Stories about English from June, 2023
Kenya’s decision to remove visa restrictions sparks discussions about a borderless Africa
The Africa Visa Openness Index Report 2022 from the African Development Bank, highlights that only three countries — Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles — currently offer visa-free access to all African nationals.
In Turkey, authorities quickly cover up a report implicating the president's son in a corruption scandal
The practice of blocking content in Turkey is common. News directly related to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his family, or AKP officials are most frequently blocked.
Stress and depression prevail amid the ‘Happy Hong Kong’ publicity campaign
Hong Kong Free Press spoke to a front-line psychiatrist and a psychiatry scholar to address the problem of worsening mental health in the city.
Disinformation helps weaponize homophobia in the Balkans
After 2013, Moscow has emerged as major generator of homophobic narratives that exploit existing endemic intolerance in the Balkans region.
Russian Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov: ‘Repression occurs when no one knows who might be targeted tonight’
"So who is opposing this potential junta, these armed people? Paradoxically, only the ability to speak the truth can stand up to armed men vying for power."
Can Hong Kong afford its planned artificial island construction project?
In addition to the irreversible damage to Hong Kong's marine life and sea beds, the city’s fiscal reserves may be completely drained in a decade or so thanks to the pricy project.
Award winning environmentalist empowers women cotton pickers in Pakistan
Global Voices interviewed environmentalist Javed Hussain who received the prestigious ‘Gender Just Climate Solution Award’ for his work to secure the rights for women cotton pickers in Pakistan.
Chişinău hosted the largest LGBTQ+ march in the history of Moldova
The march this year focused on advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Moldova to have their marriages legally recognized.
A small dictionary of ‘Cha Bubo,’ a vernacular from Butembo in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In addition to the national languages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cha Bubo is a specific linguistic entity spoken in Butembo, in Nord-Kivu province
In Azerbaijan, feminist activists say not the time to celebrate
At least ten political activists left the embassy premises following the extraction of feminist activists and Hasanli.
In a first for Jamaica, Kwame McPherson is selected overall winner of the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
McPherson's winning story, "Ocoee," is based upon historical events, taking its name from the Florida town that was the site of a horrible racially motivated attack in 1920.
Post-pandemic, lockdown on rights persists in the Philippines
The restrictions and repressive measures imposed during the pandemic have continued to have a chilling effect on the local population.
Over 100 arrests following Pride march in Istanbul
The emphasis on family values and the portrayal of LGBTQ+ people as a threat to these values has been part of a narrative often weaponized by local politicians including President Erdoğan.
Interview with Bao Choy, a Hong Kong reporter who won a three-year legal battle over investigative journalism
"We have to admit that Hong Kong is gradually getting worse. And it will continue to deteriorate. But it is still important to meticulously document every small change in the city."
Rethinking education in the context of sustainable development in Trinidad & Tobago
With little to no time to waste as climate change and other environmental issues accelerate at alarming rates, a comprehensive approach to empowering the next generation is needed.
In Jamaica, citizens urge action, not more words, following a child’s murder
Eight-year-old Danielle Rowe was taken from school by a stranger and later found with her throat slit. Her murder has Jamaicans, weary over the crime situation, demanding tangible protection measures.
Sri Lanka's LGBTQ+ community holds Pride events demanding an end to discrimination
Civil society and LGBTQ+ activists in Sri Lanka arranged a series of vibrant and empowering Pride events advocating for equality and demanding an end to discrimination.
How Africans are bridging the language digital divide
About 20 years ago, 80 percent of the world's online content was in English. Currently W3Tech estimates that 54.9 percent of websites with known content languages use English.
‘Pozor i styd': Russian has two words for shame
Russian often has two words where French has only one. One serves to describe the outer thing, while the other describes the inner thing.
‘Are you rejoicing at the prospect of a decrepit and impotent maniac being swept away by a pack of brutal bloody cannibals?’ Twitter users are divided about the armed coup in Russia
Mercenary troops have reportedly seized control of military infrastructure in both Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, the two largest cities in the south of Russia.
Digital rights activist groups urge tech giants to defend against Hong Kong’s injunctions against protest anthem
More than 24 human rights and digital rights groups believed that the injunctions, once granted, would have a “disastrous effect” on freedom of expression and information access, with global implications.
