Stories about English from March, 2014
“Click Rights” Campaign for Digital Rights in Middle East and North Africa
The IGMENA campaign “Click Rights” aims to bring more awareness of digital rights to citizens, so they in turn can pressure governments and the private sector to uphold them.
In A Syrian Neighbourhood, Rocket Fire Becomes The New Normal
When her Aleppo neighbourhood is the target of rocket fire, Syrian activist Marcell Shehwaro's is both surprised, and not surprised, at how quickly life returns to "normal".
South Korea Singles Out Elderly Drives With ‘Silver Mark’
Seniors must place a special sticker on the back of their car to signify that they are elderly. Rates of fatal crashes involving seniors is on the rise.
Trinidad & Tobago: Minister Fired Over Plane Debacle
The government minister whose deplorable conduct on a flight between Tobago and Trinidad came to public attention, has been fired by the country's Prime Minister.
The Night the Lights Went Out in Jamaica: Politician Freed of Corruption Charges
The dropping of charges against a former minister of Parliament in a corruption scandal involving the distribution of light bulbs, has Jamaicans discussing whether the judicial system has a bias.
Corruption in Nepal: Is It Becoming Socially Acceptable?
People are angry and tired, and media houses often publish news about the connection between political leaders and goons but no one takes to the streets to protest corruption – an anomaly for a country where people have Nepal Bandhs, country-wide strikes for every distress. Siromani Dhungana posts an analysis...
Why Filipinos Became Early Adopters of Western Music
Le Minh Khai refers to the book of D. R. M. Irving in explaining the long history of Filipino musicians playing Western music: …there was a rich experience of musical contact and exchange between Spaniards and Filipinos that began not long after the Spaniards established their control over the Philippines...
Ukrainians Desperate to Flip the Script on Fascism
Photoshoped swastika is making the rounds on RuNet.
Paraguayan President Faces First Major Test as Citizens Prepare for a General Strike
Paraguay will live its first general strike after two decades. Workers, peasants, teacher unions and students will give Horacio Cartes his first major test as president.
Caribbean Literature Festivals Up Their Author Ante
Literature lovers the world over will be interested to hear what the Caribbean's two major lit fests – Jamaica's Calabash and Trinidad and Tobago's Bocas – have planned this year.
Trinidad & Tobago Loses First Olympic Medallist
Repeating Islands notes the passing of Trinidad and Tobago's first ever Olympic medallist, weightlifter Rodney Wilkes.
750 Million People Expected to Speak French by 2050
Countering the assertion by John McWhorter at the New republic that learning French is pointless, Pascal Emmanuel Gobry writes on his Forbes blog that French might just be the language of the future: French isn’t mostly spoken by French people, and hasn’t been for a long time now. The language is...
Laos Landmine Victims Appeal for Help
Landmines planted during the Vietnam War era continue to hurt and kill Lao residents today HI's Phongsavath Manithong is challenging the int'l community to support UXO/mine victims in #Laos #Commit2Complete pic.twitter.com/hXI659LRfu — ICBL (@minefreeworld) March 11, 2014
First Tweet from President of Madagascar is the Ultimate Meta Tweet
The newly elected president of Madagascar Hery Rajaonarimampianina created his twitter account on March 23, 2014. Here is his first tweet : It is quite possibly the most meta tweet ever from a head of state. Only media mugol Rupert Murdoch might challenge the level of “metaness” of his first...
Asylum Seekers Face Uncertainty in East Timor
Sharna Jade Bremner probes the situation of asylum seekers in East Timor: Asylum seekers have been arriving in Timor since the early 2000s, however the exact number that are still in the tiny half-island nation remains unclear. Fear and anxiety are rife in the asylum seeker community, and many people...
Taiwan's Heavy-Handed Crackdown on #CongressOccupied Leaves Protesters, Journalists Injured
Some have blackened their profile photos on Facebook and Twitter in protest of the heavy-handed police response to a demonstration at government headquarters.
3 Ways Mobile Money Transfer Has Changed Kenyans’ Lives
Kenyans on Twitter explain how M-Pesa, a mobile-phone based money transfer and micro-finance service, has changed their lives since the service was introduced seven years ago.
How Russians Are Outsmarting Internet Censorship
RuNet activists have created a sophisticated system of censorship evasion and counter-attack, which can potentially make life hard for both censors and pro-Kremlin websites.
Obama Meets the Chinese President in Netherlands as the US First Lady Continues Her Soft Diplomacy in China
US First Lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to China roughly at the same time her husband traveled to the Netherlands for a nuclear summit, also attended by China's president.
Ukrainian Paramilitary Leader Assassinated, Moscow to Blame?
Over the past several hours rumors spread through the RuNet claiming that Alexander Muzychko, second-in-command to Ukraine's ultra-nationalist "Right Sector" leader Dmytro Yarosh, was gunned down near Rivno.
In Defence of Malawian Languages
Following Malawi's government decision to introduce English as a medium of instruction from grade one, Steve Sharra defends local languages and makes the case for multilingualism: Teachers and lecturers in our secondary schools and universities are observing a trend in which students from private schools speak perfect English, but their...
