Stories about LANGUAGES from March, 2015
Open Letter to 60 Minutes Regarding Its Reporting on Africa
Scholars, writers, journalists and researchers write an open letter to 60 Minutes producer about the misrepresentation of Africa by the Tv program: Dear Jeff Fager, Executive Producer of CBS 60 Minutes, We, the undersigned, are writing to express our grave concern about the frequent and recurring misrepresentation of the African...
Community Tributes for Lee Kuan Yew Draw a Million People in Singapore
Lee Kuan Yew is Singapore's founding Prime Minister who ruled the country for more than three decades.
Civil War Separates Peuhl Children from their Parents in Yaloke, Central African Republic
Peuhl minorities of Islamic confession have been trying to escape anti-balaka militia since the beginning of the civil war in in the Central African Republic. One of the camps where displaced Peuhl can find protection is the Yaloke camp by the Cameroonian border in the western region. The health situation in...
Mapping Vietnam's Socio-Economic Indicators
The World Bank has launched mapVIETNAM, an interactive map that shows various socio-economic indicators in Vietnam such as poverty rates, employment, and electricity connectivity. The photo above shows the number of households living on $2 dollars a day. Using the map, we can see that poverty rates are high in...
Bus Users Fight Over Seat in Peruvian Bus and You Can't Imagine How This Ends
A video posted on Facebook by user PeruRec show two men almost coming to blows over a seat in a bus of the Metropolitano, Peruvian capital public transportation system. At one point, the stockier guy sits over the other guy, while other bus users laugh out loud. Immersed as they...
Russian Girls Show Conservative Beauty Contest Just How ‘Modest’ They Can Be
Almost immediately after the contest was announced, VKontakte users began criticizing the Parliamentary League’s decision to make modesty and headscarves the focus of its contest.
The Media's Role in Mexico's ‘Warped’ Democracy
Blogger Fernando Vázquez Rigada reflects on the role of the media in Mexico, a country where he says democracy is “warped” because it only works on a formal level, and society isn't adequately represented by the political institutions. He adds that Mexican media bear a huge responsibility in this issue....
Eerie Similarities Between Germanwings Tragedy and Argentinian-Spanish Film ‘Wild Tales’
More than once, screenwriters have found inspiration in reality for their fiction. This time, it seems reality was inspired by fiction. The news that the co-pilot of German airline Germanwings‘ Flight 9525 is suspected of intentionally crashing the plane, taking the lives of 149 people with him, seems to be one of...
German Company's Videos Imagine Modern Women as Passive and Dependent
Women in Germany are outraged over one insurance company's videos explaining different types of policies, in which women are described as passive and naive — a role more in line with the expectations of the 1950s than 2015. Birte Vogel writes on her blog Thea – Frauen in Sprache, Medien und Gesellschaft (Thea –...
Omani Blogger Muawiyah Alrawahi Disappeared At UAE Border
Omani blogger Muawiyah Alrawahi was detained while attempting to enter the United Arab Emirates by car from Oman, according to a statement released by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Who to Follow on Yemen on the Second Day of Saudi-Led Air Strikes
Yemeni journalists, bloggers and activists are covering the current war in Yemen. Abir Ghattas takes a look at what they are saying
Trinidad & Tobago's Politics Hits New Low With ‘Product of Rape’ Mudslinging
"Vernella has offended every victim of rape and sexual abuse, every child born out of rape and incest...As a woman, she should know better. I am appalled and disgusted."
The Arduous Journey of Colombian Migrants Headed for Chile
Global Voices, in collaboration with Connectas, Agenda Propia, Útero.pe, Vice and El Mercurio de Antofagasta, explored the challenges and history of migration in Latin America during a Google Hangout.
Inaccurate Reports of ‘ISIS Taking Over Star Wars Set’ Anger Tunisians
Tunisians are responding with mockery to media reports claiming that the Star Wars filming location in the south of the country has come under the siege of ISIS.
Balloons Released in Brussels in Support of Jailed Iranian Student Hamid Babaei
Ever since the tribulations of Hamid Babaei and his wife began, his classmates at Liège and in Brussels have shown them unrelenting solidarity.
Sudan Turns Back on Iran, Joins Saudi Arabia's War on Yemen
Sudan switched sides from being an Iranian ally, to waging war against the Houthis, Iran's allies in Yemen. Sudan joining the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi fighters, who took control of Sanaa in January this year, has raised eyebrows. UAE-based journalist Abbas Al Lawati tweets: Sudan's involvement in the Yemen...
Belarus Tightens Grip on Internet With New Data Retention Decree
The new data retention demands are just the latest in a string of restrictive Internet measures employed by Belarus in the wake of the next presidential election.
Civilian Death Toll on the Rise as Saudi Arabia Leads Airstrikes on Yemen
The civilian death toll is on the rise in the current war waged by Saudi Arabia and its allies against the Houthis in Yemen.
‘Diner en Blanc’ Fans the Flames of Jamaica's Social and Economic Divide
'Diner en Blanc' is a worldwide phenomenon - but staging it in economically challenged Jamaica, with its ever-widening gap between the haves and have nots, has left a bitter taste.
BREAKING: Saudi Arabia Wages War on Yemen
Online, bloggers are torn between those wanting to see the Houthis rooted out of power and those who don't want to see Yemen becoming another Iraq, Syria or Libya.
A Trinidadian Falls in Love with Jamaica
Trindadian diaspora fashion blogger, Afrobella, grew up “steeped in reggae music and [with] a love for Jamaican culture” – so why did it take her so long to actually visit the island? She's not sure she can answer that question, considering that her first impression was that “Jamaica is an...