Stories about English from December, 2020
North Macedonia court rejects lawsuit by journalists over 2017 Parliament attack
Journalists sued the Macedonian state for the violence they faced on that fateful April 27, 2017, when a mob stormed the Parliament. A court ruled they failed to prove the attack happened.
Trinidad & Tobago's procurement regulation bill passes, but corruption concerns linger
On the eve of International Anti-Corruption Day, Trinidad and Tobago's Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill 2020 was passed — by a single vote.
Internet artist behind satirical Australia war crimes image hailed as a hero on Chinese social media
The satirical image of an Australian soldier slitting the throat of an Afghan child was shared by China’s Foreign Ministry's spokesman on Twitter, causing a row between the two countries.
Google Doodle of economist and Nobel laureate Sir Arthur Lewis makes the Caribbean proud
The St Lucian-born economist, who became known for his “Lewis model” of economic development, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1979.
Seven African governments employ surveillance spyware, says new study
Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have employed surveillance technology from Circles, a firm affiliated with Israel's NSO Group, according to the report by Citizen Lab.
Diary of a Nepali soldier in France
A diary written by a Gurkha sergeant in the British Army in 1914, during World War I, has revealed a whole new side to the Gurkha legend.
Hong Kong suppresses political dissent by freezing bank accounts
Pro-democracy activists believe that the banking system is being weaponized by the national security police to crack down on activists and pro-democracy NGOs.
Singaporean activist who staged a solo protest with a ‘smiley’ placard charged with illegal assembly
"I barely stayed in the area for more than several seconds. Yet, what I did has been deemed as a public protest by the State."
Calls to legislate ‘private hire’ vehicles and stop victim-blaming as another woman is murdered in Trinidad & Tobago
Ashanti Riley was last seen getting into a Private Hire (PH) car, but she never arrived at her destination.
Bangladesh bids farewell to Argentinian football legend Maradona
Argentinian football legend Maradona became an icon in Bangladesh after the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Now, Bangladeshi fans mourn his death.
‘Godmother’ of Caribbean literature, Marina Salandy-Brown, made honorary fellow of Royal Society of Literature
“We've always been writing in the Caribbean, but no one had really created a space (at home) with the power to [connect] regional writers to the international publishing industry."
Nepal's Sapana Roka Magar, who provides Hindu funeral rites for unclaimed bodies, listed in BBC's 100 Women of 2020
With COVID-19 disproportionally affecting homeless people in Nepalese cities, Sapana's work became vital to this vulnerable population, who are so often deprived of dignified funerals.
Australia-China relations hit rock bottom after provocative tweet by senior Communist Party official
"A Chinese diplomat's tweet re inquiry into war crimes is breathtakingly, gobsmackingly hypocritical. We are waiting for independent investigations into widespread systematic abuses by China in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong."
The power of ‘personal experience': An interview with Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil
Nabil's "technique mixes painting and photography, inspired by hand-painted movie posters of the 1940s and 1950s, and is reminiscent of the pre-digital world."
Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam sentenced to jail
Joshua Wong tweeted: "We’re now joining the battle in prison along with many brave protestors, less visible yet essential in the fight for democracy and freedom for Hong Kong."
Court ruling gives Trinidad & Tobago green light to deport a Venezuelan minor
After a group of Venezuelans was deported, and then returned to Trinidad under court order, another High Court judge has ruled the state has the right to apply domestic law.
Journalists at Hong Kong TV station resign en masse after 40 colleagues fired
The cable broadcaster, one of Hong Kong's largest, cited financial reasons. Newsroom staff claim the decision was politically motivated.
World AIDS Day 2020: How has the Caribbean dealt with HIV during COVID-19?
Threatened livelihoods, disruption in supply chains, and changes in health care delivery are all challenges which people living with HIV/AIDS in the region have had to grapple with under COVID-19.
Student protests in Philippine universities hit government for bungled Typhoon disaster response
"We halt our classes and academic work to amplify our call for justice and for the ouster of Duterte."
Controversy over Thanksgiving celebration in a Chinese university highlights a growing culture of political snitching
A dormitory supervisor at Harbin Institute of Technology wanted to give out chocolate treats to students on Thanksgiving Day. A student threatened to report her to the school's authorities.