Stories about English from August, 2020
Calls for unity as Trinidad & Tobago celebrates Independence Day
"The General Election 2020 flipped Trinidad and Tobago over and exposed what can be described as its ugly underbelly […] laid bare seething tensions that have simmered between ethnicities."
Anonymous group hack reveals hidden government data about COVID-19 cases in Nicaragua
The hack revealed a surplus of 6,245 positive COVID-19 cases in Nicaragua that were previously unknown to the public.
Concerned citizens petition Timor-Leste authorities to drop planned revival of defamation law
"This proposed law is to protect those in power from criticism when they commit any act of corruption and any other acts of crime."
Livestream of Australia’s penguin parade brings smiles around the world
"Happiness is the daily #PenguinParade @PhillipIslandNP! How can these little penguins not make you smile?"
Bangladesh battles the country's longest-running floods since 1998
The devastation comes at a time when emergency and health services were already overwhelmed with responding to the COVID-19 epidemic.
A conversation with Trinidadian Nneka Jones, the artist who created compelling American flag image for TIME magazine: Part II
"This hand embroidered flag was created with the intention of signifying optimism and hopes that we can all work together to build a brighter future."
A conversation with Trinidadian Nneka Jones, the artist who created compelling American flag image for TIME magazine: Part I
"We had decided that using the American flag would be the perfect symbolism as it is a reflection of everything happening in the nation currently."
The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the environment
"If suddenly, skies are more blue, and citizens breathe more freely, they realize a more healthy and sustainable life is within reach."
Disinformation about Belarus spreads in the Balkans via online portals and social media
Fact-checkers from Serbia and North Macedonia have been detecting and countering disinformation favoring the authoritarian regime in Belarus in the mold of previous propaganda narratives from pro-Kremlin troll armies.
Hong Kong police accused of rewriting history to oppress political dissent
Hong Kong police manipulates narratives of mob violence to accuse political opponents of disturbing the peace and arrest them despite multiple video proofs of their innocence
#JusticeForZaraAlvarez: Filipino activists protest worsening impunity under President Duterte
"Saddened by Zara Alvarez's murder in Bacolod. Her daughter is now an orphan. The communities she served as a health worker and human rights advocate are orphaned too."
Most Taiwanese unfazed by former president's fearmongering on war with China
Speaking at a conference on August 10, former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou said that, once China attacks Taiwan, “the first battle will be the last."
Collusion accusations grow between Haitian government and organised crime groups
"[...] The gang leaders are seemingly free from persecution so long as they help keep the peace in the neighborhoods they control."
Reorienting Taiwan and Hong Kong: New avenues for building power
" ... Taiwanese theorist Wu Jieh-min once posed what seems in retrospect a rather utopian vision of activists in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China uniting to combat their shared enemy—the CCP."
Jamaicans at home and abroad express shock at ‘outrageous and offensive’ BBC comedy sketch
"This is a harmful piece of work, and its release seems to have completely ignored the current state of the world in which people are tirelessly campaigning for racial equality."
From horticulture to Harry Potter cosplay, Thai students find creative ways to protest against repression
Students across Thailand have been organizing protests demanding “an end to the authorities’ harassment of citizens, the drafting of a new constitution, and the dissolution of parliament.”
Report roundly criticizes ‘whitewashed’ face of Australian TV news and current affairs
"...the lack of diversity is also reflected in the stories programs make, the issues they examine and the way they examine them."
Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers split over Beijing-imposed mandate extension
Accepting an extension granted by Beijing's NPC could be seen as a surrender to the mainland -- while rejection means, in practice, a boycott of the LegCo.
Devastated hilltop in Myanmar’s jade mining region remains home for scores of families despite danger
Despite the danger of further landslides, 77 families remain, saying they cannot afford to relocate.
Islamophobic post on Facebook leads to deadly violence in Bangalore
India experiences another episode of real-life violence triggered by online hate speech.
After recounts revealed the same result, Trinidad & Tobago's government is finally sworn in
After a drawn-out recount which failed to affect the original result, the incumbent government has been sworn back into office for another term.