Stories about Weblog from August, 2020
Calls for unity as Trinidad & Tobago celebrates Independence Day
"The General Election 2020 flipped Trinidad and Tobago over and exposed what can be described as its ugly underbelly […] laid bare seething tensions that have simmered between ethnicities."
Japan reacts to tennis star Naomi Osaka’s protest in support of Black Lives Matter
Before I'm an athlete I am a black woman. And as a Black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand.
Concerned citizens petition Timor-Leste authorities to drop planned revival of defamation law
"This proposed law is to protect those in power from criticism when they commit any act of corruption and any other acts of crime."
Livestream of Australia’s penguin parade brings smiles around the world
"Happiness is the daily #PenguinParade @PhillipIslandNP! How can these little penguins not make you smile?"
A conversation with Trinidadian Nneka Jones, the artist who created compelling American flag image for TIME magazine: Part II
"This hand embroidered flag was created with the intention of signifying optimism and hopes that we can all work together to build a brighter future."
A conversation with Trinidadian Nneka Jones, the artist who created compelling American flag image for TIME magazine: Part I
"We had decided that using the American flag would be the perfect symbolism as it is a reflection of everything happening in the nation currently."
India’s Odia language added to Google and Microsoft translation services
Machine translation is a powerful tool to grow a language's digital presence.
Disinformation about Belarus spreads in the Balkans via online portals and social media
Fact-checkers from Serbia and North Macedonia have been detecting and countering disinformation favoring the authoritarian regime in Belarus in the mold of previous propaganda narratives from pro-Kremlin troll armies.
Hong Kong police accused of rewriting history to oppress political dissent
Hong Kong police manipulates narratives of mob violence to accuse political opponents of disturbing the peace and arrest them despite multiple video proofs of their innocence
#JusticeForZaraAlvarez: Filipino activists protest worsening impunity under President Duterte
"Saddened by Zara Alvarez's murder in Bacolod. Her daughter is now an orphan. The communities she served as a health worker and human rights advocate are orphaned too."
‘Boca de Rua': The Brazilian newspaper produced entirely by people living on the street
Created in Porto Alegre almost 20 years ago, 'Boca de Rua' is the only member of the International Network of Street Papers entirely created by people living on the streets
President Bolsonaro flooded with questions on social media about unexplained deposits into his wife's bank account
Why, a reporter asked the Brazilian president, was nearly US$16,000 deposited into the bank account of Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle, by their long-time acquaintance Fabrício Queiroz?
Most Taiwanese unfazed by former president's fearmongering on war with China
Speaking at a conference on August 10, former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou said that, once China attacks Taiwan, “the first battle will be the last."
Collusion accusations grow between Haitian government and organised crime groups
"[...] The gang leaders are seemingly free from persecution so long as they help keep the peace in the neighborhoods they control."
Hiroshima Timeline project under fire for racism, fabricated history
An innovative project about the August 1945 bombing of Hiroshima has come under fire for using racist epithets to describe Koreans, political interference, and for potentially fabricating historical source material.
Spain's scandal-hit former king leaves the country
Spaniards reacted on Twitter with the hashtag #RepúblicaYa or #GraciasMajestad
Why women’s rights and digital rights go hand-in-hand on Namibian Twitter
In Nambia, a Twitter campaign to legalize abortion drew waves of attacks against feminist activists, but as a result, parliament has agreed to discuss Nambia's outdated abortion laws.
Jamaicans at home and abroad express shock at ‘outrageous and offensive’ BBC comedy sketch
"This is a harmful piece of work, and its release seems to have completely ignored the current state of the world in which people are tirelessly campaigning for racial equality."
From horticulture to Harry Potter cosplay, Thai students find creative ways to protest against repression
Students across Thailand have been organizing protests demanding “an end to the authorities’ harassment of citizens, the drafting of a new constitution, and the dissolution of parliament.”
Report roundly criticizes ‘whitewashed’ face of Australian TV news and current affairs
"...the lack of diversity is also reflected in the stories programs make, the issues they examine and the way they examine them."
Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers split over Beijing-imposed mandate extension
Accepting an extension granted by Beijing's NPC could be seen as a surrender to the mainland -- while rejection means, in practice, a boycott of the LegCo.