Stories about English from April, 2018
Jamaican Dancehall Star Buju Banton's Impending Release from Prison Sparks Renewed Controversy
"If Banton[...]retracted his hideous views on homosexuality and sought to amend the damage he has done to men and women across the Caribbean, he would be worthy of a platform."
PHOTOS: Celebration as High Court Deems Trinidad & Tobago ‘Buggery’ Law ‘Unconstitutional’
"In the end, whether or not the court's ruling managed to change anyone's mind, LBGT+ and religious activists stood side by side on the steps of the Hall of Justice..."
Will Tanzanian Bloggers Pay Up or Push Back Against ‘Blogger Tax'?
In Tanzania, where media historically holds strong ties to government interests, blogging opened up possibilities for individuals to establish private news outlets that proved immensely powerful.
Forced Onto Live TV With Her Employer, a Migrant Domestic Worker in Lebanon Recants Claims of Abuse
One group for migrant domestic workers demanded after the episode that Lensa be removed from her employer’s house "to a place where she is no longer in fear of retribution."
#GirlsOnBikes: Women Ride Bicycles To Reclaim Public Spaces in Pakistan
"We wish to encourage each other to participate in this collective movement to assert our right to navigate public spaces on our own terms."
No Laughing Matter: China Shuts Down Popular Joke-Sharing App
"A country, a government, a supervision department. They are all scared of a joke-sharing application."
‘Great March’ for Palestinian Refugees’ Right of Return Endures Bloody Crackdown
"Almost eleven years of siege on #Gaza, and they are still protesting in the thousands the right to return, the right to live in dignity and freedom."
Trinidad & Tobago's LGBT Community Speaks Out as Court Decision on ‘Buggery’ Law Approaches
"Religion must not trump reason when it comes to basic human rights."
By Attempting to Curb Disinformation on Slain Politician Marielle Franco, a Brazilian Judge Hands Facebook Censorship Powers
The order could set a dangerous precedent for freedom of speech online in the country.
Amid Crackdown on Dissent, Six Vietnamese Human Rights Activists Are Dealt Long Prison Sentences
“I will continue the struggle and if I must sit in jail, others on the outside will fight on for me and they will never stop.”
Russian Newspaper Closes After Years of Tense, Often Violent Confrontation with Security Services
In an op-ed announcing the newspaper’s closure, the acting editor Yuri Grozmani said he had little hope for domestic prosecution of FSB officers complicit in the act of censorship
How Nationalism Played a Role in Preserving Orthodox Christian Cultural Heritage During the Soviet Union Era
Some of the artistic legacies of Orthodox Christian religion were used to promote patriotic pride during the Soviet Union era.
India's Data Security Dilemma Continues With Cambridge Analytica
The fallout from revelations of data exploitation by Facebook and Cambridge Analytica has taken hold in India, where political leaders are accusing one another of using similar means to manipulate local elections. The two technology companies dominated headlines for days after former Cambridge Analytica employee-turned-whistleblower Christopher Wylie revealed to the...
With Elections Approaching and Parliament Dissolved, Will Malaysia's Anti-Fake News Law Become a ‘Political Weapon'?
"While this issue should not be ignored, the proposed broad-based law to criminalise the dissemination of news amounts to legislative overkill."
Singapore's Economic Success ‘Comes at the Sacrifice of Humans Rights,’ Says Activist Han Hui Hui
"I hope that countries around the world don’t follow the Singapore model...Advocate and have your independent labor unions and student unions because we don’t have that in Singapore."
Indian Government Threatens to Revoke Media Accreditation Over ‘Fake News’
New federal guidelines in India which states that journalists can lose accreditation if found spreading "fake" or "uncomfortable" news raises an issue of media-surveillance.
Diplomatic Storm Strikes When Trinidad and Tobago Refuses Hurricane-Hit Dominica an Ease on OAS Contributions
"I hope the people of Dominica know that not all Trinbagonians are as graceless as this official position might indicate, and this objection makes many of us feel deeply ashamed."
‘It Is Sad to Realise That When Police Officers Are Sued, the Victims Are Judged Instead’
"His case was not an exception. Every day, black young men are killed by the police in favelas and other marginalised areas."
Tensions Run High in Kashmir Following Deaths of Protesters, Soldiers and Suspected Militants
"One of the civilians killed in Shopian leaves behind this 17 months old child. The tragedy called Kashmir."
Bangladesh Is the World's ‘Most Vegetarian Country'? Not Quite.
"Low meat consumption does not make one vegetarian even metaphorically!!"
A Surinamese Non-Profit Becomes the Voice for Animals Losing Their Habitats
"This is what we want to promote — that wild animals belong in the wild."