Stories about English from March, 2017
These Techies Want Your Phone to Speak to You in Swahili
Swahili is the second-most-widely-used language on the African continent. Yet automatic speech recognition isn’t commercially available in this language, denying many users the information they need.
Russian Opposition Leader Offers European Court Shield to Thousands
Citing his group's past success, Alexey Navalny implies that coming out to demonstrate against corruption could net as much as 10,000 euros for each person wrongly detained and fined.
Hong Kong's Hottest Fake News Headlines Target Refugees, Foreign Domestic Workers
Hong Kong's increase in fake news prompted media activists to create the Facebook page Kau Yim to verify important information and identify fake news.
Kathmandu’s Pollution Is So Bad, Even Gods Need Masks
The level of pollution in Kathmandu has surpassed the minimum acceptable level and the residents are reacting by putting masks over their faces, just like the city's iconic statues.
Jamaican Activist Arrested Under Cybercrime Law Amid Her Campaign Against Sexual Violence
"If the Tambourine Army believe they have exhausted all avenues of ‘proper’ ways to advocate, then I say do what you must, but please don’t give up the fight."
UAE Authorities Arrest One Rights Activist and Extend the Detention of Another
On 20 March police arrested human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor from his home. Meanwhile, UAE authorities have refused to release Osama al-Najjar, despite him having served out his prison sentence.
This Is How a Russian School Principal Talked to Her Students About Patriotism
Leaked audiotape reveals how a Russian school principal insulted her students, saying they lack patriotism, after they challenged her criticisms of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
‘Those Who Tortured Him [Should] Tell Us the Truth': Tunisian Commission Hears Net Freedom Testimonies From Dictatorship
The Truth and Dignity Commission is investigating rights abuses committed during the dictatorship era, including internet freedom violations.
India Fights to Bring ‘My Freedom Day’ to Its 12 Million Slaves
This year, roughly 12 million slaves in India couldn't celebrate My Freedom Day. That number could rise to 18 million, if more isn't done to help India's most vulnerable.
In Northern Sri Lanka, Incidents of Military Intimidation Threaten Reconciliation
"There was clearly anger from the side of the military that people were getting their land back."
A Visit to a Moscow Mental Health Center
Vera Shengelia, a Russian journalist and a mental health activist, recently visited a young man at a residential care center for adults in Moscow. The experience shook her.
Brazilian Facebook User Prosecuted for Posting a Joke About a Politician
The administrator was prosecuted not for defamation, but rather for violating Brazil's anonymity laws.
A Young Policewoman's Murder Leaves Trinidad & Tobago With More Questions Than Answers
"Should we march as if we have never marched before? Write to the newspapers? Pray? I do not have any of the answers, but I fear far worse."
Afghanistan's Cricket Team Sends Hope Home from India
"Finally, a great feat! [Our] tenth win in a row in T20Is. Towards the glory!"
With Tambourines in Hand and Led by Survivors, a Powerful Movement Against Sexual Violence in Jamaica Rises
A leader of the movement was recently arrested and charged under the country's cybercrime legislation for naming and shaming men accused of sexual violence.
After Planting the Caribbean in Our Collective Imagination, Sir Derek Walcott, ‘One of the Great Poets of All Time’, Has Died
"He showed that even the most humble village on a tiny island on the fringes of the world could be a place of epic beauty and significance."
