Stories from 15 March 2014
Korea: English, Borrowed Words, Konglish
Words adopted from another language, or ‘borrowed words’ permeate the Korean language. R. Elgin wrote an informative post about how borrowed English words are being used in Korea compared to loanwords in other countries; many English words are, instead of being completely or partially naturalized, phonetically rendered into Korean, often...
“I Am Scared to Live in This Country”: Crowd Attacks Women's Rights Activists in Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan's capital, an angry crowd attacked women's rights activists whom they mistook for Christian missionaries.
Letters From Tajikistan: We Are Different, But We Have Much In Common
A unique book has been published in Tajikistan. Loki explains [ru] how the book, Letters from Tajikistan, differs from everything else that has been produced in the country: The book is a collection of letters written by people who either live in Tajikistan or have visited the country. The authors...
Speaking Through Graffiti in Kazakhstan
Over the last ten years, a street art group based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has been using graffiti to express ideas and statements. The group, Repas Workshop, presents [ru] the most recent examples of their impressive graffiti artworks in a blog.
Ultraman Comic Book Banned in Malaysia for Using the Word ‘Allah’
Ultraman may be a comic book hero but the translation of the word God into Allah is considered by Malaysia’s Home Affairs Ministry as a threat to public order.
Malaysia Airlines MH370 Mystery Fuels Conspiracy Theories
After a week of waiting for answers in the disappearance of flight MH370 and its 239 occupants, conspiracy theories have cropped to fill the void about what happened.
Russia's Crimea Ballot Fraud that Wasn't
A scandal surrounding a ballot photo suggests that Russians are pessimistic about Crimea's Sunday referendum. Many are ready to believe the worst now, even on laughably circumstantial evidence.
