Stories from 9 February 2014
Media Overblowing Extreme Right's Role in Ukraine's #Euromaidan Protests
Protesters include liberals and conservatives, socialists and libertarians, nationalists and cosmopolitans, Christians, non-Christians and atheists, according to a group of scholars pushing back against the media's misrepresentation of Euromaidan.
An Info-Activism Tool-Kit on Women's Rights Campaigning
The Women's Rights Campaigning: Info-Activism Toolkit by Tactical Technology Collective is a new guide for women's rights activists, advocates, NGOs and community based organizations who want to use technology tools and practices in their campaigning. This has been developed in collaboration with advocacy organizations from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Kenya and...
Tanqeed's Bi-Weekly List of Recommended Readings On Pakistan
Tanqeed, a quarterly magazine on politics and culture on Tumblr, is an experiment in critical reflection on Pakistan. It is a blogzine, a scrapbook and a reporters’ notebook. This year, Tanqeed is accepting recommendations of lectures, essays, articles, videos on a range of subjects including politics, culture and society from...
India's Solar Vision Promises Clean Energy And Happy Farmers
The Indian government is aiming to replace 26 million diesel-powered groundwater pumps with more efficient solar-powered irrigation models. The country also plans to build the world's largest solar power plant.
Iran: Five Soldiers Abducted near Iran-Pakistan Border
Five Iranian soldiers were kidnapped on Friday, near Iran-Pakistan border by Sunni extremists. Iranians launched a tweet campaign to support abducted soldiers.Amin Sabeti tweeted Iranians have started a @Twitter campaign for 5 Iranian soldiers who are abducted by a terrorist group Jaish al-ado #FreeIranianSoldiers — Amin Sabeti (@AminSabeti) February 9,...
Yemenis Demand an End to Corruption and Unfair Sales Deals
Yemenis are back on the streets demanding an end to what they claim are "unfair" liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales agreements, bleeding the country's resources.
“I Am Alive” App Allows Lebanese to Reassure Each Other After Explosions
The Lebanese seem to have gotten so used to bombs that an app dedicated to letting your loved ones know you're alive seems inevitable.
Campaign to Demand Saudi Nationality Gender Equality
A campaign aimed at enabling the children of Saudi women to be granted the Saudi nationality is currently underway, writes Osama Khalid
Veteran Sri Lankan Journalist Murdered in Her Home
Mel Gunasekera was the founding editor of the Lanka Business Online, an online financial news service website, and a former reporter for French news agency Agence France-Presse.
Five of the Most Celebrated French-Language African Films
Five of the most celebrated French-language African films (award-winning or not) that have left their mark on an entire generation of movie-watchers.
Discovering Malagasy Diverse Street Food
Malagasy cuisine is a mix of its many diverse influences from Asian, African and European migrants that have settled in the Island. It makes for a rich culinary experience, as seen from its multitude of snacks and street foods. Hanta Ramanatsoa highlights some of those on her facebook page, la...
Will the End of the National Dialogue Bring Peace to Yemen?
After 10 months of negotiations, the National Dialogue Conference has ended. Yemenis are wondering if it will bring a real political change and an end to violence on the ground.
Campaigning for Women's Rights Made Easy
Women's rights campaigning is the focus of a new info-activism toolkit by Tactical Technology Collective. The toolkit is particularly useful to women's rights activists, advocates, NGOs and community-based organisations who want to use technology tools and practices in their campaigning. It includes step-by-step guides from basics like how to launch...
Egyptian Satirist Bassem Youssef is Back On Air
Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef's satire show is back on air on MBC Masr, after it was taken off air by CBC last year.
Public Buses Return To Cambodia’s Capital
Phnom Penh is embarking on a one-month bus trial to convince motorbike-riding residents to use public buses. The last time buses were deployed in the capital was in 2001
Chinese Dating Website’s TV Advertisement Backfires
Apparently smart and touching TV commercial by China’s dating website Baihe.com backfires, leading to an online protest.
Tajikistan: Welcome to the “Facebook Republic of Pitzostan”
A government committee in charge of enforcing language regulations in Tajikistan has recently caused many laughs by insisting that the word “pizza” should be replaced with “pitzo” on restaurant signs in the country's capital. According to the committee's chair, “pitzo” sounds more “Tajik”. #Tajikistan has officially renamed pizza “pitzo”. For...
Heavy Snowfall Brings Playtime to Tokyo
Heavy snowstorms hit Japan on Feb 8, 2014. Twenty seven centimeters of snow fell in central Tokyo, for the first time in 45 years. Moro Miya, a writer and a blogger who specializes in introducing Japanese culture to Chinese readers, collected the photos of snowmen and snow-animals that were posted...
Russian Commentator Apologizes for Mistaking Uzbekistan for Tajikistan
Renowned Russian sports newscaster has apologized for mistaking the national team of Uzbekistan for that of Tajikistan during a live television broadcast from this year's Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Responding to thousands of angry messages addressed to him through social media sites, Dmitry Guberniev posted [ru] an apology on his...
Family Reunion and the Chinese New Year
Jocelyn Eikenburg describes how she spent the first few days of the Chinese New Year with her husband's family in China. I’ve already attended four huge dinners with family, where the dining tables often become a cacophony of laughing and shouting (often because of those drinking games involving baijiu). I’ve...
Why Young Chinese Flock to First Tier Cities?
Offbeat China explains why young Chinese want to migrate to first tier cities in spite of the polluted environment and expensive property price.
