Stories about English from August, 2018
Condemnation of independence activist draws a red line for Hong Kong's press freedom
The Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club is under fire for organizing a talk by independence activist Andy Chan.
Russians are facing criminal prosecution for sharing memes online, thanks to anti-extremism laws
Repressive laws and cumbersome bureaucracy are putting hundreds of Russians behind bars for sharing memes online.
Four women icons of the Syrian revolution
One perished in a Syrian prison, two died in exile, the other is still missing. The personal histories of these four Syrian women challenge us to not to forget.
To see the full brutality of ICE's impact on immigrants, look inside U.S. borders too
"The terror ICE raids sow in communities affects us all. In immigrant communities this often results in a reluctance to call police, cooperate with authorities or show up in court..."
“What followed horrified us beyond our wildest imaginations”: an eyewitness account of the Bangladesh student protests
"Young Bangladeshis like me are tired of fearing for our lives on the roads—fearing being run over simply because the driver values making money more than human lives."
As Malaysia's new government marks 100 days in office, is free speech still under threat?
"We hope to see a genuine departure from the old oppression, and a transition into a Malaysia where all ideas can be discussed peacefully and our constitutional rights exercised maturely."
With refugees evicted, France’s ‘Calais Jungle’ is now a nature preserve
Was the project is motivated by a desire to protect the area’s wildlife or was it an attempt at 'greenwashing' the forced eviction of migrants from their living spaces?
Landmark ruling in Angola acquits journalist Rafael Marques of all charges
While Marques had been brought to court on previous occasions, this was the first time he was formally acquited.
Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam detained over student protest coverage
"...there were people with machetes in their hands chasing unarmed students. And the police are standing by watching it happen."
In the Caribbean's carnival capital, a Pride parade makes its debut
"What really upsets religious leaders is the fact that there are gay people in this country and we are not ashamed."
After years of silence and denial, Assad regime issues death certificates to ‘disappeared’ prisoners
Since July 2018, the government has been updating its civil registry records wherein 'disappeared' prisoners are now listed as dead.
Is Western media biased against China? (Part Two)
China has claimed that Western media is biased against China. We tested that claim using two data analysis tools.
Cricket Australia under fire for sacking female employee over abortion reform tweets
"Clearly 1951 rolls on down the corridors of Cricket Australia, a halcyon place where a woman’s place is out the door. It’s not Cricket. It’s institutional misogyny."
If Google goes back to China, it will be on the government's terms. What will that mean for human rights?
Google may be prepared to compromise human rights principles for the Chinese market. But it will still depend on the Chinese government to grant its entry.
Students occupy Dhaka streets demanding road safety in Bangladesh
"The students have turned around a car of a minister who was traveling on the wrong side of the road ... What an unimaginable event!"
Killing speech softly: How the world’s biggest tech companies are quietly censoring critical expression in the Middle East
The failures of tech giants in moderating content in the region is a big and complex problem.
Filipinos urged to #BoycottNutriAsia for attacking the strike of workers
"Mothers and fathers who are always doing grocery, I'm asking your help to #BoycottNutriasia. Here are their brands."
Montenegro disagrees with Trump that they are a threat to world peace
Nobody except Trump can imagine that Montenegro would start a war with Russia, even though there were many old Yugoslav jokes about Montenegro starting a war with China.
Officials blame WhatsApp for spike in mob killings, but Indians say vicious party politics are at fault
"Mob lynching is a political tool being used to polarise society....The idea is to create a fear psychosis by unleashing the mobs on a certain community."