Stories about Humor from January, 2016
No, Eritrea Isn't Forcing Men to Marry at Least Two Wives
The two wives hoax inspired a flood of hilarious memes on Twitter.
Laf Productions, the Chilean Team Behind Several Hilarious Viral Videos in Latin America
The Laf team give a humorous twist to everyday themes, and perhaps that's one of the reasons behind their success.
Deus Ex Putina

According to a Russian news site and a whole lot of bloggers, Vladimir Putin’s ex-wife, Lyudmila, has remarried. The RuNet also thinks it's found her Facebook account.
‘Homophobes Are People Too’ Campaign Challenges Macedonia's Hostility Toward LGBT People
The human rights reality for LGBT people in Macedonia is poor, with systemic impunity for hate crimes against sexual and gender minorities in the country.
Salt and Loathing in St. Petersburg

What has in the past helped defeat French legions and German divisions is also an ordinary concern for Russians. Usually, there's little cause for celebration, when considering the Russian winter.
Chinese Netizens Climb Over the Great Firewall to Go After Advocates of Taiwanese Independence
A mainland Chinese netizens’ movement aimed at silencing pro-independence Taiwanese "through civilized methods” has become a humourous emoji battle and a tech lesson in scaling the Great Firewall of China.
First Russian Pastafarian Gets Driver's License Photo Wearing A Colander

Russian Pastafarians are celebrating: for the first time, an adherent of the religion managed to get his driver's license photo taken wearing a pasta strainer—Pastafarians' obligatory headgear.
Don’t Laugh, But Dubai’s Deputy Police Chief Would Like to Tell You About Obama’s ‘Shia Roots’
Dubai's deputy chief of police reasons the Iran Deal happened because Obama is Shia. Arab and Iranian social media users can‘t contain their laughter.
The Internet Helps an Unknown Brazilian Footballer Beat Messi to Win a FIFA Award
Wendell Lira didn’t have a club to play for when he was nominated for the most beautiful goal of 2015. But thanks to the Internet, he turned things around.
Why Do Hong Kongers Call Chief Executive CY Leung ‘689’?
Hint: it's not a nice nickname.
Miss Me? Witty Hackers Put Sherlock Villain Moriarty on Kyiv Subway Screens

Social media users in Ukraine's capital Kyiv posted multiple images showing the ad screens in the subway taken over by a picture of smiling Moriarty from the BBC Sherlock series.
Kyrgyzstan Staged its First Opera Flash Mob in a Bishkek Supermarket. It Was Magical.
"People who seemed to be average shoppers and store employees suddenly burst into song, regaling store patrons with a piece from Verdi's opera, La Traviata."
Social Media Users Get Creative in Response to Ukrainian President's Fake Magazine Cover

When Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko decided to tweet a doctored cover of The Economist magazine with his face replacing Putin's, he got some image editing help from social media users.
Turkish Hackers Claim Credit for Hijacking Top Russian Official's Instagram

Hackers identifying themselves as Turkish took control of the Russian communications minister's Instagram account earlier today, posting a dozen images depicting Turkish patriotism and falling aircraft.