the prevention recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) while also sending positive energy to the elderly.
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: When humans are turned into objects
"It is all about control. We need to deprive their power... and turned them into objects."
Cambodian garment workers strike over unpaid wages amid COVID-19 outbreak
"We cannot let the employers give excuses to delay paying workers’ wages, because workers are in debt and they cannot make an excuse to delay their expenses."
COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects digital rights in the Balkans
Digital rights NGOs warn about increase of cases of violation of privacy of people under quarantine, spread of disinformation and internet scams in Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Venezuela’s feminist movement begins rising above political polarization
“The State doesn’t take care of me, my female friends do."
Papua New Guinea nurses strike over lack of protection against COVID-19
"Staff safety is paramount and those in authority must put themselves into our shoes and understand exactly why we are doing this."
Hundreds of Croatians left homeless by earthquake amid COVID-19 crisis
The quake hit shortly after the city had implemented restriction measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, bringing additional stress to Croatians.
Forty years on, a locked-down El Salvador remembers the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero online
The archbishop was shot by a death squad at the start of El Salvador's civil war, becoming an iconic figure in the struggle against human rights violations in Latin America.
Kosovo government first to fall in worldwide coronavirus crisis
Recent emergency measures against COVID-19 exposed tensions in the fragile ruling coalition, culminating in its demise.
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: Looking for human connection in isolation
Global Voices will publish Ai and Guo's diaries from Wuhan in a series. The following words were written in the second week of the lockdown between January 29-February 4, 2020.
Tunes in the time of corona: A playlist from Trinidad & Tobago hits all the right notes
Two Trinidadian podcasters seek to virtually unite people amidst the COVID-19 outbreak by asking listeners to pick their favourite tunes — and explain why the songs are meaningful to them.
Outrage after Indonesian politicians among first in line to get tested for COVID-19
"A lot of people are angry with parliamentarians as even doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers - the people on the front lines - are not being tested."
Maldives: Can a country so dependent on tourism afford a lockdown?
The President of Maldives banned all tourist arrivals in the country from March 27, 2020. This will impact the country's economy due to a serious shortfall in foreign currency earnings.
Grief, alienation, trauma: Kashmir under lockdown
"The removal of Article 370 may or may not impact the people of the Kashmir valley, but the treatment meted out only reminds us about the brutal occupation of our land."
Coronavirus and surveillance technology: How far will governments go?
''While surveillance technologies and measures may give the public a sense of security in controlling the spread of the virus, we must remain mindful and vigilant of their continued use after the pandemic subsides.''
Classified data shows that China's official figure of zero domestic COVID-19 cases excludes asymptomatic carriers
According to classified data seen by the South China Morning Post, asymptomatic COVID-19/coronavirus carriers who tested positive have not been included in the official count of confirmed cases in China.
Thai workers speak out about their need for unions and better conditions at the workplace
"I hope that one day domestic workers will be able to stand up without feeling shameful. Honestly, when I was a housekeeper, I was not proud of my profession."
Combating ‘fake news’ in the time of COVID-19 in Myanmar
"Thousands of social media users made a group and a network to serve as watchdogs for fake news on social media."
India stays home for 14 hours in the fight against COVID-19
Millions of Indians confined themselves to their homes between 7 am and 9 pm on March 22, 2020, in response to a government-imposed curfew to curb the spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: ‘…not only a city being locked down, but also our voices’
In these Wuhan diaries, the lives of ordinary people living under top-down control and surveillance, show how people are atomized and reduced into a collective.