Stories from 9 October 2013
China's Air Pollution Monitoring Network: Too Little, Too Late?
Heavy smog descended on Beijing and the surrounding area over the recent week-long holiday, pressuring Chinese authorities to unveil a pollution monitoring system. Netizens were not satisfied.
For the Russian Opposition Olympic Flames Burn Cold
Over a million people have watched a YouTube video of an Olympic torch being lit with a lighter, after the flame went during the 2014 torch relay.
Conserving South Asian River Dolphin in Bangladesh
Manish Datta, an EDGE fellow, is working to save the South Asian river dolphins in Bangladesh from a number of threats. In a blog he explains that a huge portion of the coastal people don’t even know that this is a species of dolphin and consume or kill them as...
Amid More Political Discord, Kyrgyzstan's Media Suffers
As Kyrgyzstan's Kumtor gold mine continues to stir political friction, anonymous "sources" cited by mainstream media claim to have all the answers.
Join Us On “The Bridge”
Global Voices gets personal with "The Bridge", our new original writing section launching October 10.
Teachers Strike and Protest on Spanish Balearic Islands to Defend the Catalan Language
An indefinite teachers' strike and protests in the streets are clamoring against a new regional education law which displaces Catalan in schools.
Hong Kong Journalists Kicked Out of APEC After Questioning Philippine President
The journalists had asked President Aquino III if he would apologize to the victims and their families of the 2010 Manila hostage incident. Netizens and political groups call for a boycott.
Saying Good-bye to Baseballer Mariano Rivera
Panamanian pitcher Mariano Rivera retires from professional baseball, leaving behind a series of records that will be hard to break. The media and social networks paid their respects.
Costa Rica's ‘Green Judges’ vs. Illegal Property Developers
In Culture Unplugged you can watch a short documentary called “Costa Rica, a Land for Sale“: Between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the smallest country in Central America is now the planet’s champion in biodiversity. However, for several years, the success of ecotourism has been driving Costa Rica...
White American Claims to Be Kenya's First Female Maasai Warrior
In her book, Mindy Budgor details her journey to be the first female Maasai warrior, a status traditionally reserved for men. Her story has sparked intense debate online.
Chinese Netizens React: What is Patriotism?
In the wake of the National Holidays, China's state media CCTV interviewed people on the streets and asked: “what is patriotism?”. You can imagine the huge gap in response between young and old (or conservative versus liberal). Offbeat China has translated some comments online and the discussion continues there, begging the question...
Singapore’s Tuition Craze
Private tuition or tutoring centers are proliferating in Singapore as parents continue to spend more money to improve the education of their children. Is this good or bad?
Underwear Bombardment on North Korea?
A Swedish underwear brand launched a ridiculous Ad campaign entitled ‘Weapons of the Mass Seduction’ that pledges to drop 450 pairs of free underwear to the country voted the most in the poll on Oct 31 by an airdrop. North Korea, so far, was placed on top by garnering over 5,500 votes and news has...
