Stories about English from February, 2018
Chinese State TV Lambasted for ‘Racist’ Lunar New Year Sketch Featuring Blackface
"My first Chinese New Year watching the annual CCTV spring gala and they trot out a Chinese lady in blackface...with a pet "monkey" (played by a man from Cote D'Ivoire)..."
An Artist Duo in Nepal Hopes Their Nude Paintings Will Encourage Men to Embrace Vulnerability
“It’s okay to be you, men too can cry, men too can be sensitive."
Social Media Giants Are at the Center of a Censorship Scandal in Russia — Again
The latest manifestation of online platforms being targeted for censorship by government entities
Remembering Pakistan's Empowering Human Rights Activist Asma Jahangir
"Even in her death, she did not conform to the established code. Resistance, thy name is Asma."
Hannah Mouncey Becomes First Transgender Player in Australian Women’s State League Football
"I cannot thank the AFL for allowing me to do something that is open to every other Australian and which the science and research has supported all along."
East African Women in the Music Industry Sing Out Against Male Domination
"We have made ourselves known in the music industry, yet gender inequality, sexism, and pay gaps persist. It’s not that we’re not skillful enough, it’s that all decision-makers are men."
Several Months After Their Abduction by Boko Haram, Thirteen Nigerian Citizens Regain Freedom
"We are so pleased that these 13 people are free and will be able to see their families again..."
‘India’s Only Positive Newspaper’ Brings Readers a Dose of Hope
"We felt if negative news and stories can bring about such negative actions, why not publish and present positive stories that can bring about a larger positive impact."
‘We Want the World to Know': Activists Reporting on Occupation Face Legal Threats in Western Sahara
Local journalists and media activists reporting on the occupation and Moroccan abuses face legal obstacles and risk lengthy jail sentences in order to make their voices heard.
ISIS Has Left the Syrian City of Raqqa, but Its Landmines Continue to Maim and Kill
"I sent one of my sons to check our home near the clock roundabout, but when he arrived, the landmines were waiting for him in front of the house's door".
Mashal Khan Case Verdict Highlights Pakistan’s Blasphemy and Impunity Problem
"One death sentence and five life sentences for a lynching that was filmed? Surely there were more than six people involved."
‘Singing the Tale of Our Pain': Tajikistan's Migration Phenomenon Finds a Home in Music
"Why am I here, in an alien place, far from my mother?"
An Introduction to #MeToo in Japan
How is Japan experiencing its own #MeToo moment?
Trinidad & Tobago Finally Gets Its ‘Steups’ Emoji
One Trinidadian Facebook user, tired of waiting for Facebook to get the memo about the need for a "steups" emoji, went and designed one herself.
Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants Makes Space for Different Narratives
Since 2014, the Taiwan Literature Awards for Migrants has provided a platform for foreign-born people in Taiwan to share their stories.
How Apple is Paving the Way to a ‘Cloud Dictatorship’ in China
Now Apple that has kowtowed to the CCP, how long will other tech companies be able to resist the pressure?
Brazil's Largest Newspaper Quits Facebook, Accuses it of Harboring ‘Fake News’
Folha's editor accused Facebook of "...banning professional journalism from its pages in favour of personal content and opening space for ‘fake news’ to proliferate."
FBI Investigation Helps Uncover Latest Bribery Scandal In Greece
"I live in a country where an ex-Minister of Health of remarkable nerve threatens protected witnesses in a live TV broadcast".
‘The Educational System Has Failed Us': The Grief and Frustration of Jordan's Unemployed University Graduates
"I thought that once I graduated I would be able to...make a better living," one graduate said "I now make the same amount as I did as a student."
From Street Murals to #WeWalk, Thais Protest Against Corruption and Call for Restoration of Democracy
"So many Thais just opened their eyes and woke up from an unrealistic dream."
Africa Mourns Award-Winning Ugandan Musician Mowzey Radio, Dead at 33
"He always gave me even the little he had...However much others knew him as a chaotic man, I knew him as a simple, humble and talented son"