Stories about English from May, 2020
Labour, migrant rights under spotlight as Thailand wrestles with COVID-19 impact
Fearing instability, the Thai government is failing to protect the labor rights of both Thai nationals and migrant workers.
Nepal’s first 360 degree virtual contemporary art exhibition
Artwork by 19 renowned Nepali artists showcased in an online virtual exhibition named ‘Tangential Stress’ by the Museum of Nepali Art (MoNA).
Addressing ‘gaps in history’ through bush tea: A conversation with Barbadian visual artist Annalee Davis
"Returning to the land today can feed us, contributing to food sovereignty and the wellness sector by expanding our knowledge and use of wild botanicals and their healing properties..."
Stranded Nepali migrant workers protest to return home, Nepali government drags its feet
Nepal's government tries to stall repatriating migrant workers stranded abroad.
Women in Nigeria face a caustic landmine of political advocacy online
“I’ve grown a really thick skin,” said Fakhriyyah Hashim, co-founder of the #ArewaMeToo movement in northern Nigeria.
The healing effects of bush tea: A conversation with Barbadian visual artist Annalee Davis
"I have been concerned with how shared historical suffering reveals itself communally and how individuals and nations manage trauma and the desire for self-fulfilment in small places like Barbados..."
A glimpse at Thailand's digital ID through the biometric profiling of Malay Muslims
"The discriminatory nature of these measures could amount to racial profiling, which subjects Malay Muslims to disproportionate and unnecessary surveillance based on ethnic prejudice rather than objective signs of suspicion."
Nepali Muslims eye India's growing Islamophobia with fear
The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the status of already vulnerable minority Muslims in Nepal.
Where’s the Pacific voice in the viral ‘real Lord of the Flies’ story?
The story of a group of Tongan castaways goes global thanks to an article published in The Guardian, but Pacific Islanders take issue with its point of view.
Hong Kong reveals the city's agenda to construct an Orwellian ‘truth’
The release of a report on the police's use of force in protests seems to be "part of a wider set of coordinated announcements designed to deliver the new ‘truth’".
Photo contest asks Rohingya community to document their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic
A photography competition for Rohingya people is being held from April 23 – August 23, 2020, featuring two broad categories – “Rohingya life” and “Response to Coronavirus” and entries can be submitted online.
Nigerian pastor spreads COVID-19 conspiracies and disinformation
Som Nigerian evangelical pastors act as purveyors of disinformation, half-truths and total falsehood about the coronavirus — with divine conviction.
Former Yugoslavia's brutalist architecture shines in new Star Wars fan film
"If it was gonna be a 'Serbian' story, or an 'ex-Yugoslav' story, let's face it -- it couldn't be a story about royalty."
Russia's World War Two diplomacy scores a win in North Macedonia
"Eternal glory to the heroes, the fighters of the anti-Hitler coalition who vanquished Nazism and freed the peoples of Europe!"
Banned for 30 years, Singapore’s only martial arts film is now on YouTube
"It's almost as if the film is a time capsule into Singapore’s past."
In Afghanistan, the war does not spare newborn babies inside maternity wards
When Afghans woke up on the morning of May 12, and found out about two new terrorist attacks, they were reminded that the ongoing war had reached new levels of brutality: this time, not even newborn babies and their mothers were spared. Kabul maternity under attack That day, three militants stormed...
COVID-19 in the Caribbean: ‘Looking out, not going out’
Though regional citizens are still laying low as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have been recording their thoughts in various ways, while in relative isolation.
‘Corona Ciao': Parody of old revolutionary song goes viral in the Balkans
Insult to revolutionary heritage, paean to middle-aged tavern-going privilege or just a bit of fun?
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: ‘People cannot grieve freely for their relatives. How repressive!’
"After the storm, we will need to rebuild our lives like those blown-down buildings."
China to its anxious youth: ‘Believe us, things are better in your day!’
"We have to struggle for our rights, not sit and wait. Youth in China should yell out -- we want freedom of press!"
History, landscape, body: A conversation with Pakistani artist Ali Kazim
Kazim’s works have been exhibited in major international fairs and exhibitions around the world, including New York’s Frieze art fair in 2019.