Stories from 23 January 2014
On Love, Politics and the Francophone Culture
France seemed to shrug at the news of French President François Hollande's affair with actress Julie Gayet. Are other French-speaking countries as relaxed in matters of love?
Kyrgyz Woman Abducted for Marriage Tells Her Story on Twitter
A young woman was recently kidnapped for marriage in Bishkek. After police saved her from the kidnappers, the woman told the story of her "nightmare" on Twitter.
It's Slash and Burn for Russia's Indigenous

Russia’s indigenous people stand up for their land rights in a quarrel with oil companies, raising issues of environmental and economic justice.
A Growing Job Market for Young People in Senegal: The Fishing Sector
To combat rampant youth unemployment in Senegal, a new initiative geared toward job creation in the fishing industry was created. Ibrahima Lô, one of the lead on the project, explains...
New Year's Eve is Past but Debates Continue in Tajikistan
Although the New Year's Eve is past, social media users in Tajikistan continue debating over the appropriateness of the holiday which many Tajiks see as a remnant of the “alien”...
Things to Love about Kyrgyzstan's Capital
While social media users in Kyrgyzstan often discuss what they don't like about the country's capital, they seldom talk of what they do like about Bishkek. Breaking up with the...
South Korea: I Would Rather Sell My Personal Info
Personal information of about 20 million people, which amounts to two fifth of the entire South Korean population, has been compromised in the country's worst identity theft. Customers of the affected three...
From Barcelona to Madrid for the Love of a Candidate
Blogger Denise Duncan makes a confession [es] on her blog: ¿Por qué voy a viajar 1400 kilómetros para votar por Luis Guillermo Solís? ¿Por qué ir y volver de Barcelona...
Goodbye Alexandros Petersen, Prodigious Guide to China in Central Asia

On January 17, a Taliban suicide bomb attack killed sixteen people at a Kabul restaurant. Among them was Alexandros Petersen, an enlightening commentator on Eurasian affairs and a riveting storyteller.
The Online Presence of Puerto Rican Women: Gender, Creativity, and Equality
Angel Carrión features some of the online spaces Puerto Rican women have created to express ideas, creativity, exchange information, or provide resources that further education on women's issues and equality.
East Timor: ‘Australia Spied on Us for Oil Secrets’
East Timor is battling Australia in The Hague over Australia's alleged spying and violation of East Timor's sovereignty in a dispute over an oil and gas treaty between the two.
PHOTOS: Over 5,000 Children Break Guinness Record Painting Panama Canal
The Canal's centennial celebrations kicked off with a world record for people painting simultaneously. The event's festive atmosphere diverted the attention from a dispute threatening to halt the Canal's expansion.
Vargas Llosa's ‘Conversation in The Cathedral’, 140 Characters at a Time
The anonymous Twitter user behind the handle @EnLaCatedral is determined to share [es] the whole content of “Conversation in the Cathedral“, a novel by Literature Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa,...
China Arrests Ilham Tohti, Peaceful Advocate for Uyghur Minority
Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times accused university professor Ilham Tohti of being a separatist. His supporters maintain he opposes violence and independence for the Uyghur people.