Stories about LANGUAGES from July, 2021
Hong Kong Pro-Beijing camp finds fault with Olympic badminton player's black outfit
In Hong Kong, the hottest topic about the Tokoyo 2020 Olympic Games in recent days has been badminton player Angus Ng Ka-Long’s monochrome black outfit.
Russian internet censor blocks Team Navalny websites
Navalny's main website, navalny.com, as well as over 40 other webpages for Navalny's national network of campaign offices were added to Roskomnadzor's state registry for blocked websites.
Samoa’s first female prime minister takes helm three months after former leader refused to concede defeat
"My administration is committed to returning this country to the special place dreamt of by our forefathers when they grabbed the mantle of independence almost 60 years ago."
Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui who was killed in Afghanistan remembered and honoured online
Danish's demise has led to a range of emotions being expressed across fraternities, from respectful tributes to critical comments from his naysayers.
Fresh clashes on Nakhchivan border
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces exchanged fire along the border between Armenia and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, just 66 kilometers from Yerevan.
Government announces new media regulations that could further constrain freedom of expression in Turkey
A number of government statements issued this week in Turkey signal a further decline on media freedom.
The French government’s U-turn on regional languages
A new law passed in May 2021 has reignited the debate around France's regional languages
In Azerbaijan's capital, taxi drivers are now engaging in a generational war around technology
Afgan Maharramov, 54, like many other traditional taxi drivers, is struggling to compete against new taxi apps in Baku.
Global investigation reveals Pegasus Project identified in Azerbaijan and elsewhere
Around 1,000 phone numbers belonging to users in Azerbaijan were identified, among them, prominent journalists, editors, rights defenders, lawyers, political activists, as well as their friends and family members.
‘Maohi Lives Matter': Tahiti protesters condemn French nuclear testing legacy
"According to our calculations, based on a scientific reassessment of the doses received, approximately 110,000 people were infected, almost the entire Polynesian population at the time."
The “ticket to happy life” politics of Indian marriages in the context of dowry-related violence
The recent death of 24-year-old medical student Vismaya Nair in the Indian state of Kerala has sparked widespread outrage and renewed discussions over dowries and domestic violence in India.
Vultures soar back into Pokhara
Despite the decline in vultures across South Asia, the endangered scavengers are recovering in Nepal due to tighter regulations and community initiatives.
CARICOM bristles at international community's slight as Haiti installs a new prime minister
An international Core Group's call for Jovenel Moïse's prime ministerial nominee to form a “consensual and inclusive government” struck a sour note with CARICOM, but he's been installed, anyway.
Devices of journalists, government officials in Kazakhstan hacked and spied on
Journalist Serikzhan Mauletbai found himself on a list of people targeted by Israeli-made spyware the government of Kazakhstan bought. The current president and prime minister are also on the list.
Instagram question on the intersectionality of Pride and religion in Trinidad & Tobago raises issue of gender ideology
While Trinidad and Tobago's Roman Catholic archbishop agrees that we're all children of God, he has called gender ideology "neo-colonialist," raising the ire of some LGBTQ+ activists.
Team 29, Russia's most prominent legal defense group, shuts down under state pressure
On July 19, after its website was blocked, Team 29 announced it was shutting down its operations in order to protect its staff and clients from possible criminal prosecution.
Street art protest in Kazakhstan becomes routine
Since Nazarbayev’s resignation in 2019, new protest movements in Kazakhstan have chosen street art as their preferred tactic. In this case, the target is a public utility hut in Almaty.
‘Courage is accumulative,’ said director of Hong Kong protest documentary at 2021 Cannes Festival
"This is a paradox, only if I stay in Hong Kong I can enjoy freedom, a freedom to overcome fear."
Hong Kong will pass a tough anti-doxxing law that may curb freedom of information
The internet sector has expressed concerns about the vague definition of doxxing, the extension of criminal liability to tech companies and their employees and the extraterritorial implications of the amendment.
State escalates attacks on media freedom and civil society in Belarus
Since the start of July, dozens of civil society organisations and independent media outlets in Belarus have faced law enforcement raids, searches and staff detentions.
Azerbaijani Director who justifies sexual assault faces backlash, no repercussions
A man named Tural Safarov, shared a video message on July 6, targeting Azerbaijani women and justifying sexual harassment.