Stories about English from July, 2014
‘Boyfriend No, Only Volleyball': Kazakh Sportswoman Ignores Marriage Proposals After Going Viral
Sabina Altynbekova, a 17 year-old volleyball player representing Kazakhstan at youth level has been thrust into the global spotlight after playing for her country in a tournament in Taiwan.
Under Bombs, Gaza's Doctors Are Saving Lives and Tweeting Heartbreaking Stories Between Shifts
Doctors at an overcrowded hospital have safely delivered a baby from the corpse of a nine-month pregnant mother killed in an air strike.
‘Terrified’ Founder Decides to Shutter Hong Kong Pro-Democracy News Site ‘House News’
Some are speculating that the site was pressured to shut down as part of a wider crackdown by Beijing on Hong Kong's media.
Macedonian Authorities Claim Social Networks ‘Have Always Been Blocked’ in University Dorms
Residents of a state-run student dormitory in Skopje began an online campaign to expose the horrific living conditions. Then, access to Facebook and other websites was cut off.
Twitter “Blocks” Access to Russia's Most Infamous Hackers
Russia's Twitter users no longer have access to @b0ltai, an account belonging to a hacker collective that has leaked several Kremlin documents to the Internet over the past 7 months.
Victory Speech of Indonesia's New President
Indonesia's President-elect Joko Widodo or Jokowi delivered a victory speech recognizing the spirit of voluntarism among citizens: This presidential election has sparked new optimism for us, for this nation. Free souls and political responsibilities blossom within the souls of the new generation. The long-lost voluntarism is now back with a...
“Shrinking Democratic Space” in Myanmar
The new United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, has concluded a visit in the country and issued an initial report about Myanmar's human rights situation: The opening up of democratic space for people to exercise their rights to freedom of opinion and expression and to freedom of assembly...
The Philippines’ ‘Anti-Corruption’ President Is Facing Impeachment Calls Over Accusations of Corruption
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, who won on an anti-corruption platform, is now accused of corruption after one of his fund programs was dismissed by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
What Owen Arthur's Resignation Says About Barbados’ Politics
Owen Arthur has resigned from the political party he led for 14 years – a move which Barbados Underground thinks should give Barbadians pause: The incapacity of a former Prime Minister…to carve out an effective role to serve his political party in the twilight of his career leaves a sour...
Palestinians Accuse Israel of War Crimes, Push for ICC Trial Gets Support Online
Palestinian officials have started legal proceedings to put Israel on trial in the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes. Online, netizens tweet their support.
PHOTO: Palestinians Teach Life
Palestinian Sayel tweets to his 1,800 plus followers on Twitter the following photograph of Gazans planting flowers in Israeli shells. He notes: Palestinians from the Gaza planting flowers in Israeli shells being thrown at their houses.We teach life,Sir! #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/V04x0nVXTa — صايل (@Falestinianism) July 26, 2014 Today is Day 19...
Being A Black West Indian in Britain
Jamaican author Kei Miller's blog post about “the anxieties of being a black poet in Britain” draws from several personal experiences, leading him to the conclusion that “the act of writing certain black experiences has to be one of translation – as surely as we translate from one language into...
Trinidad & Tobago Minister Passes the Buck with Failed LifeSport Programme
Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister has shut down the controversial Life Sport programme following the results of an audit, which uncovered the ministry's inability to account for millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money. The programme was originally intended to provide disenfranchised youth with options to a life a crime through...
Indians Are Using Social Media to Tackle Racism Against Northeasterners
Many people from the India's northeastern states, called the “Seven Sisters,” face racial discrimination. The country has seen several cases of deadly violence against northeasterners in recent months.
Russia's 4-Million-Ruble Procurement Order to Crack Tor Is Suddenly Revised
The Russian Interior Ministry has revised the language in a procurement order offering almost USD $100,000 for developing a way to decipher user data on the Tor anonymity network.
Images of Air Algerie AH5017 Plane Wreckage in Mali Reveals Violent, Abrupt Crash
VERY FIRST images of #AH5017 #AirAlgerie trickling out, via @AirLiveNet http://t.co/4pKox7rgjn pic.twitter.com/rngGTv7Rbs — Jason Morrell (@CNNJason) July 25, 2014 The first footage of the plane crash are now available thanks to a Burkinabe soldier present on the site of the wreck near Gossi, in Northern Mali. There are no survivors...
Tajikistan Still Blocking Popular Russian Social Network
Tajikistan's government takes its role as public morals guardian - and protector against anti-government slander - very seriously. Russian social network Odnoklassniki joined YouTube on the blocked list July 18.
Russia Is About to Lose “Fake News,” But the Internet Freedoms Going with It Are Real
The owner of an independent TV channel has staged a curious "intellectual provocation" to shock people into understanding the peril of Internet freedom in Russia.
Gaza Survivor's Twitter Timeline Reveals the Slow Horror of the Massacre at Khuza'a
Reports out of Khuza'a, which has no water, food and shelter, suggest Israel forces weren't letting residents leave the village during the offensive.
Photo: Watching Rockets Fly Over Gaza from Space
From outer space, astronaut Alexander Gerst watches as Gaza erupts in flames. He tweets: My saddest photo yet. From #ISS we can actually see explosions and rockets flying over #Gaza & #Israel pic.twitter.com/jNGWxHilSy — Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) July 23, 2014 This photograph has been retweeted 33K times so far.
Shelling of a School Where Gazans Had Taken Shelter Kills Women, Children and UN Staff
A total of 800 Palestinians have so far been killed and more than 5,200 injured since clashes between Israel and Gaza started 18 days ago.
