Stories about English from March, 2015
Trinidad & Tobago's Politics Hits New Low With ‘Product of Rape’ Mudslinging
"Vernella has offended every victim of rape and sexual abuse, every child born out of rape and incest...As a woman, she should know better. I am appalled and disgusted."
Inaccurate Reports of ‘ISIS Taking Over Star Wars Set’ Anger Tunisians
Tunisians are responding with mockery to media reports claiming that the Star Wars filming location in the south of the country has come under the siege of ISIS.
Balloons Released in Brussels in Support of Jailed Iranian Student Hamid Babaei
Ever since the tribulations of Hamid Babaei and his wife began, his classmates at Liège and in Brussels have shown them unrelenting solidarity.
Sudan Turns Back on Iran, Joins Saudi Arabia's War on Yemen
Sudan switched sides from being an Iranian ally, to waging war against the Houthis, Iran's allies in Yemen. Sudan joining the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi fighters, who took control of Sanaa in January this year, has raised eyebrows. UAE-based journalist Abbas Al Lawati tweets: Sudan's involvement in the Yemen...
Belarus Tightens Grip on Internet With New Data Retention Decree
The new data retention demands are just the latest in a string of restrictive Internet measures employed by Belarus in the wake of the next presidential election.
Civilian Death Toll on the Rise as Saudi Arabia Leads Airstrikes on Yemen
The civilian death toll is on the rise in the current war waged by Saudi Arabia and its allies against the Houthis in Yemen.
‘Diner en Blanc’ Fans the Flames of Jamaica's Social and Economic Divide
'Diner en Blanc' is a worldwide phenomenon - but staging it in economically challenged Jamaica, with its ever-widening gap between the haves and have nots, has left a bitter taste.
BREAKING: Saudi Arabia Wages War on Yemen
Online, bloggers are torn between those wanting to see the Houthis rooted out of power and those who don't want to see Yemen becoming another Iraq, Syria or Libya.
A Trinidadian Falls in Love with Jamaica
Trindadian diaspora fashion blogger, Afrobella, grew up “steeped in reggae music and [with] a love for Jamaican culture” – so why did it take her so long to actually visit the island? She's not sure she can answer that question, considering that her first impression was that “Jamaica is an...
Defiant Tunisia Hosts the World Social Forum
Less than a week after the deadly attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, the World Social Forum kicked off on Tuesday with an anti-terror march.
Russian Social Media Users Write 30 Million Daily Posts
For all the people registered on these websites, only 5 percent of users actually create original content. (The vast majority of Web activity is reposting someone else's material.)
Documenting the Systematic Decline of Women's Rights in Macedonia
Although southeast European countries are progressive in many other ways, the decline of women's reproductive rights in some Western Balkan countries has been a worrying trend. In Macedonia, several small protests have been held in recent years to demonstrate people's opposition to government involvement in determining public sentiment on issues...
Bermuda's 99%
The economic gap appears to be widening in Bermuda and one blogger has been paying attention. A week ago, after the Bermuda Telephone Company announced that it was considering introducing new – and more expensive – residential high speed broadband internet products and a high-end restaurant launched a $1000 per...
India's Supreme Court Axes Online Censorship Law, But Challenges Remain
People in India are cheering after the Indian Supreme Court struck down IT Act Section 66A, calling it a violation of free expression.
13 Eritrean Writers You Should Know About
Woyingi compiles a list of Eritrean literature, which includes Sulaiman Addonia's The Consequences of Love and Taught to hate: observations on madrasas, Astier M. Almedom's Re-reading the Short and Long-Rigged History of Eritrea 1941–1952: Back to the Future?, Alemseged Tesfai's Two Weeks in the Trenches: Reminiscences of Childhood and War...
American Blogger Offered Money to Publish Russian Propaganda
Ironically, Swanson and his blog actually support pro-Russian views, which seems to have made the incident doubly disappointing in his eyes.
Cameroon's Government Tries (and Fails) to Blame Embarrassing Photoshop on Hack Attack
Officials claim a photoshopped image of the president honoring fallen soldiers was the work of a hacker. But it's not the first time the government has featured manipulated photos.
Protesters in Taiwan Rally Against Nuclear Power
As many as 45,000 people in Taiwan protested plans to extend the service lives of the country's two oldest nuclear power stations.
Police Roadblocks in Trinidad & Tobago Stir Public Ire, Not Sympathy
"When you put self before country, when you hold an entire nation to ransom, when you play politics with your duty to protect and serve, you have failed us."
Macedonian Journalist Describes How It Feels to Be Subject of State Surveillance
Prominent investigative journalist Meri Jordanovska wrote a testimony about her experience on receiving evidence that she was one of allegedly twenty thousand individuals who have been subjected to state surveillance in Macedonia. In an op-ed on Balkan Insight, Jordanovska explains: Each report on one of my wiretapped conversations was true:...
Six Reasons You Should Visit Malapascua, Philippines, at Least Once in Your Life
Deciding which of the 7,000 Philippine islands to visit is no easy task. Marie Bohner makes a strong case for one in particular.
